Wow! Time flies and swoops and sinks and soars and doesn’t really exist at all, does it!?  A fortnight comes and goes before we know it and of the experiences we shared, there’s no way to choose just one that stands out among them all. The relationships built, service contributed, temples seen, lessons learned, markets visited, people met and culture discovered both within and outside of ourselves – without it all, we would not be where we are now.  

From the moment we picked you up at the airport on arrival day, the memories began to build like a baby elephant grows, slowly but surely & larger than life!

We all knew we’d love the elephants before we even arrived and our time spent with these majestic creatures bloomed along with our understanding of just how complex their worlds are these days. Coming to learn of the challenging issues upon us drove us to dive deeper to find meaning in the work we’re doing here and to think more critically about everything from elephants to the everyday products we use and the food we eat.

The service was tough, but who would have thought building dams and cutting grass could be so much fun! When we work together it’s amazing how much we can accomplish and how good it feels to witness the fruits of our labor. While the dams may not last forever, nothing in life really does and the reminder that everything is temporary is truly humbling.

And as much as we may have wished we could stay in Thailand forever, saying goodbye was inevitable & certainly no easy task! The tears shed & embraces shared were bittersweet, as we watched you head back home to spread the word & share your stories.

Our greatest hope is that you will cherish the memories of this trip and apply the lessons learned and knowledge gained.  So that maybe you can make a difference in not just the lives of people you know and meet along the way, but of these magnificent elephants we came to know and love, as well as future generations of their species.

Some of our fondest recollections of our time in Thailand are below.  We certainly couldn’t record them all, but we tried to capture something for everyone.

• Epic games!  I haven’t laughed so hard all year like I didn when we played Eyes, Body, Mouth!
• Amazing rafting trip! Oh My Buddha! Lance pulled almost everyone out of their raft at some point, including the rest of the staff! Lol!
• Seeing our elephants every day, taking care of them, going for walks & building relationships with them & the mahouts.
• Long talks on the car rides & on home base, building relationships with one another, forming bonds that will last a lifetime.
• Making medicine balls for the elephants.
• All the amazing Thai food!!!
• Playing Takraw, soccer & volleyball with the mahouts.
• Best mud fight ever at the nursery with the elephants!!!
• Talya cruising around the mall on the dinosaur!
• Our last night at the elephant home. The talent show was epic – sharing stories, dancing & performing for the mahouts was so much fun! We’ll never forget Sydney & Mason’s act or get up!

-Kelly Urch, Mentor

Elephant Village Initiative, Thailand

Feeling nostalgic? You can experience that same sense of friendship and adventure abroad again! Check out all our new destinations for Summer 2018, or enroll now.

Wow! Time flies and swoops and sinks and soars and doesn’t really exist at all, does it!?  A fortnight comes and goes before we know it and of the experiences we shared, there’s no way to choose just one that stands out among them all. The relationships built, service contributed, temples seen, lessons learned, markets visited, people met and culture discovered both within and outside of ourselves – without it all, we would not be where we are now.  

From the moment we picked you up at the airport on arrival day, the memories began to build like a baby elephant grows, slowly but surely & larger than life!

We all knew we’d love the elephants before we even arrived and our time spent with these majestic creatures bloomed along with our understanding of just how complex their worlds are these days. Coming to learn of the challenging issues upon us drove us to dive deeper to find meaning in the work we’re doing here and to think more critically about everything from elephants to the everyday products we use and the food we eat.

The service was tough, but who would have thought building dams and cutting grass could be so much fun! When we work together it’s amazing how much we can accomplish and how good it feels to witness the fruits of our labor. While the dams may not last forever, nothing in life really does and the reminder that everything is temporary is truly humbling.

And as much as we may have wished we could stay in Thailand forever, saying goodbye was inevitable & certainly no easy task! The tears shed & embraces shared were bittersweet, as we watched you head back home to spread the word & share your stories.

Our greatest hope is that you will cherish the memories of this trip and apply the lessons learned and knowledge gained.  So that maybe you can make a difference in not just the lives of people you know and meet along the way, but of these magnificent elephants we came to know and love, as well as future generations of their species.

Some of our fondest recollections of our time in Thailand are below.  We certainly couldn’t record them all, but we tried to capture something for everyone.

• Epic games!  I haven’t laughed so hard all year like I did when we played Blind Man Shoe Find!
• Compliments activity & how much everyone was able to make each other feel good through something so small 🙂
• When we cut so much grass the truck got full & almost couldn’t make it out of the field!
• Seeing our elephants every day, taking care of them, going for walks & building relationships with them & the mahouts.
• Epic rafting trip! Oh My Buddha! Lance pulled almost everyone out of their raft at some point, including the rest of the staff! Lol!
• Long talks on the car rides & on home base, building relationships with one another, forming bonds that will last a lifetime.
• When we all burst into song on the farewell dinner boat upon arrival back at the restaurant & all the locals were looking at us like we were crazy! We are!
• All the amazing Thai food!!!
• Our last night at the elephant home, sharing stories, dancing & performing for the mahouts.

-Kelly Urch, Mentor

Elephant Village Initiative, Thailand

Feeling nostalgic? You can experience that same sense of friendship and adventure abroad again! Check out all our new destinations for Summer 2018, or enroll now.

Wow! Time flies and swoops and sinks and soars and doesn’t really exist at all, does it!?  A fortnight comes and goes before we know it and of the experiences we shared, there’s no way to choose just one that stands out among them all. The relationships built, service contributed, temples seen, lessons learned, markets visited, people met and culture discovered both within and outside of ourselves – without it all, we would not be where we are now.  

