A Walk in the Park

What’s the best part about working in a school?

Field trips.

And after getting past the heart attack of herding 24 preschoolers through public transportation (no big yellow buses over here), our afternoon out turned into a relaxing summer haze.

Óbudai-sziget is widely known as the location for the blowout summer festival Sziget, but the huge slides in the center might be just as fun. (Especially if you’re a 5 year old breaking out of school for the day.)

It doesn’t take a lot to make my kids smile, but one look at those giant metal tubes and they were downright gleeful (or terrified, in some cases).

I for one was definitely terrified after going one round with one of my kids. I was supposed to be the moral support but instead I was the one screaming while they laughed the whole way.

The afternoon was a heady mix of picnic blankets and refilled water bottles and cool rides through hot metal tubes and an overly cautious amount of sunscreen.

And somewhere in between the picnicking and learning about the island wildlife and propelling their tiny legs up the stairs again, again, again for just one more rush of freedom, my little people taught me little truths:

Truths like there’s nothing so wonderful as the delicious comfort of a shaded picnic blanket or the wonder of a daisy chain or the exhilaration that’s just on the other side of letting go.