The natural landscape of Alaska, a seemingly endless wonder of the world, draws our participants from Thailand to spend their cultural exchange summer chasing the aurora borealis, experience weather, cuisine, and customs different than their own, and providing excellent customer service to the diverse population who visit Fairbanks.

Exchange visitors in Fountainhead Hotels, a premier lodging group with three all-inclusive hotels in Fairbanks, Alaska, welcomed exchange visitors from Thailand to their team and embraced their roles as cultural hosts by arranging multiple cultural activities.

The participants toured the University of Alaksa Fairbanks' Large Animal Research Station, a facility dedicated to studying and educating the public on Alaskan wildlife. The participants learned from researchers, observed muskox, wood bison, and reindeer, and enjoyed a picnic lunch on the lush grounds.

The University of Alaska Museum of the North features 2.5 million artifacts and specimens from archaeological finds to contemporary Alaskan art. The participants freely roamed the museum and rejoined as a group for a pizza party and conversation on their favorite exhibits, such as the bowhead whale skeleton and the sound installation, the Room Where You Go to Listen, and how the museum and its collection captured to their own culture. When asked what was her most impactful experience in July, Jirachya answered “It was when I went to the Museum of the North at University of Alaska Fairbanks. I can get to see many historical things about Alaska, know more about their wild life animals and about Inuits, the way they have lived before.”

Fountainhead celebrated the hard work of their team with a BBQ - a classic American hangout with games and good food. Weeraphat shared that “the most import experience in this month is BBQ party. I met a lot of new friends and we have activity with each others.”