Matt Ford’s Reflections

Oh boy where do I start!!! I’d definitely say my the highlight of my trip so far would be going full native in that Malaysian village. That is by far the most breathtaking experience I’ve ever had. Most in that situation where waaaaaaaay out of their comfort zones. As for me I felt right at home. That is definitely an experience I will never forget.

As far as appreciations go, I’d have to say I appreciate all of the peoples of that Malaysian tribe. They are not so used to “new” people entering their village. And instead of being harsh and brutal they accepted us with smiles and open arms. On top of that they went as far as making us wonderful one of a kind gifts. But I appreciate that because that is one memory that will never be forgotten.

Zoe’s Reflections

This trip has been so amazing and I can’t thank the teachers enough for letting me come on this once in a lifetime opportunity. I think my favorite part was the white water rafting. We got to do so many cool things that a lot of people will never be able to do. It was my first time camping ever on this trip and it was amazing. We got to go to the jungle and climb through the branches and getting leeches stuck to my leg and fall in the river with my clothes and not worry about my clothes getting wet because that’s what you do in the woods. I know that I will remember this trip for the rest of my life.


I couldn’t have asked for a better group to go on this trip with. I have made so many close new friends that I hope to have for the rest of high school. And the teachers were amazing, they were the ones who made the trip so much fun. Without them we wouldn’t be able to be here right now or on any of the other trips. It is an experience for everyone no matter who you are or how many times you’ve been on trips like this. I hope I can come on more trips in the future because even though it gets tough at times everyone supports each other and helps us get through.

Hannah’s Reflections

As I am sitting here in my hotel room, watching Coco, I have decided to reflect on the trip. I started off really anxious. I was scared because I only knew a couple people well, and I didn’t think I would be able to be away from my parents for so long. But as soon as the trip started, I felt welcome. I felt included in the San Francisco airport, and I felt like I was able to be myself. And from then on, I felt that way. I have made many new friendships, most being with people I never expected to become friends with. I have made memories and had experiences that I will remember forever. I have gone places I never even knew existed. I have done things I never even thought I would do. And I am so grateful for that.

After thinking very hard (while still watching Coco) I have realized that one thing I appreciate the most is the people on this trip. Everyone is funny, welcoming, goofy, but also mature. I have made friends with some of the funniest people I have ever met. They make me feel included and they make me feel like I belong. I’m so thankful I got to make these memories and do these things with this group of people. We all (for the most part) get along very well and everyone has been very supportive of each other.

Savvy’s Reflections

This DA summer trip has been a fun once in a life time opportunity. I enjoyed the modern feel of Singapore, and the fancy stores and beautiful statue. China town also brought a fun, unique culture. I also enjoyed Bhutan, the mountains reminded me of Colorado. I loved the stray dogs, and the local shops. The highlight of my trip was the tigers nest. I loved the beauty after a long hike. Bhutan was an enlightening experience. Malaysia was also very unique and exciting. My favorite part was swimming in the oceans. I loved learning about the culture, and exploring the wilderness. I am very grateful for the opportunity presented to me to go on the DA summer trip. I’ll admit, it was a little weird being one of the oldest kids having graduated high school, but I really enjoyed connecting with the students I did not know as well. The DA summer trip inspired me to travel more in the future, and taught me a lot about the world. 

I appreciated the tour guides because they brought a lot of knowledge to the students. I loved learning about the pride they had for their countries. I also appreciated the nature on this trip. Although it was challenging to be in the rainforest, it taught me how powerful the earth truly is, and that we need to have more respect for nature and animals. I also appreciated the food on this trip. I appreciated the weather in Bhutan. It was not too humid, but it was not freezing, and I really enjoyed it. I appreciated the hotels because they were all nice, and the food was great. I also appreciated air conditioning because Asia is very hot and humid. Overall, I was very grateful to be able to attend the DA summer trip. 

