Uncategorized

June 1, 2023 by Ashley Welter

Dominican Republic: Global Health Initiative (June 22-July 5, 2023)

Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

Here are a few things you can expect:

We typically receive 2-3 blog posts per week here at GLA Headquarters from our program staff and students, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post daily – that’s totally normal.
Blog updates sent on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
Due to many factors, including but not limited to internet accessibility, photos may not always be available to post onto the blog. Sjometimes onsite program staff are only able to send text back to Headquarters, where our team updates the blog.

Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.

Cell Phone Policy: The GLA cell phone policy is currently in place this summer to help foster meaningful connections between students. This means your student’s phone will be collected every day and returned to them after activities are completed to have with them through the night. Actual tech times and regularity will vary greatly by program location and time zones. During designated ‘tech time’, your student may use their phones as they wish. Please note that your student may not always choose to use this time to get a hold of their parents. If you are not hearing directly from your student each day, you can assume that no news is good news! We strongly recommend you follow the blog to follow your students’ experience without talking to them every day. If you are a parent and would like to get in touch with your student directly, you can call us at +1-619-758-3031 and we can set up a formal time for you to connect with your student.

For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.

-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team

Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 22

Hello from the Dominican Republic!

All 20 of the students have safely arrived at our home base in Las Canas after a long day of travel! Despite the flight delays, everyone came with smiles on their faces and excited to start our 14 day program together.

We are all ready to rest tonight and get ready for a full day tomorrow starting with orientation, connecting with each other, and officially kicking off our amazing program together.

Our team is so excited to welcome these amazing leaders and we cannot wait to share updates here with you all!

-GLA team
Sara, Junior, Greta, and Gustavo

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 23

On our first full day in the sunny Dominican Republic we woke up bright and early for a delicious breakfast! In the morning students learned more about the awesome program that we will be participating in during our program orientation. We heard from Junior, our local director and program manager of 7 Elements who shared his knowledge about the DR and the service work we will do. Students also learned about GLA and what to expect from the upcoming days and were so eager to get started! We also got to check out the beautiful beach next to our home base!

After a hearty lunch we headed to our first service afternoon where we worked in a nearby community to build a bathroom for a local woman named Cirila. We worked as a team to use recycled materials to insulate the walls of the bathroom.

We stopped at a local supermarket for some snacks and cold treats and headed back to home base for some free time. It’s very hot and humid here and the students were happy to cool down and enjoy the pool and playing dominoes!

After dinner we learned and discussed global public health in a learning activity while also sharing our own insights about public health, it was a great discussion and presentation.

After an awesome day we are only even more excited to wake up tomorrow for another day here in the DR!

-GLA team
Sara, Junior, Greta, and Gustavo

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 24

Written by Blake and Tessa

We woke up and started with breakfast at 7 in the morning. Most of us slept very well after yesterday. After breakfast we got on the bus and headed to our first full day service project.

At our service project in Caño Dulce we worked with building the ground cement for the house. First we had to scoop the dirt from the dirt pile into 10 buckets and pour them out into a pile, then we had to pour a bag of cement into piles and mix it with the dirt piles. After that we did something called the “volcano method” which was moving the cement mixture to the into a donut shape to pour water in the middle, kind of like making pasta from scratch. After this the the cement was made and we had to put them in separate buckets so that the workers could use it to make the floor.

We got very dirty but the rain cleaned us off. It was super fun, we met a couple puppies and played with a couple of the young girls and boys from the family. Very tiring day but very fun. We finished with some pool, dinner, and mentor group!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 25

Written by Eli and Maddie

Hey, hey, hey! Let me spill the beans about this freaking awesome day we had on our trip. We woke up for breakfast at 7am. Then we scarfed down a delicious breakfast to give us energy for the day. Hold on tight ’cause things got wild at Dudu Lagoon. Picture this: we dove into crystal-clear water and swam under freakin’ caves! It was like being in paradise. We splished, we splashed, and we felt like mermaids. Seriously, memories for life.

Now, brace yourselves: a buffet lunch that was a feast for champions. We hit up an amazing local joint and let me tell you, the food was off the charts! We filled our plates with local specialties, and it was divine. Seconds? No, we went for thirds, my friend.

After lunch we headed to the beach, la playa preciosa. There was lots to do here, many of us spent time swimming, tanning, and shopping from local vendors. The beach was beautiful and we all enjoyed the time in sun and water.

Several hours were spent at the beach and then we went back to home base for dinner. After dinner we had a training for our medical brigade tomorrow, given by a local doctor.

We are all very tired from our adventure day, but looking forward to the medical brigade tomorrow!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 26

Written by Aubrey and Ronan

We started the day at 7 am with breakfast. Then we got on the bus and headed to our first medical brigade in the community of La Boca. There we split into 5 groups helping the community members with their symptoms. The first group was Registration where we got the people signed in and learned their basic information. The next group was vitals and we took people’s blood pressure, oxygen levels, and temperature. After that the people headed to the Medical History table where they explained what was wrong and past treatments. Then they headed to the doctor who would look at the information and prescribe a medication. Lastly there was the pharmacy table who help give out the prescriptions.

We ended early and headed back to home base where we chilled for a little and then began a mock debate centered around the implementation of a soccer stadium in La Grua. We discussed things like racism, gentrification, economy, and tried to come up with the best solution for both the government and the people who lived in the area. After that we had dinner and a malnutrition presentation. After dinner we celebrated Maya’s birthday with music, dancing, and cake. It was very long day but lots of fun.

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 27

Written by Davin and Nick

Hello to all parents and students! We had an amazing 6th day in the Dominican Republic by starting off the day with delicious pancakes with fruit and eggs! Then we got ready for an exciting day of service in La Boca where we spent the previous day doing a medical brigade. In La Boca, we split into 2 groups of 7 and 13, where one group worked on building cement walls for a plastic water bottle bathroom, then the other group smoothed out cement walls in the home of Miguel Angel Alejandro. This service day was long and hard, but very rewarding overall to make sanitary spaces to improve our Global Health Initiative.

We then got back to home base and relaxed by the pool before we had dinner. Dinner was very delicioso because we had tacos, then participated in a mentor group friendly competition. We had 3 challenges where we played the human knot, the floor is lava, and find the bottle. Only by one point did the CHURRRRROSSSSS win against the CHIMICHANGAAAAASSS! Then we went to bed and reflected on another great day in the Dominican Republic!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28

Written by Annabelle and Samay

Hello everyone! Today a group of us started the day with a beautiful morning walk/run along the beach while watching the sunrise! After that, we all met to eat a delicious breakfast before heading to the chojoba chocolate factory. At the chocolate factory, we were able to listen to the story of the women who work there and learn about the struggles they faced in the creation of the company and those that they continue to encounter today. We took a tour of the factory while learning about the process of making various chocolate products, and we even got to try some and purchase products to take home to our families!

Once we arrived back at the lodge, we ate lunch and then left for the community Caño Dulce. Once we were there, we split up into two groups. The Churrrooos (Greta’s group) were lining up and built the bee boxes together, while the Chimichangas (Gustavo’s group), were painting the boxes. At around 3:30, we all took a walk to the bee farm. we observed multiple colonies of bees and learned how honey was made. Once the tour was done, we all had a piece of honeycomb, which was filled with pure, rich honey. After we got back to the village, we packed up and went back to home base.

Once we arrived home and ate dinner, we had a “special activity” on the beach which was a bonfire! We all danced and hung out around the huge fire and then collected sticks to roast marshmallows and make s’mores. We had so much fun at the bonfire and were exhausted afterwards, so we headed to bed to prepare for another amazing day tomorrow.

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 29

Written by Maeve and Sophie

Today was an incredible day of surprises. We started our productive day with some scrumptious toast, eggs, and fresh fruit before heading to our second medical brigade at the community of Las Canas. Surprise number 1 was trying our hand in a new skill at the medical brigade. We all worked very hard to provide medical checkups to 30 patients and with our teamwork (and collective Spanish skills), we finished up our brigade very smoothly.

After taking a lunch break at the service, we faced surprise number 2 with a beach stop at Cabarete! At this beautiful beach we splashed around with our friends and soaked up the sun for a few hours.

Before heading back for dinner we entered surprise number 3, a stop at the supermarket. Many of you may think that a supermarket doesn’t sound that exciting, but when there are Oreos, Tostitos lime chips and mystery Doritos on the line you’d see why. We arrived back at home base to jump in the pool and our final surprise of clean laundry. For dinner we had fish, potatoes and veggies. Very filling after a long day! To end our day we divided into our “Mentor groups” to discuss the importance of certain experience in our lives much like the ones we encountered today that strengthened our connections with ourselves and our community.

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 30

Written by Pablo and Miles

Today we started our day with a breakfast of French toast, eggs and fruit to fuel our ourselves for the day. Today we had the final day of hands on work, working to prep a communal bathroom for cement. We walked twenty minutes through the streets of the Dominican Republic to our service site, the nearby town of Las Canas. Our day consisted of cutting and stacking bottles to fill the the bathroom for the 3 families that will be using it. To keep us company during service, we had Lady Gaga, Playboi Carti and Kanye playing all morning.

