Our first contact with a village kid

At around lunchtime, we stopped work and returned to the shack in land plot #184, now effectively our home-base in Tibang as well as our summer palace to hide from the scorching sun. There, we consumed our packed lunch. It was delicious! :)

Meanwhile, a village boy cycled by on his rusty bike, curious to see us, the pale-skinned foreigners who had arrived in his village. I suppose we must have looked extremely interesting, donning our brightly coloured First Builder vests, white construction helmets, stylish visors, beige gloves and black Dansaf construction boots. Hosea was the first to speak with the boy.

His name was Burhan. He was 13 years old, and lost his mother and sister in the tsunami disaster. He didn't have many personal belongings besides his prized bicycle. He seemed to like us, and tried to mouth the English sentences which we spoke. And he was very intrigued by a rubber-band trick which Hosea showed him. :)

Burhan was the only child we met in the village that day. And I felt a deep sadness stirring inside of me when I remembered that many of the villagers who lost their lives were children and women.

Hosea with Burhan (left), his trusty bicycle at his feet