band-aid sistah?

This is the new favorite saying of the kids here. It seems that band-aids are the 'cool' thing around here now and everyone wants one, wound or not. Little Surya finds old scars that look a little gritty and shows them to us, grimacing as if it hurts to make us think it's something more. Even though we tell them 'no blood, no band-aid' he is a very persistant little boy, batting his eye lashes at us and pursing his lips. We used to fall for that puppy dog expression but not anymore!
Speaking of puppy dogs, I think it is worth talking about the pets of Bala gurukulam.
First off are the cats, two little calico kittens that prowl the grounds for whatever cats prowl for and make some of the strangest yelps I have ever heard. Sometimes we aren't sure if it is a child crying or not and it keeps us a little on edge, especially during the night.
For awhile there, we were taking turns sleeping in a cubicle in the children's room, walls all around but no roof. We have all had a few surprise visits from the cats, suddenly springing from the partial wall onto the bed or vice versa, drawing a few shrill screams in the process. They like to prance around the dormitory and make their weird yelps until someone chases them out the window. Sound like fun house pets, huh? Then we have the fish tank, full of fish from the lake that is a 3 minute walk from the orphanage. Some of the older boys like to go swimming and replenish the stock often, as they tend to eat each other in the tank. I'm not actually sure if they are fed fish food ever or not! At one point, Venkje had even caught a small squirrel and put him in a little wire cage above the snake tank, though I'm not really sure what happened to it. No, they aren't big enough snakes to eat the squirrel but they still make me feel queasy everytime they move, or molt for that matter. Recently, some lizard eggs have appeared in the tank, not sure if it is food or for future playmates, but the kids are anticipating the hatching!
Most importantly are the family dogs, Tiger and Brownie. Tiger is a white mutt and one of the most docile creatures I have ever seen. The kids are constantly poking him, grabbing his tail, his ears, anything they can get ahold of and not once has he snapped or growled at them. Pretty much the only thing I've seen him do is lay around and stare at the gate, or skulk around garbage piles sniffing for food. However, his life hits a climatic point everyday during 'biscuit hour', when the children are presented all kinds of crackers and cookies to keep them enertained for an hour or so. This turns chaotic, as they fight each other for more biscuits or trip and smash their crackers in the process. Tiger unleashes, pouncing on any dropped biscuit he sees before the kids regain their senses and snatch it off the ground. The children watch, mouth agape, as their precious morsels are slurped up mere moments after hitting the earth. Of course we are there to replenish their stock before the tears of despair let loose, but it's funny all the same.
Brownie, however, is the total opposite of Tiger. He is the guard dog, meant to keep people from jumping the fence and, worse case scenario, snatching any children for the slave trade. It hasn't happened, and hopefully never will, but Brownie is a precaution and he is damn good at his job. He is tied up during the day(loose at night), either near the gate or on the opposite side of the courtyard behind some fence, which is my favorite spot for him because he is VICIOUS. Though he loves the children, wouldn't harm them in any way, he hates adults and strangers. He growls, snaps, lunges, anything and everything he can do from his chain to scare the crap out of us. "Look sister, Brownie is laughing" Venkje likes to say with a smile. Even better then that, Brownie likes to get loose. Alot. One of Ranjith's favorite things to talk about is the time Brownie got off and looked like he was headed straight for Susan. Of course, in moments like this, you'd like to think you could be a hero and 'save the children' before your self but knowing Brownie would totally ignore the children she was playing with and go directly for her throat, she freaked. Susan literally jumped over a tree into the garden, shreiking the entire way. Ranjith got quite a laugh and was very impressed with Susan's 'stamina' (we think he means athletic ability when he uses this word?) Usually, Brownie being loose means we all run around with babies in our arms, looking for an unlocked door to hide behind. Venkje is the only one who feels confident enough to approach the dog and put him on the leash again, and even he gets nervous during the task. Though it sounds scary, it's an adrenaline rush we live off of for hours afterwards and we love recount the moments we almost lost our lives to a dog named Brownie.