From the moment we picked you up at the airport on arrival day, the memories began to build like a baby elephant grows, slowly but surely & larger than life!

We all knew we’d love the elephants before we even arrived and our time spent with these majestic creatures bloomed along with our understanding of just how complex their worlds are these days. Coming to learn of the challenging issues upon us drove us to dive deeper to find meaning in the work we’re doing here and to think more critically about everything from elephants to the everyday products we use and the food we eat.

The service was tough, but who would have thought building dams and cutting grass could be so much fun! When we work together it’s amazing how much we can accomplish and how good it feels to witness the fruits of our labor. While the dams may not last forever, nothing in life really does and the reminder that everything is temporary is truly humbling.

And as much as we may have wished we could stay in Thailand forever, saying goodbye was inevitable & certainly no easy task! The tears shed & embraces shared were bittersweet, as we watched you head back home to spread the word & share your stories.

Our greatest hope is that you will cherish the memories of this trip and apply the lessons learned and knowledge gained.  So that maybe you can make a difference in not just the lives of people you know and meet along the way, but of these magnificent elephants we came to know and love, as well as future generations of their species.

Some of our fondest recollections of our time in Thailand are below.  We certainly couldn’t record them all, but we tried to capture something for everyone.

• Epic games in the rain!  I haven’t laughed so hard all year like I did when we played Ships & Sailors!
• When Duke bought frogs at the local market & the kitchen fried them up for us to all share! Yummmmm 🙂
• Sunday running Marianna over in the river & knocking her over – all caught on video! And to think she almost didn’t get in!
• Seeing our elephants every day, taking care of them, going for walks & building relationships with them & the mahouts.
• The five Thai students (5-6 years old) we saw on our way to cut grass one morning playing in the water, skipping school! When Joon ran to let the teachers know (we didn’t want them to get hurt or drown!) they all grabbed their bags and ran from them into the rice fields. We got that on video too!
• Epic rafting trip! Oh My Buddha! Lance pulled almost everyone out of their raft at some point, including the rest of the staff! Lol!
• Long talks on the car rides & on home base, building relationships with one another, forming bonds that will last a lifetime.
• All the amazing Thai food!!!
• Our last night at the elephant home, sharing stories, dancing & performing for the mahouts.

-Kelly Urch, Mentor

Elephant Village Initiative, Thailand

Feeling nostalgic? You can experience that same sense of friendship and adventure abroad again! Check out all our new destinations for Summer 2018, or enroll now.

Wow! Time does fly doesn’t it!  In some ways it still feels like yesterday that we met in Little Village. We will always remember those 13 weary faces staring at us, fraught with anticipation and excitement to be there. It takes courage to step into the unknown and I applaud you for taking that step to embark on a journey of discovery in Thailand.

We are sure that the whole experience has now had a chance to really sink in. The time that we spent together will definitely be significant to everyone for different reasons. For some we know that the chance to spend time and interact with elephants like Motala, Mosha and Boonmee will have left a lasting impression on you.

It was a privilege to stay at the FAE hospital, we were one of the first groups to ever stay on- site and to be in the presence of these elephants was incredibly special.  For others it will be the friendships that were formed on this trip, connecting with people who share the same philosophies of life and/or challenge us to think differently and improve, can be greatly uplifting. For some it might have been the cultural immersion itself, delving into different dishes, traditions and the rich history of Thailand during our temple and market visits was fascinating.

The contribution that everyone made to create an organic garden, a compost box and clean up the elephant graves and the grounds will always be remembered at FAE . It was hard and hot sometimes but it was with great team work and perseverance that we managed to finish the projects. Nothing worthwhile is ever achieved without hard work and you should all be proud that you stuck with it until the end.

We must say that the situation around Elephant conservation in Thailand is complex, and there seems to be no definite answer. This can be frustrating but we hope that by visiting different elephant places during the session, that it opened your eyes to the realities they face.  We do believe that with greater understanding we can push for change.

Didn’t we pack a lot of activities into those three weeks? boy did we laugh! Some moments from the trip that we won’t forget:

-Making delicious mini pizza’s for dinner with an elaborate amount of toppings and of course your favourite =cheese!

-Playing elbow tag in the sand and laughing so hard as we all took turns at bailing:)

-Listening to each others story of self, I think you all realized then how much more you had in common and we bonded well

-Trying to create an a cappella masterpiece

-Having a rave in the vans with Non’s bass and some sick beats 🙂

-Playing Ninja at little village

-Getting competitive during ‘Eyes, Body, Mouth’ at the Hmong Hill Tribe Resort

-Cuddling with baby elephants wherever we went

-Exploring the markets and temples in Lampang, Chiang Mai and Lamphun

-Bathing Mosha at FAE

-Finishing the elephant cemetery! what a great team effort

– ‘Buck Daaaee’  #enoughsaid

It was amazing to be a part of this group. To watch you grow and learn from each other. We hope this trip has enriched your story, challenged your perceptions of what is possible and motivated you to pursue your passions!

We trust you are enjoying school, college and all the other endeavors you are pursuing in life right now. Whether it is clear to you or not, we hope the world is unfolding as it should.

In the wise words of Nelson Mandela;

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light , not our darkness that frightens us most.

We ask ourselves ‘who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous and talented?’ Actually, who are you not to be?

Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are meant to shine like children do. It’s not just in some of us, its in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others”

Something to think about.

Stay safe, have fun and please be in touch!

Best

-Em and Ash

Feeling nostalgic? You can experience that same sense of friendship and adventure abroad again! Check out all our new destinations for Summer 2018, or enroll now.

It was a wonderful experience working with the students. Getting to know each student individually. I also had great rapport with most of the students which enabled us to have touching conversations and share stories.