School

I saw in my elephant camp handbook that we are supposed to teach English at the school....so I asked Jin about it. We went to school one day, but not to teach English, we were there to play. Oh my goodness- this was amazing!!! The children saw us walking up the street and got very excited, they started to run over to the fence and watched as we came around the corner; instantly I had multiple children hanging off of me. They were excited for a new play partner. First I was showed the playground, then I had a rousing game of shooting...? I don't know but they boys made guns with their hands and shooting sounds, so I died a few times.
Then I was shown inside the school, i had a circle of about 7 children in tow. They are kindergarten aged. They stopped after they finished showing me around and stood in a circle, and looked at me like I am supposed to do something-what? Think quickly, children can smell fear. So I started to play ring around the rosie. Children loves songs, especially those with actions. So it was perfect, and they caught on so quickly. I was so happy for this. We played this for a while and then went back outside.
Out on the playground there is a jungle gym, besides the people that went to play that morning. I lifted one child up to the bars, and then 50 more came, raising their arms screaming "hello, hello hello" simultaneously so they can get their turn and be lifted up onto the handle bars too. When you start this process you can't stop.

I was able to break away eventually, only to find myself being pulled into multiple directions and then the children decided that we could go inside. I was given a book to read (it was English) so we read a story. then I was given another book to read, it was not English. I tried to charade out sorry. I think they understood eventually that I can't read Thai, because one little girl started saying something to the little boy about the book he brought to me. So cute, I am excited to go back and play.

Their smiles are enough to get any heart. Laughter and play have no language. All anyone needs is a smile, love, an open heart and some energy (kids are fast). 

I asked if I could take some photos and then it got crowded, a selfie stick would have been helpful

So cute, oh my goodness! One of my best friends for the morning

Laughter ensues as I am trying to not fall

These girls <3

Best friends I think, they were together the whole time

And so the lifting begins...

Jin = Human jungle gym 

The playground with a rumba line going through it

That face - doesn't it just make you smile. It makes me smile. So funny! 

Making a funny face

Love is what I experienced when I went to the school. I am still feeling it as I write this, looking at these pictures bring me so much joy and happiness. I can't help but smile.

Tigers

So Tigers - just big kitty cats or mean face eating machines???


Just big Kitty Cats...

Today I spooned a tiger, it was different, and I was afraid at first but she didn't seem to mind as much. I think Mr. Gru has scratched me more when I have tried to cuddle him...(Orange didn't scratch at all). The difference between the two? Mr. Gru can't eat your face but is not happy about cuddles on a regular basis. Orange could eat your face and it totally fine with cuddles.

My cat loving friends: I think we should adopt a tiger as a house pet, and share between us all so that we can have more kitty cuddles by bigger kitties.

My first snuggle with the Tigers....working up to the real thing

This is Bang, he is sleepy

Bang gets embarrassed when I kiss his tail

Now he is awake

Bang, Marcel, and I

(Marcel is a fellow volunteer here in Thailand)

I cozy up to Orange...with some encouragement.

Can't believe this is happening right now

She is precious

Bang rolled over...

Boi and I

Maybe I woke him up...such a big yawn

So beautiful

Majestic, I love this picture <3

Boi

Boi

WAIT!!

Time for a selfie!!

I also got to see some baby tigers 

Where I belong

I think I am exactly where I am supposed to be. This may sound a little crazy, but I am a little crazy-so whatever?

This is a double edged sword. With all the good there is always bad, but I would never trade any of the bad in my life--ever. Everything in my life that has happened to me has made me into the person that I am and I wouldn't change that.

I feel like I have met my Mahout before, I feel like I have done some of these things before...kind of like de-ja-vu. This feeling makes me feel like I am exactly where I am suppose to be right now. I think de-ja-vu is the world telling you that you are doing what you are supposed to be doing. Philosofamily, I would not like to discuss free will here - but I do have it.

Mandy read my tarot cards before I left. For me, the cards talked about my leaving and finding my way among other things. I feel really good about it, I think those cards are right. So maybe they are right about the other tings too, Mandy. We shall see - time will tell right?
This adventure so far has been just amazing, empowering, and enlightening. I feel better about everything in life - although I want to stay in the jungle forever. I fall asleep at night listening to grass rattling, elephants eating, my fan blowing and elephants tooting. Mostly Haad tooting - he is so loud sometimes. But I love it. This is an experience like no other.

However, there have been and I am sure there will be many more times when I feel completely alone and disconnected from people, both here and back home. I begin to miss friends and my old life (which is gone forever). Sometimes I wish I could just take a little piece of my friends with me, I realize that I am a little piece of them. I have grown so much and learned so much from my friends and family. I am a product of all of them. Then as I think that I am alone I get a message from someone, I get a snap chat, I get someone chirping up that they miss or love me. That is what helps to keep me sane, that is what helps to keep me going here. Even though I am so far away, my family still loves me. The love and support of my family (friends=family that I have picked. Family=friends+blood family) is what I need, and I appreciate so much. I appreciate so much that I have that. So thank you for thinking of me and telling me that you are.

