Jarred up awake by an international jet landing firmly, I scoped the window and was greeted by the dark sky lightened up by the bright lights of Bangkok. I checked my digital watch, reading that it was around 2am. Instantly excited and nervous, I wondered how to navigate around in the airport and retrieve my tiny vintage suitcase without making a fool of myself just because I do not know Thai. Fortunately, it turned out to be easy because signs everywhere are also in English. Furthermore, an attentive flight attendant assisted me in filling out paperwork so I could pass through the passport control area and retrieved my suitcase without trouble. Feeling triumphed and relaxed, I eagerly went to the meeting point and awaited the SPC group upon their arrival at 8am. There, I killed time by reading and taking naps on comfy seats without seat handles. Lulled by a dispersing flow of the walking crowd and the glowing glimmer of sunrise, I savored every moment. Eventually, I realized that it was way past 8am and the group did not arrive. At this point, my cell phone was not connected to Wi-Fi because I could not read Thai. We were supposed to embark on a 3-hour trip to the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT) by 9am. Panicked, I went to the help desk and consulted the public computer to no avail. Luckily, next to the help desk, I saw a dark-skinned man with a sign with my name and one other name on it.  From there, I learned from a tall male student that the SPC group was held up by some flight delays. Perplexed, I was the only student without problems and felt oddly blessed. Did it have something to do with 2017 being the year of the Rooster? It was my first time traveling abroad and I was grateful for a somewhat easy start to my journey in WFFT. For those who do not know about WFFT, this place is basically a wildlife sanctuary and refuge for elephants. Compared to the Tennessee Elephant Sanctuary (TES), WFFT permits visitors and volunteers to interact with elephants under supervision while TES does not but does offer live webcam of their resident elephants. I think it is a golden opportunity to observe elephants close up in person at WFFT. Upon arrival at WFFT, finding roosters there charmed and warmed me inside. If you go near the roosters too closely, they actually run with their heads not bobbing! It was one of the best discoveries I ever had. After settling in the assigned room and stuffing myself full of delicious Thai lunch, new volunteers and I went on an educational tour about the inner workings of the sanctuary for wildlife. There are a lot of different animals out there (e.g. gibbons, macaques, boars!). Notably, I learned that Malayan sun bears are a lot smaller compared to other species of bear and that they are often poached for bile and trafficked as illegal pets. We are there to help care and advocate for the wildlife and educate people so these terrible things do not happen again. As the night nears, heavy and warm humid air weighing me down, I got sleepy and ate dinner. We were told that we would start working with elephants the first thing in the early morning before breakfast (it means 6am!). Thrilled, I looked forward to getting started the next day and make a difference here in Bangkok.

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