All students have arrived in Thailand and are getting a good night of sleep. Check back soon for a group photo and more updates!
July 11, 2017
After a good night of overdue sleep we have started our Cultural Kaleidoscope adventure. Following orientation and a Thai buffet, we are in to a tour of the oldest and biggest temples in Chiang Mai. Later today we will take a cooking class and visit a local market. Staying busy is the first step to beating jet lag!
July 12, 2017
We started the day off at the spiritual house here at our home base. We asked the spirits past and present to bless us and watch over us. After a mentor group meeting exploring The Danger of a Single Story, we were off to lunch and Borsang, an umbrella making factory. We got to paint our own umbrellas and do some souvenir shopping. Tomorrow is the launch of our Leader of the Day program, so stay tuned for the daily blog written by students! Good night from rainy Chiang Mai!
July 13, 2017
Sawasdee ka from Thailand! Today, we began our day with breakfast in the Great Hall, part of our Hogwarts-themed schedule. We visited Hmong Village in the mountains and ate lunch at a local place. After, we walked through a market filled with handmade goods, ranging from purses to jewelry. Everything there was beautiful and it was also amazing to know how much work went into it all. After this, we drove back down the mountain a little and visited the beautiful Temple Doi Suthep on the side of the mountain. It was 550 years old and beautifully made. Knowing that people built this with their bare hands (including the 306 steps leading to the temple) was also really cool. While we were there, we were able to get our fortunes, be blessed by a monk, and pay our respects to Buddha if we chose. Overall it was a very fun and eventful day and we’re all satisfied.
-Leaders of the Day: Jenna, Lexie, Alex
July 14, 2017
Hey dudes, be quiet, sit down and listen to our adventure of the day. Spoiler alert: bugs may have been consumed. Breakfast started at am , then we split up into two groups. Half of us went to Ahaka village and the other half went to Wororot market. Compared to Target and Walmart, the market was unusual, yet an awesome experience. We ate everything from worms to the king of fruits. Meanwhile in Ahaka village, rumor has it that under the blazing sun, many had to walk millions of miles, encountering wildlife and snacking on plants along the way. After lunch both groups meet up at pottery village for a tour and first hand experience making pottery. As we arrived back at home base many were eager to chill poolside while others took a quick nap before dinner. After dinner we got into mentor groups and played a silly game of night at the museum.
In conclusion, Live love Thailand (heart emoji).
Leaders of the Day: Hannah, Kate, Callie
July 15, 2017
Have you ever heard of durian? Durian. noun. The king of the fruits; extremely smelly; has the consistence of mashed potatoes.
Leaders of the Day: Macy “Mama Ca$h” & Rachael
Listen up! Dance captains here! AKA Leaders of the *year*. Today was our first day if school! We educated some super bubbly, energetic, Thai kids. It was a great experience, and we can’t wait to continue our intriguing lessons and games. We left after lunch and squadded up with the other group at the Monk Chat. There we were enlightened on the Buddhist philosophy and were given wise words by a super cool monk. We left the chat with a new perspective on Buddhism. Overall a great day.
Heyo peeps in the USA! (or other) Welcome to the GLA Thai life today! We ’bout to tell something great so listen up and get ready to be amazed!
Today was one of the best days of the program so far. One reason was that most students started settling into the role of teaching. We were also given the opportunity to meet other high school students that attended school here, in Chiang Mai. further, the kids are finally bonding with all of us as teachers more, and never want us to leave when the classes are over. When we met the Sarasas International High School students, they were really excited to meet us. We all got to learn about their culture and way of life here in northern Thailand. It showed the GLA group that even though we are living in different countries, their high school experience is similar to ours. Overall it was a very exciting, educational, and rewarding day for us as students and teachers.
Although our days of Thailand are becoming limited, these last days have become the most memorable. We just ended our days of teaching the most incredible Thai students you can ask for with English camp! It was so amazing, there were SO many activities that the kiddos got involved in that were ultra fun to be a part of (even if we got a little tired!). The children and the service is by far the best part of the trip (even beats the elephants). Leaving them was SUPER hard but the closing ceremony was very special and the experience will always have a special place in our hearts! The closer the days draw to an end the closer everyone is getting to know each other. Oh i forgot to mention this morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How it got into my pajamas i’ll never know.
At the beginning of this trip everyone came in not knowing what to expect. Over the past two weeks we have gotten to know many new people, bonded over lots of laughs and inside jokes, created close friendships, and had a unique and once-in-a-lifetime experience. Today was our last day in Thailand with each other. We started off the day with a 35 station zip line course that challenged us all, especially Gurdip. Despite some close calls, we all made it out alive, with only some minor injuries. We ended the day with our farewell dinner overlooking the Ping river. We returned to home base, where most of us had probably just started our packing, ignoring the advice of the mentors. We ended our night with a late bed check, meaning lots of late night fun to close out our two weeks of thrill and excitement abroad. We will miss all the amazing people who changed our lives, all the memories made, and the impeccable food we ate each day. This trip was an incredible adventure that we won’t forget!
