Blog

A story of mangoes, sandcastles and haikus (by Lucy)What is the best way, you may ask, to get young adults to bond with each other? Put them in teams and then tell them they’ll be participating in a competition. The rules of the game are simple: complete the tasks, protect your mango, win the game.  We set our scene on the tropical island of Koh Lanta, Thailand. Think white, sandy beaches and picturesque, azure seas. One bright, clear morning, Tari (our instructor) aske… Read more

Pushing our limits (by Addie)Our climbing and rappelling adventure was—for many of us—a trip outside of our comfort zones. However, despite some initial apprehension, we embraced the challenge as a growth opportunity and discovered new aspects of ourselves. On Day 1, we braved the courses on the side of the cliff, assessing our climbing skills by trying routes of varying difficulty. (Some of us—myself included—made an immediate beeline for the “easier” routes, only to f… Read more

Our Instructor (Daniel) is running a half marathon in his Thailand Quarantine hotel room while on one of our Spring Programs. We couldn't describe what he is doing better than he does himself:   'I'm running a half marathon in my hotel quarantine room in Bangkok to raise money for cancer, specifically Hodgkins Lymphoma. 21 kilometres on the 21st of Feb for a supportive and connected 2021 I did a trial run two days ago, running back and forth a few thousand times for … Read more

This is the amazing tale of one of our programs who are experiencing a quarantine hotel in Thailand before they can explore this incredible place!  Relaxation Time (quarantine) With a thousand different printed documents, masks on our face and passports in hand we have all made it to Thailand for this amazing adventure. We have travelled from all over the United States to get here through this new world of ‘covid’ travel. The what’s app group was bombarded as we all arr… Read more

The four and half days spent at Elephant Nature Park can easily be described as the most humbling and inspiring days of my life. The atmosphere created from the workers, volunteers, and even the animals made me feel right at home. Our guides Apple and Bas were also spectacular at welcoming everyone with open arms and hearts and trusting that we were there to fully immerse ourselves into the project. What Founder, Lek Chailert, has been able to accomplish at the sanctuar… Read more

I wanted to kill the rooster who woke me up. Instead I tossed and turned until I willed myself back to sleep under the fragile protection of my mosquito net, mentally preparing myself to wake up at least 4 more times before the sun would rise. My night in the Red Lahu village, tucked away in the mountains and swimming in the clouds, was a peaceful one. After exhausting myself from the 4 hour trek and exhausting myself even further by playing with the rambunctious group … Read more

Waking up anticipating the adventure of Thailand everyday is a luxury you can't afford to take for granted. The days are flashing by and before you know it a day has turned into a week, a week turns into a month, and then this adventure has ended. We've been so blessed by our companions, support, locals, activities, and food. Taking in the Thai lifestyle and scenery has been exciting and thought-provoking. These past few days in Thailand have been challenging both physic… Read more

Sawat dee kha from "The Land of Smiles!" Arriving in Bangkok only six days ago feels as distant as toying with the idea to visit Thailand altogether. The public transit by sky, train, and taxi from the airport to our half outdoor guesthouse threw us right into the metropolis of traffic chaos giving us the full Thai experience. Once the majority of our group cooled off in the pool and rested up a bit from the flight over, we started our journey together in the place we'd … Read more

At last, a time to rest and compose this blog post! We just completed our brief but edifying stay at Elephant Nature Park (ENP). ENP was one of the main draws of the program for me personally. Animal welfare is a longtime passion of mine and I was very excited at the prospect of working with elephants. Naturally, I had some misgivings coming in: would all of our time be spent cleaning up excrement? Would someone be trampled? Would our work be meaningful? Ultimately, h… Read more

Leaving the hippie town of Pai, we started our lengthy journey of windy highway roads to Elephant Nature Park (ENP). Upon arrival, we were quickly introduced to our incredible tour guide, Apple. We then had orientation, giving us information on the history of elephants in Thailand. After orientation, some of us were lucky enough to help out at the animal shelter by walking rescued dogs. In the afternoon, there was a ceremony for all the new volunteers for the week. In th… Read more