Uncategorized - Part 2

June 8, 2022 by Ashley Welter

Thailand: Elephant & Education Initiative (July 17 – July 30, 2022)

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

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

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.

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 throughout the program during designated spaces of time we call ‘tech time’. Actual tech times and regularity will vary greatly by program location. 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.

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

Sa Wa Dee Ka (Hello) from Bangkok!

As the sun was just rising this morning, we were on our way to Suvarnabhumi Airport – excited to finally meet our brilliant students! They have already proved themselves to be courageous and intrepid young leaders – travelling all the way around the world to make it to Asia – and we’ve only just begun. We’ve certainly got a brilliant 14 days ahead of us!

First to land was Shayla, bright and early, and followed not long after by Anastasia. Later on in the morning, we were joining by Meredith, Isabel and Tatum – and with the morning group complete, our early arrivals checked into their rooms and headed out to try the local fare in a mall next to our hotel. First authentic Thai food (and yummy Thai tea!) In the afternoon, both Pce and Alexis were dropped off to the hotel by their families, who are travelling in Thailand whilst we are also on our program! This evening, we met Alexa, Serena, Shaina, and Kerri – who were all equally excited to tuck into a tasty Thai supper before bed – and finally, our night owls made it! Maya, Jack, Sam, Margot, Deidra, Courtney, Ellie, Cameron, Isabelle, Bodhi, Aaron, Toby, Chance, Sadie, and Julia, came through after midnight, and were very happy to make the short drive back to the hotel for some much-needed rest!

And with that, our team was complete! We head back to the airport tomorrow morning after breakfast, ready to make the journey to Chiang Mai, in the North of Thailand, where we will spend the next coming days getting to know our peaceful leafy-green surroundings, and importantly each other.

Thank-you, parents and families for entrusting your amazing students with us. We cannot watch to watch them build friendships, grow their leadership potential, and be agents of positive change within Thai communities over the next coming weeks. Stayed tuned!

Khop Khun Ka (Thank-you)

Caroline Jane Green – International Director

BLOG POST FOR JULY 18

Greetings from Chiang Mai,

Sabai Dee Mai? (Hope you are well?)

It’s Day 2, and adventure awaits! Today, we continued our journey, and made our way to the North of the country.

We said goodbye to our Bangkok hotel, and travelled in a convoy of four vans (three for students and staff, one for luggage!) back to the airport. After checking in for our internal flight and heading through security and to the boarding gates, we flew into Chiang Mai, and landed just before lunch. Chiang Mai is famous for its beautiful ancient temples, old walled city and striking mountain ranges that envelope the area. Centuries back, it was part of the Kingdom of Lan Na (which translates as “Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields”) which is now present-day Northern Thailand. We are so excited to be exploring our new surroundings over the next few days!

After a delicious lunch of dim sum buffet (a real brunch favourite across the region), we travelled to our beautiful Homebase to get settled in. The afternoon was spent kicking off icebreakers and group games – helping students to get to know each other and establish friendships, – and running through all of the GLA essentials that will enable our group to stay safe, happy and healthy whilst on program. A fantastic cultural immersion followed, led by our Local Director Natchanan “Kate”, Chanisara “Pare”, and Game “George”. Our brilliant Thai team and mentors guided the students through one of the most interesting and crucial aspects of the day during the orientation – understanding the culture and customs of Thailand. In particular: helping students practise how to do a Thai greeting called a Wai to other people – with hands together in prayer position and head slightly bowed – and also how to speak some key Thai phrases!

Kate, Pare and George took us all to dinner in the evening…and it turned out, students were in charge of cooking their own and the cooking school! After being introduced to the concept of 5 key taste flavours in cooking – sweet, salty, sour, spicy, bitter – and how to achieve balance between all of them for maximum deliciousness, students threw themselves into tasting everything new and mastering their skills in the kitchen. We cooked up a storm, with a welcome snack, spring rolls, sti-fry, Thai curry, and fried banana. Families, definitely get your brand new masterchefs to cook for you when they return home!

With bellies full, we drove the short distance back to the homebase, ready to debrief the day and head to bed, to dream of more delicious Thai snacks!

Day 3 awaits – our dive into the culture continues tomorrow with meeting the schools our students will be teaching English at, along with a market tour, and our education service-learning preparation. Look out for more stories and tales from Thailand!

Wai jur gan, (take care)

Caroline Jane Green – International Director

BLOG POST FOR JULY 19

It’s Day 3 – but it feels like we’ve been here for weeks already!

Feeling refreshed after a proper night’s sleep, students were up early this morning, ready to learn more about what’s in store for education – and elephants! – on our program!

We kicked the day off with activities for students to get to know their peers, by exchanging their thoughts on what their hopes and expectations are for the program, and what they are most excited for. We introduced students to the mission of GLA and vision for building young leadership potential, and the importance of service work within the communities we are lucky enough to be guests of.

Later we were greeted by Todd Cikraji. Todd came to Northern Thailand as a US Peace Corp volunteer, and loved his time here so much that he never quite left! Todd is deeply rooted in Chiang Mai, fluent in Thai, and works as a teacher at an International School. Todd is also the founder of friends for Asia, an organisation that specializes in ethical service learning and volunteering opportunities for foreign volunteers – he and his team are instrumental in facilitating our cultural activities and enriching connections with the local communities. Todd gave our students a deep dive into the world of teaching – helping students understand the skills needed to educate others in a foreign language (as well as how to tackle challenges of classroom management!)

Next up, it was off to Warorot Market, a famous morning market in Chiang Mai filled with delicious food (of course), herbs, spices, and flowers! Students toured around in groups, sampling new tastes, textures, and flavours – whilst flexing their newly-acquired language skills to buy souvenirs and presents.

This afternoon, we dressed in our finest attire (to make a great first impression!), and visited the local public primary schools that our students will be teaching at over the next three days. Taking time to tour the campuses, meet educators, and understand the curriculum the Thai children are currently learning was incredibly helpful to put everything into context.

It was back to Homebase in the afternoon for rest and relaxation – including, after our swim tests, a much-needed rejuvenating pool dip. After dipping into a delicious buffet of Northern Thai food for dinner, students continued to plan for their upcoming lessons; prepping resources, and practising their activities and lessons. All in all, another busy and enriching day.

We’ll officially be handing over to the Leaders of the Day from tomorrow! They’ll be taking charge of coordinating and motivating fellow peers, as well as writing back home to you all. We are looking forward to them sharing their stories about life in Thailand!

Laew jer gan (see you soon)

GLA Thailand Team

BLOG POST FOR JULY 20

Written by Shaina Belle (one of the Leaders of The Day)

Hello families! We had an eventful day today. First, we went to a local primary school where we taught the kids different things such as colours, clothes, and animals! The kids were very happy to have us and so full of energy! We got to play with them for a bit during recess before going to our next destination.

Our next destination was a Thai international school. They performed a traditional Thai dance for us and we performed a short dance to the song; “Party In The USA”. We got to make different traditional Thai crafts out of banana leaves, dress in traditional Thai clothing, try different Thai food and even learned a traditional Thai dance. The students at the schools were so very kind and fun and showed excellent hospitality towards us. We made a lot of new friends at the school and had an awesome time!

Afterward, we headed back to the home base and did a group activity to discover what type of leader we were. After that, we did a few more group activities and prepared ourselves for teaching the next morning. This was definitely a fun and interesting day and we all learnt a lot.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 21

Written by Alexa Scarlett (one of the Leaders of the Day)

Another great day spent in Chiang Mai here with GLA! Today, we had an early morning spent back at our designated schools where we taught 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students. After a well-spent morning, we had the chance to head back to home base where we got ready for Muay Thai boxing. The class was a great energizer that left us ready for a calm evening spent back at home. After plenty of swimming, planning for the next school day, and relaxing, we had a chance to reflect on our day as a whole before some last-minute planning and downtime. Overall, it was another wonderful day here in Thailand and we hope you have a chance to look at some pictures!

(note from GLA staff team – our final arrival Carson Rein also made it out to join the team, a few days later than planned but exciting nonetheless. Welcome, Carson!)

BLOG POST FOR JULY 22

What a wonderful day today in Chiang Mai! After an early start and a delicious breakfast, the team split in two and headed off in the rain to our respective schools. There, in groups of 3 or 4, we created different stations for groups of the students to attend. In these stations the students played various games like Red Light Green Light, and Duck Duck Goose with an educational twist, while also connecting and bonding with our GLA students.

After nearly 3 hours of this (plus a break for lunch and AC) we demonstrated how to make sandwiches for the school, and taught them some sandwich-making vocabulary. Then it was time for a heartbreaking goodbye (with more than a few tears shed from myself and others), and we were yet again shocked with all the love and positivity the kids brought to our interactions.

We arrived back at home base for an afternoon of relaxation and fun, swimming and chilling, and lots more. After dinner we reflected on the part 3 days of teaching and the incredible impact we had on the childrens’ lives.

