Ready, Set, Explore

“We are all very excited to experience a new culture in a place we’ve never been before, and we’re also all pretty excited to see some sea lions and penguins! This is the adventure of a lifetime, and I can’t believe we’re actually here!”

Environmental Army

“As a group, woke up at 7am, and went to the worksite. There, we encountered a large field of vegetation, and had to remove it all. Machetes in hand, we cleaned the landscape. Removing thorn-filled raspberry plants, trimming the branches of banana and orange trees was tough. We even brought down an entire tree with just a machete!”

Exploring the Sea

“We went down to the harbor to snorkel and kayak. While snorkeling, we swam with the Galapagos penguins, sea turtles, squids, and sea lions. We also saw the blue-footed boobies and baby sea lions while kayaking. Both of these days included important work that benefited the natural habitats here in the Galapagos. Not only were these activities beneficial to the environment, but they also have had positive effects on all of the GLA participants.”

For the Tortoises

“Today we started our first day of service work at a giant tortoise nursery.  Our guides told us about some of the work we will be doing and why it is extremely important to do for the tortoises. We learned that there are many introduced plants that are taking over the area where the tortoises’ food source grows. This work is so important for the native species of St. Isabella to thrive!”

Exploring a Lagoon

“This place is beyond incredible– the wildlife we’ve seen in such a short time here is insane!”

Want to learn more about the Ecuador: Preserving Nature’s Wondersexperience?  Check out the program guide and put yourself in the shoes of our volunteers in this amazing South American oasis.

Curious about what you’d have to pack?  Rain boots or sunscreen?  Jackets or shorts?  Read The Young Leader’s take on the ultimate packing list and get ready for your future travels.

Headed Home

All students are on their way home after an amazing program!

Friends of the Asian Elephant Foundation

Today we visited Friends of the Asian Elephant Foundation, a hospital specific to the Asian Elephant, particularly those who suffer from abuse, abandonment, lack of nutrition, as well as serious leg injuries such as missing limbs from Burmese landmines. This elephant hospital is the very first of its kind, and is quite famous for its aid to a 50-year-old female elephant named Matala. Matala had lost one of her front legs from the scattered landmines on the boarder of Burma, where she would have died if she had not been taken to Friends of the Asian Elephant Foundation. We had the opportunity to see Matala, and elephants in similar health conditions, walk with prosthetic legs, a medical advancement that is unique to this elephant hospital.

We served the Friends of the Asian Elephant Foundation by painting fences and sanitizing the concrete flooring where the injured elephants call home. We then returned to the GLA base to the smell of fried papaya and pouring rain.

Planting at Patara

Today we helped plant rice in the paddy farms near Patara Elephant Farm. The first step was pulling the seedlings, removing the dirt from the roots, and making bundles to prepare for planting. Here Hannah and Madison are pulling and preparing for planting!

Next came the fun part! In the mud we went and planted the seedlings that will be harvested around November 10th 2014. It was a very educational and fun day!

Dreams & Teamwork

Today we all focused a lot on the themes of dreams and teamwork. The activities we did and the bonds we created today were a great reflection of that. Starting in the morning, we began by helping the Mahouts cut and plant sugar cane on Patara’s Elephant Farm. Then breaking to eat a fantastic lunch filled with grilled chicken, fresh avocadoes, and purple sticky rice served on giant banana leaves! Our feast was a great reward for our hard work. Continuing into the afternoon, we all fell in love the little six and a half week old baby elephant named Ju and his mama.

We then visited a Buddhist temple, one of the oldest in Chiang Mai. Finally, to wrap up the day we played a team building activity; we worked together to catapult a box with each of our dreams (goals) written inside out of the “lava” circle, using very limited tools and communication skills. The hard work and amazing cultural experiences we had today has helped us bond more than ever. Also unknown at the time, our sense of team unity tied in with our theme of dreams. Being able to work and communicate with everyone helped us to achieve our goals/tasks more efficiently. From what I saw today, our group is filled with amazing, hardworking leaders with a passion for elephants. I can’t wait to see how we grow together and make our own dreams come true by making impactful changes on Patara’s elephant Farm and throughout the community of Chiang Mai.

Amazing Elephants!