We followed with lunch and a lecture from the women’s ministry about domestic violence in the Dominican republic. We split into four groups to discuss why violence occurs and what we can do to prevent it. Following the conference we had an interlude of rain, allowing us to have an afternoon at home base. Our calm afternoon at home strengthened our connection with one another in the community and restored our energy for the week. We finished the night with dinner, and a surprise movie night. It was an acca-awesome night full of singing, choreography, as we watched student suggested “Pitch Perfect”. As our days are coming to a close, we are super excited to continue the rest of our journey together

BLOG POST FOR JULY 1

Written by Carolina and Maya K.

Helllooooo families and friends! Today we woke up bright and early at 7am for a delicious breakfast made by our lovely chefs! We departed at 8:00 for a long (but fun) two hour bus ride to damajagua water falls and exploration. Upon arrival, we were styled with cute life jackets and helmets. Then we went on a long and sweaty hike up a mountain ⛰️ until we finally reached the first waterfall. (However, there were no actual waterfalls just pools of water with cliffs to leap off of.) Every member of the group jumped off of a 15 foot cliff—which looks a lot taller than it sounds when you’re standing at the top of it. We then followed a trail that was a combination of swimming and sliding until we reached the next drop, which was 20 feet. Some of the slides were a bit sketchy, but we bravely persisted and many people conquered their fears of heights and jumping.

Next, we went to a delicious restaurant for a buffet-style lunch that was curated specifically for our group! However, our American urges were too overpowering…the group’s wishes of a trip to McDonalds were granted. The bus took us for a second lunch where we all got McFlurries and fries, and then felt way too full to eat anything for the rest of the night.

We finally returned to home camp, and sadly ate only a tiny bit of the delicious dinner that was cooked for us. The night cumulated with a presentation from Junior (Juju) about human security. All in all, it was another successful day in the Dominican Republic!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 2

Written by Grace and Delaney

Today was our earliest wake up day with breakfast at 6 am. We started off our day with pancakes and Nutella before heading to La Grua for our very last medical brigade. We met with 35 locals about their health! Then we ate lunch at the community leaders house on couches.

We then toured a Haitian community in La Grua and met tons of adorable children that wanted hugs and piggy-back rides.

On the way back to home base we stopped at a gas station to get snacks and drinks. We spent the rest of the day at the pool and ended with a nutritious dinner and a talk about healthcare in the Dominican Republic. Buenas noches!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 3

Written by Maya B. and Sophia

Hello everyone, this is Maya B. and Sophia here the leaders of this fantastic day!

Starting off with a morning beach walk we all had the opportunity to decompress and relax before a day full of fun and exciting adventures. Our first stop of the day was the beautiful Larimar and Amber mining museum…. Did you know the older amber is, the darker and less transparent? After, we emptied our wallets at several tourist trap shops- Don’t worry mom I bought you something cute!

We visited several more tourist attractions such as an entirely pink street. Following was a delicious buffet style lunch at an outdoor breezy bungalow. After our stomachs were full and minds were ready for more adventure, we headed to the beach and started our search for sea glass and other various beach collectibles. We also had the chance to explore a medieval fort made of strong brick walls that were filled with salty sea air.

After, we headed to the most SCUMDIDILYUMTIOUS gelato shop and helped ourselves to at least 1000 bolas of gelato. With a new sense of excitement (probably derived from our intense sugar rush) we scurried over to the pigeon plaza and sprinkled corn kernels for all of the pigeons to enjoy. After, we hopped on a long bus ride and all dreamt of sugar plums.

After dinner we had an intense emotional and reflective experience with our last mentor group. We debated over the idea of knowledge=power, and collaboratively decided upon our group goal that we want to pursue after our trip concludes; “As self aware, curious, and motivated leaders, we will recognize our privilege by not taking things for granted, and taking our own challenges one day at a time.” We are so thankful for another incredible day, and all of the people we met and experiences we’ve shared!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 4 & 5

Written by Greta, Gustavo, Sara, and Junior

On our last full beautiful day in the Dominican Republic we got to sleep in a little bit and have a delicious breakfast before heading out for our final adventure day! This adventure took us to Playa Sosua where we hopped on a boat and went snorkeling! We saw many fish and sea life in the coral reefs! It was so peaceful and colorful!

After snorkeling we got to eat some yummy pizza on the beach and shop for our final souvenirs. We got on the bus just before a storm cooled down the island!

In the afternoon we packed and played our last pool games before we did a full group appreciation circle. We even had our favorite last meal – tacos! After some ice cream we saw a Pitch Perfect inspired performance and played our own riff-off game!

We went to bed a little bit sad to say goodbye to our wonderful group but excited for the students to head home and share their incredible experiences with friends and family. We’ll always cherish these memories and we will miss you all! Safe travels home! ✈️

June 1, 2023 by Ashley Welter

Utah: Arches, Canyonlands & the Colorado River (July 5-July 14, 2023)

Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

Here are a few things you can expect:

We typically receive 2-3 blog posts per week here at GLA Headquarters from our program staff and students, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post daily – that’s totally normal.
Blog updates sent on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
Due to many factors, including but not limited to internet accessibility, photos may not always be available to post onto the blog. Sometimes onsite program staff are only able to send text back to Headquarters, where our team updates the blog.

Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.

For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.

-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team

Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 5

Today our Utah adventure together actually began in Colorado! We welcomed each participant as they came through the small, calm gates of the Grand Junction airport, and had a pizza lunch as we played cards and began to get to know each other.

We were coated with the warm dry air as we brought our belongings to the vans, embarking on a scenic drive across the CO-UT border, with the sprawling plains reaching out to the mesas and mountains beyond. We couldn’t mistake rolling into Moab once we saw all of the towering red rocks! Our home base quickly began to feel like home, as we gathered in the common area, to the smell of fajitas cooking from our fantastic chef, Ivy.

We answered some get-to-know-you questions, talked about why we are here and what we’re excited for, and went over the game plan for tomorrow: to jump into our service day in La Sals National Forest! There’s already a tangible sense of the camaraderie and excitement building for our near future days together.

We eagerly await the arrival of two more students not pictured, braving plane delays and landing at midnight tonight!

Goodnight from Moab,
Eva (International Director) & the GLA Utah crew

BLOG POST FOR JULY 7

Written by Lucas and Alex

Before I tell you about our day today, I feel I need to recap our first full day in Utah. On our first day we drove up to the La Sal National Forest and began work on a fence to keep out wandering cattle! Yes, you read that right; in the mountains around Utah ranchers are allowed to let their cattle roam. Building the fence helps keep them from polluting beautiful water sources, like Warner Lake. After our first full day up in the mountains we came back to our homebase to relax, play boardgames, and get to know the people who we will be sharing this incredible experience with for the next week. For dinner that evening we had some amazing stir fry cooked by our amazing Chef Ivy! After dinner we did a leadership activity that helped us get to know more about each other, and then went off to bed to rest up for the next day.

When we woke up the next day we got ready to venture out back into the Mountains of Moab to continue building our wonderful fence. After getting done with another day of hard work we went down to Ken’s Lake to take our swim test to be allowed to swim in deeper waters. After that was completed we went to one of Moab’s most decorative and historic places which was Mill Creek, where we swam through most of the currents and climbed the rocks. After enjoying some swimming and rock climbing we went down to the local grocery store to get some snacks to have for our upcoming Colorado River Water Rafting Expedition. We then had another delicious dinner which consisted of spaghetti, meatballs, garlic bread, and salad! Overall these two days have been a blast and hope that the upcoming days are even better! Thank you for reading our blog!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 9

Written by Max and Emily

Today we started off the morning, after having a great breakfast, by driving up the mountain to the Manti-La Sal National Forest. Today, instead of working on fences aimed at warding off cows we spent our time clearing out four different sites on which we made and placed picnic tables onto. Creating these four recreational areas was hard work, but was very rewarding. First off, clearing out a space and making it look clean and nice leaves you with a sense of accomplishment, and satisfaction. Secondly, making these recreational areas helps give the public the chance to experience, learn from, and give respect to nature. This is really important nowadays, as we are seeing an ever growing disconnect from nature. Overall, our service work was challenging, but very rewarding and important.

For the second half of the day we went to the Arches National Park as a group. We hiked along a gorgeous trail with many scenic views and lots of gorgeous massive red rock and sandstone formations. At the end of the trail we saw the popular Delicate Arch, which could fit our entire group of 16 under! The hike now holds many funny and happy memories for me that I cannot wait to reminisce on in the future. After our hike we had dinner in the park and watched the sun go down. During the sunset we talked about our highs, lows, and learning opportunities. My (Emily) high of the trip so far was the hike, I said I had not had any lows, and I learned so much about the aspen trees from the La Sals. I am so excited for the rafting portion of the trip, we leave tomorrow!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 14

Today ends our 10-day adventure in the southwest, as we say our bittersweet farewells and students board their planes home.

