05.17
Dear Father,
Today, we went on a field trip to the Bronx Zoo. We left the school at ten in the morning and came back around one in the afternoon. Everyone in class brought maps to the zoo like they were ready to become experts like the locals! Some parents accompanied and helped us find our ways in the crowed zoo; I deeply appreciate them.
The trip was quite different from what I was expecting the place to be, where large, marvelous animals roam about. The first series of exhibits we saw was indoors. It was stinking! The giant rhinos just laid there, staring at us. Next, we saw the California sea lions on the outdoor exhibit. I noticed how the pool was too small for those playful ones. We then continued walking to see an expressionless gelada with mountain goats. The mountain goats were facing the back, so I could only see their abundant white fur. Near that cage was the sight of exhausted giraffes. I could feel that they didn't like our attention and the incessant camera flash. We also saw a grizzly bear. The bear seemed so bored, moving back and forth with no aim in its eyes, and that bored me, too.
In the birds' exhibit, we saw the bald eagles. However, before I even got a good look of them, I had to move away for the preschool kids, who, also like us, were on the trip. Meanwhile, flamingos kept eating and eating while standing. They did nothing besides that. Peacocks were relatively free to be on the streets, but they were walking around unpleasantly because people stopped them frequently to stare rudely long at their beautiful eyes on their feather when it opened.
We kept walking around, cage after cage. In between the walks, we took brief rests, during which my mind wandered far, and traveled back in time to when I finished reading Zoo by Anthony Browne. I was probably seven then. The story features a boy who visits the zoo with his family. Not knowing what he is walking into, he is basked in anticipation and happiness. When he returns home, his mind is filled with conflicts and inquiries. He did not feel comfortable watching the animals being idle and frustrated behind the bars. The boy's mother tells him that as long as they had fun, it is alright. When I was little, I would find comfort in the mother's words because I loved going to the zoo to see animals. I visited the zoo again five years later today, father. It felt really different.
Papa's sweet darling,
I. C.
