Zoo Day
The sun is out today, so we decided to play hookey on our swim class. In my former life as a Californian, that last sentence wouldn’t have made sense to me. Sun = Swimming (or more accurately, Life = Swimming) was my outlook on daily activity. In Seattle, however, we must remember that almost all pools are indoor, and the few outdoor pools that we have don’t open until June. Today I needed to be outside, in the sun. Preferably staring at giraffes.
So off to the zoo we went! I went in part for me, and in part for Lina. Really for me. And to take photos of her somewhat jaded expression as I rolled her around the zoo in a jogging stroller. This child is difficult to impress. Most people would be holding their breath in awe as they came within two feet of a jaguar (yes, yes, behind glass, don’t worry), but Miss Min rolls her eyes up to me as if to say, “And??” “It’s a REALLY big cat!” I say, smiling hysterically, trying to get some enthusiasm out of her. “Like Talullah!” But now people are looking sideways at us, and wondering why I’m hogging space right by the viewing window when my kid obviously doesn’t give a rip about the very rare up-close appearance of this gorgeous critter.
I guess she’s just too young. To her, the whole world is a zoo. To her, everything is big.
We stopped to see the penguins on our way out, and she seemed somewhat satisfied with them. Not smiling, but not frowning either… simply content to look at them. Since the penguins actually resemble Talullah more than the jaguar does, she might have found more of a connection with them. Or maybe she was just humoring me so we could leave, get out of the diabolical stroller harness, into the diabolical carseat harness, and head home for a nap.
This used to be the situation I dreaded, because it would lead to Lina falling asleep during the last sixty seconds of the car ride, then waking up upon being removed from her carseat, mad as hell and somehow thinking that she’d just slept for two hours. It was nearly impossible to calm her back down and get her to sleep after that. Instead, she’d be a total crankster fussbudget for the rest of the day. Charming. I have since put one of her Chinese play music CDs in my car, which I blast loudly all the way home. She loves that music, and there is no human alive who could sleep through it. Genius.
So she naps as I write this, hopefully dreaming of jaguars and gorillas, peacocks and penguins. Sweet dreams, my little monkey girl.
PS) Today I experienced what I can only describe as “zoo nerds.” These are folks who stand around the various habitats, trying to impress each other with their excruciatingly detailed knowledge about each animal. It reminded me of how people talk about celebrities… discussing the details of their private lives as if that brought the rich and famous person nearer, somehow making the talker more glamorous by association. As there is no zoo animal equivalent of People magazine, I’m not sure where the zoo nerds get their info, but I have a strong suspicion it is by obsessive direct observation. Â It was alarming, though I’m always a little bit pleased when I happen upon a subculture that is new to me.