We spent the last 5 days out of range of wifi and cell service, in the full embrace of the Colorado River and its surrounding canyons. Everyone was given the chance to learn from our experienced river guides how to paddle captain a raft, and in different crews students all set up the camp spaces, including cooking full, delicious meals in our mobile camp kitchen! We even celebrated a 17th birthday on river with some mid-trip cake. We learned all about how the Colorado Plateau was formed, and how the river water affects local cities and tribes, enjoying a new campsite and landscape each night as we rafted downstream. Another highlight was the starry skies–our guide Heidi took the time to teach us all about the constellations and Milky Way above us.

On our fourth day on river, we rafted over the Colorado-Utah border, admiring the natural features and the hand and footholds carved on the mountain by indigenous people. The next day was our whitewater day, where we navigated the incredible, powerful class III and class IV rapids of Westwater Canyon! So much excitement and stories to last a lifetime.

We splash-battled our way back to the boat ramp after lunch, and everyone looked forward to a nice rewarding shower back at our hotel for the night before departure!

We closed out our trip with one more desert sunset, reflecting on how this trip has changed our perspective, and appreciating the new friendships we’ve made.

More pictures to come once we empty our waterproof cameras!

Happy adventures,
Eva & the GLA Utah family

June 1, 2023 by Ashley Welter

Thailand: Island Marine Excursion (July 17-July 30, 2023)

Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

Here are a few things you can expect:

We typically receive 2-3 blog posts per week here at GLA Headquarters from our program staff and students, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post daily – that’s totally normal.
Blog updates sent on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
Due to many factors, including but not limited to internet accessibility, photos may not always be available to post onto the blog. Sometimes onsite program staff are only able to send text back to Headquarters, where our team updates the blog.

Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.

For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.

-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team

Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 17

Written by Megan, Mai, Arul, Tamarah, Pim, and Kat (staff)

Sawadee Kha from a windy and rainy Koh Samui!

Happy arrival day! Our day started early with Shiksha arriving at 8:30am. Throughout the day, we went back and forth to the airport and got everyone settled into their rooms, performed health checks, and did swim tests.

Our group of students have arrived from all over the world: Canada, The United States, Switzerland, India, and England! We are looking forward to an exciting two weeks ahead together!

For lunch, we went out to a restaurant and tried local Thai dishes and for dinner we ate pad thai at the Home Base. After dinner, we took a trip to the local Seven Eleven to stock up on snacks. Our final arrival of the day was Brendan who joined us at 7pm. Most of the students are feeling tired and sleeping well before lights-out as everyone is feeling the jet lag. Tomorrow is a full day of orientation and our first excursion! Talk soon!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 18

Today, we had really nice breakfast buffet style. It was raining very hard so we were worried that our excursion would get postponed. Luckily, we had a three hour orientation to review the Code of Conduct, Thai cultural norms, and discuss the program schedule! We met Todd, the local administrator, and Jim, the owner of the dive shop where we are going. We were joined by our final student, Olivier as well. By the time our orientation finished, the weather cleared up in time for our snorkeling trip and excursion to Pig Island.

For lunch, we went to a local restaurant to eat delicious fried rice.

During snorkeling, we saw a few coral reefs, an eel, angel fish, crabs, parrot fish, yellow and black striped fish, and more!

When we arrived to Pig Island, we had our first experience as Mentor Groups where we had a photo challenge to explore and take group photos around the island. All the groups took their creative spin on the competition!

For dinner, we had a delicious family style meal consisting of many traditional dishes like spring rolls, Tom Yum soup, rice, Thai omelette, and more! We even got to hear some of Todd’s famous Dad Jokes.

“The fish were cute!” – Shiksha
“It was such a beautiful experience” – Vivian
“The pigs were cute” – Zoe

BLOG POST FOR JULY 19

Written by Maddox M

We (the boys) started the day rocky, with some confusion on where to meet for breakfast, however, we eventually settled and ate. Afterwards, we began our day with learning some basic Thai vocabulary and grammar. Then we began our lesson plans for teaching at the primary school later this week. We practiced our “teaching voices” and learned about different approaches to teaching English. Finally, we packed and departed for the ferry to Koh Tao.

Despite the delay due to rain, we embarked on our over two hour ferry ride. Some of us got motion sick but overall it was a nice experience with views of the various islands throughout the trip. When we arrived on Koh Tao, the rain continued as we rode to our hotel. We unpacked, and before ending the day with dinner, we learned about the varying perspectives regarding the conquest to preserve the dying coral reef systems around the island.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 20

Unlike yesterday, we had pleasant winds, clear waters, and a sparkle in our eyes, whereas day 3 (July 19th) aka yesterday we endured harsh winds, treacherous seas, and swarms of tourists on our boat ride to Koh Tao.

After a delicious breakfast we split up into two groups and rode the taxi boats to Nang Yuan island. On the way there, one boat ran low on fuel and was forced to take the long way around the island as it was unable to push through the rough waves. This led to yet another delay, which wasn’t terrible as the group got to enjoy more of the beautiful scenery from Nang Yuan island. Once everyone arrived safe and sound we all snorkeled for the next couple hours finding many fascinating sea creatures. One group even found an octopus.

Afterwards, some people in the group bought chocolate-banana shakes and set off on a short hike to the top of the island. After many stairs, we were greeted by the stunning views of the island from above. We then returned home for some free time where we got to explore some local shops near the hotel as well as enjoy some much needed down time.

We ended our day with dinner at the hotel.

“The octopus was fishing great” – Shiksha

“The nature here is amazing” – Izzy

“Hugs and kisses from us all” – Jae’la

“Effort is a choice, make the right one” – Aiden

“I liked the snorkeling, it was pretty cool” – Luca

“The boat ride was my favorite and I got closer to my friends” – Onyx

“You only get the best view if you see life from the highest peak” – Branden

“Quack, quack, quack” I got soaking wet in a boat today – Henry “The Duck” (Our mascot)

BLOG POST FOR JULY 21

Written by Luca & Alejandra

Today we got to sleep in and started eating at 8:30, just after the “child” circle. We left slightly after 9:30 to Big Blue Diving due to a few people being late, a trend that will seem to repeat itself many times today. At 10, we participated in a talk/Introduction to Big Blue, where we all learned lots about how people track animals, and how coral feeds itself internally.

Following this we had lunch, which was spaghetti with tomato sauce and chicken (delicious). Once done with lunch, we moved on to our beach clean, fully kitted out with shiny orange rubber gloves. When we’d arrived, we played a fun game of zip zap zop, followed by a fun yet very competitive game of tag. Unfortunately, as the clean up was soon to begin, a storm disrupted our schedule. We all ran back to the Big Blue Diving area to watch a documentary about our coral reefs all across the globe. The recent tragedy of corals dying in mass numbers was devastating to learn about though through the documentary we learned about amazing marine biologist that contributed so much help to learning more about what was happening and how, we, can help.

After the documentary we threw on some gloves, got a big trash bag and headed off to go do our part and clean up our local beach. We were split up into teams, of 4 students to 1 diver master and walked along the beach of Koh Tao cleaning and learning about the different trash. We learned so much about how long it takes for trash to decompose over time and how trash ends up here on beaches, we started heading back to the meeting area and sorted out our trash and disposed of it in the proper places.

Everyone was so tired from picking up a great amount of trash we all headed back to our home base to relax, the girls all went shopping and spent some wonderful bonding time together. While the boys came back and jumped straight into the ocean and swam with their beloved Arul. We did have one surprise up our sleeve, while the birthday boy (Luca) was sleeping, some of us went to the local 7-11 and got him a couple of birthday presents while Mai had gotten him a wonderful birthday cake. He woke up around our “Child” circle time and we did a fun game of group 2 truths 1 lie and at the end surprised him with his birthday presents!

Following this amazing celebration, we had pizza for dinner, and it was delicious! For desert, we ate this yummy cake, as well as quickly devouring some ice cream. To finish off, we had some interesting discussions with our mentor groups focused on all we’d learned today.

Quotes of the day!

“Keep our environment clean ” Jae’la

“Work hard now so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor” Branden

“Helping the environment sparks joy. The cockroach in the middle of the night did not” Zoe

BLOG POST FOR JULY 22

Written by Braden and Shiksha

Hello friends and family from everywhere! This morning, we woke up bright and early and met up at 8:15 (although- some of us were late!) for some delicious breakfast. We then played one of Menace Megs games of ice breaker to pass some of the time. We also discussed some of the day’s announcements, and prepared for the next part of the day. Today was not like any ordinary day as we were split into two groups for the Big Blue Diving Excursion. As the day progressed group one went Scuba diving in the South of the island while our friends in group two went snorkelling and free diving on the East side of the island.

