Goodbye Gonubie!

I'm saying goodbye to an incredible little family I've had the chance to be a part of for the weekend.  Here I am, posing for what looks like could be a family Christmas card (it is winter here, after all!).  The people in this are- from right to left- Miss Laura, her daughter Shirley, Taylor Chin, me- next level up- Miss Barbara, Miss Beth Chin- next level up- Mr. Don Chin, and finally Miss Shelley!  Laura and Barbara are two sisters that have been hosting myself and the chins for the past few days.  They have been incredibly generous and sweet to not only the Chins, but a complete stranger like me!  We have enjoyed some great meals and lots of laughs.  They are like the sassy grandmas with English accents that you wish you had.

It is sad to say bye to my friends, the Chins, but they get to go back to America tomorrow to see family and friends!  They have really helped me settle in so well, from teaching me lingo to helping me get a phone plan to helping me get some last minute passport photos to even finding me accommodation for my time in East London after they leave.  All this while trying to move their whole life back to the United States in 15 suitcases!  They are pretty amazing, and I feel so blessed to have had them here to be my greeting committee.

Tomorrow I will be attending my first day of my first conference- the International Conference of Traditional Music.  It starts at University of Fort Hare located here at the East London campus.  Wednesday we will be bussed to a small town called Alice where the next two days of the conference will meet.  We'll actually be sleeping in a town called Hogsback that is nearby.  It is up in the mountains and is supposed to be absolutely beautiful.  Then Friday we will head into Grahamstown, where I will be for the next 10 nights.  Don't know when I will next have wifi.  Cheers!