The Kingdom of Thailand

Introduction

Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country of southeast Asia. With over 68 million people, Thailand is the world's 21st-most-populous country. The capital and largest city is Bangkok. Thailand is bordered by Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia.

Why we chose this country ?

Rich in culture, paradise islands, exciting jungles, amazing food, phenomenal nightlife and an incredibly friendly population, Thailand offers a supreme mix of delights for any gap year adventurer. With its tropical landscapes and vibrant culture it will challenge us to broaden our mind. Oh and it’s cheap, like really really cheap !!

The charity ?

Elephants have always played an important role in Thai culture through their association with royalty, religion, or their use for forest or military work. But since the beginning of the twenty-first century, elephants are almost exclusively used for tourism. they are unfortunately domesticated and exploited. So we decided to volunteer in a charity, called the elephant sanctuary, that gives refuge to domisticated elephants who have been rescued from a life of working on the streets or logging. This charity have already rescued dozens of elephants, including very old, blind, deaf and orphaned elephants, and given them sanctuary in beautiful, open spaces.

Our volunteering actions

For this charity, our responsibilities could include : feeding and watering the elephants / preparing food / construction and maintenance of mud pits /cleaning enclosures (pick up lots of elephant poo) / sourcing food from local farms (cutting corn and banana for elephant food).

difficulties

this charity will not be easy and we will face some difficulties. Firstly, we will be far from our family, our friends, and our home for a long time. Moreover, the quality of life will be rudimentary because we don’t have a lot of money. In addition, Thailand is a foreign country that speaks a foreign language, so it will be difficult to interact or converse with thai population. And finally, arid climate in thailand is very different from our climate in France. But for us, these are only details and we will do our best to surpass them.

Personal level

Finally, on a personal level, we expect that this gap year will allow us to get outside our comfort zone, will be educational and will make us more mature and better thinkers. We hope that this gap year will give us the time to nurture our interests, while building skills that will contribute toward a successful college experience.

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