THAILAND – Cultural Kaleidoscope – July 26

Day 1

Our group now complete, we kicked off our first full day in Thailand with a tour of the biggest temple and the oldest temple (built in 1279!) in Chiang Mai. We then visited a food market to get an introduction to the food we were about to make at a cooking school. We learned how to make tom yam kung soup, pad thai, and spring rolls. Learning how to make our own Thai dinner was very rewarding… And pretty tasty! We continue to battle jet lag and called it an early night. More adventures tomorrow!

Hey, Hey, Hey it’s the first leaders of the day. coming at you live from Thailand: Wylie, Rachel, Megan. Today half of us experienced the self sustaining Ahaka village, while the other half went to the local markets. In both locations we embraced Chiang Mia’s diverse culture and unique foods. Later that day we were able to sit down with a local monk and through discussion were able to further understand Buddhism and monk hood. Afterwards we shared laughs and memories at the 3D art museum. We then adventured to Chiang Mia’s famous “walking street” where we were able to try bargaining and shop along the 2 mile long street. It was a jammed packed day and we were very happy to get to home base to rest our tired feet. See you in 2 weeks!

Love Wylie, Megan, and Rachel!

From Leaders of the Day Eric & Katie B.

Sawadeka from Katie and Eric coming at you live from Chiang Mai! Today we jumped off flimsy wooden structures with only two ropes with us… somehow we all survived. We flew so fast we almost hit trees and got some super awkward pictures. All jokes aside, ziplining was a thrilling and fun experience and after our 40 foot descent towards the Earth, we got lunch and planted a tree (saving the environment with one tree at a time!). After the adrenaline faded, we got a good amount of time at home base to relax and reflect on our awesome zipline day. Now we get to set the alarm and get ready for a week of service at school!

Goodnight and wish us luck!!

Hey fam, it’s Hal and Jay.

We got to say, if there was a leaders of the day competition, we would win it. So, because we’re uncreative, we decided to continue the theme of inclusion. But psych! Because we added a twist. We played a little game to promote trip members to talk to new people. Today was exciting, but like also kinda crazy because it was our first day at school. Teaching was hectic, but playing with the kids at recess was so fun. Work hard play hard and whatnot. After school we relaxed. Just kidding: we got Thai massages. Imagine your typical massage, and then forget everything you thought you knew. Let’s just say there were limbs and laughter everywhere. The rest of the day was spent at home base, chilling and prepping for tomorrow. Peace out girl scout!

xoxo

H and J

Leaders of the Day: Diana & Emily

Hello GLA friends & family!

Today was a fantastic second day of teaching. After our experiences yesterday, we tweaked our lesson plans and had a successful day with our students. Their smiles brighten our day and we love seeing the process our kids are making. Our favorite word to teach them is BUFFALO. This afternoon we went to a Muay Thai boxing class and tried out some jabs and kicks. Ka Pow! After a tiring workout, we relaxed in a coffee shop and reconnected with friends and family… even though it was 3am U.S. time. In the evening we celebrated the birth of one of our leaders, Max. This was followed by a fabulous talent show with talents including singing, dancing, stand up comedy, and catching Goldfish in one’s mouth. We look forward to another day of teaching tomorrow.

Khob khun ka,

Sawasdeeka!

– Diana & Emily

August 2, 2017

Hello friends and family!

Today was our third day of teaching our adorable Thai students! Their English skills are improving as our bonds with them strengthen. After a rewarding day at school, we cha chaslided into some cultural exchange rehearsing and free time! after a week of jam packed days, a nap fest reigned during our afternoon off. Lastly we had an American food feast at Duke’s restaurant and another “shop till you drop” session at the downtown Chiang Mai night bazaar!

Zai Jian

Sage and Rui

August 2, 2017

Sawade Ka! from Shaeley and Katie! Today was bittersweet, like the mangosteen we ate for breakfast because GLA students from the Phranon school had to say goodbye to the kids we’ve been teaching this week. It was rewarding to teach the kids, who were grateful to learn English and shouted with joy every morning when we arrived. After lots of hugs and goodbyes, we traveled to a high school in Chiang Mai for cultural exchange. The Thai students performed a traditional welcome dance, and we encouraged them to join us in the Cha Cha Slide. We got to tour the high school and even visit in on some classes. After a delicious dinner at home base, we finished the night with a rowdy game of duck duck goose and a team building maze game. We have to end here so we can get plenty of sleep for an exciting day of fun and games with the kids tomorrow!

Love

Shaeley and Katie

August 5

Hello GLA fam! Today is Friday August 4th, only three days left here in Thailand! Today we taught “English Camp” at Wat Pa Khoi Tai school, where all six grade levels participated in activities led by the GLA students. The activities included making PB and J’s, learning Disney songs, Hangman, and other fun stations. After an exciting day with the kids, they thanked us with a closing ceremony and lots of hugs. Because of our long day at school we had a chill night watching a movie. Uff-da, we’re tired!

Love you , your Minnesota girls

Lexi and Martha

Hello! Today is August 5th and the 3rd to last day on our 2 week GLA program. A very exciting day for us. As a group we got to spend the entire day with elephants at the Thai elephant home. After getting introduced to the ten elephants we would be riding we started our adventure. We headed up the mountain for food and a mud bath with the elephants. Afterwards we took off towards the river to swim with the majestic animals. Such an amazing day. It is sad to say only a few days left but it’s been such an amazing experience!

-Your leader of the day Anna!

August 6, 2017

We had a very intriguing day, starting at a very beautiful temple. The temple, Doi Suthep was incredible shiny. Covered completely in gold. Some of the student participated in a monk’s blessing. As i have a bruise on my knee, kneeling and scooting on my knees to the monk to receive the blessing was less than serene and peaceful. The Temple we were at was at such an elevation, that we were in the clouds. Fog and a little drizzle were constant reminders of the rainy season here in Chiang Mai. Following the temple we traveled to the Hmong village where we all ate lunch. From there two Hmong children split us up into two groups and gave us a tour of their village. We then saw a beautiful garden with an incredible view. After we went around to collect some of our last souvenirs we came back to home base then finally to dinner. Overall a wonderful day in paradise.

Stabo and Clive

August 7, 2017

As we prepare to leave Thailand, we had one more chance to soak in the culture by visiting Borsang, an umbrella making district. Not only did we learn how the beautiful umbrellas are made, we also got to paint our own. We concluded the day with a farewell dinner and even got a little gussied up. Despite the rain, it was a relaxing and fun way to close out our last full day in Chiang Mai. It is a bittersweet evening – we hate to leave, but we also can’t wait to be home. It’s been a great journey these last two weeks. This isn’t the end. It’s just the beginning.

THAILAND – Cultural Kaleidoscope – July 26 – August 8, 2017

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