Visit Thailand... But Visiting with ISV is a MUST!

This past July (2016) I traveled to Chiang Mai Thailand with International Students Volunteer (ISV) to volunteer at Ran Tong Elephant Sanctuary. While we were there we lived with the elephants for two weeks! Never in my life did I think this itself was a possibility!! I knew I would be volunteering with elephants (which itself is amazing and a dream come true), but I had no idea that every morning I would wake up to a view of twenty elephants roaming around enjoying their new life Ran Tong provided for them. During the day we made a fence for the sanctuary, helped WASH ELEPHANTS, feed elephants, clean up after them, tend to the baby elephants, and learn about the daily routines the caretakers have to go through to provide the elephants with a safe and happy life. Most of the elephants were saved from the logging or tourist industry. The best part was that you feel like you are making a difference for these amazing creatures and that they appreciate your hard work. While I was there I made so many friends. Not just from my group, but the people who lived in Thailand as well. One friend I made that had a lasting impression was Adam. He worked at the sanctuary and helped us along the way. He help translate for us and helped us get the things we needed. He was so friendly and immediately became our friend. Another man I met was Gaga. Gaga lived near the sanctuary and would drive us to locations like the market or into the jungle to cut down food for the elephants. He was the nicest man I ever met. He even introduced us to his young son, who we played with many days when we were there! Gaga reminded me of Indiana Jones! I wish I could explain how nice the people there are! They would give you the shirt off their back even if they did not know you.

One of my favorite memories from my trip was bathing the elephants. We made soap out of bark and brought the elephants to a watering hole to wash them. My elephant was named Maku, she was 37 years old and the most gentle giant! We went in to about our chest and the elephants sat down in the water. We rubbed the soap on them and used buckets to rinse them off. The coolest part was the elephants could eat the soap. Maku knew this and tried to steal the soap from me. If I didn't give her the soap she would spray me with water from her truck!! I feel like I bonded with Maku and this will forever be a lasting memory for me. The fact that I was bathing an animal that giant in a watering hole in Thailand is the most humbling feeling ever. I hope when you read this you can see how excited I am about my experience! I have many more stories, but this was my favorite!

Everyday in Thailand is an adventure and ISV made it the most memorable trip ever! This was my first trip out of the country and my first trip by myself. ISV made me feel so comfortable every step of the way. The team is very supportive and the work that they do is amazing. I can never go on vacation again! I will always make my trips about volunteering to help better our world. ISV helped me see this and makes me want to continue making a difference. ISV helps you IMPACT YOUR WORLD. I recommend this project to anyone and everyone. BEST TRIP OF MY LIFE!