Group 1 (Isabella, Glam, Aiden, Brandon, Oliver, Nathan, Shiksha, Onyx, Zoe)
Similar to group two we started off with a meeting with our Scuba instructors and talked about some of the safety regulations and learned some different things about scuba diving. At about 11:30-12:00 we headed for lunch and then set off on our journey to Aow Leuk and Shark Bay. Before we started we had a short introduction and orientation for Scuba diving with our amazing Scuba teachers. We then had two dives and some some really cool fish species and got a chance to see some of the artificial reefs. We were also lucky enough to spot a turtle!

Group 2 (Rylan, Julian, Maddox, Cody, Luca, Vivian, and Ja’ela)
Started off with a meeting on how to equalize the pressure in our ears for freediving. We proceeded down to the pool where we put our new found techniques into practice. During the time Maddox and Rylan and Maddox had a competition to see who could hold their breath the longest. After the pool we were all pretty starved and tired, so we grabbed food from a local coffee shop before heading to the area where we eventually free dived in. Once we arrived on the beach we were split into pairs and headed into the water. Me and Julian went exploring caves, while others like Ja’ela pushed themselves to be more comfortable in the water. On the way out of the water we couldn’t find Rylan, he tends to get lost looking into the vastness of the ocean, but once he was out we went home to meet with the other group.

After a long and tiring (but amazing) day, the both of the groups headed back to home base where we all came together for our “chow” circle and then had dinner. We then got together in our mentor groups and discussed and shared the day’s experiences.

Quote of the day: “Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

BLOG POST FOR JULY 23

Written by Julian A & Branden M

Today, the group began with excitement unlike any other day. Whether it was the extra sleep from the night before or the eagerness to go scuba diving and freediving, I’m not sure. The day started at 8:15 where we had “chow circle” a common ritual that we have every morning 15 minutes before breakfast to discuss our plans for the day and make sure everyone eats as a group helping build a more tight-knit community. Later on, we traveled back to Big Blue Diving for the third time, where we were briefed about our upcoming activities for the day.

The divers had an informational session on the essential skills to dive, from hand-signals to how to identify the possible species of marine life. For example, the vibrant schools of fish and the lush, colorful, types of coral. Not only was there natural coral, but we also got to see the different variations of artificial coral, showing immense efforts of divers in Koh Tao to preserve our beautiful underwater haven.

On the other hand, the free divers were briefed with the art of breathing and scientific explanation of how atmospheric pressure affects your body while freediving. After completing the introduction to free diving, we were challenged with the first task of controlling our rate of breathing, which enables us to hold our breath underwater for extended periods of time. All divers were astonished how they had exceeded their expectations and went beyond what they thought they were capable of, with some people reaching times over 2 minutes. After completion, the group brought their newly found skills to Ao Leuk, a common, favorite diver destination in Koh Tao, with marine life ranging from the juvenile Blacktip sharks to the prismatic Parrotfish.

To wrap up the day, we returned to a banquet of Thai cuisine where we got to experience a common Thai delicacy, Tom Kha Soup and Ginger Chicken and rice, a meal which was enjoyed by all.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 24

We began our day with the common tradition of a chow circle, which helped us to greater our connection with our peers. This meeting was a fantastic beginning to an incredible day! The chow circle was followed up with a delicious breakfast consisting of our favorite breakfast items. After breakfast, we were given free time until our next activity at nine o’clock. The next activity that we had was a lively hike to see enchanting views and increase our knowledge about the local environment of Koh Tao. In order to get to our starting location, our group gathered in our common meeting area and boarded a truck that took us to the starting location for our hike.There we were met by Jake, our scuba instructor from the previous days, and Simon, accompanied by his dog Daisy. From that point, we began our hike!

Throughout our hike, we got to see the native wildlife in Koh Tao from an up close and interactive perspective. We also stopped at many different points throughout the hike to see the beautiful scenery and to swim in the crystal clear waters along the way. As a mindful ending to our hike, we walked along the beach and picked up trash before going to lunch at 12:00. When we finished eating, we went back to home base where many of the students took the opportunity to swim more in the beach or begin packing their bags for the day to come.

After this relaxing break in the day, we recommenced our activities with a shark tank style activity. This activity helped all members of our group form opinions and develop their problem solving skills by inventing a solution to a problem that affects their community or the community in Koh Tao. This activity was fun for everyone and helped to introduce more creative thinking and leadership skills. Directly after the activity we departed to Big Blue Diving for the last time to watch a video that encapsulated our experiences over the last few days. We also had a contest to determine the best social media post about Koh Tao and our experience with Big Blue. From this contest the winner and all participants were graciously given big blue shirts for our time with them and our effort in all of our posts. To complete a fantastic day, we walked from big blue to a restaurant beside the beach where we ate delicious western inspired meals and socialized with our group and the scuba staff. We bid them farewell and took a peaceful walk along the beach back to home base where we all went to bed for the night.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 25

Written by Isabella Faris & Oliver

Today we started off with an early breakfast at 7:15 as today was a travelling day. We were so sad to say goodbye to Koh Tao where we had been staying for the past 6 nights, and we had actually become comfortable there. While we were upset to go, we’re excited to continue our journey here at the Ibis hotel in Koh Samui. We had an early ferry ride back to Samui and after napping and relaxing on the boat, we took a taxi back to the hotel, and set off for lunch.

After having delicious noodles, we had some free time where students either chose to nap (most of us) or go to the pool. After reacquainting with the hotel, we had a meeting to discuss tomorrow’s cultural exchange activity at the local school (stay tuned) where we not only planned our performance for local students but also our lesson plans for the upcoming english class. We then walked to dinner where we had delicious fried rice with fried chicken, some mango sticky rice, veggies, and fruits. After dinner, we quickly stopped to get snacks at 7/11 and some roti at the stand. Back at the hotel, we spent some time finalizing our dance for tomorrow which is Cotton Eye Joe, while sharing laughs. Then some free time and off to bed.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 26

Today was another early morning. We started with dressing up in our finest to go to the local highschool for our cultural exchange day at Theeparatpittaya School. We watched a cultural dance performed by one of their students and then we performed cotton eye joe. We even got the students to dance with us! After the dance we got divided into groups where we were given a topic that we had present on a poster. We then got to share lunch with the students at the local canteen. The food was scrumptious. The students were very excited but also nervous to host us, we felt famous! We said farewell and received awards and gifts, and took many many pictures.

After leaving the school we went to see a mummified monk at a temple, and get our fortunes told. Then we got to see Grandma and Grandpa rock where many great photos were taken. We then had to prep for another school day tomorrow where we practiced our teaching skills.

For dinner we headed to a night market where we got to pick our own food, and a few people tried bugs!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 27

Once upon a time there were 17 late students to chow circle as usual. we started off our day by eating a very traditional thai breakfast (french toast and pancakes). Then we hopped on the busses for a short ride to the local primary school. While at the school everybody had the opportunity to teach multiple groups of thai students. Teaching them short and fun english lessons. after our lessons we headed into their canteen for lunch where we got to know these local students better.

We then all joined the kids to play some football and take some pictures. We then left the school to go to the “summer house” for our Thai cooking lesson. We learned how to cook Pad thai, make papaya salad and a desert known as the “floating lotus.” we all took turns changing between stations to cook and make these dishes (they were delicious, because we are great chefs). We then chilled for a bit and left to our home base. We arrived with a lot of free time in our hands so some of us decided to go for a swim and others took some time for themselves. At 6 45 we met up for our “chow circle” and left for dinner. After dinner we all took part in a GLA activity and went to sleep. Caio.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 29

Written by Jae’la and Maddox

Today was our final day together! We finally got to sleep in for once. We spent the day city hopping to a few different temples, ate lunch at a local restaurant, and then made some final purchases in the afternoon. Together, we came up with our OMG: To become environmentally conscious and open-minded by meeting new people and being aware of our waste consumption. Afterwards, we got ready for our farewell dinner on the beach! We ate a heaping amount of food and celebrated our final night together. Finally, we did an appreciation circle activity to close the evening.

June 1, 2023 by Ashley Welter

Thailand: Elephant & Marine Conservation Adventure (June 28-July 18, 2023)

Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

Here are a few things you can expect:

We typically receive 2-3 blog posts per week here at GLA Headquarters from our program staff and students, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post daily – that’s totally normal.
Blog updates sent on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
Due to many factors, including but not limited to internet accessibility, photos may not always be available to post onto the blog. Sometimes onsite program staff are only able to send text back to Headquarters, where our team updates the blog.

Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.

For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.

-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team

Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28

Hello Friends & Family!

We are so glad that all sixteen of our students arrived safely and on time! Many students left on a Monday and arrived on a Wednesday. Looooong trip!!

It was a chill day at the hotel, completing swim tests and meeting new friends. Many students were eager to see the city so we took an evening walk to a hustling and bustling local marketplace where we got to try lots of yummy treats like Mango Sticky Rice, Pad Thai, and Bubble Tea.

We were back to the hotel by 8 pm so that everyone could get a much-needed long night of rest before we start our orientation tomorrow morning!

