ISF Children Visit the Zoo (June 2011)

Many children in Cambodia don’t have the opportunity to enjoy the activities that are taken for granted elsewhere in the world. ISF wants its children to have a childhood filled with great memories of fun activities – like visiting the Zoo. Here’s a report from Volunteer Alex Hammer about ISF’s recent trip to the Zoo.

After weeks of anticipation, it was finally the day all the ISF kids got to visit Phnom Tamao Zoo! Each year the children of ISF are treated to a trip to one of the local attractions and this year their choice was the zoo! Dressed in their best outfits the kids loaded up on the bus 30 minutes before it was time to leave just to make sure they were not left behind.

Entertainment en route to the zoo was provided by our 13-year-old MC, Ping Pong who had the whole bus singing Karaoke. With so much excitement, the microphone was really not necessary however, apparently an essential prop to their performances. Huge thanks to The British International School Shanghai for teaching our kids songs other then Justin Bieber songs!!

With the Cambodian top ten chart songs and the national anthem out of our system, everyone piled out of the bus for the big day. For all of our children and many of the staff, this was the first time they had been to the zoo. Many of the children were apprehensive as to whether or not animals such as the lions would be roaming around the grounds!! Once it was established who could outrun the lions, it was safe to begin our visit of the zoo!

Kate (possibly the biggest kid of the lot!!!) got her thrills startling not only the children but also the teachers by hiding out in a hollowed out statue of a bear which is normally used for people to put their faces into and take photos to remember their day out at the zoo. Kate spent most of the morning hidden in it and roaring as everyone walked past. Once everyone got over the fright they were brave enough to get close to the animal enclosures. Unfortunately, our volunteer and a group of the kids were a little too brave with the monkey enclosure. To get a better look, Alex and the kids got close, however the monkey had the same intentions and wanted some company in his cage… Screams could be heard throughout the zoo. Over lunch, a unanimous decision by the children was made that the lions and bears (in spite of Kate!) were the highlight of the zoo and that monkeys are best seen safely from an arms length distance.

Everyone was so exhausted from their exciting adventure at the zoo that the only noises to be heard on the bus ride home were giggles from those who had not yet fallen asleep. Since our trip to the zoo, all art classes have been consumed with paintings and drawings of their favorite animals, a hint that they would like to go back soon!