An Elephantastic Journey: Lessons from the Forest

By Kat 3-week intern

My time at KSES was a wonderful experience. Nah, that’s a lie and an understatement—it was unbelievably eye opening, and gave me experiences beyond what I thought I could expect and some experiences I needed, but never knew I did.

I love adventures and humbling experiences that challenge me. Working with and researching elephants has always been high up in that list. I snapped up the opportunity to come over to KSES the moment it was available. All I knew about the project was elephants, elephants and more elephants, as that’s the only thing I was fixated on. Little did I know how it would open up my eyes to the most simplest and beautiful things.

I stayed in NohBoh’s homestay, where the entire family was so warm and welcoming the entire time. Tuh was an amazing conversationalist. He would randomly approach me to talk to me while I hung out at my favorite spot in the house; the steps leading up to the living area. We would ask each other questions about each other, and try to understand and learn new things.

I had never known of the ethnic minority of the Karens until I arrived in this village of Ban Nakhlang. When I learnt more about their culture, it felt like learning about a lost civilization for some reason.

My first few weeks felt like a dream, learning so many new things that I had never seen or knew about at all. From people, to the culture, to the animals, to the scenery, everything felt breathtaking and beautiful. From a simple research internship, it evolved into a life changing experience in total—being immersed with the Karen community, learning their way of life and how they work and live in these mountains. Every morning was different and such a magnificent experience. By my second week I had felt deep inside me that I was definitely leaving here with a heavy heart by the end of my 6 weeks. One of my coordinators told me that she had experienced something new every day even after being here for so long, and it was hard to believe until my 6th week here, in which I am still learning something new about something right under my nose.

I had worked with a lot of animals in my life; from a chihuahua, to jaguars, to howlers monkeys. But, just being in the same area as an elephant was exhilarating and humbling. They are forces of nature that are not to be messed with—beautiful creatures that boast so much raw strength, yet, what captivated me was their grace and intelligence. Meeting them and collecting data on them will definitely be a memory engraved into my brain forever.

Apart from the other projects I had completed during my time here, I took on a personal project on the Mahouts. With the help of our community coordinator Kanda, I spoke to the Mahouts and learnt so much about them and the different aspects of life they come from. All the Mahouts were so helpful, and went out of their way to ensure our safety as well as aid our research. This sparked something in me to get to know them as something other than just being a Mahout, this really humanized them to me in a certain sense. It is a job that no one should ever take lightly, as they put themselves in a position in which they need to ensure the elephants safety and our safety at the same time, something that is both physically and mentally tasking. I learnt the most about the elephants from these Mahouts. They taught and showed me the way of the Mahout, such as how they are always on guard even though they look calm and composed. I learnt so much about the wildlife and vegetation with the help of these Mahouts. The simple and fulfilling conversations I had with them might be one of my favorite moments I created while being here, as they made the meticulous research time fly by so easily—I’m glad I took an effort to talk to them. The respect and bonds they had with the forest giants they handled was a beautiful sight to see. My respect for these Mahouts will always be something I will advertise to anyone I meet for the rest of my life. There are some special jobs and trades we never see and we can't appreciate—being a Mahout is on that list. It is an ‘Art Without an Audience’.

I had initially thought that my 6 weeks would pass by really slowly, but I was never more wrong in my entire life, as they flew by in a blink of an eye, and I was sad that my time was ending. This project taught me so many things that I will hold dearly with me for years to come. My advice to anyone that even thinks of coming here is that you need to stop thinking—and just do it. Whether it be a week or 2 months it will be something that you would never regret, ever.

The team I worked with here consisting of the staff from village, the coordinators, and full-time staff, were a bunch of beautiful souls that showed me nothing but warmth and kindness. They have a work ethic I respect, and created a good environment for me to learn yet have freedom to express myself as an individual to create my own path. They are an important factor in me having an amazing time here and they will always have a special place in my heart, and I'm glad I could make really good friends while I was here. All in all I had an Elephantastic Adventure and wish the same to anyone else who comes here. :)