When we first moved to Tenwek, our then 2-year old kept wandering off because he was in search of new places to dig. I lost him several times, only to discover him around a corner somewhere in the compound, digging away. We decided to build him a sandbox right behind our apartment, so at least he'd be contained and I could look out the window to see if he was still there. It was wonderful. Kai spent hours upon hours in that sandbox, oblivious to the world around him, happily digging and dumping dirt like it was his job.
And at almost 6 years old, he's still at it. Kai has found many places to dig here at Chogoria and he's got a whole group of kids who join him at different times. I'm pretty sure no one was digging around here until we showed up, and now it's a common sight. Kai has inspired many! They've spent time and energy building enormous dirt piles, digging for dinosaur bones, and starting an underground tunnel from one house to another.
It was the latter, in fact, that put the need for a sandbox at the top of the project list.
One day recently I discovered that not only had Kai and Friends been digging rather close to a house across the yard from us, but they'd dug deep enough to expose some pipes underneath the house! Clearly, that was not a good sign. After commanding that the hole be completely filled in, and prohibiting any further digging around the house, I begged Eli to please build our son a sandbox where the digging could be contained.
So yesterday was the day. And I bet you can guess who was the first volunteer to help build the sandbox...
Kai worked so hard! He dug dirt, learned how to use a wheelbarrow, and hauled stones and sand. Asa chipped in for awhile too, but Kai was a workhorse, never stopping except when the men also stopped. He truly made this sandbox come into being.
We were able to use bricks, stones, and sand that had been discarded in the compound. So this beauty was made at no cost! It just took a few hours of manual labor and me making lots of pizza to feed everybody in the meantime. That's the best kind of project :)
Finally, by late afternoon, the project was complete. Kai literally giggled with glee, then got right to work. Asa joined him, and even Caleb did for awhile. We had three happy little boys on our hands.
I absolutely love this photo. My sweet, dirt-loving boy, in his most happy place. It just squeezes my heart!
A sandbox, as it turns out, is a very American thing. Our African friends who walked by during the building of it were a bit confused. Why would we build a specific place for our children to dig dirt? What's the point?
One of Eli's residents, who recently traveled to America and was taken aback at how clean the whole country was, said, "I know why. After being in your place, I know there is nowhere for them to find dirt!" We all laughed and enjoyed watching the boys play. But it remains true that this is a strange thing. Kids choosing to dig in the dirt for fun? It's an anomaly here. But it's such an important part of life in the Horn household, and I know the days are numbered for how long my little boy will want to keep playing in a sandbox. I'm cherishing these days. And that precious face :)
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