Later, our INCREDIBLE leaders of the day (Toby, Deidra and I) organized Toby’s amazing idea of a name game to make sure we’re all connected and know each other’s names. Then it was tech time and lights out to the end of the day. See you next time!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 23

Written by Cameron Epps, Sadie Smith, and Margot Hartley, (Leaders of the Day)

Today everyone awoke to their shoes scattered around home base and an enthusiastic musical wake up call. Breakfast was served and we headed out to see some elephants for the first time! We met with a vet and learned about Mosha the elephant (she’s famous!). Then we went to the Thai Elephant Conservation Center and visited their museum where we did a fun “scavenger hunt.”

Lunch was next! We had Khao Soi and Italian Soda. After that we went to the elephant parade and painted our own elephant sculptures. From there we went straight to the WuaLai Walking Street market. We could buy our own dinner as well as some great souvenirs. But, surprise! It started pouring rain. Everyone had to take immediate shelter and throw on their raincoats. We all made it back to the vans and made our way to home base for the night.

Tonight, we have to pack to go to the Karen Eco Lodge in the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. Miss you all but not really because we are having SO much fun!

Goodnight. Sleep tight. Don’t let the mosquitos bite 😉

BLOG POST FOR JULY 24

Written by Maya Bateman and Julia Cohen (Leaders of the Day)

Today we left homebase and drove to the elephant sanctuary in Mai Wang. We stopped at 7/11 on the way. Once we arrived at Karen Eco Lodge we unpacked into our new rooms. We proceeded to a delicious lunch with a beautiful view of elephants. Afterwards we took an offr-oad ride to the elephant sanctuary. We had fun blasting music in the trucks. At the sanctuary we learned all about different species of elephants. We got to interact and measure the elephants. We then created posters and presented what we learned. Before leaving we got to feed bananas to the elephants. So fun!!

Once back at Eco Lodge, we got some free time to explore the area before dinner. Dinner was a mix of rice, chicken, pork, assorted vegetables, watermelon, and fried bananas. After dinner we did some leadership activities. We took initiative and created a trio acro yoga challenge. Everyone enjoyed attempting to recreate the moves. We ended our night excited for another day with the elephants!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 25

Written by Courtney Urbanek, Pace Jenkins, and Ellie Viemont (Leaders of the Day)

At 6:30am some of us kicked off the day with a morning run. Then we all met for breakfast before we left for the elephant jungle sanctuary. Once we arrived, we walked with the elephants around the large grounds of the sanctuary. Afterwards, we did a short hike to a waterfall and then headed to lunch.

After lunch we crossed the river and split up into small groups to plant Napier grass for the elephants. One person on a team dug a hole, another planted the grass stalk and another buried. We did this for a couple hours before trying some fresh star fruit and heading back to homebase.

We finished up the night with team building games, free time, an elephant documentary, and some of the group went on a walk to look at the stars before turning in for an early night.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 26

Written by Anastasia Wood (one of the Leaders of the Day)

Today was a more relaxed day with the elephants. After having breakfast, we walked down to the nearby area where elephants live. We were given wool shirts, and fed the elephants with three big baskets of bananas. Once the baskets were emptied, we spent a while walking around with the elephants, watching them eat and taking pictures. Once lunchtime came around, we had spaghetti, fries, and fruit, many of the students were very happy with the choice of food.

Afterwards, we mashed up fruits, salt, and leaves into balls full of nutrients for the elephants. Everyone took one of the balls and fed them to the elephants. Then, it was time for the elephants to go into the river. Everyone (including the elephants) went into the nearby river, and the students were given buckets to throw water on the elephants. It ended up in everyone getting splashed. To our surprise, we then had to go into the mud pit with the elephants to toss mud on them. It was pretty gross. Everyone washed the mud off in the river first, and then we went to the showers to better clean ourselves. Sadly, this was the last time we’d be at that elephant camp, so we walked back to homebase.

We had free time for a while before we were called. We watched an informative video on captive elephants, and later we started doing more research in preparation for the debate that would come after dinner. The debate was on what the best solution to the current issue of how we should treat captive elephants, and everyone was assigned a different position to argue for. The debate lasted over an hour, and many good points were raised. After that, the day was over.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 27

Written By Izzy Linder, Bodhi Nelson, and Alexis Walker (Leaders of the day)

Today we woke up at the Karen Ecolodge and packed our bags to head back to Chiang Mai. After feeding the elephants for a final time, we drove to 7/11 for a much-needed snack run!

We visited two temples and learned about Buddhism. A bunch of group photos later, we travelled back to our original homebase (Chotana Villa), got new rooms, and settled in for the next few days. Dinner was pizza which everyone went feral for and may have been the highlight of the day. Finally, we played “finish the song lyric” and had some free time before bed. We’re looking forward to the final memories on our trip. See you soon!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 28

Written by Serena Belle, Kerri Campbell, and Carson Rein

Our final day in Chiang Mai was definitely one to remember. Everyone awoke to the sound of Christmas carols in the middle of summer!

After a typical breakfast we filled into vans and headed to an intuitive and insightful conversation with a Buddhist Monk at Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University. Following that, students embarked on a riveting adventure to Doi Pui Village where students were given the best lunch ever; Khao Soi, and provided time to do some last-minute shopping at a local market. Then the students got their steps in… quite literally because they walked up a whooping 306 flight of stairs. At the top they were rewarded with a magnificent view of Chiang Mai and the stunning sight of Doi Suthep. After that they simultaneously stumbled down the steps (not literally) and proceeded to do more shopping before climbing back into the vans and heading back to home base.

They went in the pool, played games, had a coordinated dance party, and then participated in an appreciation circle. In the circle the young leaders were able to reflect and thank their peers for their existence. What a wonderful day that was.

Your finale leaders of the day,

Carson, Serena, and Kerri

BLOG POST FOR JULY 29

Written by GLA Team

After a big day of sightseeing in Chiang Mai, students said goodbye to this wonderful city and their homebase of Chotana Villa. They boarded a flight to Bangkok for the last leg of their journey. Once they were settled in the hotel, students got lunch at the Robinson Lifestyle mall and got some last minute souvenirs. They then traveled to the heart of Bangkok while admiring the skyline along the way.

Students explored the magnificent Grand Palace while learning about it’s storied history. Afterwards, they visited the wondrous Wat Pho and it’s incredibly large lying Buddha. The night ended with a rooftop dinner overlooking the Bangkok skyline as the sunset on another great day!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 30

Written by GLA Staff Team

It’s departure day…. we can’t quite believe it! The Land of Smiles is certainly feeling bittersweet. We are smiling from time spent with these wonderful students, sad to see them go, and excited for their incredible next steps in the world.

From 3am starts, to parents collecting students in Bangkok,all the way into the evening with our last airport trips at 8pm, it’s certainly been a busy day of meals, check-ins (and some mega long baggage queues!), not to mention high fives & hugs goodbye. Safe and smooth travels, everyone!

14 days ago, our students arrived…excited, nervous, tired, perhaps a little apprehensive, and maybe even unsure of themselves. Today, our young Leaders are forever changed by the incredible experiences they have had, and the positive impact they’ve made within communities here in Thailand. It may have only been two weeks – but they’ve made memories that will last a lifetime. Thank-you for bringing your full selves to this experience – as well as your dedication towards service projects, and not to mention so much laughter and joy. The best of luck for your next steps, everyone…. we can’t wait to see you BE THE CHANGE!

From Caroline, Kate, Neha, Pare, George, Connor, Margardia, & Matt

June 8, 2022 by Ashley Welter

Thailand: Elephant & Education Initiative (July 1 – July 14, 2022)

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

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

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 1

Written By: Caroline Jane Green (International Director)

Sa Waa De Ka (hello) from Thailand!

What a busy 24 hours it’s been! Our feet have barely touched the ground with a full day (and night) of welcoming students, but we couldn’t be happier to finally have the group all together. These amazing individuals have journeyed far and wide to get here – well done, team! We are so impressed already with everyone’s maturity, determination, and sense of adventure. The next 14 days looks set to be a fantastic experience, with young leaders already confident in navigating change (not to mention multiple flights!) and ready to step into their personal power as role models and agents of positive change.

Our first arrival to Thailand in fact came the evening before – Eva flew in late at night and full of smiles, ready to kick off her 3rd (!) program with GLA. The following morning, it was back off to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport to collect our first arrival gang. We were so excited to welcome Ashleigh, Olivia L, Zaria, Isabella, Jane and Audrey, who’d all successfully navigated immigration, Thai pass and baggage, to come and find us at the meeting spot. GLA staff took them to the Cottage Hotel, our Bangkok base in the Lat Krabang area of the city, and straight out to their very first authentic Thai lunch.

