By Mike – 3 weeks intern – It was a routine cold night in Toronto, Canada when I randomly searched for elephant sanctuaries. Kindred Spirit Elephant Sanctuary came up and as I perused the page I saw the call for research interns.

I looked into the requirements and immediately applied before I could let more sensible commitments prevent me from changing my mind. I was accepted, booked flights and arrived with my 20 year old daughter joining me.

Daily hikes out to the mountains to find the elephants were a pleasure in their own right as the sounds, scenery and smells excited the senses. Comradery between the interns from across the planet was a highlight of evenings and mornings. Our group had a specific interest in weird and unexplainable mysteries told around the campfire.
I anticipated experiencing great excitement when I would finally see the elephants in the hills (a lifelong dream) for the first time, but somewhat surprisingly what I felt was actually a deep serenity and peacefulness. The elephants seemed to exude calm to all around them and it was clear that their serenity was contagious. I felt an unspoken connection with Too Meh, the matriarch, and while it may be attributed to my imagination, it truly felt like she connected with me as well, and seemed to come towards me whenever I would talk to her in my mind.
Her calm demeanour spoke to her wisdom and knowledge.

I feel truly blessed to have had the opportunity to spend three weeks studying the behavior of these great animals but even more so, to be able to learn about patience and calm from Too Meh.