By Hannah – 1 week intern

It is safe to say that my time as a photography intern at Kindred Spirit was nothing short of extraordinary, like nothing I have ever experienced before. I applied, only hoping I’d get a glimpse of elephants, and left with far more. Following my research on elephants and tourism in Thailand, I wanted to feel confident in the fact that what I was a part of was fully ethical, and KSES exemplified that in every way. The experience was authentic, natural, and deeply intentional. On top of that, the staff provided endless knowledge about the elephants, their history, their aim, and communicated in a way that not only made me comfortable and confident, but made me more passionate.

A typical day at KSES was meeting at the base at 7am to eat breakfast, along with a delicious coffee from Nee! We began hiking at 8am and depending on the day, we were out for 4-5 hours. As the elephants are semi-wild, it always added to the fun to find out from the mahouts where they were, and get to venture different directions until we found them. Each day was different, witnessing the elephants either in the field, bathing in the river, headed up and over the hills, most often foraging on their way. It was lovely to see the amazing creatures use their trunks so extensively, pulling down bark and full trees, Junior often stealing food from Sri Prai only to miss his mouth. It’s incredible what they are capable of not only physically, but to watch them use their brain to work through an issue mentally! The people I got to work with and spend my time around were additionally inspiring. It was very evident that everyone dedicating their time here had every intention to not only teach but continue learning and growing as well.

When we returned, we ate a delicious lunch cooked by our homestays, and most days went for a swim in the river to cool off. After that, our activities varied but included litter pickup around the village, visiting the nursery and teaching/playing with the children, working on our projects, and getting a Karen lesson. Even with the downtime we had, I most often found myself spending more time with everyone at base. We chose a homestay to all eat dinner together at, and often were in bed early, exhausted from the day. My homestay, Jadee, was right on the stream and the sounds allowed me to fall asleep quickly every night.

The concept of the homestays is one of the things that made the experience so authentic. The Karen people welcomed me with open arms and generous food portions! Even with the few words we could use to communicate with one another, I felt I was constantly learning, feeling, growing, and appreciating. Some of my favorite parts (outside of the elephants, of course) were the afternoon river swims, interactions with the kids in the village, many many card games, endless dog love, and all of the laughs shared. Somehow, even with waking up by 6, I felt like there weren’t enough hours in the day to do all that I wanted. The only thing I wish I would’ve had at KSES was more time 🙂 And, maybe an extra layer as it got quite chilly at night.

By the end of my stay KSES felt like a home and that is largely due to the people I spent my time with. Being a part of this project was a privilege and an experience I will never forget. It allowed me to greatly appreciate my own lifestyle but also recognize ways in which I can slow down, simplify, and act with intention. If you are considering visiting KSES, please do so & make sure to take the time throughout to listen, to watch, to feel, to breathe & to simply be present!