Our Last weekend....

Our last weekend….

Sarah finally came!!! Sara Kix and I went to the airport to pick up Sarah Barnes. It was so amazing seeing her for the first time in about 2 months. Our eyes met and I was so happy to see here. We hugged for a while…I think Kix might have felt a bit awkward…oh well.

After the airport, we came back to our flat for about an hour to get ready for the prom. It was nice to have a date. No corsage though…what was I thinking!!! It was a blast. John was able to get black out drunk…maybe he thought it was a wedding. It sort of felt that way at times. There were a lot of speeches and talks. The food was great and finally the dancing was fun. That’s when it felt like a prom. Sarah and I know how to cut a rug!

The next day we took it easy. We woke up late, I took Sarah on a tour of the beautiful campus and just caught up. It was nice to hear about here Brazil stories and I’m really excited to see her pictures and just spend time with her here in South Africa. It was nice introducing her to my new South African life that I have grown to love with all my heart.

We went into Melville for dinner that night and met up with John’s cousin who was there for the evening. She is from Paris and was studying marine ecology in SA, but heading back to Paris the next day. It was great to be sitting at a table with Americans, Parisians, and South African. I felt honored to be there. We then hopped around the bar scene and drank some great beers. I was in the drunken state where I was craving sweets. I snuck out of the bar and walked down to Illy (and amazing Italian coffee company) and bout about R 200 worth of baked goods. I brought it all back to the bars and we ate like kings and queens. We finally got home at about 2 am or so.

On Sunday we woke up early and went to an African Market…which was in a mall…so I didn’t really get the “Authentic South African goods” they kept advertising on the walls. It was the same crap at every other booth….not a great place. We then went down to Newtown and met up with Sara Kix, Thubi, Gugu, and Nakana. It was great to reconnect with them and plan a dinner with all our new friends. We ended up making a plan fro Tuesday night and we were stoked!

Then Sarah and I went to Thubi and Sara Kix to Thubi’s township of Kagiso (a.k.a. KG…in Zulu meaning Peace) We went out to dinner and had an authentic township dinner of chicken, pap and dumplings. I love the stuff, but I’m not sure Sarah was into it. I guess I’ve just gotten used to it. We stayed in a nice B and B while we were there. It’s a nicer township than the ones I’ve been in the summer. In the morning we were going back to Pilanesburg with Sara and Thubi. At 6am, we were off….wait…not really…we were locked in! It took us a half an hour of wandering the building to find a way out. They have to lock everything up so we are safe inside and no creepers come in. Anyways, at about 6:30 am, we found a window and climbed out. Sara Kix and Thubi weer waiting for us and we were off to Pilanesburg again.

Pinalesburg was great,,,,we saw a lot again. We saw a dead elephant where many lions were apparently eating…we didn’t see the lions. We saw many giraffes and zebras too. Sarah enjoyed herself but was really looking forward to seeing elephants. We did, but not till our way out. We had about 5 minutes of them and it was amazing. The adults created a circle around the babies and went to sleep. It was beautiful. We go home really late and were passed out in about 5 minutes. It was a long day!

We are in our last few days and it's hard to say goodbye. The kids have become so special to me and I will not be able to leave easily. I will continue this soon. I actually leave today but have more to write about from this past week...it may be an oral telling if I don't get back to writing today. It's a hectic day. The kids have something special planned for us, not too sure what though...

Sarah and I are off to Cape Town for a week while John and Pam and heading back to the States. I will try to blog when I get to Cape Town. See you all soon!