Today Katie and I went on an adventure to Maharajbagh Zoo in central Nagpur with eight of the smallest students from Nav Jeevan and our kind helper, Asha. After school at 2PM, the children changed their clothes and we rode the school bus to the bus stop. At the bus stop, we boarded the city bus which brought us to the busy heart of Nagpur. Disembarking, Katie, Asha, and I each joined hands with a couple of the children and began our (slow) walk to the entrance, just a few hundred meters from the bus stop.
Once at the gate of the zoo, the children could barely contain their excitement! We were preparing ourselves to see tigers, alligators, and possibly snakes! But, at the gate we were told that the zoo is closed on Mondays so we would not be able to see most of the animals. Though the children felt upset, feelings of happiness quickly replaced the sadness when we realized the zoo's playground still was available for fun.
After slipping, sliding, swinging, and running on the playground, we were able to see both ostriches and alligators that are kept outside the zoo's main cage facilities. Also, the children especially enjoyed a tropical fish exhibit being shown--baby sharks, "nemo," and many more types of marine life swam before our faces.
Before leaving the zoo, each of us tried a sweet ice cream treat to cool off from the intense heat that has been overtaking Nagpur recently with summer drawing near. By the time we boarded the city bus back to our neighborhood of Godhani, 4 out of 8 children fell asleep on the way home (three on Katherine's lap, one on Katie's and one on Asha's!). I am sure the piles of humans we became was a sight to see on the crowded Indian bus. Reflecting on the experience, being in such a crowd could have been disastrous with 8 children under the age of 7! But, the children, thanks to the discipline and respect they have begun to cultivate at Nav Jeevan, behaved incredibly well and each of us laughed and played delightedly.
In closing, Katie and I would like to acknowledge that at the zoo's entrance we also met two nurses vaccinating any children under the age of five against polio. We have heard that the WHO has declared this week in India a time for working to maintain India's status (since last year) as Polio free. This mission also has new importance since Pakistan is still struggling to fully eradicate Polio.
The children at Nav Jeevan, and throughout Nagpur, are assisting in this mission!
