– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Hello and welcome [music] back to my

Slow English podcast.

[music]

Learn

comprehensible

English with me. Today

I want to tell you

about my trip to the elephant sanctuary

in Chiang Mai,

Thailand.

All in slow English

with intermediate

level

vocabulary.

Repeat

any new words or phrases that you hear

and comment an example sentence with

that word or phrase.

I have always dreamed

of traveling to Thailand

someday

to see the elephants.

Ever since

I was a little girl,

I have loved elephants.

Elephant stuffed animals,

elephant drawings,

elephant shower curtains.

I absolutely

adored

elephants.

Then

when I grew up

and I realized

you could see elephants,

hang out with elephants

and feed them

in Thailand.

I dreamed of meeting one. I dreamed of

interacting

close up

with an elephant.

Elephant sanctuaries

are facilities

that provide elephants

with a safe and

natural environment for them to stay.

These facilities

rescue elephants

from being exploited.

Exploited by situations

like tourism, entertainment,

and logging.

And by visiting these elephant

sanctuaries,

you can support these organizations

and help these elephants to live a

better and happier life. So,

a couple years ago,

I visited Thailand

for the first time,

and I intended

on visiting an elephant sanctuary

where I could see one close up.

and maybe even interact with one. But

that last year,

I never got around to it.

I never got around to doing it.

But this year, I had planned to visit

Thailand

with my sister,

and I knew

for sure

I had to visit an elephant sanctuary.

This time

I had to interact with an elephant

close up

this time.

Is there any animal

that you've always dreamed of seeing?

So I booked my trip to Chili Orchid.

The ride from Chiang Mai to Chilai

Orchid was rough to say the least.

It was super bumpy

and the roads

were super windy.

lots of winding

and bumpy

roads.

It made me feel a little bit

dizzy.

But we eventually

made it to our bungalow, a super sweet

bungalow

where you could see the garden

[snorts] from the balcony.

And it had the cutest little window

where you could see the elephants from.

We just dropped our things off at our

bungalow

and we took the shuttle

up to the cafe.

The restaurant at Shilai Orchid was so

lovely, full of plants

in the middle of a garden and where you

could eat with elephants

right next to you. There was the mama

elephant

called Mo.

Mama name,

>> she was very

imposing.

She had an impressive way of standing

out from all the other elephants.

Even the very big elephants

didn't stand out as much as she did. She

was so strong and

imposing,

impressive and admirable.

Then there was her first calath

called Moi.

And then there was a baby calf

called Dea.

You could feed the elephants bananas.

But they were all super

greedy.

The big mama especially

was so greedy.

She would eat all the bananas

and she wouldn't even leave any for her

babies.

Moipo and Mo wouldn't leave any bananas

for poor little baby Desa.

He was so sad. You could tell everyone

would try to feed baby Dea, but Mo and

Mipo were so greedy. It was a wonderful

first day at the elephant sanctuary.

My sister and I ate some pad thai

and drank some cute drinks. And then we

head back to our bungalow

to get [sighs and gasps] some rest

before our big day with the elephants.

The next morning,

we woke up at 7 a.m.

We woke up with elephants at our door.

Three huge elephants

cruised past our window.

They passed by our window and said

hello.

And then he started to scratch

himself

with the tree.

It was so sweet seeing his huge body

scratching against a small tree.

I think he was itchy

because he also scratched his feet. And

we got to feed them

a sweet treat.

Bamboo.

Elephants stomachs are infinite.

They could eat all day long.

They just never seem to get full.

And I get it, too.

They are huge.

And they eat nothing but plants.

So they must be hungry

all the time.

Do you know anyone who is hungry all the

time?

We ate breakfast on the balcony.

Pancakes and sticky rice.

And then we took the shuttle to

reception. We had an elephant tour

scheduled and our tour guide took us to

the grounds.

The grounds where they take care of the

elephants.

He explained

that elephants eat all day. They spend

nearly

80%

of their day eating.

We saw how they ate the leaves,

the bamboo,

and the tree barks.

how they peeled off

all the rusty leaves

to get to eat the good stuff inside.

They wouldn't stop flapping their ears.

Elephants flap their ears when they are

happy. And these elephants were very

happy.

It was so compelling to see how their

trunks are so strong,

flexible,

and incredibly

sensitive.

Their noses

are super sensitive. They have 10 times

more nerve endings

than a human finger.

They can feel a lot

on their noses.

Our tour guide also explained the type

of foods they use as medicine. We mixed

all the ingredients into one bowl

and we mashed it all up.

Then we fed them these little yummy

balls of nutrition.

Then for

dessert,

they got to eat bamboo.

and we got to feed them. I loved feeding

the elephants.

But I think my favorite part

was looking into their eyes.

Their eyes were so complex.

