Thank you for visiting our Program Blog FAQ page. Below is a collection of frequently asked questions that we receive from parents about the GLA program blogs.

What are GLA program blogs?

We created GLA program blogs so that parents and family members could follow along on their student’s journey abroad! The blog posts are a great way for the program staff to share a recap every few days of what the students have been up to during their program, such as service projects, learning activities, adventures, and more.

Will there be a blog for my student’s program?

Yes! Every session for each program will have its own individual blog page where new posts will be added.

Who writes the blog posts?

Blog posts are compiled by the onsite program staff (International Director/Mentors), and the text portion is written either by the staff themselves or students who volunteer to write them.

How do the blogs get posted?

Program staff send each new blog post to our Blog Team at GLA headquarters via email. A member of our Blog Team will then add the new post to the blog, and parents will receive an email notification that there’s a new blog update.

Will there be photos posted on the blog?

Yes, absolutely! Program staff are always encouraged to send photos along with blog posts whenever they can. However, due to internet accessibility on the program, blog posts may occasionally only include text.

How will I know when my student’s program has new blog post?

You will receive an email notification each time there’s a new blog post for your student’s program. These email notifications are automated, and they are sent to the parent or guardian email addresses we have on file for the student’s account.

When will I see the first blog post?

The first blog post for each program is what we call the “Arrival Post.” The Arrival Post is posted on the first or second day of the program, and typically includes a group photo of the students along with a short note from program staff.

How often will the blog be updated throughout the rest of the program?

After the Arrival Post, program staff typically send new blog posts 2-3 times per week. However, this range may vary dramatically from one program to the next and typically depends on internet connectivity in each location as well as the rigorousness of the program schedule that week. In the event a new blog post will be severely delayed, we will do our best to communicate that on your specific blog.

Why do some new posts show a previous date?

When you receive a notification of a new blog update and you go to read the blog, you may notice the new post is dated for yesterday or even two or three days ago. This is completely normal and extremely common. The date on each blog post is the date that the post is actually about, which does not always align with the date it is posted. Due to many program factors (such as internet connectivity, busy program schedules, off-grid excursions, time zone differences, etc.), program staff may not be able to compile and send new blogs same day. In addition, our blog team may not always be able to post new blogs right away depending on what time of day/night the blog post was sent in.

When does your Blog Team post new blogs?

Due to the program factors noted above, as well as the volume of programs running simultaneously around the globe, we are receiving new posts from program staff all throughout the day, evening, and overnight. Blogs received during office hours will be posted same day, and blogs received in the evening and overnight will be posted the following day in the order they were received.

Will blogs be posted on weekends?

Arrival Posts will be posted the day they are received – weekends included. Standard blog updates received on weekends may be delayed until Monday morning depending of the volume of blog posts we receive over the weekend.

Can I reply to the blog email notifications?

When you reply to a blog notification email, the replies go to our Blog Team at GLA Headquarters. The Blog Team members are not physically on the programs, and this inbox is not monitored 24/7. For any questions or concerns regarding the program, or if you need to get in touch with your student or the program staff, please call our 24/7 parent hotline at +1-619-758-3031 for immediate assistance.

Why am I not receiving email notifications when there’s a new blog post?

If you are not receiving email updates when there’s a new blog post for your student’s program, it may be due to one of the three common reasons below:

You have unsubscribed from GLA emails in the past:
If you have ever hit “unsubscribe” on an email from GLA – such as a promotional email, newsletter, etc. – then you have opted out of all emails from GLA, including the blog update emails. This is the most common reason for parents not receiving the blog email notifications, and we can certainly opt you back in so you will receive future emails.

We don’t have your email on file:
As mentioned above, blog update emails are automatically sent to the parents or guardians listed on the student’s account. So another common reason for not receiving these emails is that we do not have your email and contact information on file.

The email we have on file is outdated or no longer used:
If you are listed as a contact on your student’s account, then blog update emails will be sent to the email we have on file. Emails that are outdated or no longer in use will come back “undelivered.” Be sure to confirm with your GLA Travel Coordinator that we have the best contact email on file so you won’t miss a blog update!

Why doesn’t the link in the notification email go directly to my student’s blog page?

The link in the notification email goes our Program Blog Homepage, and all programs are listed in alphabetical order where you can select your student’s specific session dates to read the blog. The blog link for your student’s session will remain the same throughout the program, so if you’d like to bypass the homepage in the future, simply save or bookmark the link you to your student’s specific blog page. You can then go directly to that page whenever you receive an email notification of a new blog post.

Can I add other family and friends to receive the blog email notification list?

Our automated blog notification emails are reserved for parents and guardians only, however, you are welcome to share the link to your student’s program blog with anyone who wishes to follow along!

