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