The wrinkles around their eyes

were so beautiful and detailed.

It was my favorite part of interacting

with the elephants.

What animal do you think has the most

complex eyes?

and tell me why in the comments.

And don't forget to like this video so I

can make more videos like these. The

elephant keepers

were so playful

with the elephants.

You can tell

this is an organization

that really cares

about the elephants

and the workers.

It's a very heartwarming

thing to see. To see how happy the

elephants were

and how happy the workers were to be

with the elephants.

Everyone was incredibly kind during my

whole stay.

Like here.

This is tu.

It means watermelon.

So cute. I know. And he was like a

watermelon.

So sweet.

He was always trying to steal the bamboo

from anyone who had or maybe looked like

they had bamboo.

He also loved eating oranges and corn.

Finally,

we bathed and swam with the elephants

in the river.

This interaction

was super close up with the elephants

and it was probably

my favorite interaction with them.

But it was even more touching

to see the elephants playing on their

own in the river.

Just enjoying their bath time,

unbothered by any humans,

just being happy elephants together.

This was an unforgettable

experience

that I will cherish in my heart forever.

And I'm so happy I can share this with

you. Hopefully you enjoyed listening to

my story and you learned some new words

while listening

and you can be a part of protecting

animals environments and giving them a

better life. Check out the foundation

linked in this video. Every little bit

helps a lot.

Now, if you want more from these videos,

PDF transcripts,

feedback from me, and extra little

videos where you can practice English

every day, then check out my English

course. The link is in my bio now.

Reflect on this for one moment.

Where is a place you have always wanted

to visit?

A place you have always felt connected

to for some reason.

Let me know in the comments. I'll see

you next Wednesday. [music] Bye.

>> [music]

>> Oh,

[music]

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
comprehensible /ˌkɒmprɪˈhensɪbl/ B2	adjective - able to be understood
sanctuary /ˈsæŋkʧuəri/ B1	noun - a place of refuge or safety
intermediate /ˌɪntərˈmiːdiət/ B1	adjective - between basic and advanced
dreamed /driːmd/ A2	verb - past tense of dream; to experience images or thoughts during sleep
adored /əˈdɔːrd/ B1	verb - loved deeply
interacting /ˌɪntərˈæktɪŋ/ B1	verb - acting or communicating with each other
facilities /fəˈsɪlətiz/ B1	noun - buildings, equipment, and services needed for a particular purpose
exploited /ɪkˈsplɔɪtɪd/ B2	verb - making use of a situation or person in a way considered unfair or underhanded
intended /ɪnˈtendɪd/ B1	verb - to have a plan or purpose
rough /rʌf/ A2	adjective - uneven or not smooth
bumpy /ˈbʌmpi/ A2	adjective - covered with bumps; not smooth
windy /ˈwɪndi/ A2	adjective - with a lot of wind
eventually /ɪˈventʃuəli/ B1	adverb - in the end; finally
cruised /kruːzd/ B1	verb - travelled smoothly and easily
infinite /ˈɪnfɪnət/ C1	adjective - limitless or endless in space, extent, or size
compelling /kəmˈpelɪŋ/ B2	adjective - evoking interest, attention, or admiration in a powerfully irresistible way
sensitive /ˈsensətɪv/ B1	adjective - quick to detect or respond to slight changes, signals, or influences
cherish /ˈtʃerɪʃ/ B2	verb - protect and care for (someone or something) lovingly

Key Grammar Structures

• I have always dreamed of traveling to Thailand someday to see the elephants.

  ➔ Present Perfect + Infinitive of Purpose

  ➔ The phrase "have always dreamed" indicates a continuing state from the past to the present. "to see the elephants" explains *why* the speaker dreamed of traveling.

• Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved elephants.

  ➔ Time Clause with 'Ever Since' + Present Perfect

  ➔ "Ever since" introduces a time clause indicating the starting point of a state that continues to the present. The present perfect "have loved" shows the duration of the love for elephants.

• Then when I grew up and I realized you could see elephants, hang out with elephants and feed them in Thailand.

  ➔ Complex Sentence with Subordinate Clauses & Parallel Structure

  ➔ The sentence contains a main clause and several subordinate clauses. The verbs "see", "hang out", and "feed" are in parallel structure, creating a rhythmic effect.

• Elephant sanctuaries are facilities that provide elephants with a safe and natural environment for them to stay.

  ➔ Relative Clause defining 'facilities'

  ➔ The clause "that provide elephants with a safe and natural environment for them to stay" is a restrictive relative clause that defines what kind of facilities elephant sanctuaries are.

• These facilities rescue elephants from being exploited.

  ➔ Gerund as Object of Verb

  ➔ "Being exploited" functions as the object of the verb "rescue". It's a gerund phrase, acting as a noun.