Today we had the chance to spend time and take care of these amazing elephants. We washed them, learned to check their skin, toenails, and even poop to make sure they’re healthy! In the river a few of the babies were playing and running around and it was SO adorable. I think it was funny when we rode the elephants up the rode. As people drove by they didn’t pay much attention but if that was going on in my town… people would go crazy! We learned so much today and it was the coolest experience!

Coming all the way across the planet and finding ourselves here in Thailand is really surreal. This cohort of people is the only group of people that will experience this GLA program. Lot’s of people interact with elephants, taste Thai food and appreciate this country but, this group is a moving body of young people who will get to know each other and move as unit through time. That’s one of many things I love about these sort of programs, we can tell stories that will never really paint an authentic picture that’s why all of us being here, now is so important. The real things we will experience as a group over the next few weeks are ours to take with us! Thanks for checking in on this blog!

We’ve Arrived!

Stay tuned for blog updates and photos!

We’re Coming Home!

All students have departed Thailand and are on their way home!

Rock Climbing Photos:

Patarah Elephant Farm

Today was day 2 of our 3 day adventure at the Patarah Elephant Farm, and it was just as exciting and interactive as day 1. We left the hotel around 8:00 and arrived at the farm at 9:00 to begin our first full day at the farm. Once we had gone through “orientation” again with a few groups of tourists, we split up into 4 groups of 2 and went our separate ways for the day. Since this happened to be the case, most of the stories I will tell will be encounters of my partner Callie and I and may be different from the way that the other groups did things. That being said, all of the tourists that Callie and I were with for the day were given their own elephants, while we were in charge of the babies. After a few hours of “play time” with our babies, we hiked up to the top of a mountain to set up lunch for our tourists to enjoy after their hour long elephant ride. Lunch consisted of many traditional Thai foods such as sticky rice, mango steen, assorted fruit, fried bananas, and many Thai desserts featuring coconut and banana that we set out on banana leaves to eat with our, albeit dirty, hands. When we barely put a dent in the copious amounts of food, we were able to feed all of the left overs to the elephants who enjoyed them thoroughly.

Once the animals and humans had full stomachs, it was time to hike to the waterfall to bathe the elephants. Our seemed to have consumed a dangerous amount of sugar at lunch because bath time turned into aggressive play time for Pairah, Pailin, and Pansa. When I say aggressive play time I mean Pailin managed to knock me over with his trunk and trample me on the ground (no worries, I suffer a minor bruise on my ankle) and Pairah acted as a mechanical bull for Callie and bucked her off into a belly flop on the water (again, no worries, she suffers a minor bruise on the leg). Our eventful bath time led us to the point in our day in which we were given a special exhibition to complete the FULL package deal that Patarah offers. *PG-13 sensitive material ahead* A few of us had the opportunity to witness two elephants mating, approximately 5 feet in front of us, in complete and full view of, well, everything. As I am still a bit traumatized from the unexpected visual, it is also very cool to be able to say that I’ve been lucky enough to see an endangered species creating new life, although they say it is a 50/50 chance that the female will get pregnant *End PG-13 sensitive material*. Continuing on, this brings us to the end of our day at the farm when we took a car to where a mother and her 5 week old calf live and were able to watch the baby try and drink from it’s mother (I say “try” because this calf is unusually small for it’s age and it’s mother is unusually tall, so the keepers have to stack pillows for it to reach it’s mother’s milk every time it needs to feed. It’s adorably clumsy efforts on the pillows didn’t yield successful results for many many tries.) It was amazing to see such a giant and powerful animal in such a small and gentle state.

Thank you for reading my post and I hope I have painted a picture at least half as beautiful as our day was!

Starting Off

Hello Moms and Dads,

Today we spent our first day at Patarah Elephant Farm! We got to feed and wash the elephants at the waterfall and even inspect their poop, which was Kirby’s favorite part. After that, we rode the elephants back to the farm. It was a trying experience because they liked to stop and eat the trees often! When we got back we had chicken strips, fried fish, french fries, spring rolls, and salad for dinner. Tomorrow we go back to Patarah again and will be spending the day with the baby elephants which are so so adorable!! We are all loving Thailand so far! See you soon!

-Callie and the Thailand Crew

We’ve Arrived!

All students have arrived in country and are ready for an amazing program! Stay tuned for blog posts and photos!

Heading Home

All students have boarded their flights and are on their way home!

On Language and Meditation

My time in Thailand has been life changing, primarily due to the people I’ve met and the experiences they brought with them.