Who can I contact if I have another question about the blog?

If you have a question about the blog specifically, you can email our blog team at blog@experiencegla.com, however, this inbox is not monitored 24/7. For all other questions or concerns regarding the program, or if you need to get in touch with your student or the program staff, please call our 24/7 parent hotline at +1-619-758-3031 for immediate assistance.

 

 

Coming soon.

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Saturday August 4, 2018

First day of arrivals is complete! We are waiting on the arrival of two young ladies in the morning and then our group of 23 will be complete. Today’s group settled into their new bunks, ate dinner and most headed directly to bed. Tomorrow will be a full day of orientation and elephanting!

Sunday August 5, 2018

Hi Friends and Family,

We are so excited to welcome this amazing group of globe-hopping, world-changing, young leaders to Thailand! The Terrific Twenty-Three have landed in a far away country and are here to make a difference!

We’ve gotten to know more about their individual strengths and what they can bring to the team! We have a diverse crew that is learning about their upcoming service projects: having an authentic Thai school teaching/learning experience and volunteering at an ethical Elephant sanctuary by prepping food and maintaining the grounds.

Through learning about teaching techniques, elephant social/psychological development and issues within the tourist industry, we are certain these ladies and gents will come back to their home community with a new series of skills and ideas of local and global issues to begin addressing with passion, commitment, and targeted determination.

We look forward to a great session and will keep you posted.

In the spirit of adventure,
Diana González
Mentor
Elephant Village Initiative – A4

Monday August 6, 2018

This morning we started the day off with some delicious breakfast. Afterwords we headed out to the elephants’ fields to pick up some elephant compost. All the compost is transported to the pit of doom, which is an experiences in its own. It consists of purely elephant poop leaves and some creepy critters. It was a little challenging transporting the carts filled with elephants dung to the PIT OF DOOM but it was definantly a fulfilling job. Once the dirty work was done, it was off to clearing a portion of a field to prepare it for Elephant Grass planting. A few of the group got sucked on by leaches which was a little grody if I’m being honest. Back to the field clearing, it was very hard work clearing out giant pieces of bamboo and the tall vines, weeds, etc. I was shocked to see how much work the group got done as I did not think we would clear the whole field, but we sure did. Before we could plant the grass we actually had to go and cut grass so then it can be replanted and spread through the new field. While the grass was being cut the sight of a life time happened, an elephant ran at full speed and even trumpeted a little bit. It was one of the gnarliest experiences of my life today was a great finish to one exhausting yet beautiful fun filled day.

Peace,
Sami and Carson

Tuesday August 7, 2018

Today was a blast! We had many adventures. After picking up lots of elephant “nuggets”, we set to work digging trenches and planting hairy grass for our lovely elephant friends to eat as well as laying down sand over the puddles in their eating space. After a flavorful lunch consisting of sticky rice and assorted dishes, we had the exciting opportunity to continue planting grass!! We managed to complete the planting process after a bit of rain, a bit of grass, and a lot of sweat. Most of us walked over to a convience store down the road and splurged on some fun Thai snacks, costing an average of about 2 U.S. dollars. All in all, day was very eventful and a great experience for everyone. 🙂

Thursday August 9, 2018

Today is August 9 and we left Elephant Valley Thailand bright and early after breakfast. We headed to Elephant Peace Travel which is a group that allows for up close interaction with elephants including bathing and feeding. Before heading to the elephants, students dressed in traditional Thai clothing. To get to the elephants we traveled single file through rice patties ending in a Hilltribe area. We spent the morning cutting food for the elephants and feeding them all while GLA students were given an opportunity to be up close and personal to the elephants. The group continued to bathe the elephants in a river. We were fortunate enough to experience a traditional Thai style lunch at the Hilltribe grounds. After lunch the group proceeded to assist in concocting a herbal medicine for the elephants health. A Hilltribe elder then blessed the elephants and students. We proceeded to the new home base at Chang Gardens and students settled into new houses. Students enjoyed their first dinner at the new home base. The group ended the night with mentor groups and a bit of free time before heading off for a good night’s rest.

-by Corey and Jules

Friday August 10, 2018

Welcome to day 8! We are so excited to share the details from our first day at the new homebase location.
We woke up at 8:30 for our first breakfast at Chang Garden before loading the buses to go to a Buddhist Monk school. We were enlightened on the basics of Buddhism after a chat with one of the monks. Did you know that monks in Thailand have to follow 227 different rules?

After some more insightful questions from us, we left the monastery to go to a fancy buffet lunch where we got to try Thai desserts for the first time. Again we loaded the buses and visited several temples. The Blue Temple primarily just displayed art for tourists whereas the Emerald Buddha temple was a site featuring several buildings for worship and even a museum for the tourists that explained many of the Buddhists traditions.

