Comparison and Contract Paragraph

I recently visited the Toronto zoo. I have many memories of the zoo as a child. As I walked around, I noticed that a lot changes when you grow up. The same place, which has not physically changed much at all, is very different during different stages of your life. Firstly, I can remember as a child looking through the big glass windows that contained the animals, and thinking of how nice their little homes were. I thought that they looked happy entertaining a mass of people. Now, at 18, I found myself feeling very sorry for the animals confined to those small quarters. How would I feel, living in a building built by humans and being watched all day? It suddenly felt very odd to me, to see a rhinoceros banging around a concrete room as snow fell outside of his window. My perspective on these animals in captivity has changed drastically since I was little. Secondly, the walk that my dad said used to take hours, suddenly didn't seem far at all. Well I remember the zoo as a fun experience, I do remember my legs hurting, and feeling like we would never make it back to the entrance. Now, I walked through the zoo at a pace familiar to walking to school or trying to get to an appointment on time. I also found I was looking down on the animals, instead of desperately trying to get a good look on my tip-toes. Thirdly, I can remember as a child wanting more than anything to purchase something from the gift store on the way out. I recall the less than enthusiastic looks on my parents faces when I saw one of the, oh yes, 17 gift stores at the zoo. This time, I had the pleasure of bringing the four little girls I babysit to the zoo. They too wanted to experience the gift store. I found myself thinking the same thoughts that my parents must have though; why are the prices outrageous, and where on earth are we going to store all this junk? My dad laughed at me, feeling that it was good payback. I still love the zoo. I had a great day seeing the looks of curiosity and excitement on the little girls faces. I was also surprised at how much the world can change as you grow older. The zoo hasn't changed, but how I view it has. Your experience of places as a child and as an adult are very different.