Fun at the Zoo!

Brady and I were invited to a visit at the Okinawa Zoo on Thursday and boy did we have fun! We started the day at the Children's Museum that was 3 stories tall with all kinds of fun activities. It was filled with several groups of school children on field trips. I find it amazing that even the youngest children here are well behaved. I have yet to see a temper tantrum or outburst of any kind. Parents and teachers can let their children roam and not have any problems (at least from what I've seen). The zoo also had pony rides, go-carts, a train, and petting zoo. The problem was that the caged animals were in small cages with concrete floors and either a rope hanging from the ceiling or maybe a concrete tree to climb on. It was very sad to see no type of natural habitat for them. The lady that organized the trip said she didn't even go visit the animals because she felt so bad about the conditions they were living in. She said she bought a yearly pass just in hopes that the money would go to better care for the animals. At first I thought she was just being over dramatic, but I soon found out that she was not. We did not see all of the zoo, just some monkeys, koala bears, bats, fish, and birds. It made for a long morning and both Brady and I were glad to get back for naptime! I have been very blessed to have met people to bum around with. The first week we were here I met a home daycare provider so she and I have done something almost every morning. Stacy (another NCIS wife) has been a lifesaver! She has really gone above and beyond trying to make us welcome and taking us around the island. We are staying in a temporary housing facility, so many moms have come and gone, but for a few days at a time they were good company. We are about to embark on our last weekend here in Okinawa so we plan to make it as fun as possible!