In the shops surrounding the temples, many of us tried unique Thai coconut ice cream and different fruits. The third temple we visited was of a huge goddess called Guan Yin, who is the goddess of mercy. For 40 Baht, most of us took the 26 floor evaluator ride to see out of the goddess’ third eye.

Later tonight we will have a movie night and hopefully do some swimming tomorrow. We miss all you parents!

~Alex and Emily D.

Thursday August 11, 2018

Today’s first adventure, was heading to the white temple, a beautiful solid white bedazzled structure looking like it came straight out of Narnia. Everyone was given a list of odd objects such as Hello Kitty and Captain America that were incorperated into the temple. Once your group found all the objects, you were allowed to receive WiFi, a clever reward to motivate 21st century teens to look closer at the temple. Once we all finished the scavenger hunt, we enjoyed the coffee shops and market style streets. We then gathered and headed to a Shabu (hot pot) restaurant, where we had the opportunity to cook our own meats and noodles in a boiling pot of broth.

After finishing our delicious lunch, we headed to our next stop, a beautiful waterfall. Upon arrival, we changed into culturally appropriate swim wear (T-shirt and shorts) and after a short hike, we arrived at the waterfall, Huay Mae Sai. Everyone quickly ran into the refreshing pool of water and a few climbed their way through the strong current up the slippery rocks to enjoy the view from behind the waterfall. After the waterfall, we loaded the vans and headed back to home base enjoying some sing alongs on the trip home. Once at home base, we had a great time playing games in the pool while we waited for dinner. Overall, another amazing adventurous day around Thailand.

Much love from your leaders of the day,

Sophia and Katie

Sunday August 12, 2018

What a journey we had today. A perfectly orchestrated tourist adventure that emphasized Buddhist tradition and put daily Thai life into perspective. The long awaited van ride to our second stop at a market boasted unexpected reactions. The Border Market which rests directly between Myanmar and Thailand was created as more of a American Walmart than some tourist plaqued souvenir shop.

We truly understand the experience of shopping for one’s lively hood rather than foreign amusement. Students purchased anything from a blanket to a speaker. The leaders of the day had some fun with the delegation by telling them to eat a big breakfast as the lunch for today was going to be an extremely traditional Thai meal. Little did they know that boxes of pizza would satisfy everyone’s thirst for some good old southern charm.

Next we drove through countless rice patty farms listening to Country Roads for the next stop at the Golden Triangle. This was in fact the exact point where Thailand, Myanmar, and Loas meet, adding another two countries to our visual travel list. The area provided for a well spent afternoon which included a lot of pants shopping and nearly a million steps. We hiked to a temple at the top of the mountain which was shining in all its glory. Then we learned there were even more stairs. This time to a Buddha statue created in 1301 that was placed in front of the greatest view you could imagine.

After the fun day looking as American as possible and being stopped for countless pictures with Thai strangers as they marveled at our fair skin, we wrapped up the day with some group activites, dinner, and mentor groups back at the resort. Thanks for staying tuned and we will see you tomorrow.

-by Chloe and Billy

Monday August 13, 2018

Today, we started off on a relaxing note at the spa and hot springs. The mineral water smelled like sulfur and eggs were for sale to boil, making it truly an eggcellent experience. We had the choice of either swimming in the mineral pool, a personal bungalow, or receiving a Thai massage. I, Juliana, personally chose the bungalow and had a great time relaxing with friends. I, Mia, chose to swim in the pool in which the temperature perfectly complimented the weather.

After leaving the serenity of the hot springs, we headed back to Chang Garden for lunch and an introduction to teaching. We learned a lot about the Thai education system, as well as some activites we can implement in the classroom to make the learning fun and effective. We then discussed some helpful travel trips along with the distinct differences between traveling as a tourist opposed to as a traveler and truly immersing in the local culture. We then followed up with the differences between help and service and applied this concept to the work we have done thus far in Thailand.

Thanks for keeping up with our fun times, Juliana and Mia

Tuesday August 14, 2018

Today was our first day of teaching! We had our earliest morning so far so that we could watch the flag raising ceremony at the school. From there, we split into groups of three to teach the students. Different groups taught different age groups and we found that some classes were much more enthusiastic than others. The kindergarteners loved to be swung around and wanted to give everyone a hug while in some of the older classes, some of the teachers didnt even show up so many of our groups had to take initiative and think quickly to create a lesson plan.

We were treated like celebrities by the children—they would ask us to sign their arms, take pictures, and every time we walked by they would wave, smile and offer us high fives. All the excitement of the day left us exhaughsted and ready for the extra free time given to us by the staff. After a long nap, we ate a delicious dinner and headed off to our last mentor group session of the trip. Looking forward to our last two days of teaching but also sad to see the trip coming to an end.

