Sweat running down her face, Renee Joyal struggled to sleep her first night in Thailand. Used to the comfort of her air-conditioned home, she found herself sleeping beneath a mosquito net in a room over 8,000 miles away from her family and all the comforts her home provides. <\/p>\n
\u201cI had never been to a developing country,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was the most difficult thing I have ever done and I can\u2019t wait to do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n
It has been two weeks since Joyal returned to the United States after spending two weeks of her winter break volunteering for the Wildlife Friends Foundation of Thailand (WFFT), a rescue home to over 500 wild animals who have been maltreated and\/or neglected. As she settles in to her final semester at East Stroudsburg University, Joyal remembers every detail of a trip that changed her life.<\/p>\n
Her days always began at 6 a.m. with 16 elephants waiting for their breakfast. Among 50 volunteers, Joyal made banana balls and cut watermelon and pineapples for the elephants to eat. The volunteers would then walk and bathe the elephants or work on special projects, which often involved a \u201cnot fun\u201d clean-up activity. Every day of work lasted about 11 hours, beginning at 6 a.m. and ending roughly around 5 p.m.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe elephants all have such different personalities,\u201d she said. \u201cSome are suffering from severe anxiety from abuse they have endured during their lives, while others are more carefree.\u201d<\/p>\n
One elephant who was known as \u201cthe male\u201d was separated from all of the other elephants. \u201cThe male\u201d had his own enclosure with only one other female elephant. If anyone got too close he would pull them in with his trunk to attack them. He would pick up rocks and throw them at anyone working around his enclosure. In order to make sure he was getting enough nutrients to survive, the elephant had to be distracted so an individual could throw food in his enclosure.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe hated everyone and everything,\u201d Joyal said. \u201cIt just makes you think: what has this animal gone through to be that frightened of his surroundings?\u201d <\/p>\n
Despite the daily challenges presented by \u201cthe male,\u201d Joyal spent hours during each 11-hour shift laughing and enjoying her time with these extraordinary animals. <\/p>\n
Another elephant, Boonmee, loved people. She loved the attention. Joyal spent a lot of her time walking her and giving her baths. Joyal also shared stories about the sweet baby elephant that also crossed her path. Pin, which means princess, is 2 years old.<\/p>\n
\u201cPin was such a princess,\u201d she said. \u201cShe would always run around and steal her mother\u2019s food.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joyal admits that the elephants were by far the best part of her trip.<\/p>\n
Her interest in elephants developed when she was a little girl. Growing up on a farm in Damascus, Pa. While Joyal grew up loving all animals, she began learning about elephants in school she was fascinated with their size and character traits. <\/p>\n
She spent every year thinking of ways she could work with elephants. So when a google search for volunteer opportunities brought her to WFFT\u2019s webpage, she did not hesitate to sign up and book her trip to Thailand. <\/p>\n
Joyal spent six days a week with the elephants and had one day off to explore Thailand.<\/p>\n
\u201cTraveling to Thailand was eye-opening,\u201d she said. \u201cI see things so differently now.\u201d<\/p>\n
In her two weeks overseas, Joyal worried about the quality of her drinking water for the first time in her life. She was not allowed to put ice cubes in her drink and her showers were cold. <\/p>\n
\u201cExperiencing true poverty made me realize how much we take for granted,\u201d she said. \u201cI came back a different person from this experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joyal feels driven. She feels like she is ready to take on the world. Joyal has been spreading the stories of her experience to classmates and her sisters of Lambda Iota. She hopes through her stories she can educate others about wildlife and volunteer opportunities.<\/p>\n