We met the students at the hauptbahnhof (train station) in Osterholz-Scharmbeck at 9:30 in the morning and caught our train to Osnabrueck. Once we arrived at the Zoo, it was essentially an "every man for himself" kind of thing. The kids were allowed to roam the grounds as they pleased, and us teachers pretty much did the same thing. A couple of times I veered off by myself to get a longer look at some animals that I was more interested in.
We all had a great time at the Zoo. The kids, of course, loved it because they weren't at school. I think the teachers also felt that way too a little, hehe. I really enjoyed it because I love animals; however, I couldn't help but notice how sad and bored many of them looked - especially the brown bears, elephants, cats (tigers/leopards), and all the monkeys. The only downer on an otherwise very fun day. The weather turned out to be beautiful all day long, right up until about an hour before we planned on leaving - then it began raining. It seemed to not really bother anyone, though.
After the Zoo we hopped back onto the train to Osterholz-Scharmbeck, made sure all of the kids had a ride home, and then rode back to our respective homes. I then had dinner and prepared for my last day of work before my two week fall break and a trip to Berlin!
A few photos from the trip:
The kids getting intructions from Sigrid, or Frau Reimann as they know her.
A cool little money using its tail for balance.
A rather large, sad-looking elephant. He would later play tug-of-war with a tire on a rope for quite a while.
The giraffes, I think my favorite animals of the day. I just love the patterns on their coats.
A couple of my crazy students on the trainride back to OHZ. They're a lot of fun.
Stay tuned for the Berlin post!
rw
I just noticed that I hadn't read this update. I saw the pics on Facebook...but it was nice to read about the experience.
ReplyDeleteThe zoo is difficult for me too. I love animals, and love seeing them in their natural habitats, so it is so hard to see them all caged up in small exhibits. I relate this feeling to days where Trevor and I have to work all day and have some sort of nighttime engagement, which means Gracie is stuck inside for a good portion of the day. The guilt overwhelms me - that's why I always make a point to take her for a walk, even if it is just to go take out the trash.
My favorite zoo (so far) is NW TREK. It's so cool - did we go together? I remember when Anna Maria was visiting we went...but that may have been a "girl trip."
Anyway - the kids are adorable. Remind them that if they keep making funny faces like that....that they might just get stuck that way! :)
Excited to vote this year - hope it turns out the way we (I) want it to,
Eva
p.s. I am going to start using creative closing lines on my comments, just like you.