Cheers, Jenna and Allison

Wednesday August 15, 2018

Greetings from Thailand!

Today was our second day teaching at the local Thai School. Even though our first day left us exhausted, we were still up and ready to teach another day at our 8am breakfast. For most of us, today was so much easier and smoother. The first and second graders were much more eager and ready to participate and we feel like we made a small impact to enrichen their English vocabulary. The kids still love to give hugs, kisses, braid hair, ask for autographs (even on their arm!) and take many pictures with bright smiles. The high school students were more laid back, but just as eager to meet us and talk to us about American culture.

Both of us are so excited to have experienced going to a Thai school and learning about the education system and the kids. We have two short days left in the wonderful land of smiles and although we are sad to leave this beautiful country, we cant wait to share our amazing experiences back at home!

Love from Thailand,

Azra Pleuthner and Emily Johnson <3

Thursday August 16, 2018

Today was our last full day in the beautiful, wonderful, amazing Thailand. We spent our morning teaching again with the beautiful, wonderful, amazing Thai children. We all seriously considered taking some home with us. We really enjoyed the energy of the kids, and it was a sad day saying goodbye. After lunch, we went on a beautiful, wonderful, amazing 30 minute walk to Tesco Lotus, (otherwise known as the Thai Target) and got some snacks for the long journey home.

We all are going to miss the beautiful, wonderful, amazing culture of Thailand as well as the group of people that have become family. The beautiful, wonderful, amazing scenery is something we will never forget. Going forward, we are excited to return home with our beautiful, wonderful, amazing stories, and thank you to all who gave us the opportunity to come on this life-changing trip.

With heavy hearts as we say goodbye to our second home, your leaders of the day,

Julie, Audrey, and Walker

Friday August 17, 2018

Two weeks of elephants and playing with Thai kids have come and gone. Everyone had smiles coming in and smiles (along with a few tears) leaving; it was a great adventure. Thanks to everyone who made this session possible and thanks for a great finish to our summer. Here is a comparison of our first day group photo, and our last.

-Suzannah, Brendan, and Diana

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Thursday July 19, 2018

Hi Friends and Family,

We are so excited to welcome this amazing group of globe-hopping, world-changing, young ladies to Thailand! The Fabulous Fourteen have landed in a far away country and are here to make a difference!

We’ve gotten to know more about their individual strengths and what they can bring to the team! We have a diverse crew that is learning about their upcoming service projects: having an authentic Thai school teaching/learning experience and volunteering at an ethical Elephant sanctuary by prepping food and maintaining the grounds.

Through learning about teaching techniques, elephant social/psychological development and issues within the tourist industry, we are certain these ladies will come back to their home community with a new series of skills and ideas of local and global issues to begin addressing with passion, commitment, and targeted determination.

We look forward to a great session and will keep you posted.

In the spirit of adventure,

Diana González
International Director – Group B
Elephant Village Initiative

Friday July 20, 2018

Good evening/morning depending on where you are reading from! Today started out a little later than usual, as the majority of us were experiencing jet lag. As a group we determined the goals and expectations that we have for this trip as well as went over the code of conduct. On our tour throughout the Elephant Sanctuary we learned as much as we could about the elephants. The owner of the sanctuary, Jack, had many experiences to share regarding the history of what makes this sanctuary so unique.

Following a walking tour spent watching elephants play in mud whilst experiencing Thailand downpour. We were able to learn and observe much of the elephant’s natural behaviors. The best part of the day came when had the opportunity to get extra close to the elephants and feed them lots of banana tree. We are extremely excited for the upcoming service days. Stay tuned!

Thai Word of the Day – “Chang”: Elephant

Leaders of the Day,

Amia and Kelly

Saturday July 21, 2018

Today was filled with many tasks.

Picture this, 14 girls in oversized black boots approach a pile of elephant poo. They continue working hard at the element, which was roughly the shape of a baby’s head, trying to clean the sleeping area of the 2 ton weighing creatures.

Next up, was uprooting the weeds and sticks covering a nearby field with the plan to plant a new field of grass for the elephants. Unfortunately, we didn’t get that far. We did, however, clear a generous area. The hardest part was definitely lugging the uprooted, bug infested weeds and tree branches up to our seemingly very far away pile. Yes the work was difficult, but also incredibly rewarding.

After a delicious lunch, we had another infamous conversation with Jack, the owner of the sanctuary. We observed Thong Inn, the only male elephant in the sanctuary, and talked in depth about him being in Must. This is the when a male elephant is looking to mate and in the wild becomes competitive with male elephants due to his spike in testosterone.

