Life at the Zoo

Mood: Content
Listening to: "Taste of Cincinnati" Music Sampler
Eating: Microwave popcorn (Smart Balance brand) and Samuel Adams beer
Watching: Late Show with David Letterman

I took the day off work today so that I could go on a field trip with Keisha's class to the Cincinnati Zoo. Jennie, God love her, came along. She had worked last night and decided to join us on our zoological adventure. When I was in elementary school we took a couple of field trips, too. As I went about my day today, I found myself comparing this experience with those I had as a young student, nearly 30 years ago:

The Night Before

The night before the field trip, we would wrap a can of pop in aluminum foil and put it in the freezer overnight. Then we would pack the rest of our lunch, which consisted of a bologna sandwich on white bread with mustard, some potato chips, and maybe an apple or a banana. We'd put the frozen pop in the brown lunch bag, and, as the morning progressed, it would melt but still be cold to drink. Of course, the can would squish the sandwich, but I didn't mind.

Last night we went to Bigg's grocery store to get some lunch supplies for today. Instead of getting lunchmeat and such, we opted for the Oscar Mayer Lunchables™, which were on sale for 99 cents apiece.

The Bus Ride

I don't remember a lot about the bus rides to the zoo. I remember the bus pulling into the school entrance, and we would leave our lunches in a box that would remain on the bus until it was lunchtime. Then the teacher or another adult would bring the box to the picnic area, and we would eat.

Keisha's teacher set us up with four kids: Nathaniel, Austin, Kaylen, and Keisha. Keisha's interpreter, whose name is Miss Johnson, came along with us. We would spend the entire day together: two boys, two girls, and three adults named Johnson.

We got on the bus, and I sat with Nathaniel. As we rode the bus, he and I talked about what we looked forward to seeing at the zoo. We also talked about pets we had at home, what we liked to do in our free time, and so on.

Keisha and her friend Kaylen sat together. I think Jennie took a nap. Austin sat with Miss Johnson.

When the bus arrived at the zoo and parked, we all got out, and packed our lunches in mine, Keisha's, and Jennie's backpacks. No structure, no handouts to complete, just be back at the bus by 1:30 so that we could leave.

Making Our Way Around the Zoo

Walking around the park meant that we would be getting a lot of exercise, and I soon became aware that I needed new shoes. We went to the Cat House, the Reptile House, the Ape House (was that what it was called?), Vanishing Giants (elephants and giraffes), the Komodo Dragon, the Nocturnal House, and the Manatee area.

In between we made several trips to the restroom and stopped at the picnic area for lunch.

In the past we would go to the Insect World and also see the penguins, but we didn't have time for that today.

My favorite place today was the manatees. I was so intrigued by watching them swim around, going up ever few minutes to get air, munch on some lettuce, and otherwise have fun.

In all, it was a good time.