Lifelong knowledge

My experience abroad over the past two weeks here has been truly amazing. Having to leave here now is sad, but being able to take forward everything that I have learnt and experienced will better me as a person.

To describe my experience I'd start by saying that when you first arrive buy a sim card that can work in the country you're going to as I made the mistake not to and ended up having the tuk tuk to the hostel as I had gone to the wrong gate at the airport, just missing the staff member who was waiting. The sim card will also come into handy when you're in the village as it is nice to talk to your family every now and then and wifi is very weak.

Apart from this small slip up, which I was to blame, the introduction to the team, risk assessments, and training that you go through in your first week is very comforting, clear and supportive which meant that I felt fully welcomed the moment is stepped onto this project.

Something that I would highly recommend and commend is the amount of activities, on top of the elephant hikes, that the staff work hard on providing each day. In my time here I've done bio hikes, learnt the basics of the language here, learnt how to cook local dishes, heard stories from elders, done charity walks, made bamboo cups with the mahouts, etc etc. The list really does go on, and based on the fact that I have only been here two weeks, I find that truly amazing.

The thing that I am surely never going to forget is the 57 km walk we did as a group to raise money to support three of the elephants that they support here. The walk itself was from the village to Mae Chaem and followed the route the elephants would have walked. Although I was sun burnt, my feet blistered and my legs knackered from the two day walk, I had such an amazing time. It really gave me a chance to talk to so many people and was so much fun. But don't worry, if walking isn't for you most weekends they do trips to many places as there are so many stunning places that surround the village.

Finally, I'll address the elephant in the room (literally). The experience that I had here with the elephants and the ethical tourism that they're trying to set up here is truly one to none and the fact that I now have the skills to take data on Asian elephants is something that will help me in the field that I am just starting to approach, putting me ahead in the job hunt. The elephants that I met during these two weeks were so beautiful and it made me so happy to see them in their natural habitat, but it is also amazing that I can take the information on ethical tourism in elephants with me home, to tell my friends and family, so that this can be spread and hopefully soon we can have a change in the way elephants are treated in Thailand.

I really hope what I've said here is hopefully, and if I had any last advice is that would recommend choosing four weeks or more as by the end of two weeks you truly start to settle, as I have, and it is so sad that I have to leave, when I feel another two weeks would have been perfect.