We continued walking on the path until we reached the pond. In a flurry of events we watched the youngest elephant, Lou, attack a nearby tire as its prey and then playfully jump in the pond as a means to drown the rubbery snack. The splashing and chaos that ensued was terrifically exciting.

Then, things turned wet with an incoming thunderstorm which caused our banana tree cutting to be cut short while we chatted at the dining tables.

Once the rain ended we fed the elephant again, which of course was just as amazing as yesterday. We then engaged in an amusing round of spoons as our chosen Leader of the Day Activity, and were finally all able to take a much need shower to wash off.

We ended our day with another delicious dinner, fun free time, and are about to watch an elephant documentary. Another great day!

-Grace Battles and Grace Moser

Monday July 23, 2018

Today was our last day of service in this beautiful elephant sanctuary. We finished working on the fields, planting banana grass for the elephants to eat, as well as continue to pick up the elephant’s poo. We were able to have a chat with the co-founder of this amazing sanctuary, and talk about future goals and what has led him to live out his dreams. He also answered any questions we had about the elephants we took care of, such as their abilities to do certain things.

As much stress and tiredness the group went through during service due to factors such as heat, it’s quite sad that this was our last work day with the elephants. On the good side, we’re leaving the sanctuary tomorrow and visiting some temples, which we are all extremely looking forward to.

Greetings,
Diana and Jenny!

Tuesday July 24, 2018

Today was different from the previous. We had our first cultural experience. We delved into the depths of one of the key factors in most Thai people’s lives, religion.

Our morning began greeted by the endless loaves of toast and delicious jams for breakfast at 8.30, a whole hour later than usual. At 9.30 we boarded our vans and headed out to our first location, the Jade Temple in which we met with a surprise guest, our program coordinator John Strand. He briefly educated us on Buddhism and afterwards we were allowed to roam freely in the temple.

Later on we reunited in a predetermined spot and boarded the vans again for a quick ride to our next location, The Nine Tiered Temple.

Here we encountered a building shaped like Guan Yin, the goddess of mercy, a completely white temple and a breathtaking nine tiered tower. The third eye of the goddess was actually a window easily accessible with a short elevator ride. Most of us very willingly payed the 40 baht to ride it. Up there we were met by an astonishing view of the green Chiang Rai area. All this tourism was bound to make us hungry.

At 12:30 we had a luscious buffet lunch at a resort’s restaurant. Many of us were more than glad to see desserts that were not fruits. After this refueling we headed to the last location in our list, the Blue Temple. This temple was designed by a known Thai artist’s apprentice and was a beautiful shade of blue with colour full accents.

We took a group picture to commemorate our budding friendships and dived into this awe-inspiring construction. Right outside of the temple we had opportunities to buy the infamous elephant pants and local treats like coconut ice cream. Our last stop today was only added after popular demand, a grocery store, or so we thought. We ended up going to a small mall with a supermarket and even a Dairy Queen where many of us enjoyed an icy Blizzard.

We bought absolute necessities such as face masks, handy watches snacks and tiger balm to soothe our newly attained bug bites. Our day full of adventure started winding down as we sung in our vans. When we arrived back at Elephant Valley Thailand we got a last chance to feed the elephant and say goodbye to our lovely guides. Our last dinner at this location was a tasty pad Thai and a variety of fruit, and we began packing for the adventure that awaits us.

Written by: Kaitlynn and Nancy

Wednesday July 25, 2018

We woke the group up bright and early *emphasis on early*, and initiated the day with some last-minute packing so we could head out for the next adventure. Breakfast, as per usual, was delicious but having to say goodbye to the people, elephants and resident dog, KFC, of EVT made moving feel bittersweet. After that up, we hopped in the vans and drove to a very different home for Elephants called Elephant Peace Thailand.

At EPT, we explored the culture of the hill tribe people, especially surrounding elephants. While elephant peace travel is considered more ethical than most, it still has some major differences from our last sanctuary. The hill tribe people let the elephants get up close and personal, which at first is enticing until you remember they are wild animals. While the elephants still get free range, they also get very close to humans, which is something they don’t enjoy.

When it came time to wash, the initial feeling was excitement, which took a sharp turn down hill. After everything we had learned it was hard to see those complex animals forced to do anything.
As the day progressed we learned more about the love, respect, and spiritual connection they had with the elephants. We began to realize we had to take a lot of things into account, and put our western views or judgments aside. The hill tribe people view elephants as their equals, they feel they have a spiritual connection with these animals. The people don’t have much money or access to jobs, so they need to use the elephants in order to survive. However they also want to them to be free, so when they aren’t being fed or washed they roam through the hills. It was a real eye opener to see not only a different culture, but also the impacts of money and tourism. These things effect people and animals alike.

