Anyaman with Pak Borhan

We have been neglecting our 2 nangka trees. Borhan decided that he had to save the fruits. He says that by wrapping the fruits in coconut leaves, fruits that had been attacked by insects would halt further infestation within the fruit.
Borhan was teaching Sony how to weave.

Fai decided to do it his own way and weaved this

Machika who is always eager to learn, joined in. JY was too exhausted from the beach clean-up they did earlier to join in.

Borhan showing her how it is done.

Machika was a fast learner and needed little guidance from Pak Borhan.

Nangka fruits beautifully wrapped up.

KHao Construction

KHao got his rubber boots when he was 3. He wanted one just like his grandfather's and father's. He spends lots of time in his garden digging soil and here in PD the only thing I saw him doing was to dig. With full concentration, feet apart, he dug away at the beach. Never seen a happier kid just digging.

The moment he opens his eyes he would run out to join Uncle Sony and we wouldn't see him for hours.

Here, he is helping to sandpaper the stairway.

Borhan says he has excellent observational skills and would point out any discrepancies that he notices. Borhan is very impressed by this 5 year old.
His mom told us that he once sawed a broom handle to obtain 2 equal parts by lodging the broomstick into the grooves of the metal drain cover.

Pak Borhan

My kids have gained a lot from the renovation of the PD house.

From the Singhs, JY learnt the art of capati making and their stories about their lifestyle in Rajasthan where a camel is the choice mode of transport.

Now with Borhan, the kids are exposed to tales about his kampung in Indonesia. He would say

" Di kampung saya, kita buat macam ini..."

This time around he noticed an unwrapped nangka (jackfruit) and suggested wrapping the fruit the kampung way using coconut leaves. He weaved a case that would envelope the fruit and prevent it from being attacked by pests.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of it.

It really dressed up the tree. My mom said that people would steal it instead of the fruit :)

With balance of the leaves from that one branch, he made a bag. He said kampung folks would use a bigger version to harvest fruits. He couldn't weave a bigger bag as the size depends on the length of the leaves.

Seeing our enthusiasm, he showed us how chicken is carried home from the market. The chicken's head would poke out on the right side of the carrier. The whole body plus legs would be encased within.

The chicken is then balanced on the head for the journey home and into the cooking pot.