Present time!

I regularly get visits from two little girls. One is the daughter of one of the hostel matrons, and the other is the daughter of  one of the security guards. Both speak very little English but both are completely adorable.

I have discovered a game which they absolutely love. I hide my eyes behind my hands and wait for them  to approach me, before jumping up and chasing them in an attempt to tickle me. They have me at an advantage however. Despite the fact that my feet have got a whole lot tougher during my time here, I still find it incredibly painful running bare foot, due to the rocks, brambles and occasional pieces of broken glass that can be found on the floor.


Their reaction when being tickled is probably one of the cutest things I have ever seen. They cannot seem to comprehend what is happening to them, and yet they love it because they always come running back to me once I give up. I quickly realised that most of the kids here have never been tickled before, simply because it's INCREDIBLY rare for parents to actually play with them. It does mean however, that their reactions to it are particularly hilarious (they range from completely horrified and shocked, to unbelievably excited!)

One evening the girls came to visit me after I had just got a parcel from the post. I let them rummage through the sticker books that I had got (keeping a careful eye on them in case they tried to steal them - unfortunate, but necessary). They had been so well behaved, and handled them so carefully that I let them choose a 'Hello Kitty' sticker each, and gave them one of the little plaited bracelets that I made last term - much to their delight :)