After such complex a experience, we concluded the day with an Elephant Capstone meeting in which we discussed the differences and similarities of EVT and EPT and participated in a mock-UN conference. We were split to represent three groups: Elephant Sanctuaries, Mahoots of the Hill Tribe, and Tourism of Thailand. Then, in imitation of these parties, we discussed potential solutions to solve the elephant crisis that could satisfy each of our needs. This activity was extremely impactful because it brought us all out of our individual perspectives and broadened the focus from the issues at hand to practical problem solving and it’s nuances.

All in all, the day was packed and though difficult at times, was positive in that each event felt critical to our learning experience.

Stay saucy,
Maddie & Paige

Saturday July 28, 2018

Today after a delicious breakfast, we headed to the local hot springs. We were surprised to learn that one of the pools was so hot that they sold eggs visitors could boil in it. Needless to say, that was not the pool we swam in. We swam in a different pool that was basically a huge bath. After 20 minutes when we got hot, many of us went to get foot massages while the others went to get coffee with Rein and Diana.

After the hot springs, we headed to Singha Park and had a sandwich picnic! We then got a tour of the beautiful park and were able to taste tea, mushroom soup, and see some cute zebras. After our guided tour around Singha Park, a few of our brave souls zip-lined above the parks beautiful view. When we returned to Chang Garden, we had spaghetti for dinner and got ready for the Saturday Night market. This authentic market allowed us to experience real Thai culture, such as eating crickets and cockroaches. The market was crowded with sellers and buyers; many of us got lots of souvenirs to bring back home but none as great as the lessons we’ve learned on the trip. As we near the end, we are looking forward to enjoying these last few days especially our upcoming Thai cooking class!

-Grace Battles and Amia Reddy

Sunday July 29, 2018

Today was a relatively laid back day. We stayed at home base doing different activities since there currently is a Thai holiday that limited our options. Regardless, we got to experience a fun Thai cooking class, and a soap work shop.

During the class we cooked our lunch. We made green curry and pad thai.

In the afternoon, we were taught how to make a sweet Thai dessert using ingredients such as coconut milk, rice flour, and natural foods as food coloring. Not only did we learn how to make delicious dishes, but we also made adorable soaps to take home. We dyed them with a spiky sticky fruit called Gac fruit and the smell amazing.

After all the cooking and soap making we felt the need to relax. We had a while of free time and then we relaxed by the pool, accompanied by some great music.

We wrapped up our hands-on day with a movie.

Monday July 30, 2018

Today we got some beauty sleep, waking up at 9 for breakfast, headed for a market on the boarder of Myanmar at 10:30, and spent some time shopping. Some of our phones had different times because of the change in time zones. For lunch we all met at 12, and had pizza! Off we went to the Golden triangle. We walked up to a giant golden Buddha to look over the huge muddy river below. We could view three countries that connected at a single point and were visible from multiple directions: Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand. After a quick look we went to some local shops then found our way to a giant staircase. At the top was a temple built in 579 A.C. and some ruins around it. After, we left for home base and played some card games as a group. For dinner we had our favorite, Pad Thai. The day flew by, and we are ready to take on our last day in this beautiful country tomorrow!

Allie and Hannah

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Thursday July 19, 2018

We are a full group! Lots of smiles and endless laughter started our morning. We can’t wait to see what the next two weeks brings.

Friday July 20, 2018

Today we on an excursion to Singha Park. At the park we had an amazing tour starting where we were shown a tea farm. There we tried oolong tea and were able to take pictures in traditional tea gathering clothing that represented a local hill tribe. From there we were brought to a petting zoo where we saw cows, zebras, ponies, and giraffes. After that we went to our last stop, which the tour guide called the “activity center”. There was an open grass area with a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains where we had foot races on the grass and took plenty of group photos. Once we were done, we went to the “Thai version of Target”, Tesco Lotus, where we bought delicious Thai candy and other cool items to bring back home. This was our first time traveling outside of our home base and we had an amazing time seeing a little bit more of Thailand.

-by Adaline & Malia

Saturday July 21, 2018

Today was a very beautiful and eventful day! We started our morning visiting the Blue temple. We were able to immerse ourselves into the Thai culture and observe information about Buddhism. We also visited the Temple Of Jade. Here we experienced a true authentic Buddhist temple where we could witness the religion and all of the practices within. Our last temple visit was Guan Yin(The white statue) which contained three separate areas, two temples and a nine tiered pagoda.

Guan Yin, the biggest statue contained indescribable detail within its surface. We were also greeted by monks within the temples. After our excursions, we ate lunch on the river. We were introduced with authentic Thai food, including fried chicken and fish, rice, fresh fruit, and veggies. We ended our day with a relaxing pool party! Overall, today was a very informative, indescribable experience.