We have a friendly and diverse group of students that have already started to build a strong community. Even with the lack of sleep, there was energy and excitement bubbling all day.

More updates soon!

-The EMCA Team

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 29

The first half of the day was all about orientation. We played some games, started to develop an understanding of Thai culture, and learned what was expected during this trip. The students performed hilarious skits that demonstrated what NOT to do regarding GLA policies, came up with creative (and sometimes quite harsh) possible disciplinary procedures, found safety risks to manage around our hotel, and tried to guess some culturally appropriate “dos and don’ts”.

It was a fun morning, but the real fun started when we left in the afternoon to see the Wat Pho temple. Drenched in sweat, we stared in awe at the beautiful and holy artifacts around us. From there we walked to a nearby flower market that was absolutely packed with flowers of all shapes and sizes.

Then it was time for dinner at a classic Thai grilling restaurant. There was a huge buffet to pick food to grill directly on our tables. A server even came over to put live crawfish on the grill right in front of us! It was both a little shocking and very delicious.

The van ride back to the hotel was full of shared laughs and fun music. We returned for our first Chow Circle. It was flawlessly led by Kaiden, tomorrow’s leader of the day. Then we split into smaller mentor groups for a short reflection. After that, a couple of hours of free time in the pool and then off to bed.

Tomorrow we travel to Kanchanaburi, where we’ll stay for most of the trip!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 30

Written by Leader of the Day: Kaiden

Today we said goodbye to the fast-paced city of Bangkok and hello to the rural town of Kanchanaburi. Our morning started off with our final meal in Bangkok. We then went back up to our rooms to pack everything up for our journey west. Prior to departure, the group went to 7-11 to purchase any snacks for the ride. We bought things ranging from pineapple danishes to seaweed-flavored potato chips. Some of us even went to Café Amazon, which is pretty much just a better version of Starbucks. We then finally hit the road.

Our home base in Kanchanaburi was not our first stop. We were all super excited to visit the historically-rich site of the Kwai Bridge and railroad. The bridge was constructed by Japan during World War II through the use of prisoners of war. The purpose of the railroad was to transport items and people through Thailand without having to use boats. The museum described the whole process of constructing it, the immense brutality the prisoners of war experienced, and a general overview of the events happening around the world at that time.

Following our visit to the museum and bridge, we went out for lunch on a floating boat-restaurant. We were given an assortment of food including egg rolls, fried rice, etc. We all enjoyed talking about our experiences over our delicious meal.

We finally arrived at our main home base of the program in Kanchanaburi and did a photo scavenger hunt to find risks around the hotel. It’s an absolutely massive resort full of impressive views. But it’s also empty and quiet. Walking down the empty halls, in such a massive space and hearing our voices echo, felt surreal. Some even said they got spooky, haunted vibes, jokingly, of course. But it’s an awesome place and we’re all super excited to call it home for the next two weeks and fully take advantage of the space and opportunity for fun.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 1

Written by Leader of the Day: Elizabeth

Today is Canada Day so we celebrated with our Canadians John and Malachi. After a lovely breakfast at our hotel we headed in the van to Elephant World. Elephant World is a sanctuary that rescues ex circus and trek camp elephants as well as wild ones who have been injured. Their sanctuary is gorgeous and elephants are free to roam all over. They are cared for by wonderful staff and volunteers. They also enjoy baths with tourists in the beautiful river. Our first activity was feeding them. Elephants are very picky eaters and want to eat yam beans before watermelons, they will spit out food if they do not want it. It is surreal feeling to feel an elephant trunk grab food out of your hands. They have over 50000 muscles in their trunks and they are very strong.

After meeting our elephant friends we got into a open van and headed to do field work. Elephants love to eat all kinds of fruits and veggies, and they eat 10% of their body weight everyday. In order to care for these gentle giants it takes a great deal of food. We planted corn in a field that will feed our elephant friends.

After our hot field work we came back to the sanctuary and ate a lovely lunch and enjoyed the serenity of the river and Thai jungle. We then waked down to the river and watched elephants give themselves a mud bath and shower in the river. Near the river, we met a 20 month pregnant elephant who is due in 3 months; it takes almost two years to grow a baby elephant. You could out your hand on her belly and feel the kicking. Elephants love to be dirty and spray dirt on themselves to avoid sunburn. They also enjoy putting leaves and twigs on their head almost like a hat.

After observing elephant hygiene habits we met the oldest elephant who was 79 years old. Her teeth are old so she prefers to eat sticky rice balls which contain grass, bananas, rice and other nutrients and are much easier to chew than fruit. Some of our brave students tried the elephant rice ball mixture. We also observed her drinking, the noises almost sound like a toilet flushing. To drink you spray water in her nose and she sprays it into her mouth.

After our long day we said goodbye to the elephants and got in the vans to head to Natura. We followed the elephants’ tricks and headed into the river to cool off. The current is very fast so we stayed in the shallow area but it was lovely to be cool. After our relaxing swim, Vijo taught us about Thai sprit rituals. You light incense and ask a higher power for protection. It was a relaxing way to end our day of hard work.

After we ate a lovely vegetarian Thai dinner accompanied by a cat and two stray dogs. We headed home and reflected with our mentor groups. It was a magical day to stand inches from gentle giants and ended with a peaceful swim.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 2

Written by Leader of the Day: Leire

Breakfast in our systems, our group set off to Elephant Haven first thing in the morning, and met the six elephants in the sanctuary.

In order to get them used to us and vice versa, we fed them some leaves and pineapples, to which they responded as happily as expected.

After a fun and short-lived first meeting, we started our service by preparing some rice balls and chopping some slices of watermelon for them. When all the food was ready, we fed it to the elephants, with whom we then took a great walk through the forest and to the river. However, the elephants didn’t feel like bathing so early, so we all headed back to the main entrance for lunch.

Having recharged our batteries, we got into the forest once again, where we watched the elephants getting a mud bath and ended up sharing it with them. After that, we all got into the water, elephants and mahouts included, in an attempt to rid ourselves of the heat, although it wasn’t necessary in the end, as our bathing in the Kwai river got interrupted by heavy rain. This brought us back to the main entrance, where we waited for the rain to stop and got back to helping in the sanctuary. This time, it came in the form of shovels, rakes, and brooms, as we cleaned out the elephants’ excrements.

This concluded our service for today, after which we relaxed at Natura, where we had some dinner, rope swung into the river and got back to the hotel.

In mentor groups tonight, we made hilarious portraits of each other in which every member drew a different part of the face. Then we created a personal mission statement that will help guide us to be true to our core values throughout this trip.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 3

Written by Leader of the Day: Malachi

hey guys

This morning was very eventful. As I was finishing my breakfast, which was a spread of rice, meats, eggs and juice. My roommate came running to my table soaked. He told me our bathroom was flooded, I ran back to save my stuff, by the time I got there all the water was drained. A burst from the back of the toilet had bursted and flooded the bathroom. We moved our stuff to a new room and continued on our day with a delayed schedule.

We traveled to another elephant sanctuary. Somboon Legacy Foundation Sanctuary. I chopped down a banana tree, while our group gathered the trees and loaded them into a truck. Older elephants lose their teeth over time and forget to drink water so banana trees are frequently feed to them as they have high levels of water. We learned about the two senior elephants and the long history of abuse they have been through. This sanctuary was a hands off experience as they believed and taught us that it was healthier experience for the elephants. I believe it’s more beneficial to the elephants as well but a hard way for them to make money.

We ate lunch and we went through their museum and filled out a scavenger hunt sheet and learn more about the biology, daily life of the elephant, ethical and unethical ways to live with elephants. we also learnt how we can make the world more sustainable by reusing elephant waste to make paper.

We watched the elephants bathe with their caretaker, this is the most natural way for an elephant to bathe while still being taken care of. The other sanctuaries we visited had tourists wash them, which causes stress on the elephants. We finished our learning experience and headed to a cooking class of traditional thai food.

All of us had really good energy about cooking and enjoyed learning how to cook the food. The Thai lady named On who was teaching us to cook spoke good english and made the experience really fun. With our stomachs stuffed we headed to a local market of street food and knockoff clothing. I bought a hat and a small portable fan. I bargained and got a lower price on both. Even after the cooking class some of us bought snacks including insects and drinks. Then we headed back to the home base to reflect on our day. I learned a lot about the long history of elephants and I think the difference between the sanctuaries were based on ethics and money. My favourite part of today was definitely the market. Looking forward to learning and exploring more tomorrow!!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 4

Written by Leader of the Day: Ana Chapula

Today we started the day with a late breakfast. Luckily, Olivier and Randy matched outfits for the day which put a smile on our faces. Our first activity was a session on captive elephant welfare. We learned how tourism in Thailand is socioeconomically driven and why that is the reason bad practices on elephants continue to this day. Then we got the opportunity to get creative and create our own Elephant Sanctuary based on the three we visited. Split into four groups, we designed an elephant sanctuary and presented our ideas to a panel of judges. Presentations were judged on creativity, economics, animal welfare, and poster design. The ultimate winner was McHout’s Sanctuary– an elephant sanctuary sponsored by McDonald’s with various McDonald’s themed attractions. However, the other ideas were very creative, including a sanctuary with a skyview hotel, a sanctuary with a boat ride to watch elephants bathing, and a sanctuary with a full resort on site.

