Atlanta - Homelessness

After a long mentally draining trip yesterday, we were looking forward to our free day today to recharge for the remaider of the week. First we went on a picnic to Piedmont Park. While getting into our cars some friendly children hollered at us (Atlanta style) from the window of a home next to the Emmaus House. They asked us our names and introduced us to their baby brother Dante, and when we had to leave they were heartbroken - one child even broke out in tears! This made us really excited to work with the children we'll be tutoring throughout the week, hoping all the kids we encountered were equally as nice. Piedmont Park is a beautifully preserved area in the heart of Atlanta. Particiants got to play frisbee and enjoy the natural scenary while munching on chips and peanut butter and jelly. The pond next to our picnic area was home to some of the ugliest turkey-duck looking animals we had ever seen who started getting angry when we ran out of crumbs to feed them. We also saw a heron, geese and plenty of fish - because right after our picnic we got to go to the Georgia Aquarium! Thanks to a faulty computer system the line to the entrance was really long but definitely worth the wait. Inside there were penguins, beluga whales, sharks, sting rays, otters, pirhanas and thousands of
different types of fish. The group's favorite exhibit was "The Ocean Voyager," a tour through a glass tunnel that allowed you to see the animals as if you were swimming right under them. We've had a great day exploring Atlanta, a wonderful start to our eventful week.