Location: Lincoln Park Zoo
Date: Sunday, July 20, 2014; 1:00-5:00 pm
Prior to my shift, I went to get
a sandwich for lunch and looking at my uniform, the cashier asked if I worked
for the zoo. The same happened on the
bus as a lady said that she and her kids were headed to the zoo and would get
down when I did. I guess I was getting
noticed. I got down at the ‘Farm In The Zoo’ stop and told the lady
and her kids to visit that first and then make their way up to the main
zoo. After doing this civic duty, I
arrived at the volunteer office and saw that it was Jeremy’s turn today to be
our coordinator for the afternoon. Also
present were other volunteers, Rose, Judy and a new recruit, Yitan. Jeremy went through the pre-shift notes
including the upcoming zoo events.
There’s a volunteer breakfast next Saturday at 8:30 am and while I would
like to attend, well it depends on whether I want to get out of bed!
 |
| "Did you hear, the Macaques are coming" |
My first posting was at the ‘West Gate’ and I made my way over there
armed with several maps, a radio and a clicker.
I started greeting people coming in and out while handing out the maps
at a rapid pace. Some people were asking
for directions to specific animals, the Giraffes being the most popular. Once again, I heard comments expressing
surprise that the zoo was free. All
through my time here there had been construction happening by this gate, in
preparation for the Macaque exhibit that was opening soon. One girl was very interested in that and
asked me if we had torn down anything else to make room for that. I responded
in the negative, saying that the reason there was construction was because we
were creating a natural habitat. People
were friendly as usual and some stopped by ask for directions, not just within
the zoo, but also to places like the ‘North
Beach’. All in all, I had over 400
interactions during my hour at this location.
At 2:30 pm I came back to the
volunteer office to return my radio and clicker and then headed to ‘Gateway’ for a long session. My partner to start off the afternoon was
Rose and since it was a nice day, she said that she would stand outside to hand
out maps. A gentleman came in and I
asked if he wanted a map. I then learned
that he was Mike, the supervisor of this place.
Well, in my defense he wasn’t wearing the green zoo shirt. The wheelchairs were in demand and many were
stopping by to borrow them. One
gentleman asked if we had a “power chair”
and seemed greatly disappointed when I said no.
There were the usual visitors looking for the bathrooms and the maps
were disappearing as if containing directions for a buried treasure! There were phone calls that I had to answer,
with people calling to ask about parking rates, zoo closing times etc. By this time Rose had come back in and at one
stage chastised me for speaking over her saying, “You are probably used to working by yourself.” I can’t say I didn't deserve that.
Judy and Yitan soon replaced Rose
for the conclusion of my shift at ‘Gateway’. Judy seems to be the chief trainer and mentor
for new volunteers and today was no exception with Yitan shadowing her. While they did their usual training, I was
handling the front desk by myself. There
were a few members’ appreciation gifts like lunch coolers, blankets etc.; that they
could pick up and a few stopped by this afternoon to redeem their gift
receipts. Visitors having a ‘Chicago GoPass’, were entitled to a
free ride for their kids on either the carousel or the train in the big
courtyard. I was shown how to scan the
pass and then give them their ticket, and there were a few who claimed
them. Other than that there was a minor
medical need, some people who stopped by to charge their phones, a report of
theft in the parking lot and a person complaining that the ATM wasn’t working
and so he couldn't buy things. But no
visitor this afternoon beat a guy who seemed to have had a few too many at
lunch and was now looking for directions.
Despite me pointing it out to him, Judy had to walk him to the gates to
ensure that he reached the right place.
It had been a typical afternoon and time really flew by till it was 5 pm
and the end of my shift. I left after chatting
a bit with Yitan, who is getting a PhD in “Glaciology”
or study of glaciers. Yep, I sure do
meet interesting people every day.
“The views expressed on this weblog are mine alone and do not
necessarily reflect the views of my employer.”
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