We started the day by returning to the Buddhist temple in the cave we already visited, but by popular demand we decided to return. The cave itself, along with it’s many statues, are great, but in my opinion the real reason for visiting is the monks. My “single story” of monks – what I expected to experience – is that they would have been silent and serious. To my surprise, the monks actually initiated speaking with me first, asking where I was from. I replied, ” America! “. They smiled and giddily laughed at my enthusiasm. I sat and talked with them for a little while longer, discovering that they only ate once a day, and actually lived in the cave, with the hundreds of bats as their neighbors.

I can’t speak much more Thai than sawadee ka (hello/goodbye) and aroi ma ka? Aroi ka! ( is it delicious? It is delicious!), at least I think that’s what it means. The monks were only a little more advanced in their English than I was in my Thai, but despite this, the monks and I had an hour-long conversation of sorts, where I showed them the many pictures on my camera, as well as attempting to mime a few things.

My time with the monks ended with them showing me how to meditate properly, right leg on top, in crisscross applesauce, with hands folded neatly in my lap. I started to meditate with the monks, releasing all of my worries and listening to the sounds of the cave. I meditated for about ten minutes, and when I opened my eyes five other GLA participants were meditating with me and the monks. This specific experience couldn’t be more characteristic of Thailand. The people greet and welcome you into their home, even though they don’t know who you are. Language doesn’t keep them from making connections. Thailand’s nickname ” The Land of Smiles” has with my experience proven to be true time and time again.
– Priscilla

Sawadee ka!

My name is Marissa and I am a 17 year old GLA student from California. I’ve been given the opportunity to write the blog on yesterday’s activities- I’m going to try to fit in everything we did since the day was so jam packed! Half of us woke up at the early hours of 6 am to learn how to wash the local elephants in the Maekok river. The elephants took it more as play time rather than a chore- they were splashing around like kids, spraying us with their trunks! We all reconvened for yet another incredible Thai breakfast, including rice soup, vegetable stir fry, and, everyone’s favorite, rambutan and mangosteen (everyday Thai fruits). Afterwards, we split again- half of us walking to the elephant village next door to get a bare back riding lesson from the mahouts, or elephant trainers; the other half walking over to meet a few women of the Raummit village to learn how to weave. As part of the group who worked with the elephants, I can easily say it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. We were taught how to mount these massive creatures by a few simple Thai commands from both their sides and their trunks!

A Wonderful Day

Elephant Village – The First Experience

So today was our first full day in the elephant village! We went next door to the elephant camp in the morning and spent the next two hours talking to the mahouts (elephant caregivers) and getting to know the elephants. We were introduced to three elephants and their trainers, who we will be working with throughout our time here.

Then, after all of the introductions took place and we’d learned what we needed to know by conversing with the mahouts, we got our first chance at riding elephants!

We rode on seats on the elephants’ backs, though a few lucky students had the opportunity to actually ride the elephants bareback. Later on in the week we will all get the opportunity to ride the same way, without the seats.

Because it was Sunday and this is a predominately Christian village, most of the village was shut down for the entire day, so we spent time playing games and engaging in leadership seminars. There were lots of laughs! We also spent time preparing our English lessons for the local school, which takes some preparation to get right. I’m incredibly excited to get some teaching time and spend more time with the elephants over the course of the program.

– Gina

A Sea of Experiences

Standing on the other side of the arrival gate at Chiang Mai International Airport waiting for my first students of the summer is exhilarating; months of preparation work is in place and all the logistics are settled. As an international director, I know that when I see my first student walk out looking for our blue GLA t-shirts, the summer has officially begun. However, in this line of work, it’s not just another summer. It’s navigating young minds through a sea of experiences that will stick with them throughout their lives. I don’t take that in jest.

As parents, I greatly appreciate all of you allowing us staff the opportunity to help your students along on this voyage of discovery. Thailand is very warm, humid, and sometimes buggy which students take notice of immediately beyond the threshold of the air-conditioned terminal doors. Some of the first students to arrive; Wendy and Claire, stepped into this foreign climate and immediately looked at each other with smiles of “oh wow this is humid”. Moments later we were all riding in our local transport toward the home base. As we were riding along, I noticed how quickly they forgot about the sticky humidity and started experiencing the sensory stimulus provided form the sights, sounds and smells of the streets. This light bulb of fascination exhibited in students, is what brings me back year after year.