-by Harmony And Rebekah

Sunday July 22, 2018

Similar to the past three days, we awoke at early hours of the morning, and had breakfast at 8. However, instead of traveling to sacred sites, we found ourselves in a different place of reflection. The White Temple, although it may sound quite formal, it is closer to a modern art museum than anything.

Displaying the severed head of Captain America is one example of how the White Temple unites formal architecture with modern ideas of art and sculptures. We spent the day looking at art, eating food, and scavenger hunting for different interesting pieces. Not only did we have the opportunity to visit nearby clothing and food shops, but we were also able to eat at a local food court to experience the real food that has inspired so many westernized dishes.

After contributing our fair share to the local economy via purchasing gifts for friends and family, we made our way back to homebase to swim and enjoy the short lived sunlight after three days of rain. Before sitting down for dinner, we listened to John, GLA regional director, about the do’s and don’ts of the school day ahead. At dinner, we celebrated the birthday of our GLA supervisor, Brendon, with his favorite desert, mango sticky rice. Full of food, we will soon head off to bed to get a good night’s rest before our day tomorrow begins.

-by Savannah and Clara

Monday July 23, 2018

In our first day experience of teaching in school, it is chaotic, erratic, but very fun. To begin our day, we traveled to school in traditional Thai school buses: pick ups with modified beds that contained two benches, a roof, and an open tailgate. After we arrived to the school we watched the flag raising ceremony and the entire school was gathered to experience the daily celebration. Throughout the day we worked with various teachers and students. Two examples of games we played with students were: modified hangman and tic-tac-toe. From our experience, a number of students were extremely engaged and enthusiastic about learning and had exceedingly impressive english and knowledge in other languages.

It was an eye opening experience and we are more than ecstatic to continue observing and helping the students over the next two days.

-by George and Lissie

Tuesday July 24, 2018

Today was another day filled with chaos and love. We started our day by taking “song teaws” to school. Once we got there we jumped into our day right away in class , teaching a variety of different subjects. After three periods of classes, it was finally lunch time. We all quickly ate and ran outside to socialize with the adorable kids. Socialize actually means getting mauled by each and every child outside. Rain from the day before meant plenty of mud to go around. We finished off the afternoon with a few more classes before saying goodbye to the children.

On our way home we had the option to either get dropped off at Tesco Lotus (Thai target) or go straight back to home base. Many chose to venture to Tesco Lotus but were then had to walk 30 minutes home with all their Thai snacks. Upon returning back to home base, we had some much needed alone time. We packed, wrote our thoughts down in our journal, showered and everything in between. At 6:00 the group gathered for our usual dinner but was met with the unusual meal of American comfort food. We finished off the night with a GLA activity and free time to end off our last night at Chang Garden Resort. We have had a great time here but we excited to move onto our next home!

-Ava and Alana

Thursday July 26, 2018

Today was our first full day at Elephant Village Thailand and was one of the most exciting days of this adventure. We started the day off with breakfast at 8:30 with elephants walking around us. After breakfast we had an orientation with the owner of EVT, Jack, and got safety tips along with facts about elephants in Asia/around the world. Lunch was served at 12:00 and we had sticky rice, tofu, chicken, and vegetables.

In the second half of the day we split into two groups and started to tour around the EVT grounds. In our groups we were able to meet all the elephants (Jay, Ka-Moon, Claire, Lou, Mo-Dee,Thonginn) and see them in their natural habitat. One very exciting thing we all saw was littlest of the elephants, Jay, slide down a mud wall into a pond. The two groups there came together and saw the elephants get bathed by their mahout (a personal care taker of a specific elephants). At 4:30pm the elephants get fed and we got to feed them! They ate banana tree leaves and stock. We were able to touch and interact with each elephant.

Ending the day we had fried chicken, french fries, rice, and curry for dinner. Then everyone relaxed by playing ping pong, pool, and hanging out together. We finished the day in by breaking off into our mentor groups. The first day at EVT was a success and we are excited to see what more it brings.

-Campbell and Taylor

Friday July 27, 2018

Today our gla team had the pleasure of starting our day with nugget (elephant poop) pickup in the rain. In case you were wondering, it is big and round and smells like horse poop. We spent the rest of the day working on preparing an area to plant elephant grass, a key part of an elephant’s diet. We accomplished a surprising amount, and then finished the day by harvesting banana leaves and feeding the elephants. We sincerely apologize if the elephant stench manages to follow us home. Overall, we enjoyed a rewarding day of hard work for the sanctuary.