Alex Hofstader’s Reflections

This trip from start to finish has been an amazing experience. Starting in Singapore, we learned so much about the culture and where the city got its name, as well as visit hawker centers where we all got to eat amazing, authentic cuisine. We then went to bhutan where we learned about Buddhism, fortresses, and monasteries that were built centuries ago. We got to view the National sport of archery and enjoy a hot stone bath. After bhutan we went to Malaysia, specifically Kuala Lumpur where we got to see more city life as well as an orphanage where we got to make people happy. We then went to Penang where our trip concluded and we got to go on the world's steepest gondola which is a 42 degree angle.

I’d like to appreciate all of the tour guides that helped make this trip possible and fun. I'd like to thank my parents for funding this trip and always looking in my best interest. I’d like to thank the people in Bhutan who graciously let us learn about their culture and loaned us their hot stone baths. I’d like to thank everyone at Denver academy for helping to make this trip happen, especially the teachers, who made sure everyone was safe. I’d like to thank all of the hotels for letting a group as large as ours stay at their establishments.

Penn’s Reflections

On this trip I believe that I have accomplished more on the Bhutan/Singapore/Malaysia trip then I have with the Sri Lanka/India trip. Maturity being one of the main things I have achieved so far on this trip also with listening and devotion to the people, teachers, and tour guides on this trip. Getting to know more about the culture of countries that I’ve gotten to visit was a big reflection on what I’ve gotten to learn.

 With appreciation I really enjoyed the food for the most part. The food was amazing on the trip getting to try some of the best chicken and rice dishes in Singapore was awesome, and eating really good malayasian food like tom Yam soup was something I won’t forget. I appreciate getting more respect from the teachers and students on this trip. Doing some of the amazing activities like archery and climbing was really something cool to experience. One of my biggest appreciations was the lions nest hike, that hike was one of the hardest hikes I’ve ever done in my life with me not being well in shape was a really difficult part to it, but it was amazing when I finally completed that hike reached the top. In summary, I highly appreciate all the activities and experiences I have gotten to receive on this trip.

Kate’s Reflections

During this trip I have had a great time! I have never traveled this far away from home so to be able to experience everything was like a dream come true. The highlights of my trip have been basically the whole time in Bhutan especially the Tiger's Nest Monastery. Although the hike up was a struggle we got the coolest pictures on the way. I appreciate all of the teachers pushing us to explore more things along the trip whether it’s trying different foods or dragging us out of the hotel for dinner. The teachers have had to handle many sick kids at a time and have given the support we needed to tough up and experience the world around us. I also appreciate all of the new friends and memories that I have made during this trip, I can’t imagine a better group of people to explore with.

Flynn’s Reflections

On this amazing trip to Asia, I have been places I didn't know existed. I have been to two countries that I had never really heard of, and I have enjoyed almost all of it. I’ve been up mountains and down through Rain forests in under three days. I’ve seen things that I would’ve never seen if I hadn’t signed up for this trip. From the stunning city of Singapore to kick the trip off, to the amazing and wondrous country that is Bhutan, to Malaysia where we are now. My highlights have been the hike to Tigers Nest, seeing the huge Buddha statue, the White Water Rafting, the Monkey Beach just to name a few. I have thoroughly enjoyed nearly every aspect of this trip.

I’m grateful to many people because of this trip. First my parents who paid for me to go and made sure I was prepared for the trip. I’d like to thank the teachers, Coach Brookhart, Mrs. Soto, and Mrs. Warneke for inviting me onto the trip and keeping us safe and healthy on the trip. I’m thankful for the friends that I came here with and the ones I then made when we arrived. I’m thankful for Raymon for planning the trip and being a kind light hearted guy. I’m grateful for all our tour guides for educating us. I’d like to thank Dr Conlen for being extremely wise and kind on the trip with us. This has been an amazing trip that has shown me a lot about the world we live in and not just the Westernized parts of it. I’d love to return on another trip next year

