The Jenasaur Files

It was warm that day.

I could feel it in the air; it was the day where my herd and I were to go amongst our own, though in more confined quarters.  I sensed, rather than saw, the prevailing excitement among the little ones, as our leader, one in the middle stages of pregnancy, rallied them up for the strenuous journey ahead.  I was impressed that she did this without biting.

Our guides placed us in a long, narrow vehicle, which was adequate for our journey, and I managed to keep the little ones of the herd (indeed, they comprised the majority of our herd, as our numbers have admittedly thinned) in line for the entire duration.  The ride was long, but we knew it was necessary for our pilgrimage.

The air was still when we arrived and exited the vehicle.  I had never had much use for human automobiles, for they truly baffled me--but I suppose lacking monkey thumbs and proper eyesight (such a limitation for humans) makes me a bit biased in this regard.  However, it brought my herd to our destination, so as a show of gratitude, I did not devour the driver.

As the little Duckieatopses trotted about and stretched their legs, I looked out at what lay before us: this land's, Germania's, largest dinosaur "reserve," a place for my kind to wander with freedom among our very own.  My kind.  My people.  One of the Jenasaur.

Our Fearless Leader and I guided the Duckieatopses into the park, first coming upon a horrific sight: a mound of sand bricks, which we were told held the remains of our brethren who had been brutally murdered by our enemies, the humans.  We dug and dug to preserve our kind's remains, to cleanse them of the earth and give them a proper memorial, working relentlessly to free the skeletons of dinosaurs long since gone.  It was a grueling task, and one especially hard on the little ones, who until now had been sheltered from the cruel reality of our war with the humans.

The rest of the time was spent getting to know the permanent residents of the park and how they have adapted to confinement.  The Duckietopses, their hearts heavy with their first task, were somewhat refreshed by this step, as they stood in awe of such specimen as Parrot Lizard.  One of us, and yet so different.

The Duckieatopses, being somewhat drawn to me, kept me company throughout our venture into the wilderness.  One such, named Sarahsaurus, particularly attached herself to me, and Indrosaur and his rather large straw hat (I chose not to ask where he had acquired such a human decoration) painted an amusing picture.

This was, of course, until the little ones started devouring one of their own.

It was a horrifying scene, really.  It appeared that a Tyrannosaurus had actually done the job, but the herd leaped upon the dying Triceratops's body without abandon, gnawing at the open flesh and surrounding it like the flies that plague the human carrion.  I watched with disgust, not acting upon instinct in case they were to turn on me.

Reeling from such an occurrence, our Fearless Leader and I rushed the Duckieatopses through the rest of the park before they could do more damage in order to reunite with more of our pack--more, less cannibal, Duckieatopses.  It being a warm, sunny day, we allowed the little ones some playtime in the sand, whereas such Duckieatopses as Nelesaur, Marthasaurus, and even Juliatops beckoned me to partake in their playing.  Still, the unsettling feeling remained, and I knew that we must leave the Dino-Park, even if it meant returning to the realm of humans, our enemies.

As we were once again herded into the long, narrow vehicle and were transported back to Celle, I knew that this adventure among our own kind was worth it.  But, I still lie awake at night, reeling from the nightmares that my cannibalistic Duckietopses have created for me...thus creating my own existential crisis about who exactly is in the right in this war of dinosaurs versus humans.


...

(OH HEY, the Dino-Park was lots of fun.)

The Obligatory Pre-Trip Post

It was almost warm enough today to not wear a jacket. Almost. Spring. Come. Now.

The week tends to fly by when you're not completely ready for something, and that is what has happened this go-round. I'm quite excited about my Easter break, which starts tomorrow afternoon: Maryle and I will head over to Hamburg and perhaps walk around while we wait for our flight to Gatwick airport, where my English relatives will be waiting for us. This is possibly the most exciting aspect of the trip, to me, as I've never met my English relatives, save for when I was very young--too young to remember. They are very kindly offering space for the two of us traveling Cellers until Monday, so I intend to spend my time to the fullest getting to know everyone.

After our stay in Hassocks, Maryle and I will then fly to Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona, and Stuttgart, spending around two and a half days in each city. I'm a bit nervous about staying in the first three cities, honestly, as I don't speak Portuguese nor Spanish, and we are on our own. Still, the excitement outweighs the nervousness, and I'm pretty much convinced that things will go well. If anything, Maryle and I will get to see the beautiful architecture and culture that is the Mediterranean. We should be back in Celle by April 3rd.

Because of the long break and the many places we'll see, I'm going to try my best to not wait until the trip's end to update this blog. I should have Internet access at the places where I'm staying (providing that my Internet stick works in these areas and does not get stolen), so that shouldn't be too hard. (presses thumbs) Oh, what's that, you say? Pictures? Hell, yes. Those will be posted, too.

Anyway, almost everything is in order. I need to finish packing, send out a few emails, withdraw some money, check in online with the flights, take out the trash, and charge the electronics that I'm taking with me, but those won't take too long. Hooray for actually being responsible.

Though the week has passed by very quickly, it has been enjoyable. 2a once again made my day today, and as I was acting as the substitute (Frau Doehrmann has taken some students from the fourth grade on a class trip to Meudon, France), they behaved themselves rather well. I had prepared a bingo game for them in the form of the animals from The Mitten, which was fun, if loud.

Dylan: (in his very English accent) "Are you from the United States?"
Me: "Why, yes; I am."
Dylan: (nodding very self-satisfactorily) "That's what I thought. Did you know that there are more people in Washington D.C. than in Berlin?" (Which then starts another one of Dylan's Ramblings.)

These children are also very clingy. Or, perhaps I'm just a kid magnet. So many hugs today... Unbelievable.

One more class, and then Osterferien.