We had lunch at the resort and got ready to leave for our “river float”. As we got to the river, Khun gave us instructions and safety procedures to understand the current of the water and stay safe. Floating down the river was fun. We saw cool bird nests and coconut trees. Afterwards we went on a jungle walk. We saw wild elephant footprints and walked their trails. Before dinner we had free time at Our Land and then had our final “Animal Extravaganza Competition” where we played muddy games and answered trivia questions. Ultimately, theCobra team won.

Before we made out to the resort to shower and go to bed we had mentor meetings where we drew what we like about ourselves to better understand leadership and recognize our own strengths. We were interrupted by the Our Land dogs suddenly running into the jungle and barking which meant… wild elephants!! We all went to the second level for safety and waited to see if we’d get a wild elephant sighting. While we didn’t end up seeing them, we heard them crashing branches and trumpeting at the dogs.

Then we watched a slideshow of our first week together and celebrated July 4th with some sparklers!

Finally, we got back to the hotel to rest after a very long day!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 5

As the leader of the day, John Grant, and the writer of this blog, I had the privilege of guiding my group with our staff through an exciting day at Erawan Falls. After a tiring Fourth of July extravaganza, we decided to sleep in an hour later to rejuvenate ourselves. With our energy replenished, we embarked on a thrilling journey, experiencing the beauty of nature, overcoming challenges, and forging stronger bonds as a team.

After enjoying a delicious breakfast, we packed our essentials and set off for Erawan Falls. Before starting our hike, we made a stop at the ever-convenient 7/11 store, where everyone stocked up on snacks for the day’s adventure. Fueled and ready, we proceeded to have a delightful lunch at a local restaurant, with the Pad-See-Ew emerging as the most popular dish among our group.

Our one-and-a-half-mile hike toward the tallest part of the pool began, and along the way, we encountered several levels of the falls. Each stop offered breathtaking views and provided opportunities for relaxation and exploration. However, an unfortunate incident occurred during our ascent as Lucas, one of our group members, was struck by a branch, resulting in a head injury. Thankfully, Michael and Pinom swiftly attended to him, ensuring he received immediate care. As the leader of the day and also the oldest of the group, it was my responsibility to ensure the well-being of every member of our group. So, when Lucas was hit by a branch and his head started bleeding, I made the decision to stay back with him, providing comfort and reassurance while he was being checked out. It was important to me to be there for him, especially since he is the youngest member of our group, and I view him as a little brother.

At the waterfall, Olivier showcased his skills by catching some shrimp, and we marveled at the sight of fascinating bugs in their natural habitat. The cascading water, combined with the serene surroundings, provided an idyllic setting for everyone to immerse themselves in the joy and beauty of nature.

Following our descent from the falls, we made our way to a restaurant for dinner. Considering everyone’s craving for familiar flavors from home, we opted for a place that served a variety of dishes, including burgers, fries, pizza, pasta, and steak. We thoroughly enjoyed the meal, relishing the opportunity to indulge in our favorite foods. To mark the completion of our first week of volunteer work and celebrate the knowledge gained about elephant sanctuaries, I took a moment to toast our achievements. It was a heartwarming experience, acknowledging our growth as individuals and as a team.

With dinner concluded, we headed back to the market, responding to the group’s high demand for another visit. The market offered an array of treasures, and each of us indulged in our personal shopping endeavors. Kaiden opted for sticky rice, Randy adorned his iPhone with some stylish bling, Jordan assisted Owen in selecting fashionable clothing, and Ivy and I playfully indulged in fake-branded items. As the evening drew to a close, we returned to our hotels at 7:45, eager to make the most of our remaining free time.

Being the leader of the day was an immensely enjoyable experience, guiding my fellow GLA students through an eventful day at Erawan Falls. The day’s adventures, from hiking through the natural splendor of the falls to overcoming obstacles together, strengthened our bonds and created lasting memories. While Lucas’s injury brought concern, we were relieved to learn that he received stitches after going to the hospital and was on the path to a full and speedy recovery. As we eagerly anticipate the involvement of other GLA students in leading future expeditions, we look forward to the continuation of our volunteer work and the exploration of new horizons.

In conclusion, being the leader of the day was an immensely enjoyable experience, guiding my fellow GLA students through an eventful day at Erawan Falls. The day’s adventures, from hiking through the natural splendor of the falls to overcoming obstacles together, strengthened our bonds and created lasting memories.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 6

Written by Leader of the Day: Ivy Wells

We woke up this morning and headed to breakfast feeling tired after having a late start the previous morning. After we enjoyed a meal of french toast and tropical fruits, we packed our bags and headed to a local neighborhood where we talked about the conflict between humans and elephants co-existing in the same environment. We learned a lot about problems and how people have made previous attempts to solve the situation. We all discussed some questions we had and potential answers.

After that, we headed over to some bee hives where we got the opportunity to try some natural honey straight from the hive and we were even able to buy our own bottles.
We left and drove to a local tree nursery nearby where we gathered around a pile of dirt to plant tree saplings inside of black bags packed full of soil. Inside the pile of soil a little frog even paid a visit to us. We then had a delicious lunch. We were given the option of hiking up a short waterfall or returning to the resort. Lucas, John, Oliver, Heba, Elizabeth and I decided to hike up to see the waterfall and take in the beautiful nature. We saw large swarms of butterflies, spiders, shedded snake skin, and a natural salt lick for elephants.

We all arrived back at the hotel and sat in the lobby to hang out and order treats from an online app called Grab (similar to Doordash or Uber Eats). We had a much longer free time than usual which was much needed after doing lots of service and being out in the sun for many of the past days.

For dinner, we all went to the Our Land reserve and gathered around the campfire for activities and hanging out. One of the activities was talking to a partner about a deep question. After a couple of minutes, we switched partners and discussed a new question. I was able to connect with many of the students and get to know them in a different way. It was definitely the activity that stuck out to me the most out of the entire trip. I was very happy to have gotten the opportunity along with my other friends to hold Vijo’s pet ball python snake named K. This was definitely a night to remember for many.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 7

Leader of the Day: Olivier
Blog Writer: Kaiden

Today was all about banteng, a critically endangered species of cattle. We started the day off by heading to a Banteng conservation reserve. The reserve focused on rehabilitating banteng back into the wild and increasing their population. We got to watch a presentation about the banteng and the things happening to help preserve the species. Then we played a game, for points, to show how much we learned from the presentation. We then went to go see the live banteng living on the site. We even got to feed one!

Following the banteng, we spent our service time creating seed bombs. Seed bombs are small balls made of clay, with a seed and nutrients in the middle. The bombs are then launched via slingshot into the forest to provide random, but still efficient, forestation. The slingshots were super fun to use! What was not so fun, however, was the blazing heat and higher-than-normal humidity levels today. Service was pretty difficult and felt pretty exhausting, but we survived and had a lot of fun, nonetheless.

We also completed a key GLA activity, the debate. John mediated. Olivier, Rebecca, and Malachi were the council that listened to all sides and created the final plan. Everyone else was split into partners to represent organizations with varying viewpoints and demands regarding elephant tourism in Thailand. It was a productive and respectful debate with great points and arguments from every pair.

We spent the final hours of our night with a spontaneous trip to 7/11 (a huge fan favorite), time in the river, and dinner at Our Land before we decided to have an early trip back to the hotel, due to an incoming thunderstorm. We ended with a mini-mentor group session, playing funny games, sharing a “story of self”, and reflecting on the day.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 8

Leader of the Day: Petra
Blog Writer: Leire

Today we started our day off by getting some knowledge on the topic of snakes, and got to meet six different species of the animal during a 70 minutes long session; a Reticulated python, a Burmese python, a Sunbeam snake, a Red tailed pipe snake, an African Ball python, and a Monocle Cobra

After an incredibly hot lunch hour, during which we ate in hammocks under the shadow of the trees at OurLand, we did two activities related to leadership; the Bucket of Dreams, where we were deprived of some of our abilities (seeing, talking, or touching) and had to work together to retrieve said bucket, and the Types of Leadership, where we divided the definition in three parts and talked about the different ways you can be a leader. During a debrief, we realized that the two activities were connected. The Bucket of Dreams activity was actually a giant metaphor for the three different types of leaders.

Then, we went to a waterfall where we picked up some trash along the way. We headed back to our hotel for showers and a quick rest before returning to dinner at OurLand.