Luke Griffith’s Reflections

This was the first time I have ever stepped foot off of the American continent, not including minor islands. I believe that this trip was, in short, a very cool experience. The history of this area is very cool, and I am mostly well-versed in the history of Bhutan. However, the cultural experience was lacking. Bhutan was outstanding, and very cultural, whereas the other places were not. Bhutan was my favorite place for that very reason, and that is where I learned the most, I believe. Singapore was the least impactful, for understandable reasons (it is literally one massive city whose history and culture is inherently tied to that of Malaysia) and Malaysia was largely lacking culturally (while it did have a lot of fun activities). Malaysia probably impacted me a little more than Singapore, but not nearly as much as Bhutan.

I appreciated the Bhutanese tour guide the most on this trip. The guy was incredibly nice, and very willing to answer questions and talk to me about the history of Bhutan. It was very cool to talk to him, and one could hear the love and pride in his country in his voice while he spoke (we had a lot of one-on-one conversations about Bhutan while walking around). He was generally a very nice man and, were I his age (and Bhutanese), seems like the kind of person I would hang out with on a regular basis. 

Alex Mohr's Reflections

Reflecting back on this trip, it’s been one of the most amazing experiences that I’ve ever been through. When I first heard about the trip I thought you know this would be cool but I didn’t think that it would be the way that it turned out to be. We met at 3 AM at DIA and I didn’t really know anyone that wasn’t in my grade so I was you know a little more socially awkward than I normally a.m. it was kind of like going to DA on the first day of school all over again. I started talking to people while we were waiting for our flight and then even more on the layover I started doing peoples names and put names to faces it was kind of nice. After the 15 hour plane ride to Singapore I felt like I need to learn all about Mathew Ford and I knew his entire life story. When we first got off the humidity hit me like a wall it was so humid and I didn’t understand why and it frankly scared me a little bit I didn’t know places could be as humid as it was but I started to adjust to it and then I looked out into the bay while we were on the bus. It was so beautiful there were lights and there was water and there were just amazing pieces of architecture all around and I started to appreciate where I was a lot more rather than complaining about it in the back of my head. Singapore came and went it was really fun and then we went on to Bhutan when we were in Bhutan I learned even more about the people around me and I got to make friendships that I hope will last even longer than I ever thought they would. Now that the trip is starting to come to an end I am sad to see it go because of all the amazing stuff that we did and all of the new friendships that I’ve made but I think that all of us will be happy to be home to have our own beds and have our families back even if in a week from now we may be back to it’s not a phase mom.

I appreciate the teachers for bringing me on this trip I never expected that it would end up the way it did and it’s so so amazing to be there, I also appreciate the upperclassman who took me in and showed me the ropes and were friends with me I’ve never really had friends who are much older than me so that was really nice hearing their crazy high school stories and experiences and all of that it was just really nice. I’d also like to appreciate the people that I already knew during the before the trip I feel that our friendship got even stronger than it already was and even even if it wasn’t that strong before it’s definitely stronger now.

Izzy's Reflections

This trip has been amazing besides me getting sick but when I was not sick, I had a blast. There were sometimes I didn’t want to be on this trip but I am blessed and thankful to be on this trip. I favorite thing that we have done is whitewater rafting and also playing with the children. I didn’t like camping because I am not that kind of person and also because I wasn’t feeling well. I appreciate my parents and the teachers for making all of this happen. The teachers have really done a lot for me for this trip and I am really grateful to have them take care of me. My parents I am also grateful for because I am having an amazing on this trip.

Joe's Reflections

This trip has been an interesting experience, at first I was skeptical, I was gonna travel the world with my little brother alone for the first time and the second time with other high school students, the trip blew my expectations out of the water, I was a bit worried for the kids on the trip. I was afraid that some of the students would be a lot to handle. But I was dead wrong, some of the people on this trip are some of the coolest people I have ever met. In terms of travel Bhutan was one of the most interesting places I have ever been. The culture was vivid and you could see just how much the Bhutanese appreciate and Cherish their culture. It felt like stepping into a different world every building was in the traditional style. You couldn’t go three feet without seeing a new thing or story. Each piece of decoration had its own ledge and and it's own life force. I enjoyed being able to explore the surprisingly active and dynamic country. Malaysia surprised me in how safe it was. I also enjoyed the access to great Asian food on this trip!!

