Hello from Sri Lanka! I want to start by saying how amazing it is to read about everyone’s adventures. It is crazy to think about how we all met just a few months ago in Portland, and now everyone is spread out all over the world!
I can’t believe it has already been a month since I arrived at Millennium Elephant Foundation here in Sri Lanka. I remember it like it was yesterday; it was early on a Monday morning, and I had just traveled for nearly 30 hours. I was exhausted and already feeling overwhelmed about leaving home and being on my own. I had barely gotten my backpack off before I was introduced to the other volunteers, taken on a tour of the sanctuary, and beginning my day. After meeting the nine elephants currently at MEF, the first activity on my agenda was to clean an elephant’s bed. This involved picking up elephant poo (with my bare hands) and chucking it out of the bed. It was quite a humbling experience, but fun in a strange way! My day didn’t end there. After finishing the elephant bed, I worked in the eco-garden, weeding and watering and trying not to wither in the Sri Lankan heat (which I DEFINITELY was not used to coming from New England). Then, I had the opportunity to teach in the Resource Center run by MEF, which is an after-school program where kids of all ages can practice their English.
In the past month, so much has changed. I have gotten completely settled here at MEF, and every day I feel more and more at home. I have been assigned to work with Baby Menike, who is an 8-year-old female elephant. She is new to MEF, and the youngest elephant here, so she is still going through training. It is a method of training that is new to Sri Lanka called “positive training”, and since I am working with Menike, I get to observe and record how the sessions go every day. I also get to wash her, help with vet check, and sneak her the occasional banana. It is such a unique and wonderful experience and I am so happy that I am working with her! We also have projects happening daily at MEF that range from painting the museum to organizing the elephants’ food to fundraising for the sanctuary!
I have also gotten to travel around the island quite a bit. I have hiked Lion’s Rock (the rock mountain where the king of Sri Lanka used to reside), gone shopping in Colombo, enjoyed the beautiful beaches on the southern coast, visited a rock temple, witnessed a “poya” (religious) day, gone whale watching, visited a sea turtle hatchery, toured a tea plantation, and hiked to the World’s End! I love the culture here. The food is amazing, religion adds such an interesting aspect to life here, and locals are so friendly. It is also great to apply the things that I learned on my group semester to experiences that I am having here. I am continuously amazed by how much this small island has to offer. I have seen beautiful beaches, tropical forests, and hilly grasslands all within close proximity. Overall, I have fallen in love with Sri Lanka and the work that I am doing at MEF. I can’t wait to see what the next two months bring!
Love,
Katie
