Chaperoning school trip and riding bus with no air conditioning

At the end of the last school year, my daughter Amanda talked me into chaperoning her fourth grade class field trip to the local zoo.  I should have asked a lot more questions about the trip. I assumed we’d be taking a charter bus with comfortable seats, television screens, bathroom and air conditioning.  Instead, we boarded an ancient school bus with no seatbelts and inadequate shocks. At seven o’clock in the morning, the outside temperature was already in the mid-eighties with excessive humidity and no breeze whatsoever.  For safety reasons, the windows on the bus only opened about two inches and provides no relief. The bus was not equipped with air conditioning or even a fan, and the drive lasted over an hour. By the time we arrived, I was drenched in sweat with a headache and upset stomach.  Touring the zoo was worse than the bus ride. There was very little shade and very few indoor, air conditioned spaces. I encouraged my group to spend lots of time in the gift shop and reptile house. These spaces were air conditioned, cool, and such a pleasant relief from the heat and horrible smells.  On the return trip on the overheated bus, two kids became sick and threw up. I couldn’t wait to climb inside my car and crank the air conditioner. When I finally got home, I lowered the thermostat setting, poured myself a big glass of wine and stood directly in front of the air conditioner vent. I don’t plan on volunteering for another school trip unless I learn more about our mode of transportation and destination.