Koh Lanta / Day 32-33

Hi there, today I'm writing to you from my night shift, which I kindly moved from Sunday to Saturday for a colleague. Today was my fourth working day. After working the afternoon shift for the first three days, today was my first time working the morning shift. Currently, I'm assigned to the dogs here, let's see if I stay here or maybe switch to the cats.

Even after four days, there are still so many things that are new to me and I feel slightly overwhelmed. It's not an easy task to walk the dogs, clean the areas, prepare their food, and then feed them, especially in temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius. And then there are seemingly a million other things that need to be done. So, as I said, I'm still trying to figure everything out.

By the way, on the advice of my colleagues, I rented a scooter for a month. It's super convenient to get around everywhere and actually safer than walking here. It's my first time riding a scooter and it's actually fun. But of course, I'm being cautious and watching out for potholes, and I'm wearing a helmet (unlike many others here). Today, we rode the scooter to a typical Thai market.

My night shift is from 7pm to 7am. But don't worry, I don't have to stay awake for the full 12 hours. Night shift means mainly making sure that the dogs don't start barking at night because of the neighbors. Right now, everything is quiet, so I'm going to sleep next to the dog cages. By the way, I was allowed to choose one of the dogs as my night shift companion, who will also stay tonight. I chose Nell for tonight. She's such a sweet and calm dog, she immediately laid down on the bed and is now sleeping here with me.

But at this point, let me give you some general information about the project: The main task of Lanta Animal Welfare is the mobile animal clinic. They are responsible for going out and capturing the stray cats and dogs, primarily for neutering. Of course, they also help injured animals. However, most of them are released after recovery because they actually have a good life on the streets here (many hotels and restaurants take care of them). Therefore, only those that have either come here as puppies or cannot be released for other reasons end up in this accommodation. Most of the dogs are very young and can still be successfully adopted. So, I think it's a really good project that is making a real difference. And you can also tell that every employee here is dedicated and passionate about their work.

So, my dear ones, that's it from me for now.

Your Alex