My first field trip.

My first field trip was very exciting.  I received a field trip slip to take home.  I was so nervous because I wanted to go.  I knew my parents would say, "no" if it involved money.  We were on a tight budget and the answer to everything was "no".  As I gave the paper to my mom, I felt scared. I wanted to go very badly that I did not make a big deal out of it.  As I handed the permission slip to my mom, I remember saying "My teacher said I had to go".  What a big lie!  My teacher did not know my home life and did not care about me.  She was busy with all the other kids that had moms who volunteered.  She barely called on me or made an effort to get to know me.  It was okay because I was afraid of her anyway! She yelled all the time. A field trip would mean she would yell less. Yeah!

My mother took the permission slip and looked at me with a sad disappointed look.  She asked how much it would cost for this trip.  I told her it was free. She just needed to sign the permission slip.  She looked embarrassed, but signed it, right next to the big "X".  What a relief.  For the first time I would get to go with the class and be like the other kids. 

The Los Angeles Zoo was a field trip that made a world of difference to me.  On the day of the field trip, I got up extra early.  I got myself dressed and walked the (3) miles to my school.  At the age of (7) seven, I was very independent.  I knew to get up and go to school on time.  I was the first in line to get my free breakfast at school.  I had dressed in yellow this morning because I was so happy.  As everyone started to line up, I noticed the room moms, active parents and new parents lining up with us.  I realized that parents were coming with us. I suddenly became aware that I did not have my parents with me.  I told myself that it did not matter.  I was going to the Zoo.  I would see animals I had only read about in books.  I would be with my best friend Susan Kim.  Her parents were not coming either.  So it would be Susan and I holding hands at the Zoo. We had each other.

Los Angeles Zoo 

The Zoo turned out to be so much fun.  We walked and talked about the different animals that they had at the zoo.  The elephants were the most funny because they took a big poop when we arrived.  The entire class laughed and giggled.  Some of the kids were shocked at the size of the poop?  The sound that it made when it hit the ground was loud and scary.  For weeks, our class talked about this moment.  

Lunch was fun too because the teacher brought brown bag lunches from the cafeteria for all of us.  We all got to have a picnic and enjoy the zoo grounds. What a treat to eat in a different place other than school.  It was a beautiful day. One of the things I enjoyed the most was the teacher was not yelling.  She seemed more free spirited then her usual self. 

The bus ride home our entire class was full of energy and ready to tell our parents what had happened at the zoo.  It felt as though the ride home was long and we were never getting home.  My friend Susan and I were the first ones to jump out off the bus.  Her mother picked her up and off she went.  I walked home and waited for my parents to come from work.  Three hours later, I told my zoo stories to them.  We all had a good laugh.