PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM
Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!
Here are a few things to know and expect:
- Blog posts are written by onsite program staff and/or students and sent to our Headquarters team who will post the blog on this page.
- We typically receive 2-3 blog updates per week from each program, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post every day – that’s totally normal.
- Blog updates received late in the evening or overnight will be posted the following day.
- Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
- Due to many factors such as internet accessibility, program staff aren’t always able to send photos, so some blog posts may contain text only.
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
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BLOG POST FOR JULY 27
Hi parents,
Today marked the start of GLA’s Elephants, Education, and Cultural Discovery program here in Chiang Mai, Thailand!
After long journeys from around the world, our first students arrived at Chiang Mai International Airport—tired from travel but excited to begin the adventure and meet one another. We hopped into vans for the short drive to our home base, where everyone had a chance to settle in before enjoying their first meal in Thailand. The menu included pasta, stir-fried chicken and vegetables, and plenty of fresh fruit to help everyone refuel after a long day.
In the afternoon, we kicked off the program with a few icebreaker games, giving students the chance to learn each other’s names and start building new friendships. It was great to see conversations flowing so quickly! Everyone then met their roommates and had some time to unpack and settle into their new home for the next few weeks.
After dinner, we squeezed in one more fun group game before calling it a night. Although everyone is feeling the effects of long flights and changing time zones, there is already plenty of excitement and anticipation for the adventures ahead.
Tomorrow will be our first full day together, and we’re looking forward to welcoming the final three students to complete our group. With everyone together, the real adventure can begin!
See you tomorrow!
The GLA Staff Team
BLOG POST FOR JULY 28
Hello GLA Families!
After breakfast, we kicked off the day with a presentation from our local staff, who introduced the group to Thai culture, traditions, and food. Students also learned a few useful Thai phrases and had the chance to practice speaking the local language.
With a big day ahead, we left the hotel for our first adventure into the city. We explored some of Chiang Mai’s most important Buddhist temples, including Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Chiang Man. As we wandered through these beautiful and historic sites, students learned about the role Buddhism plays in Thai culture and daily life.
The afternoon brought one of the day’s highlights: an intensive Thai cooking class! Students rolled up their sleeves and learned how to prepare a four-course meal from scratch. Favorites included Pad Thai, Pad Kra Pao, Khao Soi and Mango Sticky Rice.
By the end of the day, we returned to the hotel with our hearts and bellies full!
The GLA staff Team
BLOG POST FOR JULY 29
We first started our morning with a long drive to the highest mountain in Thailand! At the summit, it was much cooler than all the lower parts of Chiang Mai. There was fog, mist, moss, and so much more. We took a short walk through the cloud forest, seeing all the nature and an animal shrine. The animal shrine was made to symbolize how in the Thai culture, people view everything, not just living beings, as equals. They believe the Gods can exist anywhere, therefore, it’s important to respect all things—alive or inanimate.
Our next trip was to the Pagoda temples. There were two temples that were made for the king for his 60th birthday. On one side is a temple made for the king and on the other side there is a temple made for the queen. They were both there to show the story of Buddhism and was made for the people. Because today was a Buddhist holiday, there were many people there giving offerings or just praying.
On our way back down the mountain, we stopped to get food. We then took a 30 minute ride to a waterfall. The waterfall was beautiful and we were able to get amazing photos! We got very muddy, but it was worth it.
Our last stop for the day was at the Elephant parade. We learned a little bit about the history of the Elephant parade and why they started. We then were able to pick our own elephant and paint it. It was so much fun and such a great way to end a day!
Today’s Leaders of the Day,
Bella and Vivian
BLOG POST FOR JULY 31
Hello GLA Families!
Day two at the elephant base was one to remember. We started the morning bright with some breakfast followed by a quick trip down to the elephant sanctuary. Our service started by helping take care of the elephants. Our goal today was to plant grass for the elephants. There were three stations involving everyone putting in hard work. While one station gathered leaves from the stalks, the second group chopped down the leaves into smaller chunks so we could plant them. The third station planted these smaller leaves so that they could grow into bigger stalks. It was such a simple task, but it tested our patience and resilience because of the labor and hot weather. Understanding how much food elephants eat every day made us appreciate the work that goes into them.
Next, we came back to the base to have some lunch before we headed out on a two hour hike that turned out to be one of the highlights of the day. We hiked through the large mountains, dirt paths, walked through a local village, and eventually reached two stunning waterfalls. The views were amazing as everyone took in the beautiful scenery.
Following our hike, we stopped at a local cafe surrounded by some jaw dropping mountains. It was a great place to relax after our hike. Everyone enjoyed some delicious drinks while taking in the incredible views. It was a great moment where we all bonded and sipped on our drinks. Finally, we arrived at home base to have our daily sunset circle, followed by dinner and mentor groups where we learned some core values.
