I joked that she would probably be a strict woman who ordered us to sleep in separate beds and made us clean our own clothes. As it turned out – in fact – the complete opposite was the case. When we knocked on the door, we were greeted by a woman with brown hair and a thin face, standing there with a welcoming smile on her face – who is, to this day, by far the nicest person I have ever met in my life. We could not thank her enough for her hospitality, and it was certainly a great relief given our brief anxiety over the situation previously.

—I have, uh, just been practicing my, uh, my English exercises, she told us. She had also folded all our washing for us in neat piles that she said we should pick up whenever we’re ready.

            When we had a moment alone, Alice turned to me with huge bright eyes and tried to contain her laughter.

—Oh my god, she said, putting her hand up to her mouth.

—Have we just me the nicest woman ever? I asked.