 I want to appreciate a lot of people on this trip. First of all I want to thank the teachers. I Like that I have been able to travel with them again and I've been able to experience a new country with them, Bhutan was a first for DA and that made it more of a challenge for the teachers, but they made it work and it made my trip. I also want to thank Oscar and Henry. They are my travel buddies from last year and rooming with them was a blast. I also appreciated that they were there for me and they were ok with me calling Ella in our room. I want to appreciate Kate and Hannah for being awesome people. At first I was worried that they would be annoying on this trip but I couldn't have been more wrong. I loved getting to know them and having laughs. I want to thank Alex H for always making everyone laugh. I want to appreciate Zoe for being an awesome person, it was fun getting to know her. I want to thank Zach for being a great roommate and being the awesome person that he is I'm gonna miss him next school year. The last two people I want to thank are Savvy and Luke. I want to thank Savvy for becoming a friend of mine. I like how much we bonded on this trip. You are a super fun and funny person to hangout with. I liked how you were my lunch buddy and I was excited when each lunch came around. Finally I want to thank my brother Luke. I was originally skeptical but I was so happy to see you grow. You've grown so much this year. A year ago today I would've never thought you could do what you did on this trip. On this trip I saw you learning and trying new things with a smile on your face. You are so brave and I am so proud of you.

Luke Wogsland's Reflections

When I was still in my eight grade year at Denver Academy, I was informed that my brother was invited on the summer trip. I was excited for him, traveling around the world. Once he returned, I knew that I had to be on the next great adventure. I spent my freshman year working hard to retain my GPA and to participate in class and school wide activities so that I could get a shot at attending the 2019 summer trip. As the year wrapped up, I received a letter from my home room teacher, Mrs. Warneke, that I was invited on the summer trip. Now that I have crossed the world, seen and meet and experienced things beyond my imagination, I have become a well rounded and daring student, and a world class traveler. After the grueling flight to Singapore, I was exhausted and scared. I had friends and acquaintances all around, even my own brother, but my composure was hanging on a knife's edge. After that night, I regained some sanity, and began to trek. My favorite part about the whole nation of Singapore was a little hawker station called Maxwell Food Center. This place was filled to the brim with mom and pop restaurants, cute little places with some of the best ethnic food I have ever had. This little excursion set me up for the rest of the trip, cementing my view on the new and exciting aspects of our world.

After our time in Singapore, we flew over to the forbidden kingdom of Bhutan, a place few people get to travel. We meet our tour guide, and saw the sights, we ate the food, and hiked but to the jaw-dropping monastery of Tigers Nest. We visited temples, fortresses, and we bathed in a traditional a Bhutanese hot rock bath. We learned about the government, about the king and the parliament, and how Bhutan strives to maintain its traditional and sacred culture, and how they trade economic power and forgiven recognition for the health and happiness of its citizens. It’s as if big brother was actually looking out for your best interests. Our little merry band then moved onto Malaysia, braving the jungle, swimming in the sea, and walking the streets of Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Over the course of a few weeks, we visited three nations with distinct cultures, climates, and natural geography’s.

Now to acknowledge several of my peers who I felt did exceptionally well on this trip. First I would like to mention Luke Griffith, who’s knowledge helped me to grasp the vast histories and political climates of these three nations. Next I would like to thank Alex Hofstereder for cracking jokes with me, and just being supportive of each other. I would like to mention Kate and Hannah for their adventurousness, and their vibrant sense of humor, these two know how to have fun. Lastly, but far from least, I would like to thank the teachers and tour guides for keeping us safe and happy, for letting us have fun, and to teach us to enjoy the vast and complex world we live in. Thank you all so much for making my trip a roller coaster of laughs and leeps. Thank you!

