Someone's NICKED my fucking camera! So much for leaving on a friendly note. The HM and Juliet are really upset but can't suspect their students.

It breaks down like this: Jerry and another boy saw it at lunchtime yesterday. So it was taken after school. I had choir, and stayed talking to Miss Shanti until five thirty.

When I got back, the Lewis Levail school children were here asking for photos with their friendly Auto-man. I got the pictures, they followed and I took them outside again. Suspect no. 1.

While I was gone, C. was working and was plagued by kids from Schwartz Matriculation. We've talked to all the ones C. remembers and who have said they were here. Suspect(s) no. 2.

Muthu comes round all the time, he was here yesterday and his demands have been getting more and more extravagant, including a request for Rs1,000 when he 'lost' some money he was supposed to be looking after! We didn't give him any. Suspect no. 3, but his father's a policeman. He came round this morning though, and helped look for it. He's never come here in school time before.

So the HM's going to talk to all the people we saw this morning and say that if they give it to me, no more will be said, but if it doesn't turn up the police will be in on Friday. Juliet said it was my fault because I shouldn't have been talking to Miss Shanti for so long as I knew C. wouldn't be concentrating on looking after my camera.¹ I think Muthu did it, after all he's a Schwartz boy.²

The worst thing is that we'll know whoever took it. We know who was here yesterday and one person has ruined our stay. how can we be friendly with people now? how can they get away with it when their parents and friends must find out somehow. They can't flog it on the Black Market (although we are enquiring down those channels).

Yesu is positive it's Muthu now, because he was forced to work for the man whose money he lost and he told Yesu that he was going to 'do something' to get the money. Yesu knows the shop he's likely to sell it in so we'll go there if it's not forthcoming.

...

(Some time later) Great news! Juliet and the HM went to Schwartz to see Mr Davidoss (The 'My boys are well behaved - we enforce it' chap) and he 'spoke' to Muthu. Guess what? He had my camera at school! Yesu was dead right about him, what an arsehole. He was obviously bitter that we wouldn't give him things and decided to help himself. Get a job you sad bastard. How could he steal from us? We thought he was just asking too much, but still thought he was our friend. All this time he's been planning this and now look what he's done - I've been miserable all day and even though I've got it back (well - I will do tomorrow) I'm still sad because of how he's treated our generosity.³ I'm very impressed with the swift action of the HM and Juliet and am so glad I didn't have to file an insurance claim and all that rubbish.

...

The Lewis Levail schoolchildren have come here almost every day to talk to us and today the main girl (leader, whatever) Hema, invited us to her house. It was great. So the day ended on a happy note, after being the most miserable one here by far.

God is a star and I love him to bits - not that I'm being materialistic or anything!