As our first group finished lunch and went to check in to their rooms, two of our GLA staff zoomed back to the airport, ready to greet next student arrivals Jack and Jordan, and to take them back to the hotel to meet the rest of the group. In the late afternoon, our students did a health check-in, and completed swim tests to ensure that they feel confident and safe during pool time here in Thailand. Later on, embracing the rainy season under the shelter of umbrellas and waterproof jackets, the group made the short walk to the Mall for dinner. At the very same time, GLA staff were stationed at the airport again, this time greeting Jesabel, Hugo, Laura, and Victoria, taking them for dinner downstairs in the food park after long flights to ensure tummies were full before going to the hotel.

With evening upon us, and half of the group now settled into their rooms ready to start sleeping off the jetlag…our late night arrivals began to land! Greeted by staff as they made their way through baggage claim were Olivia N, Riley, Jillian, Scarlett, Lillian, Keria, Joshua, Lance, Dane and Seth. Our team is finally complete!

Tomorrow our program fully kickstarts with an orientation at a local cafe called Baan Mae (Baan means ‘house’ or ‘home’, and ‘Mae’ means Mother in Thai – so at ‘Mom’s House’!), and we’ll be headed back to the airport in the afternoon for our flight to Chiang Mai, in the North of the country.

Parents & families – we feel so lucky to have your students our here in Thailand. Thank-you for entrusting us with these incredible people for the next 14 days; we can’t wait to see them build new friendships (with each other, the local school children, and the elephants!), as well as learn more about the culture, customs, and development efforts here in Thailand.

Fan dii na (goodnight),

Caroline

BLOG POST FOR JULY 2

Written by: Caroline Jane Green (International Director)

Hello everyone….chan wang wa khun sa bi dee ka (I hope you are doing well!)

The journey continues for our adventures here in Thailand!

Everyone came down for a buffet breakfast this morning, with their bags packed and ready to go. There may have been a few yawns and sleepy faces here and there, but the sense of excitement was palpable, and our students had already begun to mix and build connections with new friends. What a fun and kind team

We checked out of our hotel, and travelled in a convoy of three vans to Baan Mae, for the first part of our orientation. Caroline, Neha and Connor (GLA staff) kicked off the morning’s activities with a round of ‘speed dating’ – an activity for students to switch around seats and get to know their peers, by exchanging their thoughts on what their hopes and expectations are for the program, and what they are most excited for We introduced students to the mission of GLA and vision for building young leadership potential, our steps for keeping healthy and safe on program, and how we’re going to work together for the next 13 days. Our fantastic Thai staff, Kate – Local Director – and Pare, who work with our local partner organisation Friends For Asia, then helped us to begin immersing ourselves in Thai culture and customs. They both have a wealth of experience in guiding international groups throughout the country, and really enjoy sharing the love of their home and how to fit in here. In particular, they helped students to practice doing a Thai greeting called a Wai to other people – with hands together in prayer position and head slightly bowed – and also taught them how to speak some key Thai phrases like hello and thank-you!

After orientation and a delicious lunch of local dishes and dessert (it’s fruit season, yum!), we headed to the airport, and flew to Chiang Mai. The Independent Kingdom of Lanna until the mid-1550s, Chiang Mai is enveloped by beautiful mountainous ranges, and the Old City was protected by a wall and moat – relics of these still remain today – we are definitely looking forward to exploring over the next coming days.

Our group settled into the peaceful and leafy-green GLA homebase accommodation at Chotana Villa, and then journeyed to have dinner… but first, we had to cook it! Students fully threw themselves into learning about the 5 key taste flavours of cooking here – sweet, salty, sour, spicy and bitter – and how to achieve balance between the flavours for ultimate tastiness. They were guided by Krus (teachers) in how to make a welcome snack, pad thai and hot basil stir fry, green or red curry, and spring rolls – finishing off supper with a treat of mango coconut sticky rice. A real feast – parents and families, definitely ask your new Masterchefs to test out their skills and cook for you at home when they return!

With bellies full and conversation plentiful, it was time to return to Homebase, to fully orientate ourselves to new surroundings, rest, and relax before bedtime.

Day 3 awaits – our Thai immersion continues tomorrow with meeting a senior Monk to learn about Buddhism, followed by visits to Doi Suthep temple and Doi Pui village, and dinner at the Sunday Walking Street in Chiang Mai. It’ll be time for me to hand over the blog to our students – they’ll be taking the lead on writing to you at home for the rest of the trip. Look out for their amazing stories and tales!

Wai jur gan, (take care)

BLOG POST FOR JULY 3

Hi there! This is Ashleigh, Olivia N, Jordy and Lance. We are today’s Leaders of the Day.

We started our day off with a great breakfast. We all tried mangosteen, which is a fruit in Thailand. We took the buses to the temples where we had Monk Chat. Monk Chat was an amazing opportunity to learn more about Buddhism and daily life of monks. Overall, we must have balance in our lives, treat all living things with respect, take care of ourselves physically and mentally, resist temptations, desires and attachments, and ultimately accept all truths. We ended with a Q&A session and a short meditation.

Afterwards, we drove into the mountains and had lunch and juice at a viewpoint. We then came back to the home base for free time. Soon after we headed to the night market where we ate dinner and shopped. We came back to homebase to use the meditation we learned earlier in the day. Then we were all off to bed!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 4

Hey guys!

It’s your Leaders of the Day again: Lance, Ashleigh, Olivia N and Jordy. We kicked off the day with a wonderful breakfast and played games. We then left to visit two separate schools and introduced ourselves to the wonderful Thai youth. They were very excited to see us, as we were.

Then we drove back to home base, refreshed, and went to a beautiful market. This market was a local market which sold things like fish and other clothing items. We split into 2 different groups and tried all sorts of different unique foods. After the market we all met at a wonderful lunch where we indulged in rice with pork and fried egg. Then we returned to home base and began instruction on how to best teach the students.

After this we had a spectacular pizza party to celebrate the 4th of July and worked on our lesson plans for teaching. Then we enjoyed a pool party and wrapped up the night.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 5

Written by: Jillian, Victoria Mu, Scarlett, & Zaria Chamberlain (Leaders of the Day)

Sawadeeka (hello in Thai), GLA friends and family!

Today was another amazing day in Thailand. We woke up bright and early this morning at 6:30. There were two different school drop offs due to our large size group. We split up into our mentor groups. The kids treated us like celebrities and gave us lots of love and appreciation. The children were very happy to learn English from Americans & Canadians and we all had a fantastic time hanging out with the younger students during lunch break. Afterwards, we went straight to Muay Thai and everyone got their anger out, getting really sweaty and aggressive. We got cool and refreshing drinks after our outdoor Muay Thai session. We went back to our home base for the rest of the night. Tonight, we had lots of free time and time to plan our lessons for the next day of school, back at home base. There were a lot of pool games played during our free time tonight. We will talk to you tomorrow! We all miss you and love you guys tons!

-Jill, Victoria, Scarlett, and Zaria

BLOG POST FOR JULY 6

Written by: Riley Miles and the Leaders of the Day

Today was our second day of teaching at the elementary schools!

The kids were eager to learn just as much as we were to teach. Despite the language barriers we were still able to connect with the students After teaching we got the chance to visit Dara Academy, an International school in Chiang Mai. We were each paired with a current high school student to show us around the school. After touring the large campus, we got to play in a basketball game. GLA faced the Thai basketball team and was able to pull off a win. Then we performed a well-prepared dance of the Cha Cha slide.

After an exhausting day, we returned to home base for some free time before planning for our third & final day of teaching. Another amazing day, looking forward to the rest!!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 7

Written by Olivia Love, Jane Outlaw, Eva Bifone & Audrey Jonas

Hello those reading our beautiful words. Today we spent the majority of the day at School. We made an amazing itinerary for English Camp. English Camp is basically a series of stations in which we took the subjects we taught the students during class and turned them into fantabulouse activities. This really made the learning memorable. We instructed the children on how to make delicious sandwiches with condensed milk and sprinkles, a Thai delicacy. It also poured with rain outside, a normal experience for us as it is currently the rainy season in Thailand!

As common Americans do, we had a dance party. Here is where the students learned the macarena, the cotton eyed joe, the cha cha slide, the cupid shuffle, and Baby Shark. As our education service comes to a close, the children proclaimed their love through joyous hugs and smiles. We felt full of affection as we departed and headed home. Upon our arrival we travelled deep into the land of emotions during a leadership activity led by those writing you this lovely blog. Shortly before we filled our bellies with an array of Thai curry, soup, and stir-fry. We are closing off this blog because we’ve reached our 8.30pm tech time and you will probably receive texts from you shortly!

With love,
Olivia, Audrey, Jane and Eva

BLOG POST FOR JULY 8

Written by Keira Honig & Lily Abbett (Leaders of the Day)

Our elephant journey began today! First, we went on a long drive into nature to visit the FAE (Friends of Asian Elephants). We enjoyed some Thai music on the drive with and got to bond with out new “wan” groups. At the elephant hospital, we took a tour around the premises, which included a prosthetic leg factory and we saw the famous elephant, Mosha, from a far. We learned all about the process of making prosthetic legs and the history of the elephant hospital and how they have helped over one thousand elephants recover from sickness and injury.

