Games to Play

Philadelphia Alley, Charleston, SC

Photo unrelated to entry. As usual.

Planning what to take to delight children in Kenya has made me think back on the wild fun we had as kids growing up in the hills of north east India. I can't think of a better place to have been a child, wild and free. My stories of hiking to rivers and late nights out with siblings and packs of breathless, laughing friends sound more like those told by our grand and great grandparents here. We took turns strapping our youngest brother to our backs.

Games were seasonal. Although we all collected them, marbles were mostly a boy's game. We designed and made clumsy off balanced kites. Carrom of course. There was a game similar to jacks with five smooth stones.

We played games that involved stacks of flat stones that we tumbled with a ball. One team had to try to restack the stones while the other team knocked them out of play by hitting them with the ball. We played hide and seek and wild cops and robber style games with strips of rubber cut from inner tire tubes that we shot slingshot style at the enemy. Ouchie!

My grandparents would periodically write to tell us that a package was on the way from Canada and list the contents. Delivery took months and our hearts would almost explode with the anticipation. Food items were measured and divided among the ten of us to be completely fair. I didn't eat a whole candy bar until I was an adult. There was usually some game, pocket knife or match box car included. The game where a ball ties to your ankle started the fiercest competition. We didn't stop skipping and jumping the ball until we were called in late at night with our ankles raw and sore.

We collected and traded stamps and candy wrappers. I had stacks of precious shiny foil candy wrappers smoothed out flat. Silly as it sounds I recall some pain leaving them behind on a trip back to Canada.

I am in the back center of this shot. You can see a few pale faces in what looks like a happy balloon party.