I have avoided a trip to the Ho Chi Minh City Zoo, as I find most zoos quite depressing, but when I got to Mai Tam today, most of the kids were at the front gate waiting to go somewhere. They were all so excited and cute ... a few wearing new clothes. Miss Ti was wearing a new pair of shoes ... black patent ones! 
Thu told me they were all going to the zoo. At first I thought I would stay back and help with the babies, but all the kids from 3 years old and up were going to the zoo, so I thought I could be more useful with that group. It looked as though the folks staying back with the babies (including a very sad Mr Ha) were going to have a nice laid-back morning.The trip to the zoo was made possible by a couple of Swedish women who have been coming to the orphanage for a while. They wanted to take everyone on a picnic but decided on a trip to the zoo ... with snacks! As well, there was another woman who had her kids with her ... she said one of her daughters was having an exhibition about HIV ... not exactly sure what that was all about. She also provided snacks. I told Father Thoai that they were incredibly brave to attempt such an outing and he agreed. But it turned out to be a great morning.
When the kids got to the zoo, they were incredibly excited. We were all transported to the zoo by taxi or by van. Miss Thao has rarely been in a car except to go to the hospital, I think, but when she saw the balloon sellers and the fountain and the lion dancers, she was delighted beyond words. She laughed and pointed and was overcome with joy. She really is such a cutie. We had to wait a bit for the last car for a few minutes and the kids patiently lined up and waited ... people counting heads often to make sure everyone was accounted for. The littlest boys stayed in line for a while, holding on to each others’ shirts. Mr Minh, the smallest walker, (aka the slowest) was the leader.
That lasted until the bigger boys caught sight of the elephants ... then they took off. After that, it really was a matter of looking out for many children and holding hands and carrying little boys and girls and listening to excited Vietnamese child commentary and wiping noses. Nobody asked me to take them to the bathroom, which I was grateful for, because I didn’t see but one and it was right next to the elephants ... and the smell of elephant poo was quite prominent. Mmmm, elephant poo. The big hits seemed to be the deer, which had the most space relatively speaking and the elephants, orangutans, tigers, and cheetahs, which had none to speak of.
It was really hot and the kids were great.
There were a few breaks to keep the kids hydrated and it was lovely to see them go on the grass and run around. Many of them wanted to go into the petting zoo to see the goats and sheep and feed them (the handlers had little bundles of leaves and carrots) but some of the goats were a bit aggressive and most of the children were scared ... at first. 
After a couple of hours the littlest kids started getting tired and Hoang fell asleep. One of the preseminarian volunteers carried him a long way.
I took over when we came to a sitting down place and the baby continued to sleep for about half an hour. He’s such a little bruiser ... looks like he will get in plenty of scraps when he is older and he always has bruises and cuts on his little head. So many kids came to kiss him and rub his head ... like a little Buddha. He is much loved. His nickname is Chua (pagoda). When he woke up, he wasn’t surprised that a total stranger was holding him. I gave him some water, as it was so hot and he was very calm and serene. A little girl saw he was waking up and quickly came to claim him and take him to get a drink. So, off he went and his place was quickly taken by another sweet girl who wanted help in eating French fries ... so she sat on my lap and finished her snack. Somewhere along the way, little Luan decided he wanted to pull the suitcase with the drinks, and so that became his job. He schlepped that case all over the zoo ... a very good worker.
After the main snack/lunch, it was decided that the kids were starting to get tired and so we began to make our way back to the exit. Little Thao said she was mệt mỏi. 
Mr Minh wanted to be carried and he was asleep in seconds ... what a lump! We had a group photo ... Minh and I are standing behind a very tall Swedish woman named Silla ... and then the taxis and vans started the people-moving back to Thu Duc.
I waited at the zoo for Mr Nhan to take me back to Phu My Hung. As I was waiting, I saw one of the volunteers and two girls who didn’t make it to the bus. I am not sure what the story on that was, but she took them home on her motorbike, so it all worked out. Also, the preseminarians were heading on back to their residence. It is nice that I have come to be familiar with some of these folks. Just as Nhan and I arrived in Phu My Hung, the heavens opened and it poured down rain. So, the timing of the zoo expedition was impeccable. What a lovely morning, thanks to Silla and other friends from Sweden and the folks and kids at Mai Tam. 
Hope your morning was as active and satisfying! More pics on flickr! http://www.flickr.com/photos/raven_chick/
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