:::It is impossible for you say he "seemed thrilled by his hobby"; There is no way to read the emotions on the alien face, and those types of descriptions ("thrilled") are human, not alien.  I suggest you pay closer attention to what life is like in the camps.  I very much doubt any alien was happy to live their, what with their children being killed, their homes destroyed, etc.  The word "waiting" in this context is defined as "remaining inactive in one place while expecting something", which is excatly what we see, both by his physical stance and his expectation (hope) for being with his wife again.  There is no more accurate word to describe the scene.