This is not a hilarious anecdote, or heartwarming story, but it made me smile and I hope that it will do the same for you all.
The other day I was walking to my first bus stop and I happened upon two neighborhood children, a young girl and her slightly older brother. For some reasons the pair seemed stuck and unable to move past the house on the corner. As I got closer the girl ran towards me. This took me for surprise because although people are friendly here, they are not friendly enough to run at a stranger the way this girl was. She stopped just short of me and began to trail behind me as I walked. I made some small talk with her until we caught up to her brother at the corner.
When we finally got to the point that the siblings were hung up on I realized what was going on. As I've mentioned, I encounter several dogs on my daily route to and from school. The house on this particular corner is home to three very loud, and semi-aggressive dogs. The dogs are safe behind a fence and gate but the girl was absolutely terrified of them! She was attached to my hip as we walked and her eyes continually darted towards the fence and the three dogs. As soon as we were passed the house she gave me a quick wave and skipped off towards her school with her brother.
I think that we can all remember one thing that we were irrationally afraid of as children (or even adults) and I was so happy that this girl let me help her conquer her fear.
Also, I'll be back in the States in 9 days! I can't believe the time has flown this quickly!
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