No proper goodbyes :-(

As it was going to be our last day working in Tibang, we had hoped to say our proper goodbyes to the villagers, especially to the children with whom we had grown to be close and comfortable. However, there were very, very few people in the streets today. It was almost as eerily quiet as the day we first came to Tibang. Perhaps the villagers were all gathered to the village mosque for morning prayers or for some other community activities.

We did manage to see a few farewells to some of the villagers. Wai Yan also left behind some origami paper, colour markers and stickers for the children. And as we gathered to take a final photo with the family in land plot #184, a massive sandstorm blew its way across Tibang. At around noon, we left Tibang for the last time, with grains of sand in our clothes, hair and faces and with our hearts heavy within us.