After that, we visited the Elephant Museum, which included the lengthy history of Thailand elephants. As our journey into the world of elephants continued, we had the chance of a lifetime to pet and feed sugar cane and pumpkin to adorable elephants. We then struggled to pull everybody away from our newfound friends before having delicious Pad Thai for lunch.

Following another long drive, we visited the 700-year-old Chiang Man Temple. We were taught how to pay our respects to Buddha and walked around the temple premises. The ancient rules of the temple remain, such as women are forbidden from entering the ordination building due to a woman’s menstrual blood being considered sacred and powerful. The combined power would be too overwhelming for the space. Then we unleashed our creativity at the Elephant Parade, where we painted designs onto miniature elephant sculptures based on whatever our tender hearts desired. This ranged from flower designs to deep representations of elephant suffering.

Once we arrived back at home base, our dinner was interrupted by sudden pouring rain. Many of us were inclined to leave our delicious food and jump in the pool and play in the muddy rain, whether in swimsuits or our full day outfits. Once the lightning hit, our craziness ended, as we resumed our dinner. The fun-filled day came to an end with an exciting game of mafia, led by our leaders. Our constantly charged crew played ping pong into the night and celebrated the generosity of our mentors who provided us with extended tech time. Overall, we are all extremely excited to continue our elephant journey.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 9

Written by Laura Egan, Jesabel Seguin, Eva Bifone and Joshua Loehr

Hello from the jaw dropping jungle of the Karen tribe!

This is your LOTD’s (Leaders of the day) Laura, Jesabel, Eva, and Joshua. Today was a day filled with smiles, love, and rice!!!

We started off the day with a wonderful and filling breakfast of authentic Thai food. Thereafter, we loaded into the choppa and skeeted our way to the infamous Karen Eco lodge. After unloading our precious valuables, we marched with passion (in single file) all the way to the world-famous Elephant Jungle Sanctorum. We had the opportunity to interact and feed the amazing creatures that some call… elephants. A veterinarian came to speak with us on the incredible complexities of the Loxadonta (Elephants). As a group, we split into smaller groups and each group was assigned an elephant buddy. From there, each group got up close and personal and gave the elephants a physical examination.

After a few wonderful hours there, we headed back to base camp, where we ate, sang, played, and played games. After a long day of bonding, bamboozling, and banter we headed to our boulder beds and bucket baths and began to ball out.

Thank you for your time!

Shout out to everyone reading this… we love you all!

Note to families: We have just received the following posts for the final days of session 2. Although the session has ended, we still wanted to share! Happy reading 🙂

BLOG POST FOR JULY 10

Written by Jill Siener, Riley Miles, Scarlett Walker & Ashleigh Restivo

Hi from Karen Eco Lodge,

Today we continued our exploration with the Asian elephants, starting bright and early with a jungle walk with the elephants of elephant jungle sanctuary. After our walk we headed over to our next stop! We made elephant-poo paper cards (!) before our delicious lunch of pad thai.

To continue our day, we gathered our gardening materials. Fun Fact! Elephants need to eat 30% of their body weight each day. To help with the daily feeding we planted a field of grass, which required us to dig over 500 holes and plant over 1000 shoots of grass.

Tired and exhausted, we headed back to the home base to get cleaned up and ready for dinner. Before dinner, we had a couple of hours to chill and get to know our group mates even better. We played a game after dinner and discussed the day’s plan. Then we had daily tech time and lights out at 10!

See you tomorrow!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 11

Written by Keira Honig & Lillian Abbett

Hello readers. Today, as we neared the end of our journey, we had one final day with the elephants. First, we fed them buckets full of bananas “Bon Bon!” (how to get an elephant to open their mouth). Then, before we enjoyed a lunch consisting of American food (a first on the trip), the elephants started rolling around like pigs in a giant pool of mud. We quickly sprinted out in the rain to witness this great occasion.

Lunch for the elephants came next, for which we made medicine balls out of bananas, rice, salt, probiotics, tamarind, and grass (these are to help with their digestion). Throughout the day, the restless two-month-old baby elephant came to try and play with our group! We followed the baby and the adult elephants to the river, where we splashed them (and each other) with murky water. After cleaning the elephants off in the water, we undid our hard work by dowsing the elephants with a mixture of poop and mud. As we watched the elephants roll around in the mud, we were already covered, and began a mud-ball fight amongst ourselves. Once we were covered head to toe in what smelled of poop, we sprinted to the river once again. We helped each other rinse off the mud, and went on to say our final goodbyes to our elephant friends in camp one.

Later, back at home base, we were so exhausted from our tiring day, that some took naps, and others became restless themselves. The day ended with a few of us braiding each others’ hair together and an intense debate about elephant rights and tourism in Thailand.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 12

Written by Olivia & Victoria

Good day family, friends, and fellow people! Today, we had quite an eventful day featuring a 306-step staircase and a 75-year-old elephant. We continued on a walk following elephants, embracing the very last day of the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary while we endured a broiling heat. As a solution, we placed giant leaves on our heads as umbrellas to block the sun and for the very final time, we said goodbye to the lovely mahouts and elephants. Lunch and dinner were absolutely exceptional as always and we remain forever grateful to the staff that help prepare and maintain our homebases.

Then, we endured a long curvy, windy, and nauseating van ride that consisted of a brief but exciting 7/11 stop where everyone picked up handfuls of snacks. For our last stop, we visited the breathtakingly beautiful Dui Suthep temple on top of a mountain. There, we made wishes, found fortunes, we were also blessed by a monk with holy water, and received bracelets of rope. Thereafter we escaped a rain storm at the temple and hurried back home to well missed air-conditioning. Shortly we enjoyed a scrumptious meal of Khao Soi and ice cream. We previously enjoyed Khao Soi atop a mountain and continuously requested it again until our lovely caretakers complied.

Our leaders of the day, who are updating you now, planned a teambuilding pool party/volleyball tournament. This however went off course as we were having too much fun messing around in the pool. We are beginning to pack our bags and say our last goodbyes to Chiang Mai from which we will depart tomorrow to travel back to Bangkok. Everyone of us is feeling the sad emotions that are coming with the separation of our group as we prepare to head back home. We are soaking up the last of each other’s company. We are continuing to bond over pool time and jam sessions where we will end our night. So long for now. We all wish you the best of times as we experience ours.

June 8, 2022 by Ashley Welter

Thailand: Elephant & Education Initiative (June 14 – June 27, 2022)

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

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

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 14

Sa Wa Dee Ka (Hello) from Bangkok!

Thailand is known as the Land of Smiles – and our GLA staff team were certainly smiling this morning, excited for student arrival day!

We headed off bright and early as the sun rose, ready to meet our brilliant students as they began to land throughout the day. They have made such a fantastic effort with multiple flights, long journeys, and various connections throughout the world – Japan, Qatar, Istanbul to name a few – they really are intrepid explorers and brave leaders already. We are so lucky to have them!

First to arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport this morning was Sean – an early bird, at 07.05am. Excited to learn more and embrace his new Thai surroundings, once we arrived back at the Airport Cottage Hotel in the Lad Krabang area of Bangkok, he dug straight into the breakfast buffet and tried out some true South East Asian cuisine, including Pad See Ew (stir fried ribbon noodles) and Thai-style fried rice.

After a filling breakfast, Sean’s room was ready! He was able to get settled in for a long-awaited shower and some rest – and a couple of hours later, eager to explore more, went with GLA staff for lunch nearby and a walk around the Sois (streets) and market near our hotel.

This afternoon it was take two at the airport – five more students arriving! With a mixture of flights landing between 2.30 and 3.30pm, Kinkade, Morgan, Charlotte, Naomi, and Will all confidentially navigated the Thai pass check, immigration, and baggage claim (well done everyone!), meeting with the team at the arrivals point. Kinkade, Morgan, Charlotte and Naomi are all new to GLA – Will is an alumnus – and they were equally ready to get back to the hotel to freshen up and rest! At 18.16hrs, we went to a local restaurant for dinner – and the students impressed us all, fully embracing delicious Thai dishes including spicy tofu, fragrant coconut soup, and kaao (rice – an absolute staple with every meal).

There were empty plates and bowls all around! Our fantastic Local Director Natchanan – known as “Kate” – helped students with ordering food in Thai, navigating the menu and explaining the different tastes and flavours, as well as vegetarian and vegan meals. Kate is from Chumpon in the South of the country, and now works in Chiang Mai (where we are headed next, which is in the North), so she has so much insight to share about life here, including the culture, customs, commonalities and differences between the provinces. After dinner, the group of six headed next door to visit a Mall and enjoy an evening walk with Neha, our incredible International Mentor from India, who was able to show them around and highlight important ways of staying safe and well in the city.

