Wednesday, August 22, 2018 5:31 AM

Two little girls run past me at the old train station near the beach. As they disappear around a corner, one drops a plastic purse at my feet. I stop and stand there until I see the man who had been calling to them earlier come into view. I wave to him and gesture at the purse. He nods and says "Thank you" in a North American accent as he picks it up and trots after them. I see them a few more times later on, in different tourist-friendly parts of the city. We don't say anything more to each other, but the girl with the purse smiles at me each time.