GVI, Ethical Impact. Volunteer in Thailand

Translation: The elephant project in Huay Pakoot was a great opportunity for me to get to know another country with a different culture. By living in a host family, I got to know the Asian culture much better than ordinary tourists. My host family was very adorable and a good family substitute. The work with the elephants was as impressive as I imagined. You have the opportunity to get close to the animals without harming them, as they do not live in captivity. In addition, I got to know a lot of different people from different places in the project, who quickly became friends. The project was an incredibly interesting experience that I would do again at any time.

Original: Das Elefantenprojekt in Huay Pakoot war fuer mich eine gute Moeglichkeit, ein anderes Land, mit einer anderen Kultur kennen zu lernen. Dadurch, dass ich in einer Gastfamilie gelebt habe, habe ich die asiatische Kultur wesentlich besser kennen gelernt, als gewoehnliche Touristen. Meine Gastfamilie war sehr liebenswert und ein guter Familienersatz. Die Arbeit mit den Elefanten war genauso beeindruckend, wie ich sie mir vorgestellt habe. Man hat die Moeglichkeit, den Tieren nah zu kommen, ohne ihnen zu schaden, da sie nicht in Gefangenschaft leben. Zudem habe ich bei dem Projekt viele unterschiedliche Menschen, aus verschieden Orten kennen gelernt, die ziemlich schnell zu Freunden wurde. Das Projekt war eine unglaublich interessante Erfahrung, die ich jederzeit wieder tun wuerde.

Translation: This experience is to live at least once in his life. We think we know each other perfectly; but here, without our usual comfort, we discover more. We go over some fears or fears and so on. We are also learning to surpass ourselves. The fact of being very close to the elephants (who are the basis of the project) is amazing.

In this project, we take care of the elephants (their state of health ...), but we are always in contact with the families of the village, staff members and other volunteers. The laughter, the discussions, the exchanged glances bring a lot!
We leave this beautiful place, Huay Pakoot, not only with many memories in mind, but also with another state of mind.

Original: Cette experience est a vivre au moins une fois dans sa vie. Nous pensons nous connaitre parfaitement; mais ici, sans notre petit confort habituel, nous nous decouvrons davantage. Nous passons au dessus de certaines peurs ou craintes et j'en passe. Nous apprenons egalement a nous surpasser. Le fait d'etre tres close des elephants (qui sont la base du projet) est amazing.
Dans ce projet, nous nous preoccupons des elephants (leur etat de sante...), mais aussi nous sommes en permanence en contacte avec les familles du village, les membres du staff et les autres volontaires. Les rires, les discutions, les regards echanges apportent beaucoup!
Nous quittons ce bel endroit, Huay Pakoot, non seulement avec pleins de souvenirs en tete, mais aussi avec un autre etat d'esprit.

I had an amazing experience whilst on the project and would highly recommend it! Whilst here we went on daily elephant hikes, these were great as you get to experience being in the company of elephants whilst they are in their natural environment. I also helped out at the school and the nursery whilst on the project, this was a great opportunity to interact with the local children, have fun and teach them english, it was great to see them learning new things and know you were a part of that process. Staying in a homestay with a family from the village really immerses you into the culture, this along with frequent activities run by other villagers helps you pick up the language quicker, a great way to get to know everyone better, and makes you enjoy your time even more.

Throughout my 4 weeks in Thailand working with GVI Chiang Mai project, I had the chance to experience not only the beautiful culture of the Karen people in Huay Pakoot, but also the beautiful nature of Asian elephants in their natural habitats. What surprised me the most was the abundance of community work available for us to take part in. This included going to the local school 2 days a week as a TA, doing one on ones with individuals around the village, mahout dinners, cooking classes, bamboo cup making classes and many more ! There was constantly something going on to ensure we were completely immersed in the community and constantly learning and experiencing. Like many things, it is the people that ultimately make the experience. That includes not only the villagers but the GVI staff, interns and the other volunteers ! We became a family and one that I will most definitely have for life. We hiked together, taught together, learned Pakinyaw (the local language) together and grew together ! This was the experience of a lifetime and I can hardly wait to get back and be reunited with my new GVI family in my new home of Huay Pakoot.

One of the best experiences in my life, every day in the village was amazing. Walking to base every morning, looking at the sunrise, greeting the villagers and dogs around. Eating breakfast, and then going on an awesome hike, each time better than the first, with the opportunity to do night hikes and cave hikes to see other flora and fauna from Thailand. After an always great hike, and beautiful elephants and other interesting creatures, going back to eat homemade lunch by the host family with everyone at base, while chatting and looking at the amazing scenery. After that learning about many different subjects, from elephant conservation, and nature, to social and cultural subjects. Learning the Karen language to be able to communicate deeply with the locals and host family. Then eating diner, sometimes just having it at the host family house, sometimes having it as a cooking class and others sharing with everyone, always having fun. Then going to different English class getting to know the locals, and mahouts (the elephant companions how are in charge of watching them and making sure they are alright) Sometimes have great workshops like basket weaving, or cloths weaving just mentioning some of the most outstanding for me. And after that amazing day, just chilling at base with everyone, watching a movie, playing games, or maybe just going back home and chilling with the host family and learning from them. At the end after all the amazingness of the day, just going back to sleep and having another day just like this next morning. All that I mention it’s just a tiny bit of what all of this is.
It was an unforgettable experience, with a lot of new friends and new adventures and experiences to share.

I spent a month in the beautiful mountens of Chiang Mai, in a little village called Huay Pakoot. In this villige I got to observe and follow such butiful and amazing elephants everyday on our hikes. I loved how seeing these extraordinary gentle giants everyday got so normal to me after a wile but still gave me an amazing feeling every time, even on my last hike. This trip didn’t just open my eyes and heart to elephants, it also gave me friends for life and experiences i will never forget. I got the opportunity to teach english to the children in the local school and also just to visit some of the villagers and learn about them and their culture. I also learned so much about myself and what I’m capable of and that is something that this program has given me that i always will be grateful for. The villagers og Huay Pakoot opened their homes and hearts to me and I’m so greatful for the people i met their. My home and heart is now in Huay Pakoot.

GVI Chiang Mai was the best volunteer experience I have ever had. They were very helpful with the pre-depature process and made my first time traveling abroad alone less stressful. Once I arrived in the village and started doing the elephant hikes, I knew I made the right choice with this program. Our days were always busy, but it was something fun and meaningful. Every morning would start with an elephant hike with one of the mahouts. After we got back, we would have lunch and watch some presentations. On certain days we would go teach English at the school and play sports with the kids, or we would do litter picks around the village. There were many opportunities to get involved in the village to have a full cultural experience. GVI Chiang Mai was an amazing experience and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about elephants and a new culture.

From the moment I signed up for the project I knew it was the best decision I made. I needed to get away from my job that I didnt like at the time so finding this project was the best thing that could have happened. I was apprehensive about going to Thailand and not knowing what to expect but from the moment I got there, met the staff and new volunteers I felt at ease and new it was going to be an amazing 6 weeks. This was my second experience as a volunteer and it will forever be my favourite. There is no better feeling than working with animals especially in their natural environment. Getting to hike every day with these beautiful creatures was something out of this world. The project is great and was everything I expected and more! The staff on the project are great at what they do and make sure we got the best experience!