I had a great time with our Thai participants working at UW-Milwaukee at the world-famous Cheesehead Factory. Participants had the chance to learn about the history of the famous Wisconsin Cheesehead, tour the factory, and even make their own Cheesehead hat! They had a great time pouring the secret mix into the hat mold, pulling it out, and trimming it by hand to create their own perfect product.
Throughout the tour, participants enjoyed posing with all of the different types of hats the factory had produced in the past for other restaurants. At the end, everyone posed in front of the factory wearing their freshly-minted Cheesehead hat.
After the Cheesehead Factory tour, we took a taxi to Cathedral Square Park for the 38th annual celebration of Bastille Days. It was complete with fresh beignets, street performers, and even an Eiffel Tower replica! Participants commented on how unique it was to have a such a popular French celebration right in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
I had some really great conversations with our participants and enjoyed getting to know them on a more personal level. One participant was inspired to eventually start his own Work and Travel agency in Thailand to help future participants come on the program and have great experiences of their own.
Another student was on the program for the 2nd year in a row after spending last summer near Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. She said that she could not compare the two experiences because they were both equally amazing in their own ways.
At the end of the evening, the participants went to a local pizza parlor, Ian’s Pizza. They said it was the best pizza they ever had, and they thought it was better than pizza in Thailand. Overall, it was a very fun day for us all!
Be sure to check out some of our other photos below: