I was curious about who was on their way to Timor-Leste and why. Three rows of Australian teenagers behind us were heading to Dili, the country’s capital, to volunteer at an orphanage in a project organised by Father Chris Riley’s Youth off the Streets organisation. At Dili airport, the Australian guy beside me waiting for his bags was visiting his girlfriend, who was there volunteering for the Red Cross. Also by the carousel, a large group of foreigners gathered around a man holding up a sign with a mining company’s name emblazoned in bold type across it.