-Amy and Réka

Saturday July 28, 2018

Today we had another day of work here at EVT. We had a great breakfeast full of plenty of bread and jams.
We then headed out into the fields to pick up some elephant poop that we call nuggets. We spent the next hour or so observing elephants as they eat. After a while everyone was pretty hungry so we headed in to the dinning area for lunch. We spent a hour after lunch chilling. After our break we headed back out into three groups and conquered our work. The strenuous work made everyone tired so we spent the next hours relaxing and showering. Tonight we have one of are last shopping opportunities as we head to the night Bazzar in Chiang Rai. We all miss our family and friends very much. Also happy birthday Lauren, everyone here at GLA hopes you have a great day!

-by Logan and Sophia

Sunday July 29, 2018

Today students awoke to a beautiful sunrise (that was behind the dark, rainy clouds). After a delicious breakfast of KoKo Krunch, we rejoiced when it was time for… nugget pickup! Today was our last of tossing nuggets and the sweet smell will be dearly missed. 🙁 Then we went to the field and prepared the elephant grass for planting. We planted the grass in the trenches we dug yesterday. Then we went to a well deserved lunch, full of greens and tofu, after we finished. Afterwards we had a interesting Q & A with Jack, the owner of Elephant Valley. We asked many questions about his life in Thailand and the magnificent elephants that live here. He responded with funny analogies, metaphors, and some more serious (great) mentorship.

After, we had an interesting debate; we were all assigned the different sides of the controversial argument: What is the purpose of elephants in Thailand. We were forced to look at all perspectives of the argument, even the ones we did not personally support. We had the side of the Mahouts, the conservationists, the bureau of tourism, and the owners of trekking camps where the elephants learn tricks for tourists and are usually tortured. We had to come up with a solution to the elephant problem and still provide benefit to all sides of the argument. Many students created excellent arguments that clearly conveyed their point of view. What a great time! Afterwards, some of the students went on a walk to the local convenience store, along the way we got drenched in rain! Puddles for everyone! After we got some ice cream, chips, and whatever else, we came back to EVT. We had some free time, had a great dinner, and a awesome game night. All in all, it was another action packed day with GLA. Cheers!

-by Kenneth Warren and Becca Gillespie

Monday July 30, 2018

Heyyyyyyy, this is Cara and Vincent from the depths of the Thailand jungle. We are out here living it up with the elephants. Today we took a voyage to the deeper depths of Chiang Rai. We met a lady named Dada, she was great, and fed us some really tasty chicken wings. Upon arrival to Elephant Peace Travel, we took a 10 minute walk through rice fields up into the deep depths of Thail countryside where we met 5 new elephants from the Karen hill tribe. We learned that although many of the elephants from the region are still used in trekking Dada and her family have taken a new approach to elephant care. They respect their elephants, involve them in everyday activities in their fields, and are returning to the ancient hill tribe care methods.

Not only did we get up and close with these wonderful creatures, we also got to prep their food, feed them, bathe them in a river and watch the tribe elders perform a ritual with the elephants. Some other highlights included diving deeper into the culture of the hill tribe and have the opportunity to be blessed by the elders as well. We then said goodbye to the elephants and made the journey back down the terraced rice fields. On our drive back we stopped by a typical elephant trekking camp to get a third perspective on elephant tourism in Thailand. We watched from the road to view the way these elephants are treated and live. We also stopped at a 7/11 to stock up on snacks and other commodities. Once arriving back at homebase we were treated to a yummy dinner.

Peace Out,
Cara and Vinny

 

Tuesday July 31, 2018

This was our last full day in Thailand and it is definitely bittersweet to leave everyone. We started out the day at Thai hot springs spa. It was very fun and relaxing. We had the option to get a Thai massage, swim in a mineral water pool or hang out in a bungalow sauna . We had lunch at a restaurant with a buffet where there was pad Thai made in front of you. It was awesome. Then our personal favorite part of the day was when we got to hike to a waterfall and swim under it. The water was very refreshing and everyone had so much fun. Then we came back to home base and went through a tornado called packing:) Then we had our last dinner in Thailand. This experience for us has been incredible and definitely a trip of a lifetime. We are sad to leave this amazing country and these awesome people but we are excited to see our friends and family back at home.

WE LOVE THAILAND!!!!!!!! -Lexi and Katie

Wednesday August 1, 2018

And just like that…two weeks passed. It was a great two weeks. It was a challenging two weeks. It was rewarding two weeks. The final day here in Thailand was plagued with happiness, laughter and final goodbye tears. This group of 24 couldn’t have bonded more and it was tough to send people back across the ocean to their own worlds again.

Thank you to everyone who made this past two weeks possible; it was a fantastic experience!

(First and final group shots to compare)