Much love to all

Zip Lining

Wow, the zip line course we did was just amazing. We were zip lining here in the jungle. It was so cool to see things from this perspective. It is so beautiful here.

Some of the other volunteers and I

We are awesome-so we pose! 

Scenic shots from zip lining:

What a beautiful place! 

Just sit back and relax they say...

Update - this is amazing

Since my last post I have been crazy! Things have been so busy here:
Monday to Friday I am at the Maetaman Elephant camp, just north of Chiang Mai in Thailand. I wake up at 5:30AM, get dressed, grab my things (broom, gloves, and sccrub brush), walk to my elephant and wait for my Mahout (elephant trainer, every elephant has their own), pick up elephant poop, sweep the grass from their home, ride them down to the river, scrub them clean in the river, and ride them back home. After this we go home and shower, make and eat breakfast, and go to work until lunch time. Work includes working in the show selling elephant paintings and sweeping out the elephant enclosures; or helping out in the kitchen peeling potatoes, cucumbers and packing vitamins for the elephants and feed them their vitamins. Have lunch-we eat the same thing every day for lunch. Lunch is buffet style complete with rice, yellow curry, sweet and sour chicken, cooked vegetables, fried chicken wings, chicken potato soup, a noodle dish, watermelon, and some fresh salad vegetables. After lunch we have a couple hours free to do something if we do not have to go into the jungle, then we bathe our elephants again at 4:00PM, have supper at 6 and I am usually in bed around 9, if not before.

The view from my window-this is Imboon trying to steal some grass from another elephant. Love Imboon-she is so cute! 

This is another view from my window-this is also the elephant that I get to work with. Ernie. She is amazing! 

Getting up onto my elephant had gotten easier with time. I am more confident about it. a Few things I have learned about my elephant:
Ernie is HER name, she has ants in her pants - cant sit still for bath time, she is playful, doesn't like to always listen, and is always hungry.
Ernie is very sweet and swy (Thai for pretty), she is smart (she can play harmonica) and I like her.

A trail of coconuts

Elephant poop: I call it coconuts, because it is about the same size of a coconut. Actually like a coconut but with grass strewn through it. My mahoot and I usually count the elephant poops when we pick them up, we don't have much else to talk about, my Thai skills allow my to ask how someone is (and I wouldn't know what they were saying unless they say that they are doing good), and to ask their name, along with a couple words now. My mahouts English skills, I am not sure of. He doesn't say much in English.

My mahout is named Suway (spelling?) not Woolan, and I, which is what I have been calling him. I started calling him this when another Mahout (Dun) told me to say Woolan po ba ba - I thought he was saying that Woolan was poo ba ba. Ba is Thai for crazy, later I found out that it meant totally crazy. Tonight I was speaking with Jin, our volunteer coordinator here at the camp. He said that my mahout is not named "woolan", his name is Suwy. Woolan is a word that I was not even pronouncing correctly, it was "louwan" and that means "bonehead". I guess it is good that I did not often call him by what I thought his name was since I learned it. Of course I would be the one to call my mahout bonehead for two weeks.

Elephants

Today I rode an elephant! Today I touched my first elephant. Today I got river water sprayed on my by an elephant. All of these words I never thought I'd say. But wow, just wow. This feels magical to me, unreal-as if I'm living in a dream.

Me and Ernie (my elephant)

❤️

Quote of the night

Out dancing at Zoe at Yellow-the place we were told to not go by our coordinators...

Looking across the street "wait! There are strippers??!!! Why are we here? We should be where the strippers are!"..."oh wait, that's not strippers at all, that's just the bartender taking off his shirt"

Great laugh-great night full of dancing. Excited to go back there again

Orientation

Today was day 1 of orientation. Yesterday was moving into our new place, meeting the other volunteers and then wandering around Chiang Mai. A few of us went to wonder around, while doing so we stumbled upon the arts and culture museum. Very cool, the building just went on forever, so much to see. 

A display inside the art centre

Part of the lush garden that is inside the arts and culture centre. 

A shrine inside the arts and culture centre

We went to Warrorot Market and looked around-it is HUGE!! 

It is crowded like this for many blocks, and it also has many floors. 

While there we found some food. I had a noodle beef soup thing-so good! Could eat this every day!! 

Following this we went back to the volunteer house, found more people and went for dinner. We were all super tired, being on different time schedules and such. The girls in my room and I were all asleep before 9pm. Before we fell asleep we were talking about how to turn off our lights...couldn't find the light switch anywhere. We slept with them on, found the light switch in the morning. It wasn't in an obvious place though. It was in the middle of the wall behind one of the bunk beds.

T minus 0 days

I'm at the airport-this is now T minus 0 days. I can't believe it's actually here. I'm through security and on my way. What to do?? I'm anxious, excited...mostly just overwhelmed. I do not know what to expect, I do not know what I need to know. I don't know what I do not know. 

I do have faith that this the right decision for me. I am thankful that I can do this. When shall I make my glorious re-entrance into Canada? I do not know. When I am ready I think. 

Time for a selfie! Last one in Canada...