Matt Godzich's Reflections

I was able to go on a trip of a lifetime and I wish I could travel a little longer. Malaysia and Singapore were both amazing and I see myself going back to those places again, but Bhutan was uniquely special because it was so much more different than what you see in America. this in itself I found to be a privilege and I will always try to remember the amazing 3 days I spent there. The trip this year I found full of excitements that we’re not present on last years trip whether it was having more freedom or eating better food. I also believe that the group of kids on this trip were overall outstanding. I have grown to call many more people my friends. Also I appreciated all of the tour guides but especially Melvin who was just awesome. On this trip my deepest appreciation would go toward the seniors on this trip. I would truly call them good friends of mine and I will miss them but am happy for them to embark on a new journey to college.

Zach's Reflections

This trip was a blast! I especially loved our last day in Malaysia where we went on a gondola ride up a mountain and walked across a sketchy bridge over a beautiful view. We then proceeded down the mountain to go on a 6-D roller coaster and went to a 3-d art museum, all followed up with a great lunch. This was just the 4th of july though. In Singapore, we got to see a merlion (half lion half mermaid) and do some great shopping, along with some spectacular food. Bhutan was also amazing and the fact that we are of few people to visit it just blows my mind. We did the famous tiger's nest monastery which was exuberant, even though the hike up there about killed me. We also got to see another retired fortress that has been turned into city hall and is huge. Bhutan also offered us a pretty lit-tastic tour guide and a very comfortably close to each other bus ride. I learned that the national sport of Bhutan is archery and we got to see them compete on their 145 meter course, very cool. After Bhutan we went to Malaysia and had so much more fun. My highlight of Malaysia besides the last day was the white water rafting with my amazing team and our tireless work ethic of saying, “stroke”, every single time we rowed down the river. Melvin, our tour guide, took us to a karaoke/dance party dinner after we went to monkey beach, and yes there were a lot of monkeys there. One of us even had an unwanted encounter with a jellyfish ̇cough ̇ Oscar ̇`cough˙˙ that was about 50 pounds. All around though I had a fantastic trip.

I want to give an appreciation to the teachers first who have taken me on almost all 4 of my trips, Mr. Brookhart has been there for it all but Mrs. Berry, and Mrs. Soto have been amazing the last 3 years. They took care of me when I was sick and checked on me frequently even when I was feeling better. I also want to appreciate Raymond who has helped plan all of these trips over the 4 years and done an amazing job. I also want to appreciate Dr. Conlin for telling me great stories of all his endeavors and being in a can-do attitude during all of our activities. I also appreciate all of the kids for making me laugh and swimming with me and having a great time and not complaining. And Alex Hofstadter of course for making me laugh and being a real joy to have around. And Flynn for being my roommate twice and being my partner for most of the activities. I had a fantastic trip.

Zoe’s Blog Post on Bhutan

All of us recently visited Bhutan. Bhutan was an amazing once in a lifetime experience. We got to do so many cool things, we got to see the biggest Buddha in the world, we got to go to a school that people our age practice sewing, carving dragons out if pine wood, clay making, black smithing, and sculpting. These kids go to school everyday just like us but they learn how to do all these things that bhuddist people use in there everyday life. We also got to see women weave the traditional dresses women wear in bhutan and wedding dresses that people order special for there wedding up to 6 months in advance because they take so long to make. I asked our tour guide what he thought were the main take always from Bhuddisim, he said that it was about being kind, to have good intentions, to be good to all living things, it is not a religion it is a philosophy, and that it is something you do everyday. On our last day in Bhutan we took a very long hike up to tigers nest monostary. It was a difficult hike for a lot of people but when we got to the top the view was worth every step. There were 9 temples inside and we got see 8 of them. Some of the monks live there for years at a time. I have learned so many things on this trip so far and we have so much more to learn.