The Leaders of the Day,
Adam and Cassidy
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 1
Hello again!
Today was our third and most action packed day at the Elephant Sanctuary—we learned, worked, and celebrated in the beautiful district of Mae Wang!
First, in the morning, we set off to a new camp where we met three elephants. We fed them bananas and walked them by the river where they cooled down in the water as students captured the special moment on camera. Next, we made paper out of the fibre from elephant poop and decorated it with flowers! After, we enjoyed lunch, a delicious pad see ew with coconut pancakes that the students helped make.
In the afternoon, we learned how to make the elephants’ medicine balls in order to keep their digestive system healthy, mixing rice, probiotic, banana, and other ingredients which we fed to the elephants. Later, we undertook the most demanding tasks of the day: cutting Napier grass and shoveling elephant poop. After a hard but rewarding day of work, we savored the evening at Phupha cafe, and came back to the base for sunset circle reflections, dinner, and Jack’s 16th birthday celebration (complete with cupcakes and gifts)!
We ended the day with stories, jokes, and games around the campfire, which really was the cherry on top of a great start to August. Tomorrow is our final day at the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, and while we’re sad to go, we have plenty to be thankful and excited for.
The Leaders of the Day,
Finn and Lexie
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 4
Hello GLA Families!
Today was a super impactful start to our week of teaching. We had a early start to the day so we could arrive at the school in time for the daily flag raising. It was a beautiful ceremony where we got to experience students praying and singing, and then we got on stage to introduce ourselves.
After that we got to teaching. We taught 3 classes of students 8-10 years old, and we taught them simple vocabulary on family, food, and animals. The kids were so sweet and friendly and were so excited to come up to us and bond. They had some difficulty understanding at times but worked really hard and completed the assignments we had planned.
After our lessons were completed we went to a fancy restaurant for a delicious lunch. When our meals were finished we went back to the hotel for free time, where most of us had fun in the pool. When free time was done we got back to business to come together and talk about how our lessons went and anything that needed to improve. Groups got together to work on lesson plans for the next couple days.
After that productive session we had dinner and then came together again to plan for our cultural exchange. It was a lot of fun to start planning our performance.
The Leaders of the Day,
Maesie and Peyton
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 5
Hello GLA families!
Today was the second day of teaching, and the last day with the 8-10 year old students.
We started off the day with breakfast at 7:45 am, and then drove to the school. Once we arrived at the school, we split into groups and began teaching about various topics such as occupations, colors, and ocean animals. The kids were very involved with the lessons. After the two days of teaching, the students had improved their confidence and vocabulary. When we were leaving the school, it was a very emotional moment as the students lined up and said their goodbyes. Some of them gave us gifts, high fives, fist bumps, and more.
After leaving the school, we drove to a cafe where we had a delicious lunch. We then went to a market where we tried all kinds of Thai delicacies and searched for hand made souvenirs. After that, we drove back to the hotel where we had a cultural exchange with six Thai students about their culture, foods, and celebrations. We then participated in a recreation of a very famous Thai festival called Songkran, where we gathered around the pool, got blessed by our elders, and had a traditional water fight with buckets.
Later, we had a pizza party with the Thai students, and then came together to prepare our performance for the next cultural exchange.
The leaders of the day,
Emilie and Charlie
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 6
Hello GLA Families,
Today we started the day with breakfast before heading to our first school, where we taught English to 8th grade students. We taught three classes for 45 minutes each, teaching themes such as sentence structure and household items.
After that, we went to another school for our cultural exchange and ate lunch before meeting the Thai students. We spent the afternoon playing icebreaker games, decorating umbrellas, making herbal inhalers, and competing in a three legged race. We also danced to Dancing Queen from Mama Mia in front of the Thai students before exchanging gifts and saying goodbye to our newly found friends.
When we got back, we had some free time to hang out before our sunset circle and then dinner. After dinner, we worked together to plan our last English lessons for tomorrow. It was a busy day today but we spent it making friends!
Sincerely,
Cami and Emma
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 7
Hey parents,
This morning we had breakfast at 7:45 to prepare for our day full of teaching and fun. Our main goal of the day was to relax, we thought was very well executed. As our last day of teaching we continued teaching the kids elements of the English language and then said our goodbyes. After lunch we headed off to a Muay Thai gym to learn the art of Thai boxing. We had lots of fun learning to kick and punch in all sorts of ways, and ended up getting some Thai boxing souvenirs to commemorate the moment. Once we got back to the hotel we held a belly-flop contest among other pool activities. After dinner we held an appreciation circle to sum up all of our appreciation for each other from throughout the trip. Overall, the day was pretty great, full of adventures and moments of relaxation.
– Will & Parker
