Send Kira to Thailand

There’s a whole city under those clouds 🌃

Chicago here I come!

Thailand, I adore your country so very much. The culture and history run deeper than anything I’ve experienced. This was an eye opening, jaw dropping, and surreal experience for me. There was a point before this trip where I let my imposter syndrome get to me. I was left wondering if I was cut out for this trip, or even this career. Now I understand more than ever what I was put on this earth to do. Thank you so much to Loop Abroad and World Strides for making this trip a reality 🩷

Started my travels again today… I have landed safely in Taiwan! Here I come USA ✈️

8/1/24

We did elephant vet rounds today along with elephant service. During vet rounds I was able to fully clean a wound and put antibiotic cream on it. Then, I was able to pack a wound of an elephant who accidentally got hurt by her friend during playtime. Lastly, I was able to give a B12 shot to one of our sick elephants to give her some more energy. After lunch I got to do elephant service preparing some fruits and veggies for the elephants. It was overall a pretty chill day as we wind down our days here.

Elephant diet study day! 7/31/24

Elephant diet study day is where we follow around elephants and write down everything they intake and also prepare some tests for the vet. I got Mae Do (pronounced kinda like Meadow) which translates to “big mama” in Thai. She is almost 48 years old. She used to be an elephant in the logging industry until an incident with breeding. They force breed her with an elephant that was way too large for her which resulted in her back and hips being broken and misshapen. Also, she got the nickname big mama because she used to be pregnant; however, they forced her to keep working. This resulted in her losing her baby. After diet study we got to make elephant cakes. These can be sponsored by people and created by volunteers. We then went to the vet area and talked about some of the test samples and results from what we collected. Mae Do got the all clear! Lastly, the founder came to talk to us as a group. She normally comes on Saturdays to talk to everybody but she gave us a private and special chat since we will be gone by then. She is so kind hearted and motivating!

7/30/24 An exhilarating day at ENP!

For our first morning activity, we got to walk around and meet multiple elephant herds that roam the fields. The adults don’t really mind us walking around but the babies like to think we’re toys lol. After meet the herd we had a lecture about cats, common diseases among the species, and cat kingdom. Later in the afternoon my group got assigned to elephant service where we prepare the donated fruits and vegetables for the elephants. I definitely put my practice of corn shucking to good use! 😎

7/29/24 the day everyone has been anxiously awaiting… ELEPHANTS!! We arrived at Elephant Nature Park (ENP). All the food here is vegan but it is all SO GOOD! After lunch we had to watch the orientation video (I cried) and then we got to go to cat kingdom! It is exactly what it sounds like. A giant area with SO many cats. Only one of the was trying to fight everybody 😒. After that we went to the elephant sky walk where we got to see all sorts of birds, cattle, and of course elephants. There was one that kept sticking its trunk up in the skywalk because it wanted a banana. After it realized we didn’t have bananas it would pout. Lastly, before dinner we got blessed by the local elders and got to watch and learn cultural dances! It was an awesome day ☺️

Yesterday 7/28/24 was our free day from learning. We spent a lot of the day doing fun actuivities. First we got the choice to go to Thai cooking class or zip lining. I chose the cooking class and it was so fun. I definitely recommend it if ever given the opportunity! After cooking class we we went to the sticky waterfall. It is called sticky waterfall because there are so much deposited natural minerals that you could grip onto the rocks barefoot. They kinda felt like sandpaper. Then we went to the Sunday market for dinner and some shopping! It was a fun day filled with culture and relaxation

More from 7/27/24

Miscellaneous pictures from throughout the day!

🚨These are hopefully the last graphic photos at the end🚨

7/27/24

Today was a lot like yesterday except instead of canine surgeries they were feline spay and neuter surgeries. Both surgeries went really smooth. I even got to tie one of the knots called the figure 8 knot for the neuter. After the clinic, we took a stop at the local Chinese market. This is basically their version of China town. Our directors planned a party for us to end two successful surgery days. We had henna, karaoke, and just dance. It was all so much fun!!

🚨GRAPHIC PHOTOS Dog uterus from spay🚨

7/26/24

We spayed and neutered canines today! We are not allowed to get pictures during procedures so there aren’t many pictures. My group first operated on the spay where I got to assist a lot! I even got to hold the uterus and pull it out after Dr. Eve cut it out. We had lunch, then I was in the anesthesia team to monitor the dog getting neutered. After a little break we went out to dinner then to the street market to end the night. It was a really fun day!

Yesterday, 7/25/24, we spent a lot of time in the lab. We learned how to make slides of tests, examining tests to determine results, and suture skills. I had a lot of fun and it took me back to science class in middle school. After class, we got to join a zoom meeting with a vet school admissions coach. He gave me so many tips. I am more motivated than ever to get through school and accomplish my dreams!