After five months, we bid a teary farewell to those we've come to call neighbours, friends and family in the community near Mbolompo Pt on the Wild Coast. I had no idea such emotions would flow through me as I repeated the only phrase I could put together that somewhat communicated my feelings: "Ndizonikhumbula!" [I will miss you all].

We came with the goal of learning isiXhosa and are now leaving with lessons of so much more - about family, about community and about all the great things that make such a place special.

After a hard slog at the end, our research project has made the important step of leaving our brains and is now available for all others to carry forward. Please have a squizz on the research page and invite others to do so as well.

Having now returned to the 'city' of Cape Town, and having been asked am I happy to be 'back in civilization', I can honestly say that there are not many people out there more civil and civilised than the friends we made while staying with the Siyephu family.

I hope that Wild Wild Coast will continue to grow and follow the really admirable principles that have brought it thusfar. Volunteers keen to learn about environmental management in a rural community could learn a lot from spending some time at Mbolompo and talking to the great people that live there.

Many thanks for everything,

Dan and Anna

Click here to go to Natural Resources research page