With the team almost complete, we made our way back to the airport this evening for the very last student pick-up! Gabby came through first, full of energy and big smiles, having landed early at 22.50hrs and been proactive to call GLA to confirm where she needed to be in the airport. After a call home and water bottle refill, she was ready with staff to greet Sophia – our last student who landed at 23.30 after a slight delay, equally fully of positive energy despite it being midnight by the time she was able to claim her bag. Gabby and Sophia are both GLA alumni and are bringing a wealth of knowledge with them, which will be invaluable in supporting new connections and friendships with the rest of the team. We made it back to the hotel, and it was finally bedtime for our night-owls.

And with that, the mega day of arrivals has finished, and the team of 8 students is finally complete. It’s back to the airport tomorrow morning after breakfast, for our internal flight to Chiang Mai, where our beautiful homebase is located. The whole group is looking forward to finding their feet, learning more about the GLA elephant and educational service projects, and getting to know each other.

Thank-you parents and families, for entrusting us with your students. They’ve impressed us so much already, and it’s only Day One! We cannot wait to watch them have fun together, grow their capacity for leadership, and to enact positive change in Thai communities over the next 14 days.

Khop Khun Ka (Thank-you)

Caroline Jane Green – International Director

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 15

Day Two of our travels – and despite the jetlag, everyone was awake bright and early this morning, ready for the journey to Chiang Mai!

Will, Kinkade and Sean were super organised and ready to go – bringing their bags down before breakfast, followed by Charlotte, Morgan and Naomi, who were sleepy but full of smiles. Gabby and Sophia followed shortly after, who were remarkably awake for having been our late-night arrivals the evening before!

We left the hotel at 08.30 and journeyed to the airport, checking in for our 10.20am internal flight. By 11.15am, we had landed in Chiang Mai – our home for the next 11 days. Chiang Mai sits at an elevation of 1000m and is most famous for its beautiful ancient temples, old walled city and striking mountain ranges that surround the area. We are so excited to be exploring the area more. We collected our bags and left the baggage claim area to meet Chanissara – “Pare” – another wonderful member of our Thai team, who greeted our students with garlands of fragrant white jasmine flowers to wear. Pare is from Chiang Mai and studied tourism management at university – she’s worked extensively as a guide across the region, leading everything from kayaking tours to jungle walks, and truly enjoys sharing her knowledge (as well as love of food!)

Our local driver collected us from the airport, and headed straight to a restaurant for a dim-sum lunch! Dim Sum breakfasts and brunches are beloved here in Thailand, served buffet style – and as it’s now the best season in the year for fruit, the students finished off lunch by trying out delicious dragon fruit and rambutan, which have the most striking and unusual outer peels!

After a quick pit-stop to change money locally, we travelled the short distance through the city to check in to our Home Base, at Chotana Villa. Taking a moments’ pause gave the students a wonderful opportunity to rest, orient themselves to our leafy new surroundings, and appreciate how far they’ve already come (personally and literally!) The afternoon was spent kicking off icebreakers and group games – helping students to get to know each other and establish friendships, – and running through all of the GLA essentials that will enable our group to stay safe, happy and healthy whilst on program. Later on in the afternoon, we were greeted by Todd Cikraji. Todd came to Northern Thailand as a US Peace Corp volunteer, and loved his time here so much that he never quite left! Todd is deeply rooted in Chiang Mai, fluent in Thai, and works as a teacher at the International School that the students will be doing a cultural exchange with later next week. Todd is also the founder of friends for Asia, an organisation that specializes in ethical service learning and volunteering opportunities for foreign volunteers – he and his team are instrumental in facilitating our cultural activities and enriching connections with the local communities. Kate and Pare then led the students through one of the most interesting and crucial aspects of the day during the orientation – understanding the culture and customs of Thailand. In particular: helping students practise how to do a Thai greeting called a Wai to other people – with hands together in prayer position and head slightly bowed – and also how to speak some key Thai phrases!

Kate and Pare took us all to dinner that evening at 17.30; it turned out to be dinner with a twist…students were in charge of cooking their own! After being introduced to concept of 5 key taste flavours in cooking – sweet, salty, sour, spicy, bitter – and how to achieve balance between all of them for maximum deliciousness, the students toured around the beautiful organic gardens, tasting everything from Thai basil to chives to kaffir limes. A true farm-to-table process, Gale, our cooking Kru (teacher) empowered the students with new skills to make not one, but four (!) dishes – including a welcome snack, stir-fry, curry, and vegetable spring roll – teaching the group the importance of working safely in a kitchen, and cooking from the jai (heart). Parents & families, definitely get your new chefs to cook for you when they return home from Thailand. They’re pros now!

Gabby cooked pad thai stir-fry, and challenged herself with a Massaman curry – the dish with the most complicated process! Sophia put together a pad see ew, and made a delicious Penang curry, which is peanut-base. Naomi made a pad thai to start, and was ready to challenge her spice levels, picking a tofu Green Curry (the hottest on the menu!) to make for her main meal; she also ground the green chillies with the pestle and mortar to add to the paste. Will was excited to try a hot basil stir fry and khao soy, grinding the red chillies to add to the paste, and enjoying the process so much he even cooked alongside Sean to prepare a larger dish for multiple people. Sean cooked what is rapidly becoming one of his favourite dishes – pad see ew – and khao soy curry. Charlotte tackled a complicated pad thai, with many ingredients and steps, followed by a beautifully presented khao soy. Morgan tried her hand at the hot basil stir-fry, followed by a penang curry, and her spring roll was one of the most accurately made that Gale had seen! Kinkade made a hot-basil stir fry and red curry, trying his hand with using a pestle and mortar to grind star anise, cinnamon and turmeric together as the base for the curry paste.

With happy conversation and jokes flowing, and tasty homemade food plentiful, we left with our hearts and minds truly full. After saying goodbye to Gale – who gave each student a thoughtful gift of a cooking book – our group travelled back to the hotel, finishing the evening with a group debrief before heading to rooms at 21.30, with lights out by 22.00. An evening spent cooking, eating, sharing, and laughing together, had been the perfect introduction to our new Chiang Mai home.

Tomorrow we’ll be heading to Lampang, where students will be learning all about animal-human interactions within Thailand, and elephant conservation efforts across the country. A fun-filled day awaits with a trip to the world-famous Elephant Hospital and Elephant Conservation Centre in Lampang, followed by lunch, a visit to Elephant Parade, and pool time for rest and relaxation this afternoon. All of our GLA team have been so impressed at how every student has fully embraced new experiences so far, no doubt day 3 will bring even more growth! What an incredible bunch! I’ll also be officially handing over the blog to our students – they’ll be taking the lead on writing to you at home for the rest of the trip. Stay tuned for all of their fantastic stories!

Laew jer gan (see you soon)

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 16

Written by: Morgan, Kinkade, Naomi, Sean, Charlotte, Sophia, Gabby & Will

Today was the start of learning all about the Elephants in Thailand!

We drove 1.5 hours to the Elephant Hospital, a charity which is run by Friends of the Asian Elephants. Here, we met Mosha, one of the most famous elephants in the world. Her leg was blown off by a landmine on the Thai-Myanmar border, and now she has a prosthetic. Fun facts we learned – elephants backs arch when a front leg is injured, and the foot is the most sensitive and vulnerable part of their bodies

After our visit to the Elephant Hospital, we visited a Thai Government-owned and run facility called Elephant Conservation Centre, which has a public hospital for elephants. Here, we were able to be closer up to the elephants and feed them bananas and sugarcane! Lunch was also at the centre, where we laughed a lot together.

Lastly, we went to the Elephant Parade… it’s not a parade of actual real-life elephants, like some of us thought! It does involve large elephant statues ‘on parade’ around the world, as well as statues that are made on site and sold. The purpose of the organisation is to spread awareness about protecting elephants, and to raise funds for ongoing support of Friends of Asian Elephants projects. Here we saw the artists who produce the statues working, and they were hand painting every single elephant. We were able to decorate and take away our own miniature statues as a keepsake to remember the trip!

After we got back, we took a swim test in our pool at Chotana villa, and played in the pool for free-time, including pool-based ball games for quite a long time. After dinner we got together as a mentor group to learn more about ourselves and each other, and did a color association activity for emotions and personality.

Tomorrow, we will go to Elephant Jungle Sanctuary to begin our service project!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 17

Written by Naomi Jones (Day Leader)

Today we set out on a long car ride towards the elephant sanctuary where we were introduced to our new larger friends!

We fed the elephants 2 buckets filled to the brim with bananas. After our own tasty lunch, as rain started to pour, we crafted nutritious medicine balls for the elephants to indulge in, We then brought them to the river to bathe all the dirt off their backs. It proved to be a wet experience for both the elephants and us! We were all drenched by the time the elephants wanted to head over to the mud bath. We rubbed mud all over the elephants for the purpose of protecting their skin from the scorching heat. Some of us were sprayed head to toe with mud and even took a fall in the mud as well.

