Kaori Nagata

I’m thirty.

It seems that society cares about my age more than I do.

The younger students look at me with distance, as if the 3 or 4 years between us were a long bridge from youth to adulthood.

The professors’ looks are followed by a question mark. Aren’t you gonna marry and have children?

……………..

I’m nikkeijin.

In Brazil, I am treated as asian - not as foreigner, but as something different.

In Japan, I am brazilian - no matter how much the japanese think I’m one of them, I am simply not.

I seem to care more than they do.

……………..

I’m vegan.

Some people try to question my choice through sarcasm and “you’re crazy” facial expressions. Some people show real interest and above all, respect.

They seem to care about my diet more than I do about theirs.

……………..

This invisible and silent communication that is born between people is what makes life interesting. Subtle. A muscle that winces in a certain way. The eyes that blink in a certain speed. Things left unsaid have so much power.

I guess we all look for silence in conversations, not words.

I’m not very good in telling stories, but I’ll try this time.

——

Around August 2010 I started to question my reality in Japan. What was I doing?

I couldn’t stop feeling useless. I started to miss the simple and small things I used to do back home, for stray cats and dogs. Suddenly, they weren’t neither simple or small, they were everything.

I was looking for answers or solutions to that feeling, and decided to find a nice place, worth it to spend my vacation’s savings on. I searched for a long time (maybe 3 months), wrote a bunch of options on my notebook, made plans, lots of plans…but none of them seemed to fit.

Than I found this website by accident: www.surinproject.org

The idea of spending time around elephants and volunteering made me smile. I was sure that this was the answer and solution to my feeling.

So, a couple of weeks ago, I went to Surin, Thailand. I spent one week in the Surin Project. I had the opportunity to know and work among great people. It’s been a long time since I don’t feel inspired by human beings like this. AND I fell in love with the elephants. The nature of these animals amazed me.

There’s nothing like waking up and knowing that your day is gonna be a combination of these things: eat delicious breakfast; greet baby elephant; play with the happiest dogs you’ve ever met; cut sugar cane; ride the back of a car and feel the wind; walk the ellies to the river; eat a great vegan meal; plant grass; take a nap in a hammock; water bamboo plants; talk with a mahout; take a cold refreshing shower; eat vegan dinner and have some laughs with the other volunteers; write your day in your journal; draw a little bit and fall asleep hoping to dream about home.

The project itself has 11 elephants now, though there are almost 200 in that area. There’s a lot of work ahead, as you can see. The animal’s look doesn’t lie - it was clear to me the difference between those who were working in the entertainment business (like a small circus, or carrying tourists) and the ones in the project. Those 11 were precious to me for what they represented, even though I felt sad about all the others. I wish I had one more week to get to know them better. Each one has a story and their mahouts too. But I got to know a little bit and that was enough to feel like going back. And I will, soon.

The Surin Project is an innovative concept, the most encouraging I’ve seen through the past years. It is (for me) the real ecotourism. The goal is to improve the lives of asian elephants and ensure the sustaintability of the mahouts (their owners). It’s money well spent; you pay to see the animals OFF the chains. To walk beside them, not to ride them. To see them in nature. To try to make things better, even though your participation on it is simple and small. Those simple and small things turn out to be the most important ones, not only for you.

I don’t know if the word will spread, I hope so. I don’t know if the project will keep on succeeding, but I surely hope so. They are those elephant’s hope, in its most beautiful concept.

If you are interested, give it a try. Go to Surin and work with the Surin Project. I assure you it’s impossible not to love the experience. If you don’t feel like going, but still wanna help them through donations, check the website. Or just spread the word.

www.surinproject.org

<3

(Source: rulesformyunbornson)