Lastly, in mentor groups, we played a silly game, shared some meaningful stories, and reflected on the day.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 9

Written by Leader of the Day: Jordan

Today we started our sustainable building process. We woke up at eight for a traditional Thai breakfast with some aspects of home food. Then we traveled 15 minutes to the concrete site. We discovered that concert comes from inserting dynamite into hills that are homes to several animals and blowing the hills up so factories can harvest the rocks from the sides of the mountains and then send the product to another factory that processes the rocks and minerals into concrete. We learned that concrete is very inexpensive to make and most of the times over processed materials are made to seem more expensive but in reality they are not.

We then went to Outland to start our mud brick building. We split up into our four animal groups and then two went to the mud pit and the remaining two went to the brick site. The two groups that were at the mud pit had to jump into a hole that was filled with mud and mix it around with their bare feet. The group had to mash the hard mud up with water until the mud became a soft smooth clay substance. After 25 minutes of running on the mud, mashing the mud with all body parts, some throwing, and playing into the mud, the two groups had a challenge to see who could make the best mud bricks first. The challenge consisted of four people on each team running with mud and tossing mud to their teammates to get the most mud into the molds for the bricks. The group had a blast and helped to make around 30 bricks to contribute to sustainable houses.

The second group was challenged with some heavy lifting. They had to take the dried bricks that weighed around 10 pounds and carry them to a location that was about a 2 minute walk away. Under the hot sun and high humidity both groups were tired and ready for a break.

The amazing cooks at Ourland prepared a Thai lunch that consisted of fried chicken, deep fried eggs with a sweet and spicy sauce, garlic rice, and some fresh watermelon. After a lunch break, the group got into our vans and headed to our next fun activity which was kayaking. We arrived at the kayaking place after a fun one hour car ride. We then split into pairs and started our three hour paddle down the Kwai Noi river. We stopped along the way on an island to take a group photo and then we returned to our boats. The adventure down the river was filled with amazing sights. We reached out destination and then made our way to Ice Phochana restaurant.

We had a well deserved dinner and then we ended our night with one of the group’s favorite activities by stopping at a 7 11 to get some yummy nighttime snacks.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 10

Leader of the Day: Owen
Blog Written by Elizabeth

Today we started off at breakfast with only 3 members of our team present because many wanted some extra sleep. We then headed over to a Thai military base and saw their mud house structures. Mud houses are more sustainable than concrete and very sturdy. We even learned that they’re bulletproof.

We headed over to OurLand and started making mud bricks. The Great Wall of GLA is slowly making progress. Mud felt very cool on a hot morning!! We had a lovely lunch of spicy Thai chicken and dragon fruit. After our day of service work we were ready to relax.

Our vans headed over to the River Kwai once again and we got our orange lifejackets on. We floated down the river on foam rafts as rain poured down and ended up drenched by the end. The raft floating turned into a (safe) throwing each other off competition. It was very fun and everyone got soaked! It was nice to have fun in the river after many long hot days.

As we exited the river the rain came crashing down harder than ever and we rushed into the vans. We headed back to the hotel instead of the nature reflection that we had planned. Our local director Vijo got separated from his cell phone and was left in the rain with no car, but eventually made it back to the hotel in time to set up a movie for us! We got dinner delivered to the hotel and had a nice night in. Relaxing at the hotel was nice after two busy weeks of travel, work and adventure!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 11

Written by Leader of the Day: Sam

Similar to other days, today we started our day with breakfast at 8, and departed the hotel at 9. We arrived at Ourland where we finished off the mud wall we had been building for the past 2 days. Feeling accomplished, we ate lunch and headed back to the hotel. After a much needed rest time after our hard work, we played a game of Family Feud in our mentor groups on the pros and cons of “voluntourism” or service abroad. After the hottest part of the day passed, we left for a trash collection site. There we were introduced to kind man who has been collecting trash and recyclables from the nearby village and sorting them, and eventually selling them for a small amount of money.

We were split into groups and were prompted to collect a specific type of recyclable and put it into a bag. Soon after we headed to Natura for a rainy dinner. Despite the rain we headed to the market and indulged in the delicious snacks and desserts they had to offer.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 12

Written by Leader of the Day: Randy

Today, our last day in Kanchanaburi, was all about sustainable farming. We worked hard on compost piles at Red Squirrel, a sustainable farm run by Our Land. We cut down banana trees and chopped them up, collected fresh manure, and mixed them together to make compost.

During the hottest hours of the day, we took a break a Natura where we hung out in the river, had lunch, and rested in hammocks. We did an individual mid-program reflection and wrote letters to each other. An ice cream cart came by for a sweet treat!

After finishing the project at the farm, we went back to the hotel to shower and dress up for our final night at the Our Land reserve. We had dinner and shared favorite moments around the campfire. Then we said goodbye to Jordan and the local staff that aren’t coming with us to Phuket. “Uncle Nom” had handcrafted flowers out of leaves for every student. There were lots of tears and hugs. We then went back to the hotel to finish packing… Our vans are leaving for the airport at 6:30am!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 13

Written by John

Our day kicked off by saying goodbye to Kanchanaburi. Waking up early, we hit the road by 6:30 in the morning, with our sights set on Bangkok. The drive to the city took us a few hours, and by 10 AM, we were stepping into the hustle and bustle of the Bangkok airport.

Our bags were swiftly checked in, paving the way for a well-deserved lunch break. The food court was buzzing with options – from familiar chains like McDonald’s and Dairy Queen, to local favorites like Korean corn dogs and bubble tea. It was hard not to get excited in the face of such diverse culinary options. And just for a fun twist, I took a quick picture with the iconic Ronald McDonald statue.

After lunch, we went to security, since our flight departed around noon. Phuket was the next stop on this part of the trip, which we reached by 2 PM. Once there, we took a scenic drive to the dock where a charming wooden boat awaited to take us away to the island of Koh Yao Noi.

Upon reaching the island, we quickly drove to our hotel to unpack and settle down. After freshening up, we were off to explore the local cuisine further, and by 5:30 PM, we were relishing a hearty meal of black rice, chicken, and an assortment of vegetables.

We decided to conclude our day by soaking up the stunning sunset, watching as the streets were painted in hues of crimson and gold. The refreshing coolness of Phuket compared to the heat of Bangkok was appreciated by all, leaving us feeling more relaxed and comfortable. This day, filled with the joy of shared experiences, and the thrill of discovering a new place together, made our journey truly unforgettable.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 14

Leader of the Day: Heba
Blog Writer: John

Today we began our journey an hour earlier than our typical schedule. As the morning light unfolded, we, an enthusiastic bunch, hopped onto a boat, ready to explore the turquoise waters encircling the islands. We initiated our venture by strapping on snorkeling equipment and life vests, allowing us a sense of comfort in the inviting sea.

The option to swim without life jackets was presented to us not long after and was greeted with excitement. Many from our group had fun jumping off the boats into the ocean. This fun hour of snorkeling, diving, and soaking up the sun gave us a lot of joy.

In between, we were offered mango sticky rice, which everyone loves. An event of particular interest during this time was Heba’s first entry into the saltwater, a memory that proved to be a great milestone.

Afterwards, we hopped back onto the boats to journey towards another location for a brief, but equally thrilling, 15-minute adventure. We found a sandy beach perfect for lunch, where we held a picnic, eating fried rice and chicken as we chilled on the warm sand.

After lunch, we returned to our hotel for some rest and freshening up, marking the end of what could only be described as an extraordinarily surreal experience. The sight of everyone having fun and the general ambiance felt like a scene straight out of a movie.

As the clock struck 5:30, we moved towards a pier to admire the view, clicking numerous photos to commemorate the memorable day. This was followed by a dinner rich in seafood – fish, squid, and shrimp – wrapping up the day.

Reflecting back, what made the day particularly endearing was not just the sun or the water, but also the sense of harmony shared among us. To me, this day stood out for its tranquility and relaxation, and the ability to appreciate nature’s gifts, marking it as one of the most beloved days of my trip.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 15

Leader of the Day: Lucas
Blog Writer: Elizabeth

Today we started early again and headed to the mangroves. Mangroves are an important part of all tropical ecosystems. They produce tons of carbon dioxide, almost 20x more than a rainforest. Mangroves also protect islands from rough waves, especially hurricanes. We met up with local community members and 12-year-old students who participated in trash cleanup with us as a class project.

We worked together for 3 hours and could see the trash disappearing but it would’ve taken years to get rid of all of it which was very sad. This inspired our initiative towards the 4 Rs (reduce, refuse, reuse, and recycle). After cleaning the mangroves we headed to a recycle bottle sorting center.

We had thousands of various plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and containers to sort through. The local community sells these sorted recyclables to grocery stores and uses that money for a fund that acts as “health insurance” to participating community members. It is amazing to see what communities can do for each other. After a long morning of recycling, we headed to lunch.

After lunch, we headed home through the rainstorm and had mentor groups. During mentor groups, we reflected on our goals after this trip and how to take what we learned home to make an impact. After the rain settled we head to local shops in town.

