Over this past week I have had an experience that could happen once in a lifetime and can make it even more. Although I have no idea if I will ever come back. I was told that they only hire Thai citizens, but in fact there is a woman from the Us who is now working for the ENP. She started off just like me, a volunteer whose heart felt her calling here. She kept returning until she decided that one day she would do a long term stay. I happened upon her room on the way back from a walk to the convenient store earlier in the day and she had decorated the whole area she lived in with images and a normal comforter and everything. She said that I could talk to her more tomorrow.
But today was another day of elephant poop cleaning. I have no idea if we finished faster, but it felt faster. Since we had the day before to learn how things worked we had it down quickly on what to do. Today I really did just scoop poop. Over and over and over, and I never felt grossed out and I do have to thank the zoo for my immunity towards the smell. There were many flies, but I was totally fine.
That was the only job that we had today. We got to hang out after lunch where I finished one of my books and watched some of the girls play the card game speed while I waited for my Nook to charge to continue with my second book that I had started to reread so I could continue on for the second and third book of the trilogy/series?
At 1:45 we took a group photo with a few elephants and the rest of the volunteers and then had just an Otterbein Group photo with Mix and an elephant before I hung out in the Pavilion for a while before wanting to return to the room only to have been called over by Mix to unload watermelon from a truck. I didn't mind even though we weren't assigned and worked on my upper arm muscles as I caught watermelon. We finished a little before I returned to get a few things before going to Lek's talk. It made me even more inspired to want to work here as we watched a horrific five minute movie on the treatment of the working elephants here in Thailand and the surrounding areas.
We then had dinner and a performance by the local school before coming down and doing an evaluation and a drink with the rest of the class. Today wasn't much but it was still amazing to do what we have done. this place is amazing and always expanding and I really want to come back for years to come. I could do this for the rest of my life and really hope that Lek will think again about an apprentice cause I know what to expect. It'll be hard work, not full of luxury until the end when another elephant is saved and die with honor free here like she said herself. This world is harsh, and she encouraged us to use social media to promote the Save Elephant Foundation and any and everything that has to do with the cruelty of the animals of the world. So I do apologize but I will be taking that to heart and may swamp people with my Facebook about that. Please please please go follow Elephant Nature Park and do not fear on donating. The money always go towards things like food, expansion, and the most important, saving not only Elephants, but the cats, dogs, horses, goats, rabbits, pigs, water buffalo, etc. that are living out their lives in this wonderful place.
-Claire
No comments:
Post a Comment