As we headed back to our rooms at the eco lodge, some of us faced difficulties with the showers, however, eventually we were able to get clean from our excursion. We ate a delicious dinner of fruit, fried papaya veggies, rice, chicken and other rich Thai cuisine. We then played some entertaining games directed by leaders of the day: Naomi and Sophia. A day of endless adventure with elephants was able to bring a big smile to both us and our elephant friends. A day well spent!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 18

Written by Morgan Lindsey and Charlotte Morse (Leaders of the Day)

Our first big activity of the day was travelling to another location of the elephant sanctuary and walking with the elephants. There were five elephants, including one baby. It was very cool to finally see the elephants in something like their natural habitat.

After returning to the section of the sanctuary near our lodge and having some lunch, we planted bamboo and grass in the fields, We planted an entire section of the field. The type of grass, also called napier grass, will be used to feed the elephants about a month down the line.

We got back, used some of our free time to shower, and enjoyed dinner. Our guides Pare and Kate gave us a crash course in Thai. They taught us numbers, as well as greetings and introductions.

It was a truly amazing day, but we will sleep tonight for certain!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 19

Written by Gabby Holt (one of the Leaders of the Day)

Today was our last full day with the elephants and staying at the Elephant Sanctuary. We started the day off with breakfast at the eco lodge. Then, we headed over to the elephants where we met with the veterinarian who taught us about elephants and their healthy behaviours within communities and relationships. We then separated into two groups where each group performed its own physical exam on an elephant and created posters of what we had observed, and presented to the rest of the team.

We then ate a delicious lunch at the sanctuary. We used the elephants as our fruit compost, as we were allowed to feed them our leftover banana peels and watermelon rinds!

We then helped feed the elephants lunch, and had the opportunity to hug them. We gave one of the elephants a good scrub clean, and the rest we walked to a little pond, and some of us jumped in to help rinse them off. We then took them to the muddy water and gave them a muddy bath, while having a little mud fight!

Exhausted, we all drove back to the eco village, took showers, and played cards until dinner. It was Kate, our Local Director’s birthday, so we surprised her with cake after dinner. We then did an insightful reflection of our day with the ‘mango sticky rice’ method, where we mentioned something sweet, something that stuck with us, and something fulfilling. After that as a group, we decided to do no further activities, and have our phones early if we wanted, so we could head to bed early.

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 20

Written by Kinkade Spencer (one of the Leaders of the Day)

Today we started out the day by packing up and preparing our dirty clothes for laundry day!! After a long joy-filled couple of days at the Elephant Sanctuary, we were sad to go.

After eating breakfast we travelled to the sanctuary one last time today goodbye to our gentle giant friends. Then everyone made sure to zip up their bags because zipping up meant that our clothes wouldn’t fall out on the bumpy car ride back.

When we got back to Chotana Villa, everyone needed a shower. After everyone was done settling back in we left to go learn about the Buddhist temples of Chiang Mai. It was really cool to learn about the customs and the Monks.

Everyone was hungry after that so we went to a mall to get some food we needed the day by talking with Todd about teaching english and the next part of our adventure here in Thailand. After a day like this everyone will be happy to sleep under the starts in our nice hotel rooms!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 21

Written by Naomi Jones (one of the Leaders of the Day)

Today we ventured out to tour the school we will be teaching at over the next couple of days. All of the kids were super cute and friendly and even gave us some handshakes and ewaves. Afterwards, Pare gave us a tour of the new local market and showed us some new types of food like sesame jelly. We all got the chance to look around, grab souvenirs, and learn about new customs and normalities in Thai culture.

Afterward we set out towards lunch at the diamond breakfast club where we all got some nutritious and endearing dishes. In addition, we all had an extensive conversation regarding movies!

Afterwards we drove towards Home Base to prepare for our teaching lessons tomorrow at the school. We all came up with lessons to engage our students. Afterwards, we all got to enjoy the pool and play some fun games like marco polo. We then got ready for a dinner of fried chicken curry, steamed veggies and rice. We did a a reflection of the day in the evening, and some Day Leader-led games like vampire and ghost in the graveyard.

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 22

Written by Charlotte Morse (one of the Leaders of the Day)

Today, we started to work at the school. We got there for the national anthem and prayer at 7.45 AM. Then, we had breakfast and prepared for our lessons. We got to teach Prathom 4, 5 & 6,, which are the equivalent of 4th, 5th and 6th grade. The kids were all very excited to see us and very eager to learn. After we taught the kids, we had lunch that was very spicy for some of us! We got to go outside and play with the kids. There were many hugs, hearts, high-fives and rock-paper-scissors games.

After the School, we went back to Home Base and got ready to go to Muay Thai boxing. We got there, stretched and learned some punches and kicks. We started out with “shadow-boxing” which is when you fight the air. Then we moved on to training with the instructors and the punching bags. We learned how to do a regular punch, a hook punch, an uppercut, a regular kick, a push kick and an elbow. It was very fun and a good workout!

We were all very exhausted after a very full day. When we got back to Home Base we planned out our lessons for tomorrow, and worked on our cultural exchange project, which we will be doing tomorrow. After that we had some free time, and Sean & Will got in the pool. For dinner we had stir-fry, fried mushrooms, and some extremely good soup. It was a very fun and fulfilling day.

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 23

Written by Morgan Lindsey (one of the Leaders of the Day)

Today we successfully completed our second day of teaching! We each got a chance to teach whichever classes we hadn’t taught yet (Prathom 4, 5, or 6). We all completed 3 more classes, and we focused in different subjects (professions, animals, adjectives, etc) Although, sometimes we had to break out the origami or other activities in order to accommodate for shorter attention spans of the younger kids! We spent another lunch hour playing various games with the kids, as well as receiving a plethora of high fives and hugs.

After leaving the school we headed to SISB – Singapore International School Bangkok (in Chiang Mai). We participated in a cultural exchange where we each presented a dance – each group, not each person! – took a tour of the school, and discussed ways in which Thailand and the US are different or similar. It was overall a great experience.

Back at base we prepped for the following day’s ‘English Camp’, which we will tell you all about once it has happened. We each, in our teaching groups, prepared a lesson and fun activity to excite all the kids about learning English. Some groups even made their own materials.

Finally, we swam in the pool during our much needed free time. It was an exhausting, but ultimately extremely rewarding day.

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 24

Written by Sophia Wolfinger (one of the Leaders of the Day)

On our last service day and second to last day in Chiang Mai, we had lots of well-rounding experiences. We finished off teaching with an English Camp; although the concept was a bit nerve-wracking at first, we developed deeper connections with the students and learning quite a bit about ourselves.

After the main portion of the camp, we came together as a group to teach the students how to make fun-shaped sandwiches. Nonetheless when the time came we said our last goodbyes and thanked the students and school for the opportunities they provided.

The rest of the day was spent reflecting and hanging out on one of our last days together.

P.s. We miss you all lots! 💛

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 25

Written by Will Resende

First in the morning today we went Doi Suthep Temple and we had a Monk speak to us and teach us about Buddhism and his lifestyle for an hour and a half along with a question & answer session.

After the Monk Talk we went to Doi Pui which was a village high up in the mountains. It was a very winding drive up. Once we got out the van a little car sick, the weather was amazing and there was no humidity. There we went to the cafe at the highest part of the village and had some smoothies right before lunch courtesy of Kate. After lunch in the village we went and shopped at the different local shops. We then went to visit the most famous temple in Chiang Mai, Suthep Temple and explored the beautiful sights it had to see.

We then took some time to rest and talk to Todd. Then went out to dinner on a river boat for our farewell dinner, where we had all types of food.

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 26

Written by Morgan Lindsey

Today we left Chiang Mai and flew back to Bangkok. Fortunately, our travel was pretty smooth, although our flight was delayed for an hour. After landing in Bangkok we travelled to the hotel that we stayed at during our first night in Thailand, in order to drop off our bags before heading to lunch.

After lunch we got our chance to truly visit Bangkok and see some of the world-renowned sights and temples that exist here – Royal Palace, Wat Prakaw and Wat Pho. We were all astounded by the intricacy, beauty and sheet size of these monuments.

After this experience we visited one of Thailand’s most famous markets, Chatuchuk – or JJ – Market. The sights and smells and overall atmosphere of the market was incredible. The market was very large, and it seems as though it sells nearly everything. We enjoyed dinner at the market and our group had time to shop before we drove back to our hotel. Our final full night in Bangkok – and Thailand!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 27

Students enjoyed a well-deserved late start, after a jam-packed program. With buffet breakfast at the Airport Cottage hotel being eaten at their own leisure until 10am, all students spent their morning relaxing, packing, downloading music and movies for the long journeys home (and in some cases, catching up on even more sleep!). At midday, we headed together to the Mall next door, to try out the delicious delights of the amazing food court upstairs, as well as do some last minute shopping to stock up on souvenirs and snacks.

In the afternoon, we officially closed our program. Students gathered together for a guided meditation by Neha, followed by journalling reflection led by Caroline. Everyone set themselves an OMG – One Meaningful Goal – a achievement they would like to work towards to ‘Be The Change’ in the world, and together they devised another OMG for the group to commit to and contribute towards. Lastly, students wrote out appreciations for one another – positive affirmations to read on the plane ride home – and wrote a letter to their future selves. They can look forward to receiving their post after program!