We all bought beautiful bohemian beach clothing and souvenirs for us and our families back home. After shopping till we dropped we headed to dinner. Our restaurant had gorgeous views of the Thai countryside. We had a nice meal of Western food and pad thai. We watched the beautiful sunset as we gathered for a group talk about conservation and the different ways our service impacts this community. It was a great day here and we are all sad to be leaving soon.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 16

Written by Leire

We started our day with a light breakfast, after which we drove off to get on the boats that would take us island hopping throughout the day.

In each of the places, we had some friendly competition; swimming, and trash collection. Our third island was also our lunch spot, with the crystal clear water of its beach successfully tempting us to get in once again.

After a quick stop to see monkeys at one of the many marvelous islands —from a distance, of course— we set off to our last water destination of the day; a nice, empty spot where we jumped and swim into Thai water for the last time!

A pause at the hotel and a quick trip to a café later, we were happily surprised by our mentors, as we found ourselves on the boats once again, this time on our way to dinner at the beach, which then led to individual and collective reflection, and the definition of our One Meaningful Goal (yes, OMG). Our goal as a group is “to inspire others to be more sustainable by sharing/communicating our stories.”

Stomachs full, and hearts content with seeing the stars in a fairly clear night sky, we got back on our boats, got to the hotel, and had one of our last and best bonding times.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 17

Our last day!

After a late breakfast and a stop by the local cafe, we loaded into our vans and started our journey home. We made a stop at a local marine life sanctuary and got to see some beautiful fish, sharks, and pufferfish. Then we continued on to the mainland.

After checking into the hotel, we spent most of the day at Central Mall, using any baht we had left on souvenirs and delicious snacks.

For dinner, we went dressed up and went to a restaurant with an absolutely stunning view. There weren’t many other people there, so we had room to get up and dance to loud music they were playing. It was a magical last night.

Back at the hotel, we had one final appreciation circle and then an hour of free time to say our last goodbyes.

It’s been an incredible trip! Thank you to all for the incredible memories!!

June 1, 2023 by Ashley Welter

Thailand: Elephant & Education Initiative (July 18-July 31, 2023)

Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

Here are a few things you can expect:

We typically receive 2-3 blog posts per week here at GLA Headquarters from our program staff and students, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post daily – that’s totally normal.
Blog updates sent on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
Due to many factors, including but not limited to internet accessibility, photos may not always be available to post onto the blog. Sometimes onsite program staff are only able to send text back to Headquarters, where our team updates the blog.

Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.

For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.

-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team

Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 19

It’s been a packed full first day for us! We started this morning with a delicious breakfast followed by a small intro about the staff team and the entire group, where we learned more about where everyone is from and why they chose this program. Afterwards, we had a program orientation to review the rules, schedule, and learned more about the local Thai culture. Mentor Taylor led us in an evolutionary rock paper scissors tournament as well! And this was just the beginning of the day!

For lunch, we ate a hearty meal of Tom Ka soup, fried shrimp, rice, fruit, and stir fried vegetables.

Next, we went on a walking tour around Chiang Mai where we learned about the history and visited a variety of temples. Of course, we made a stop for Thai tea along the way.

For dinner, we got to cook our own food at a local cooking school! Each one of us got to make our own stir fry, mango sticky rice, curry, and soup! It was a delicious way to learn about the culture and experience the local ingredients. It was a lot of food, and we had so much fun!

After that we were just sooo ready for bed!

We will keep you guys updated!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 20

Written by Brooke, Mia, Jake

Hello GLA family and friends! Today we started our day by eating breakfast then going to off pray to the spirit house (a dedicated structure to honor the guardians of the land and to protect the house from any harmful spirits). After the spirit house, teacher Todd taught us strategies for the Thai classroom, and fed us Thai snacks 😌
Then we hopped in the vans to go a lovely Thai noodle place for lunch. Next we took the bus to visit the local elementary schools we will be teaching in, and saw all the excited kids and the Thai schools.

We then returned home to work on our lesson plans for tomorrow and enjoy some free time by the pool. We ended out day with a yummy dinner and an introduction to our mentor groups. Tomorrow we look forward to our first day teaching and a Muay Thai lesson!

From,
The leaders of the day – Brooke, Mia, Jake

BLOG POST FOR JULY 21

Hey everyone!

Today was a packed day with our first day of teaching. We got up bright and early to eat some breakfast. After a hearty meal, we made our way to the schools.

Once we got to the school, we were able to watch the opening ceremony that the students do every morning. We then split off into our teaching groups to teach English lessons.

After all of the hard work, we let off some steam by playing games with the kids and ate some lunch!

Then, we headed over to a Muay Thai studio where we learned the true craft of Thai boxing. It was a lot of hard work, but a great workout!

After we finished, we made a quick stop to grab some refreshing boba! Then, we headed back to home base and relaxed in the pool. We had some dinner and planned our teaching lessons for Monday. We also got to dance in a rain storm!

Stay tuned for more exciting Thailand adventures!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 23

Written by Charlie, Talei, and Sienna

Hello Everyone!!

We started off the day today by going to the first elephant hospital in Thailand. We got to learn all about the injured elephants and what the hospital has done to help them. One specific elephant, Mosha, had the first ever prosthetic leg for an elephant. We got to see where all of the fake legs were made to help all of the amputee elephants.

Later after the visit we went to an interactive museum showing the evolution and uses of the native elephants. After a brief lunch, we went to go feed and touch the first elephants of the trip!!

When we got back to homebase, we were all super tired, but once we heard we were going to the night market, we all got excited. The night market was filled with tons of delicious food and Thai collectibles. Elephants pants were a very popular item people bought. Everyone had such an amazing time and we were all so excited to come back and sleep. Overall this was a very active and exciting day!

-Charlie, Talei, and Sienna

BLOG POST FOR JULY 26

Written by Lauren and Anessa

Yo Everyone,

We are back again from Thailand. we had a phenomenal last day of teaching with the amazing students. We played games and performed dances all while celebrating our fantastic teaching experience.

After school we made our way to the Warorot market. We experienced authentic foods and clothing. Some of us even bought baby turtles that we then released into a pond (their fate with the koi fish is unknown).

Back at home base we had a fantastic fruit party prepared by P’ Aun where we got to try things like dragonfruit, mangosteen, and passionfruit! We ended off the night with another yummy dinner and some time with our mentor groups.

Tomorrow we are headed to the elephant camp! Wish us the best of luck!
Lauren and Anessa

BLOG POST FOR JULY 27

Written by Layne and Sam

Hello All!

Today was a great day! We started out with breakfast at our home base at 7am and finished getting all packed out and ready to transfer home bases! We started the short road trip to our next home base at the Karen Eco Lodge. We made a quick stop at a 7/11 where everyone got the options to buy snacks and treats for the next few days adventures.

We arrived at the next home base around 11:30 where we got roommate assignments And unpacked a little. We then headed to the elephant camp where we had some lunch and got to learn all about elephants from a vet: like what they eat, how tall and heavy they are, and all about the differences between Asian and African elephants. We then made our way back to the new home base where we got a rest hour until our first group activity.

Later, our next activity was talking about leadership. Everyone defined leadership among their own words. After some ping pong, we had dinner. Sitting and gazing at the mountains was peaceful to say the least. We are truly appreciating this experience!

After our daily “chow circle” we ended off on a tired note, having a tiring but, exciting day. We are ready for more excitement tomorrow!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 29 & 30

Written by Dayne and Julia

Hey everyone, today was a very eventful day! We went back to the elephant sanctuary and learned how make nutritious supplement bowls to help aid in the elephants digestion. After we made the supplements we fed it to them. Everyone enjoyed the elephants noises of excitement. Soon after we fed the them we hiked over to a small pond where we bathed them. We also had some fun by splashing each other. After the bath we went over to the mud pit and slathered the elephants with mud as well as had a mud fight. After all of that we took a break to rinse off and eat some delicious pad Thai.

After lunch, we drove over to a river where we bought souvenirs, swam and relaxed by the water. It was a much needed break from the heat! As we were headed back to home base, the local staff surprised us with a trip to a coffee shop! Soon after, when we got home, we relaxed for a bit and played hide and seek.

As we only have a few days left with our new friends, we’re making the most of every activity! Thanks for reading!

Written by Gabi & Kaycee

Hey everyone,

We started off the day at Karen eco lodge and had a late breakfast which we all loved. we packed out bags and went to go say goodbye to our elephant friends and the mahouts. we fed the elephants their favorite snack (bananas) and then we were on our way back to our home in Chiang Mai (chotana). we all un packed our things and wrote our letters of affirmations for each other, then got ready for our goodbye dinner.

once we were all ready we celebrated Lauren’s birthday and then went to the boat to have our goodbye dinner. we had some delicious food and made amazing memories. we went home and and played some games and exchanged our letters of affirmations. we all jumped in the pool (some of us still in our dresses) and had the best time.

Til next time. we will all miss Thailand, we made the most amazing memories and can’t wait for the next GLA adventure.