Thailand Summer High School Programs with Rustic Pathways

Over the summer I went on a 26 day trip to Thailand and Laos with Rustic Pathways. I did the “Come with Nothing” program and it was the best thing i’ve ever experienced. Rustic Pathways made me feel safe and cared for throughout the entire duration of the program. We spent our time in the villages and lived with Thai families. Almost every day we had service. The service was challenging but it was worth every single second. Nothing will ever beat the fulfillment that you get from seeing your hard work truly pay off. The Rustic staff and the other kids in my group became my second family. I never expected to love a group of people so quickly. I would recommend and and all Rustic trips if you want to create amazing and life changing memories!

I went to Thailand this past summer to work with the Thai Elephant Conservation center and to explore Thailand. I went on the Elephant and amazing Thailand program. On this trip I explored my love for animals and the environment. I loved working with the mahouts helping bathe and feed the elephants. My favorite memory was giving my elephant, Pratita, a bath in the lake while my mahout splashed me with water.and I made incredible bonds with the mahouts and my elephant. Continuing my trip by exploring Thailand I was emerged into a new and exciting culture while making long lasting friends. I loved seeing the temples and trying new foods. I even tried friend bugs! I made amazing friends that I am still close with. Everyone was so friendly and encouraging.

My program was unique because it was specifically designed for wilderness first aid education and at first this made me think that it was a better suit for students who are interested in medicine. This was something that made me nervous at first because I don't want to study medicine in future :) However, as I went to Thailand and got to know the project and my friends better, I have understood that not only this program makes you love medicine, it also reminds its participants that WFA is an education that everyone needs to get, regardless of whether they are medicine students or not. Therefore, I advise the future participants to not feel insufficient for this program if they are not interested in medicine, because as a student who has her own WFA certificate right now, I feel really proud for challenging myself to do something that I had considered as boring in past. Also, one of the best things about this program was that we turned a disadvantage into an advantage. Normally, less people prefer these kind of projects that are focused on specific areas, such as WFA. Our program consisted of only 9 people, including me, while other community service programs could go up to 40 people. With expectations to meet a lot of people from all around the world, at first I was disappointed. However, later on, I have seen that not only this was a chance to get to know your friends more closely, it also made our connections much more lasting and intimate. Spending a full week with 8 people was a chance for me to get to know everyone of them closely and build stronger friendships. This taught all of us the importance of friendships and once again reminded us to appreciate how this program brought us together, since we are still in contact :)

This past summer, I spent 2 amazing weeks in Thailand. In the first week, I learned about the gender equality issues in Thailand through talking to professors, NGOs, and homestay in the country. The second week, we were in the Rustic base house where we met with people from Vietnam and Cambodia and learned about the topic they focused on which we later formed groups and created our own projects.
These 2 weeks have been lifechanging in many ways. I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried things I've never tried before. This trip also made me see the problems that we have more clearly and gave me a better idea of how I can help in my own way. It expanded my horizon and gave me the chance to see things from other people's perspectives as well.
I also loved how the group was really international and I was able to interact with people from different cultural backgrounds and formed some lifelong friendships during this trip.

I have traveled with Rustic Pathways for two consecutive summers. They have simply been the best summers of my life. First I traveled to Australia where I was able to work in the famous Steve Irwin Zoo. This past summer I traveled to Thailand. While I was there I met some of the most amazing people and creatures. Although I love the luxuries that I take for granted every day such as air conditioning, comfort foods, and wifi, I did not miss them a bit on this trip. Rustic does not lie when they say that they will get the student on the trip fully enveloped into the local culture. Although for some it might sound gruesome, it is something that I honestly am very blessed to have been a part of. I firmly believe that without some of the people I have met and the experiences that I have had through Rustic, I would not be the person I am today.

Over the summer I went to Thailand for a month and participated in the Intro to Community Service and Children's Home and Elephant Sanctuary programs. Putting together both trips complimented my experience by exposing me to difference kinds of culture and service work. I loved learning how to build homes from the ground up, teach young children how to swim, learn Thai, take care of an elephant (my elephants name was Tongtae and I miss her so much), get to know Thai students my age and share stories, and see part of the world I've never seen before. In the beginning, I was nervous for this trip because I was going without my friends across the world and had never done something so independent. However, once I arrived and got settled I had the best time! Almost everyone on the trip was in the same position as me and we all bonded immediately. Stepping out of my comfort zone was a unique and crucial lesson and has become part of who I am today. My trip is something I wish everyone could have the opportunity to do because it was life changing and something I will remember always.

This trip is truly the best one rustic has to offer. Not only did I go to 4 different countries in a month, but I experienced unforgettable and life changing experiences. The people and organization of the program allowed it to run seamlessly while still allowing us to have input on what we want to do. The cultural immersion in the home stays and just living in Asia for an entire month gave me the opportunity to change the way I look at a lot of things in life. Not only regarding wealth but also who I am as a person. The people are genuinely happier than the majority of America and yet they live with so little materialistic goods. I have learned to shift my source of happiness from consumer goods to experiences and the people around me. I honestly believe that I have grown as a person since attending this trip.

Going to Thailand was the most rewarding experience of my life. I went to the Marine and Rainforest Conservation program. I learned so much and had so many unforgettable experiences that have changed my outlook on life. I got to connect with the locals and discover how they were approaching their conservation efforts and help them. Every day was jam-packed full of exciting and rewarding activities. I got to experience so many different aspects of the culture that was new to me while also learning about the ecosystem there and most importantly having a blast. Being on this trip felt like a personal paradise. The food was incredible. The staff was incredible (shout out to PiNeNe and PiSonia). Every experience was incredible. The people at the homestay were incredible too. At the homestay, I stayed with Bang Doni and his wife and got to spend time with his adorable daughter NaNa. Two kids who lived in the village, Nai and Apun also accompanied us on many of our activities. (They both play a mean game of volleyball too) The time I got to spend with the villagers was my favorite part of the trip which I was not at all expecting. I also loved the jungle hikes, beach clean-ups, river rafting, and the elephant sanctuary. Overall, this program was the best time of my life and I would give anything to go on this trip a second time.