After spending about a week working with wildlife, my classmates and I were moved over to the elephant schedule. We were very excited, but a tad hesitant. We were given the down low on how the days were from our other classmates, which gave us a little more preparation. We heard that the days were generally easy and fun, but very very hot, excluding the dreaded “harvest”. With that in mind, we went into the first day with a positive mind set and had a blast. The schedule was  set up similar to the wildlife schedule. The only difference, was that there was only 13 elephants, so instead of working in a certain area, you were assigned to a specific group of elephants. In the mornings, we would head to our elephant area and get right to work! Every day, these elephants would get something called, a banana ball. A banana ball was a ball made of mushed up bananas, bran, and elephant pellets, and it was super messy, but definitely my favorite part. After making the banana balls, we would get to feed them! It was crazy watching these giant creatures use their trunks to grab this mush ball from your hand and feed themselves. It was amazing.

Working with the elephants was something I can’t even begin to explain. It was scary, amazing, hard, unbelievable, but overall one the best opportunities life could have given us. We were able to get close and comfortable with these elephants, creating bonds in such a short amount of time. It felt like we were making friends, not just working with an animal, it felt stronger. This feeling made it easier when it came to the hard parts of working with them. I personally felt a better appreciation when it came time to clean their enclosures and harvest their banana trees. And that says a lot because harvesting was probably one of the hardest tasks I have ever done in my life. Staying out in a banana tree field for two hours in the smoldering Thailand heat carrying dozens of banana trees didn’t seem that bad when you later put your hard work to good use by feeding them, and creating enrichments. Our hard work ultimately kept these elephants mentally and physically healthy, and what better feeling is that.

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At WFFT, they have volunteers who come from all over the world, who stay anywhere from one week, to months, and even years. While we were there, the volunteers were coming and going pretty often, and I want to say there was only 40 volunteers at the time. The volunteer coordinator had mentioned that they normally have up to 80 at a time! However, because the volunteer number was so low, a few students and myself were able to spend a week working with the wildlife portion of the sanctuary before starting our time with the elephants. I am so happy I was able to do this. The critters on the wildlife side, included a variety of different animals including, sun bears, gibbons, macaques, a cassowary, pigs, otters, different bird of prey species, deer, the list could go on.

Every day we were assigned a different “area” and each area had 3 or 4 volunteers assigned to them. I liked this bit, because we were able to meet some really cool people from some really cool places. I’m not going to lie, this was hard work, and although it was very fulfilling, and we learned a lot about different animal species, it was a slight shock to the system. A day would cover such tasks as, filling waters, making the food for the animals, cleaning enclosures, special projects, creating enrichments, and more. Although it was very hard work, and super long days in the heat, I had so much fun. Being able to say that we got to help enrich the daily lives of 500 different wildlife animals, was an amazing feeling. Not to mention, the people who we worked with were amazing. It was a breath of fresh air, learning about these volunteers, about their lives,  their hopes and dreams, and realizing that we were all hear for the same reason. To try and make a difference.

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After a delayed flight, a quick 3 hour sleep on the floor of a friend’s apartment in Brooklyn, a $50 Uber ride, and close to a full 24 hours of flying, I finally made it to Bangkok, Thailand, our study abroad destination. A trip across the world is a great way to test your travelling abilities, and truly, I think everyone will agree when I say, boy were we tested. Due to all the travel delays, we didn’t end up getting to Bangkok until Sunday night. The class ended up staying at the cutest hostel, about 20 minutes from the airport, and it was almost a blessing in disguise. Having a hot shower, comfortable bed, and air conditioning was a secret God send before our time at the sanctuary began.

The next morning, we awaited the arrival of a few students who also had travel delays, and then we set out for the sanctuary! The sanctuary — Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT) — was about 3 hours SW of Bangkok, and the drive was beautiful. We left the surprisingly industrial city and made our way towards the mountains and deeper into the green jungle. Upon arrival at WFFT, we were greeted by the volunteer coordinator who gave us a quick hello and welcome and then we were given our room assignments. We towed our suitcases to our dorms, settled in the best we could, and then headed to lunch. Afterward eating a filling Thai-esque meal, we were given a tour of the entire sanctuary, which was a whole lot bigger than what met the eye. As a class, we jumped in the back of a pick-truck, hit the dirt roads, and ventured through all of the acres of land — seeing the array of wildlife that we would be so lucky to work with.

Click here to read other stories from the SPC Thailand Study Abroad program.