Field Trip!

Last Friday a week ago, I decided to make up (in advance) one of the two school days I will miss at the start of Christmas break. Conveniently, it was field trip day. :)

I went with the 3rd and 4th grade from my Wed./Thurs. school to a type of wildlife park near El Escorial, just outside of Madrid. I knew I would have a blast from the get-go since the trip was with my favorite kids (the 3rd grade) and because we would be seeing many animals native to Spain. I'm such a nerd.

On the bus ride, we watched Shrek 2. I don't know if I've seen the movie too many times or my Spanish is better than I thought (probably a little bit of both), but I understood 90% of the film! So, when Puss in Boots did somersaults through the air during his introduction, I was laughing just as hard as the children were.

When we arrived, I monitored the children during their mid-morning snack, then I left with the teachers for our own special coffee/breakfast break. I felt awful grown-y, sitting up in a log cabin lounge on the top floor, looking out over the park and discussing hiking options with the other teachers while sipping my cafe con leche. It was also good Spanish practice! Afterward, we set out on our own to see all the animals. I saw wild Iberian boars, different types of deer, falcons, un zorro (fox) and some shaggy ponies. My favorite part, though, had to be seeing Iberian wolves up close. As soon as the children left that enclosure, the wolves came right up to the fence, so I was able to get lots of great pictures!

For the last hour of our excursion, we rounded up the students and watched them make keepsakes of footprints stamped in blocks of putty. Of course, as soon as the children were finished, they all wanted to give me hugs and touch my face with their clay-colored hands. With a few nimble dodges and clever excuses, I managed to stay un-puttied. Later, on the quieter bus ride back to school, I realized that I was as exhausted as the kids when my head started to sink down toward little Pedro sitting beside me. I had had just as big of a day as they had.