July 1-2

We love Penang! We have enjoyed exploring the city and all the street art. Here’s a run down of what we’ve been up to:

• Trishaw tour of the city

• Buddhist temples

• Armenian street shopping

• Village on the sea 

• Chinese clan home museum
• Hawker center food
• Swimming on Monkey beach

• Banana boats on Monkey beach 

• Singing and dancing at the Red Garden Hawker Center

June 30

Yesterday was a big travel day for us, as we journeyed from KL to Penang Island - about a 5 hour bus ride north. Luckily for us, we fit in some fun adventuring in the middle of the bus ride to break it up. We stopped about 2.5 hours out of KL for an easy exploration of Gua Tempurung, a 1.5 million year old cave. The stalagmites, rock formations and sheer magnitude of the caves were staggering. After our caving tour, we loaded a truck to take us to our white water launch site. The river was quite low due to poor rainfall but we still had some great thrills along the river. We were also able to get out to swim and play river games along the way. Our laughter could probably be heard throughout the jungle for miles.

We arrived on Penang Island around 7:30 pm and enjoyed hawker food near our hotel. This morning is starting slow and easy before our city tour and Trishaw rides! 

June 29

On June 29 we departed our hotel for a late afternoon at the Rumah Ozanam orphanage in KL. This orphanage is a home for students who have lost their parents and who are being raised by other family members who can't afford to raise the students themselves. The students in this home attend school, church and community events. We played a variety of ice-break games with the 17 boys and girls of the orphanage. (Musical chairs got a bit competitive!) We then were able to eat a meal together before saying our goodbyes. Denver Academy presented them with gifts for their kitchen. This was a powerful day, as we were able to meet other students from around the world and see how they live.

Ice breakers

Ice breakers

Ice breakers

Ice breakers

Ice breakers

Sharing a meal

With the teachers and Board members of Rumah Ozanam

Group photo!

After our visit, we explored KL more as we toured around the city and saw the Petronas tours, went to Decathalon (a large sporting goods store) Central Market and Chinatown. Students enjoyed bartering and experiencing the sights and sounds of KL. 

June 27-28

Welcome to the jungle!! We returned last night from our jungle trekking experience. On the morning of June 27, we loaded into 8 4x4 trucks and took off 2 hours away from KL. Our first stop was to a hot spring where we boiled eggs in the 130 degree natural hot springs. 

From there, we had a short drive to the village of the Orang Asli people where we were greeted by what seemed like the whole tribe (kids even stayed home from school to greet us!). The Orang Asli are an aboriginal people who are working hard to preserve their lands and culture. We learned how to weave traditional headdress and we all had a blow dart competition. The Orang Asli gifted us with headdresses and one-of-a-kind bamboo cups made by a tribal elder. Winners of the blow dart competition even got their own darts and blow pipes. We enjoyed touring the village by following a gang of small boys, meeting the king and his family, taking selfies and teaching dance moves. They were hospitable and fun and we feel grateful to have had this opportunity, as few westerners are privileged enough to have this experience. 

After meeting the Orang Asli people, we drove further into the jungle and had a real 4x4 experience... at times having to even tow other trucks up steep hills. We stopped at a spot for lunch that overlooked the river and enjoyed lunch as we dipped our feet in the river. After lunch the tribal leaders taught us how to build a fire and cook noodles in bamboo stalks. From lunch we hiked to the campsite and found our “beds” prepared for us-cots and mosquito nets under a tin roof! We quickly changed and cooled off in the river. Charades, campfire conversations and lots of giggling at night made for a true jungle camping experience. 

In the morning we headed off in search of the Rafflesia flower and a waterfall and what we thought would be an “easy” hike turned out to be very challenging. As we cut our way through the jungle, we were greeted by stunning views and more flora and fauna than we’ve ever seen. The waterfall was a great reward after such a challenging trek. 

Today we’re back in KL where we’ll be visiting an orphanage and doing a city tour. Stay tuned for more and be sure to check out our PHOTOS page for updated pictures!