And with that….it was off to the airport. A last dinner together beckoned, followed by check-ins (and some mega long baggage queues!) before finally each student went tp the international departures area, and waved goodbye to their GLA staff. Safe and smooth travels, everyone!

14 days ago, our students arrived…excited, nervous, tired, perhaps a little apprehensive, and maybe even unsure of themselves. Today, our young Leaders stood confident, smiling, connected. They are forever changed by the incredible experiences they have had, and the positive impact they’ve made within communities here in Thailand. It may have only been two weeks – but we’re sure everyone has made memories that will last a lifetime.

Sean, Morgan, Charlotte, Naomi, Kinkade, Will, Gabby and Sophia – you are all incredible. Thank-you for bringing your full selves to this experience – as well as your dedication towards service projects, and not to mention so much laughter and joy. You are going to do amazing things in your lives. We can’t wait to see you thrive and soar high!

From Caroline, Kate, Neha and Pare

June 8, 2022 by Ashley Welter

Thailand: Elephants & Conservation Expedition (July 14 – August 3, 2022)

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

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

June 8, 2022 by Ashley Welter

Thailand: Elephants & Conservation Expedition (June 19 – July 9, 2022)

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

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

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 19

Hello families!

Our Thailand Elephant adventure has finally started and all of our students have arrived in Bangkok – yay!

We started the morning by picking up Adelena, Alyssa, and Gabrielle pretty early, 5am! We got back to the hotel, they ate their first Thai breakfast and then rested after being on a plane for so many hours. We then picked up Alex and Ronit in the afternoon, who joined the group at the hotel for some time at the swimming pool and an early dinner followed by a well deserved rest.

Nani, Ella, and Walker arrived late at night and went straight to bed to regain energy for tomorrow.

We’re glad that everyone (and their luggage) has made it to Thailand safely and we look forward to getting started with our orientation tomorrow morning.
Stay tuned for more updates!

Photo of the whole group will come tomorrow!

Written by Luismi (GLA Staff)

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 20

Hello!

Our second day started with the whole team sharing our first breakfast together. Those who arrived late last night got to meet everyone else and we all started to get to know each other better.

The morning was spent learning about Thai culture and language, discussing program policies and expectations, talking about safety, and getting excited for the itinerary ahead of us.

In the afternoon we spent some time at the pool and then headed out to explore a very cool and artsy part of Bangkok. We then ended the day with a very yummy dinner at a local restaurant.

Written by Luismi

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 21

Written by Margarida

Hello everyone!

Today we had a cultural day ahead of us. We started by visiting the temple Wat Traimit with the Golden Buddah, and some of us had the chance to ring the hanging bells at the temple to wish for good luck. Then we headed to the temple that is the home for Thailand’s largest reclining Buddah and where the best masseuses in the world have lessons. We learned about Thai massages, its healing techniques with a very strong spiritual component, and just let ourselves get immersed in the whole atmosphere. The architecture and the details in every structure were impressive. Lastly, we visited the Grand Palace, a complex of buildings that is one of the residences of the Royal family, and where you can also find the Emerald Buddha. Here we had the chance to sit inside one of temples – while buddhists were praying and placing offers to Buddha – to fully observe and have our own discussion about the different aspects of Buddhism. It was a very special opportunity to visit these beautiful temples, learn about Buddhism and its strong influence on Thai culture.

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 22

Written by Luismi

Hello families!

Today we left Bangkok. After 3 hours in the van we arrived in the city of Kanchanaburi. We checked out the Bridge of the River Kwai – a historical site of a bridge that was bombed during WW2. We then went for lunch at an all-vegetarian restaurant that also had very good smoothies. In the afternoon we visited the Death Railway Museum to continue learning about the historical importance of Kanchanaburi area. We then checked in at our new hotel and had some time to enjoy the pool. Vijo, our Local Director, led a very insightful discussion about Captive Elephant Welfare and prepared us for the next three days of service work at elephant sanctuaries.

Get excited as tomorrow’s blog will be written by the first pair of Leaders of the Day! Who is it going to be? Sign in tomorrow to find out …

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 23

Written by Alyssa and Ella

Gone Bananas!

Today we woke up and had our first breakfast at our new hotel. We then headed out to the first elephant sanctuary. First we fed the elephants squash and then watermelon, then we walked and cooked rice balls, that we would feed the elephants later in the day. We ate lunch at Elephant World before we all packed into the back of a truck. The ride was long and when we got there we found out we were going to cut down banana trees for the elephants to eat. We walked through lots of mud before being taught how to cut the trees using cone-shaped cuts. After cutting the trees we would carry them all the way back to the truck.

If they were too big we would use teamwork to help carry it or we would cut it in half. After many trips back and forth, muddy falls, cuts and bruises, we were finished. We, and our favorite dog, Happy, rode back to the sanctuary on top of all the trees, there we fed the elephants all of our hard work. Our last stop at the elephant sanctuary was feeding the rice balls that we preciously made to the elephants. We packed up and went back to the hotel for some much needed showers and down time. For dinner, the vegetarians and meat eaters were united for a family style dinner. Post dinner, a diplomatic but passionate debate about elephant conservation took place. After a weak compromise that no party was truly happy with, we all headed to bed for some much needed sleep.

The first and best leaders of the day,
Alyssa and Ella

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 24

Written by Gabi and Adelena

Elephants and Mud fights!

Hello everyone!

After breakfast this morning we headed out to Elephant Heaven. We learned about the sanctuary and made rice balls (with bugs) and cut up watermelon to feed to the elephants.We got to join the elephants on a jungle walk and learned a ton of new information about elephants while reviewing what we already learned.

We had a yummy lunch at Elephant Heaven. We were told we would have the opportunity to swim with and help bathe the elephants. While some of us were hesitant, Vijo (our Local Director) soon convinced us with the encouragement of a mud fight. After slight fun chaos ensued, we quickly jumped into the river to help bathe the elephants. We got to continue our fun & play, doing tricks on the rope swing and having chicken fights. Following tons of memories, we cleaned up and changed out of our wet clothes. Our next stop was the mall where we were able to get some essentials and delicious drinks. We got to have some pizza for dinner, which was quickly devoured by all of us. After returning to the hotel, we played a competitive game of who knows who best. That about wraps it up!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 25

Title: The Truth Behind Elephants

We started off the day with breakfast as usual at our hotel. Our third sanctuary of our trip is Samboon Legacy where we learned a lot about the hard truth with what happens with elephants in the tourism business. We quickly started the service part of our visit where we planted bamboo trees for the elephants to eat from and we made food for the old elephants to eat. We soon wrapped that up and moved on to a nice lunch with the river view next to us. Samboon Legacy has a very pretty handmade museum where we did an educational survey with a DIY elephant poop paper. To cool off the day we watched elephants bathe in the river and we swam in a pool at the resort. Of course to end the day we had dinner at a very pretty veggie place with very nice people. We would definitely rate this day a 10/10.

Written by Nani and Walker

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 26

Title: River Float and OurLand

Hey everyone!

Today we divided into two groups to create our own elephant sanctuary. We used what we learned over the past 3 days to create a sanctuary that we believed was ethical and profitable. After, we floated down the Kwai river. We saw lots of pretty wildlife. It was so fun! We got out of the river at OurLand and hiked to the centre for lunch. On the walk we learned about the jungle.

After lunch we presented our elephant sanctuary ideas. One idea (Together Land) was based upon the idea of having a ropes course and zipline in coexistence with elephants. The other sanctuary was based on the idea of a luxury hotel having elephants be part of the amenities that the hotel offers and using profits to increase living conditions of elephants. After, we learned about Ourland – an organization that protects a wildlife corridor and educates people on human-wildlife coexistence. Finally, we wrapped up our day with dinner and Uno Flip.

That’s all!

Written by Ronit and Alex

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 27

Title: Fish Nibbles

Today we got to sleep in and choose when we went to breakfast. After we ate, we packed up and headed to the waterfall. We were reunited in one van instead of two. Our amazing bus driver let us connect our music and he turned on the disco lights. We then made a pit stop for snacks and then drove to the waterfall. We grabbed all our stuff, packed our lunch, and after a quick history lesson we started our trekk. At level 2, while we waited out the downpour, some of us decided to take a swim. After a few nibbles for some fish, we started our hike to the top of the waterfall, which was a total of seven levels. After a long and steep climb we reached the top. We swam under the waterfall and with the fishies. Those who didn’t like the fish nibbles sat on the rocks. After some time there we went down a couple of levels and spent some time there. We then went to our meeting spot for lunch. We walked down to the vans and went back to Ourland for free time, a tour, and dinner. There we played with the dog, got massages, and met a snake. Nani (sort of) conquered her fear of snakes. Then we headed back to the hotel and got some rest.

