On Tuesday we took the kids from both the north school and the south school to Quito Zoo. Now, I've never agreed with zoos - apart from conservation ones like the fantastic Jersey Zoo - but I had to swallow my principles and put on a happy smiley face for the kids ! I stuck with MY south school kids and watching their faces when we were driving out through Quito (bearing in mind they very rarely leave Santo Domingo) was great. I could show them the airport and the Liga stadium and the fantastic views once you leave Quito.
We all had 2 kids each to be responsible for and for some inexplicable reason the words "Wilmer and Franklin" came out of my mouth before my brain had time to think and make me say "Natalie and Monica". Oh, how easy it would have been with the girls, they are quiet, they stay with you .... they DON'T disappear from view the second you let go of their hand, they don't go running and shouting up to every enclosure scaring half to death the already bewildered animals, they don't sprint back to the lion enclosure because they thought they heard a roar, they don't insist on being piggybacked everywhere ..... By the end of the day I resembled a nervous wreck whilst all the other volunteers had had a lovely day with their calm charges ! Mind you, thank god Enrique and Luis didn't go on the trip otherwise who knows how I would have survived !
I had to say goodbye to Emma and the guys who we sort of share the house with (Dan, Zayne and Nick) last night ... they have the downstairs apartment whilst me and Emma are upstairs but it feels like we all live with each other, Ipod sharing, Lonely Planet sharing, DvD watching, cuba libre drinking, fire building. Poor Rita and Vicente who live on the middle floor must get sick of all our coming and goings ! Anyway, Emma and the boys have gone to Montanita for the weekend and by the time they get back I'll be in the Galapagos. Quite a tearful goodbye, they are a great bunch, even though sometimes I longed for some 30-something year old company - there's only so much drum and bass I can take ! James (from Manchester) is still here but I think he's off to the beach tomorrow so I can have the place to myself for my last night ! I'm supposed to be going out with Mike, Viktoria, James and a couple others tomorrow night to say goodbye.
Bizarre quote of the week from me ..... shouting to Claire (new volunteer) across a crowded pub floor ... "Claire, will you accept thermo nuclear particles ?" Very surreal !
Will explain in my next posting with my memories of Quito - I don't think I want to leave !
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