Not an Irrelephant Weekend

Not an Irrelephant Weekend
By: Kayla Wilson and Sophie Brown

We’ve been here in Chiang Mai for a week now, and every minute has been an adventure of a lifetime. This weekend we took a break from lecture style learning at our lovely second home, ISDSI, and experienced some lovely local tourist attractions.

This Saturday morning, we had an early start to an amazing day. We headed off to the Thai Elephant Conservation Center that was located about an hour outside of the city. When we got to the center, we were greeted by a lovely staff and a beautiful building. There were pictures of elephants everywhere, and all ten of us were genuinely overwhelmed with excitement. We first watched a video that was very happy and described how supportive the Thai people are of conserving the marvelous species. Eager as ever, we were then finally off to see the elephants.

There were about ten elephants awaiting our arrival. They were ready for bath time. They splashed, swam, and had so much fun interacting with the guests and spraying us with water. Then we headed to the main event, the elephant show. The show began when the elephants walked in playing the drums and waving flags with their mouth. They demonstrated several different learned behaviors including how elephants are used in logging, walking backwards, running while carrying logs in their mouth, throwing balls into a basket, painting, and putting hats on their owners. It was really interesting to observe which of these learned traits were necessary for the health of the elephants and which were taught for the enjoyment of the tourist. The second portion of the visit to the Conservation Center consisted of a visit to the elephant clinic. The center provides free medical care to surrounding areas for privately owned elephants. I thought this was amazing, and it made me realize that the tricks taught to entertain the tourist are very important - they provide a means for making the free veterinary services. This trip to the Conversation Center was very valiant and I really appreciated the steps taken by the Thai people to ensure that elephants thrive in Chiang Mai for years to come. 

After a weekend packed with exploring Chiang Mai’s history, cultural heritage, and modern day shopping, Monday eased us back into education. Our group had a block of free time this morning, and took advantage of that by enjoying some Thai massage. The Thais are known for their strict adherence to modesty and this is really obvious when you experience their massage practices. Unlike western massages, the client wears a full, traditional Thai outfit, with long cotton fisherman pants, and a cotton top. For those who are uncomfortable with America’s practice of stripping down completely, and covering with a towel, Thai massage (at least in Thailand) would probably suit them well. A towel is still laid over the midsection of the client to add another layer between the massage therapist’s hands, and areas that could be more sensitive or intimate for some people. Thai massage is pretty well known as being SUPER rough, and not a lot of people can handle it. While it was pretty intense, it definitely wasn’t the level of intensity any of us were scared it would be. It worked out all of the knots and kinks that all of us have picked up from traveling, and sleeping on weird new mattresses. All of us were SO RELAXED afterwards. It might just have been the best experience we’ve had thus far (that’s a lie, everything is great here).

Hi guys, it's Kayla! This week has been full of so many amazing adventures. Personally, I am not an anthropology major nor have I ever taken a global health course. Due to this, I have learned so incredibly much over the past seven days. I have absorbed every minute of the time we've spent inside of the classroom and seeing firsthand what health means for the Thai people. I think my favorite part of this trip so far has been developing relationships with my peers that I am on this trip with. All nine of the students who I get to share this experience with have been so awesome. We get to share some of the most memorable moments of our lives, support each other through the culture shock we have experienced, get to know one another on a very deep level, and have intellectual conversations that continue to help us grow as pre health students. They have been great and I am so glad that their presence has allowed me to smile and laugh constantly. This trip has been the experience of a lifetime and I cannot wait to spend two more weeks in this amazing country. Thank you mom and dad!! :-) 

From Sophie: Hey mom I’m alive. Thailand is awesome. Love you and see you soon.