Rosalinde Splitters has been volunteering several times at ElephantsWorld. She likes to share with you her experiences and the reasons why she came back to spend time working with our elephants.
March 26th, 2016
Last saturday I returned from my third stay at ElephantsWorld in Thailand. I’m still trying to adjust to life back home. People wonder why I keep going back there: Is it the elephants, the people, the country? For me it’s the way of living. Being among such amazing animals every day is of course very unique but it’s more than that. It’s being outside all day, working with amazing colleague volunteers who share a passion, it’s getting to know mahout culture and learning from their knowledge of the animals and nature.
For me personally it’s also the climate, not just the fact that it’s warm (people who know me know my internal heater does not work properly!) but also the mentalilty, the layed back way of going through the day. Those who have volunteered at EW know that you have to work hard, but it never feels that way to me. Being there makes me realize that this world has many different options and it broadens my perspective on my own possibilities in the future.
I thought it would be my last time (like I did twice before) but now I feel like I will return to my home away from home at least one more time. and who knows again… and maybe again…Not because I think there’s nowhere else to go, but because I fell in love with this place, it’s people and the life it offers. So this time no new album of pictures, and I know I did not post anything whilst being there. Just wanted to share this with friends who are interested in understanding my experience. If you consider volunteering at EW for a month, I can assure you, you won’t regret it (and I think many people can confirm this). Big hug to all of you and especially to my fellow elephant lovers who I think can relate to (some) of this…
Rosalinde Spitters
A future volunteer from 2016! ^_^