Hugs, Songs, and an Awesome Farewell!

Who would have guessed "Bayworld" in Port Elizabeth would be such a fascinating place!

Xhosa beading on display at Bayworld

We started our day with a beautiful walk along the shore on Mandela Bay to Baywatch, not sure what to expect. It turns out it is an amazing education center/museum! It had classrooms to educate learners ages pre-school through 8th grade. There was a realistic dinosaur display, reptile house (I felt like I was in a Harry Potter movie), and history of Port Elizabeth.  There were incredible displays of beading by the Xhosa people. We had to leave far too soon!

We headed to Emafini for our final visit.  Due to the time, we were not able to teach today, but I had time to say goodbye to the beautiful teachers I worked with and give final hugs to those sweet kids.

These teachers are amazing singers!

The staff had a farewell program to honor our visit and to let us know how much they appreciated all that we did. Looking back, all the time we have given made such a difference to so many children.
We had a final Xhosa lesson with Ron, bless him for his patience with us! I learned more than I realized as I've been able to use words and phrases with the learners and other people around town.
We finished the day with a braai (BBQ) at the principal of Emafini's house.  Their family was so warm and friendly, lots of delicious food, and and best of all was being in a home and around a family again.  One of his daughters was excited we were there and kept us entertained! The other, older daughter had just purchased her traditional Xhosa clothing, so we could see how the "modern teens" wore their traditional clothes. Beading and color! That was the common thread from one generation to the next. It was a wonderful way to end an amazing, memorable time in Port Elizabeth.  

Saying goodbye at Emafini