Location: Lincoln Park Zoo
Date: Sunday, July 13, 2014; 1:00-5:00 pm
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| Who doesn't like ice cream |
I was a bit early for my shift
and so stopped by to see the Gorilla’s, which probably wasn’t wise since some
of them were relaxing in a hammock and it made me yearn for a nap…not ideal
before a shift. I arrived at the
volunteer office and saw that Jen was the volunteer coordinator present and she
was with Judy, Pat and some other volunteers whom I had not met earlier. There were also giant tubs of ice cream on
the table along with bottles of fudge, caramel and some sprinkles. Jen told us that today was the start of ice
cream social week for the volunteers and I was just in time for that. So much for me wanting to nap, give me ice
cream any day and twice today! Some
other volunteers from ‘Farm In The Zoo’
came over for ice cream and we mingled with them. There is nothing like ice cream to bring
people closer. The other new thing in
the office was a giant poster for “Zoo
Keeper appreciation week” and we were encouraged to sign that. One of my friends is a ‘Zoo keeper’ with the Apes and so I signed my name over a picture
of a Gorilla. Now it was time for our
shift.
My first stop was at ‘Gateway’ for a couple of hours and I
was paired with another seasoned volunteer, Rose. It was the usual influx of visitors, most of
them asking for either a map or directions to the bathroom. Besides this, a few came over to either
borrow or return wheelchairs or the occasional visitor looking for specific
animals like the Kangaroo’s. A little
boy came in with his mom and after looking around she said to him, “See, there are no animals here”. Without missing a beat, Rose pointed at me
and said, “Unless you are referring to
him”. Oh well, everyone’s a
comedian!
Three people came in and asked
directions to the nearest train station and I said it was a good mile away,
which is comfortable walking distance for us Chicago folks. Well, they were visitors and doing touristy
things. They were headed to Hancock
building and I told them the insider secret of going up to the ‘Signature Lounge’ for a drink and the
view rather than paying for the observation deck. They seemed pleased with that and thanked me
before leaving, meaning I had another satisfied customer. A ‘Chicago
Police Department’ cop stopped by to collect some parking permits since the
Mayor was visiting the waterfront. I
chatted with him as we waited for the permits to be ready and he mentioned that
despite growing up in Chicago, he had not known that the zoo was free. I hear this with visitors who cannot believe
that they can enter for free.
My time at ‘Gateway’ was flying by and things were going well, despite a
call for medical staff for someone who had fallen down and request for some band
aids. I spent some time learning how to
work the membership system and at one point had to go and tell a couple of kids
that could not ride their bikes inside the zoo. At 3:30 pm I was relieved and
was going to be placed near ‘Brauer Gate’
for the remaining 90 minutes. I went
over to the volunteer office to pick up the radio, my clicker and several
hundred maps. It was a very hot day and
I found myself a tiny sliver of shade and started greeting people as they came
in. Many stopped to ask directions for
bathroom though there were a few who wanted to know how to get to the
Giraffes. I would usually pull out the
map and then show them the two ways through which they could get there. Some wanted to get to the “petting zoo” while the lady who was
looking for the Kangaroo’s earlier was still looking and stopped by for
directions. I had a great time
interacting with the guests, though I did have to tell a woman that dogs weren’t
allowed. By end of shift I had given away 2 stacks of maps and then it was time
to go. I dropped off my radio and
recorded my 378 interactions in the log book.
Not bad for someone on their second day on the job.
“The views expressed on this weblog are mine alone and do not
necessarily reflect the views of my employer.”
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