Hi all--

Just picture 35 t boys, 24 under 7 years old, all at the zoo for the first time in their lives! This is what we were able to do a couple of weeks ago because of a generous gift by a loving partner. The three women and myself that came to supervise the boys were really impressed with their self control. They were experiencing such excitement at this first time adventure, but were able to follow our rules and even be quiet when told to.

On the way into the park we purchased some little bags of peanuts so the boys could throw them to the monkeys. Toward the end of the time there we noticed that there were some peanuts left over and the boys were eating them! I guess they needed a little snack too.

We were even able to teach them not to litter (a huge problem here) in the park on the way out as they munched on M&M's and learned how to say it in English.

The next week a second trip to the zoo for the remaining 28 boys was taken with the older boys and a few younger ones. The younger boys were quite scared of the larger monkeys. Upon entering the zoo some of the boys became very nervous as the guard told them they weren't allowed in the park until he saw that they had supervision and then they were allowed in. It is common thinking that t boys are trouble makers which results in very few privileges such as entering a "public" park. These visits may allow them to go without supervision as until now they have been banned from entering the zoo even if they can pay the entrance fee.

The t boys live such a hard life that it was neat to watch the boys' reactions to the different animals at the zoo and to see them having so much fun!