Holy 36 Hours of Traveling...

I am FINALLY home!!!!!!! After 36 hours of traveling, it really feels great to be home. I left Cape Town on Thursday at 3:10 pm and arrived in Johannesburg at 5:10 pm only to find out that my flight to Senegal, Africa/NYC was arriving 2 hours later than it should have. Therefore... when we arrived in New York after 16.5 hours on the same plane, we realized we missed our morning flight to Columbus. We were told to talk to someone at the Delta check-in desk so that's what we did. And of course, when I told the lady what our intentions had been and what really happened, she gave me grief (... like it was my fault...) She pretty much told me that South African Airways should have rebooked me and that it was now her problem so she had to rebook me. When I asked her when the next flight was to Columbus, she said 4:30 pm. Needless to say, that's the last thing I wanted to hear after my 16+ hour plane ride. And on top of that, my bags were over and I had to pay a fee.
And while in the midst of my tears, she has the nerve to tell me that I should go outside to catch some fresh air so I can feel better. Uhhh... thanks lady, but I think I know how to handle myself when I'm upset. So what was my lesson learned from this... I will be avoiding Delta at all costs in my future travels.

Thankfully after all this, I went upstairs, had a glass of wine and a nice Bud Light beer. Man, it was much needed.

So I never really recapped my last week and a half at school. The last week was really hard for me. Time was winding down and I knew saying my goodbyes was coming closer and closer. On my last day, I was able to spend most of it with my Grade 8 girls as I was substituting for their form teacher who left for holiday early. The Math department even gave me a little goodbye celebration. The hardest part of the day was the principal sending me the best wishes and saying goodbye to me in front of the whole school during Assembly. She said I fit in so well so easily and how I had been involved in activities with the girls, etc and that it was hard for her to see me go. Believe me... it was hard to hear such nice words from her. Needless to say, the tears were flowing. (Imagine that...) Overall, I will miss Rustenburg greatly as many of them have now become like family to me.

Saturday, the 22nd, was HALF MARATHON day!!!! The race started at 6 AM. All I can say is the hills were KILLER! The route was so hard! I finished in 2 hours and 35 minutes which is excellent for me since I didn't do much hill training for the race AND I usually don't stop to use the restroom, but it was much needed during this race as I drank a ton along the route. If I hadn't of stopped, I would have finished even earlier so I must say, job well done to myself. I now need to prepare myself for the next half marathon in Nashville, April 26!! Can't wait!

I spent the afternoon after the race celebrating with my host parents, some of their friends, and one of my work friends. It was a really nice braai, but man, was I sore! The next day, I spent Easter with Wendy's cousin and her family. That too was a nice braai!

On Tuesday, the 25th, Terrez and I went to Aquila Safari (about 2 hours from CT). It was fun as well... I saw 4 of the big 5 (elephant, buffalo, lion, rhino). Unfortunately we didn't see the leopard. The next time I go to Africa, I will be going to Kruger National Park! That's where the best of the big 5 are! Overall, it was a nice experience and I'm glad I was able to see what I did.

Wednesday, March 26, was my birthday!!!! It was a great day, but I had to say goodbye to my advisor who was such a great help during my COST experience. Throughout the day, Wendy gave me presents. For dinner, she made lasagna and we had a nice celebration. It was really nice! It was a perfect dinner to end with!

And lastly, Thursday was flight day. I was happy to leave knowing I was going home, but it was also hard to say goodbye to my host Mom. She ended up having to take us to the airport and of course, cried when I said goodbye to her. I know I'll see her again, but it will be a while before I get to see them all again and that's what was so hard. She reminds me a lot of my Mom and her husband reminded me a lot of my Dad... very sociable and fun people!

As Nelson Mandela once said, "There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find ways in which you yourself have altered." That is exactly how I feel. I am now more experienced and know that if I can live in a foreign country for 3 months, I can do anything. I have grown so much in so many different ways and I am forever grateful to have had such a wonderful experience. I now can say I have a South African family... and a family that I'm going to look back upon for the rest of my life and thankfully I have such wonderful memories.