Zoo

In Vandalurra, a city right south of Chennai, there is Asai's second largest zoo. I'm not a huge zoo person. I think that once you've seen one zoo, you've probably seen them all. Unless it is Disney's Animal Kingdom, then, you have your sights set out for you. But, a sponsor paid for a zoo tour for all of the children to go see the animals, and I wouldn't have passed this up for anything. 

Although this may have been one of the largest zoos, I think they may have been missing a large part of what makes a zoo, the ANIMALS. There were some, but with so much ground to cover, there could've been more. Enough about the zoo itself though...

This is why these two days were incredible. The kids bring a fun spirit to everything. They were so excited and curious about everything we saw. It was so much fun to see their faces with each new bird and each new color. One of the best parts was to listen to the UKG girls saying "white peacock, white peacock" over and over again. 

Since I've been here, I've learned that monkeys are a huge part of everyday life. There are monkeys everywhere! On every road, on every electrical post. You would think that the people, not just the kids, would eventually stop being excited about monkeys. But, NO, monkeys are still the most exciting animals around. And, I've got to admit, that I, also, love to see them and I love to feed them.

The best of the day was getting to know all of the teachers and staff better. I love the men at our school. They are all so noble and giving- each and everyone of them becomes a father figure to all of the children. I appreciate that so much. It was great to walk around with Johnson and Kateravan. And I can't even mention how warming it was to see Tannikka running to each new display, probably more excited than some of the kids. 

By the end of the first day, all of the volunteer's and teacher's feet were dying and we were exhausted. We couldn't even imagine a second day at the zoo to take the second group of kids. But, when you look at a picture like this one of little Jessie, who wouldn't want to go again and hear all the excitement over.