Still the best leaders,
Ella and Alyssa

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28

Title: Bees and Trees

Today we ate breaky at 8 and left at 9. We the took a short van ride to the Kanchanaburi Tree Nursery and learned about Human Elefant Conflict (HEC). One of the solutions for HEC is to plant more fruit trees and plants for the elephants away from the people’s farms to prevent destruction. We learned about bees and we got to try the honey straight from the comb. We then dug big holes in ant infested jungle and planted trees. We then headed over to Ourland and snacked on some rambutan before planting some banana trees. After that we had a disco party in the van and headed back home to shower. We then went out for dinner and played lots of Quackdidioso before having another van party back to the hotel.

Ciao,
Adelena and Gabi

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 29

TItle: Concrete Service

Hello families!

Today our day started off really mellow and had breakfast at our hotel. We went off to do service at the banteng cow sanctuary where we hauled rocks and mixed concrete to help with erosion. We then had lunch at our service site and said goodbye to one of the staff and translator M. We went back to our service to do the finishing touches and wrapped up our service time by heading back to the hotel to rinse off. We had our last dinner at the hotel and had a Tourist vs. Volunteer activity and wrapped up our day.

And that is about it. Hope you enjoyed!

Written by Nani and Walker

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 30

Title: Sssnakesss

Today we learned about snakes in Thailand. Ourland holds many rescued snakes and before they’re released into the wild they’re used for educational purposes. There were many snakes in an array of sizes and colors, some were even venomous. After lunch we did a trash pick up with the national park service. The funniest things that were found are a lizard catcher and a rabies vaccine. After that we bought coconut ice cream inside half a coconut. We had the opportunity to watch a snake rescue from a resort, the snake was taken back to Ourland and then released into its natural habitat. After dinner we had a campfire at Ourland where we played games before going back to the hotel for some rest.

Bye,
Ronit and Alex

BLOG POST FOR JULY 1

Title: Mud, kayaks, and water fights

Before breakfast many people woke up to get some exercise. We all ate breakfast together before packing up and leaving the hotel. On our way to Ourland we made a pit stop to see the effects of mining concrete and discussed sustainable solutions. At Ourland we started the process of making mud bricks. First we chipped and transported the dirt into the mud pit. Next we added water into the pit, hopped in, and mixed the mud with our feet. We ate lunch before packing into the van to go kayaking. We kayaked down the Kwai river which is home to the most dangerous water splash fights. Not a single dry spot was to be found, especially on Nani who took tragically slow fall into the river. After much needed showers we went to the mall where everyone shopped for fun. We got pizza and pasta for a western style dinner. Lastly we went back to the hotel to rest.

Bye from the new and improved best leaders of the day,
Ronit and Alyssa

BLOG POST FOR JULY 2

Written by Adelena and Alex

Dear parents and friends. We started our day off with a tasty breaky. After that, we headed over to Ourland for our first day there. While there we participated in the making of mud bricks and snake box cleaning. We then said goodbye to the doggies and went bamboo rafting. We lost a friend to the gators – just kidding there are no gators in the river anymore. Anyway, we swam off the raft and floated down the river. After we went back to our hotel to pack and eat din din. Oh, also a spider crawled up Alex’s leg on the raft and he screamed. Prior to going to sleep, we all participated in an activity that reflected on our past 2 weeks.

The end.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 3

Written by Nani, spoken by Gabi to Nani

Title: Travel Day

After an early morning breakfast (Alex and Walker slept in too late) we finally said our goodbyes to Kanchanaburi and made our long trip to Hua Hin – a little beach town in the south of Thailand. Following a 4 hour van ride we stopped for a delicious lunch with an amazing view and a swing!

We then checked into the beach hotel and after getting into our rooms we took a trip to the beach. As we swam in the warm waters and crabs nibbling our toes, Alex and Alyssa destroyed Ella’s, Nani’s and Gabi’s sand castle. After a few hours of soaking in the sun and refreshing smoothies we went back to the hotel and prepared for an evening at the night market with delicious foods and lots of small businesses. We ended our night with a comedy magic show and went back to the hotel and packed up for another travel day to another woodsy location.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 4

Written by Ella and Walker

Title: Wild Elephants

Today we woke up and had breakfast at our hotel. We were all excited to have a different breakfast than the last 10 days. We then drove to our new place and had lunch there. Kui Buri is located in a valley so the views are breathtaking and there is so much wildlife. After setting into our new rooms we went to make paper from pineapple leaves. We decorated them with flowers and then left them to dry. Soon after we headed to the National Park to go on a safari. We saw lots of birds, gaur, and even some elephants. It rained for a while and we danced in the rain. Still soggy we went to dinner at a farmer’s house. After a delicious meal we sat around the fire and asked her questions about her experience with human elephant conflict. We then headed back and went to sleep excited for tomorrow’s adventure.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 5

Written by Alyssa and Ronit

Title: A busy day

We woke up early to see the sunrise. It was super cloudy and we saw a pretty mountain view. We walked and came until the tractor came and picked us up. After our short break we met with a local wood worker. We had the opportunity to make our own. Our last stop before lunch was at a mulberry farm. We made mulberry leaf tea and learned about the process of making silk. For lunch we had a cooking class and made boba, salads, chicken skewers, tempura vegetables. It was so fun and delicious!

After lunch we visited Bring the Elephant Home. We learned about resolutions for the human elephant conflict using bees and alternant farm plants. Next we visited a farm that uses agroforestry, stingless bees, and organic pesticide control. We also tried raw sugar cane. We stopped by the Kui Buri national park for one last look at wild elephants. We saw a mother and baby elephants. We enjoyed dinner together and ended our day with a short watery walk.

Love always,
Alyssa and Ronit

BLOG POST FOR JULY 6

Written by Adelena and Alex

Title: Beach 2.0 and Trees

Today we started our day with breaky at the Kui Buri hotel and enjoyed the idyllic scenery. Then we went to Ourland to plant some trees. We put goat poo and a fertilizer that we made the other day to help the plants grow. It is made with rice and a green liquid that is a fungus. After that we rode back on the tracktery thing to the hotel to pack and shower and then vanned to lunch near the beach. They had the best veggies!

Following that we headed to the hotel we stayed at two days prior and then went to the beach. Unfortunately there were no paparazzi this time. After a couple of hours at the beach we prepared for dinner and went to a middle eastern style restaurant. Alex got a 6lb steak and passed out (kidding) eating a spicy pepper. We wrapped up our day with a local night market and got some coconut ice cream before going to bed.

With the mostest of love,
Adelena and Alex

BLOG POST FOR JULY 7

Written by Gabi and Nani

Title: Second to last day 🙁

We had an early morning breakfast before leaving to Bangkok. Along the way we stopped at Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand and toured the facility to learn about rescued species. We saw a variety of species including elephants, gibbons and other interesting animals. We had a delish lunch at the place and then continued our drive to Bangkok. During the drive we had to say a sad goodbye to one of the local directors and friend Carly. A long drive brought us back to our hotel in Bangkok. We had some downtime before our second to last dinner as a group. After dinner we had a closing activity where we talked about the things we learned on our trip and goals we want to set in the future for ourselves and for the group.

That’s all folks.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 8

Written by Ella and Walker

Title: Americans know how to dance

We woke up and had breakfast at 9:00. “It was a 5/10” (Walker), “I think 8/10” (Ella). Then we headed to the mall. First we looked around an illegal animal trade center. The exterior just sold animals like bunnies, birds, fish, raccoons, foxes, and tortoises. But deeper in they sold things like big cats (we didn’t go there). Then we went into the actual mall. “It was even scarier” – Walker. It was a disappointment, there was little for us to buy, but fun stuff to look at. After a few hours we headed back to the hotel. We packed and then did some closing activities. We reflected on the trip, each other, ourselves, and it was surprisingly enjoyable. Side note: we love Luismi, Margarida, and Vijo!!!

After we all got ready for our dinner cruise. We all dressed up and headed out. As we waited for the cruise we explored the arts and exhibits. Then we loaded on the boat. After the delicious dinner (Walker scoffed, Ella is telling the truth), we enjoyed the views from the deck. As the music became “spicy and rigorous” we headed to the dance floor. We became the entertainment for the rest of the guests. Many filmed and watched the crazy Americans in awe, but we had the time of our lives. After what seemed forever, the music stopped and we got off the boat.

Signing out, the true best leaders,
Ella and Walker

BLOG POST FOR JULY 9

Our last day started pretty early for Ella who had to leave for the airport at 3am. Everyone woke up to say a final goodbye to her!

The rest of the team had a late breakfast and a chilled morning. We then went out for our last mall experience (three malls in 21 days, that must be a record!). We ate lunch and everyone got their last bit of shopping done.

Nani departed in the afternoon and Alex was taken to another hotel to meet up with his new group for the marine program. Everyone else had an early dinner and then went off to the airport.

Until next year!
Luismi, Margarida, Vijo.
The team.