At the end of our first full day together we’ve begun to talk about leadership, Thailand’s culture, had a language crash course, started to practice bargaining skills in markets and opened our minds to the realization that we will be connecting with some other locals soon (the elephants). Tomorrow we begin our journey to Ruammit village where students will inevitably be awe stricken by these enormous and powerful creatures. As we prepped for this experience, Olivia was telling us how she felt like she was exactly where she belonged, which to me; is the purest form of inspiration. Going forward; these next two weeks, there will be moments of vulnerability for all of the students but what doesn’t challenge them doesn’t change them. We as staffs are here to guide them, mentor them, and learn from and with them. What an adventure it’s going to be!

With appreciation,

– Tim E. Easley, International Director

Everyone’s Here!

All students have arrived safely for the Elephant Village Initiative.  Further updates to follow!

 – Tim E. Easley, International Director

Headed Home

All students are on their way home!

Maetaman Elephant Camp

Depicted in the history of Thailand as industrious servants, elephants are highly revered creatures amongst the Thai people. Upon a visit to the Maetaman Elephant Camp the GLA students delved into, and what most experienced to be, their first elephant ride. While exploring through the lush greenery of Chiang Mai, students were invited to engage with the elephants by feeding them their diet of banana and sugar cane. After trekking through the canopies of the Maetaman Elephant Camp, the students ended the day off by joining the elephants in the river for a once- in-a-lifetime volunteer experience to bathe them.

Recent Happenings

As I’m sure everyone at home is anxious to hear what’s happening over here in Thailand, we’re happy to let you all know that our days have been jam packed with varieties of activities that are aimed at opening eyes, stimulating taste buds, and shaping world views! GLA Thailand is colorful, very colorful. What we mean is that if you look out the window of your bungalow you see a hundred shades of green in the flora, which surrounds our home base just outside of Chiang Mai city. When we travel to service sites, temples, activities or dinners the streets are lined with lamps lit aglow inside wax paper of every pigment, clothes on the people like a box of crayons, and night markets with singers, dancers, cooks and trinkets from across the “Kingdom of Siam”.

We’ve spent the first half of the program getting to know the unique personalities that make up the GLA team. Students have come from far and wide and each of them brings his/her own story. Likewise, the staff’s backgrounds are a variety including teacher, outdoor sports enthusiasts, basketball coach, and grad student in international education, marathon extraordinaire, GLA headquarters office worker, and a technology guru. The students are ambassadors from the high plains of the Dakotas, the bustling cities of NY, LA, the birthplace of el mariachi Guadalajara, the quiet coastal plains of NC, the vastness of Canada, Alaska’s islands, Lebanon and it’s famous brass, the land of bikes: Holland, Oregon’s mountain beauty and Utah’s snowy slopes.

With this sort of make-up you can see that GLA is more than immersion in Thai culture, it’s a sharing in perspective comparable to the tastes you can find at a world foods market. With this, we create our own program. GLA is not routine, must haves do not regiment it, and it certainly has the flexibility to adapt to the course the students take it. As a staff we let them steer the ship and guide their own compass.

We’ve been working at an orphanage for children living with HIV, building bamboo fences at a center for single mothers who’ve escaped intolerable situations, spending time hanging out with Buddhist monks, learning what elephants mean to Thai culture, cooking and tasting foods found at favorite Thai restaurants back home, and finding some time to sleep. I’ve been impressed by Sean, Sarah, Sandy, Demy, Elan, Deja, and Harrison for their willingness to lead their peers when we met with local high school students for an exchange of cultural presentations. Maddi M., Marck, Shoshanna, Yadi, Haley, Priva, Jake and Erika have been really engaged and shining at service sites where we are hot, sweating, dirty and sometimes out of our comfort zone. One student Avery, has an observant nature coupled with his intellect which combines well to make a quiet yet very appropriate comment at the rite moment to keep his peers thinking.

Going further on this journey means something different for everyone. For some it’s learning that everyone is a leader, it’s getting over a fear of talking in front of groups, allowing oneself to come out of a shell, take the once in a lifetime picture, or find that zest for life we all posses but need to cultivate. These students are why I work with GLA, they are why I’m here now, and It’s an honor to have them.

Cheers and Be Well,

Sawatdee Krap from Thailand!

-Tim Easley

We’ve Arrived!

All students have arrived in country and are ready for an amazing program! Stay tuned for blog updates and photos!