I booked my flights today! I fly out of Newark on May 14th and arrive in Kolkata on May 15th. I'll be in India until June 29th, when I fly to Bangkok, Thailand. I was accepted as a volunteer at Globalteer's Thailand Elephant Sanctuary, located a few hours south of Bangkok. I will spend a week living with elephants and working at the sanctuary (feeding them, bathing them, scrubbing their toes, hugging and playing with them, and even scooping their poo) and also farming the fields where they roam. I've long dreamed of a way to interact with elephants that is non-exploitative and this is the perfect opportunity. On July 7th I'll fly back to the US, presumably exhausted, sunburned, soaked from Monsoon season, happy, fulfilled, and full of stories!
Last week we had an orientation meeting for those of us traveling to India (and the other crew who are going to Puerto Rico). We talked logistics and I found out a lot of important information, like what to bring clothing-wise, what the weather will be like (I was told, "Imagine the hottest, most humid weather you've ever been in. Now multiply that by 10."), how we'll connect to internet while there, lots of information about the course I'll be taking and the individuals with which I'll be working in Sonagachi, the largest red light district in Asia. This course is going to blow my mind, I just know it. Also, I found out that Kolkata is the final resting place of Mother Theresa and visitors can go to see her tomb and pay their respects. That is definitely high on my list of to-dos.
Now that my passport is taken care of and my flights are booked, all I need to do is finish up applying for my Visa and start a packing list! Wait, who am I kidding... I started a packing list a month ago. I'll need to refine it though, now that I know what I'll actually need.
And so the countdown begins. 38 days until I board a plane bound for India. :-)
