Swaziland and Saying Goodbye

I'm at a real computer for the first time in awhile, so I figured that I would post this blog myself, rather than making my mom do it, though she does a great job. :)
Well, I suppose I'll start with the corruption, move on to the cocktails and end with the crying...My South African visa expired on March 2nd, so rather than doing things the normal, legal way and extend it at the South African Consulate (which costs at least R500, not to mention driving), I decided to try my luck at the border. After much planning and changing plans and throwing them up in the air and rearranging them yet again, it was decided that Albertina and I would head to Swaziland for two nights, then renew my visa as we crossed back into the country. We stayed our first night away from TLC at a backpacker in Joburg called Brown Sugar. It was really really nice. They served a delicious hot meal in the evening, we sipped some ciders and chatted with a guy from Holland named Jan, traveling through South Africa by himself and working at a kids' summer camp. We forgot to book Baz Bus tickets ahead of time, so we were going to book them in the evening, then we missed our booking date with the receptionist and had to book the next morning about 30 minutes before the Bus actually came. Everything was fine and dandy though. It was about a ten-hour drive with one of the most obnoxious men I've ever met, but the drive was one of the most beautiful. Winding through the switchbacks, cruising up and over the mountains...it was fantastic; what a view...:) We ended up only staying one night in Swazi, but the sunrise over the misty mountains was worth the drive and then some. :) Thankfully, we had a different driver the next morning, and thankfully again, he knew one of the border crossing guards and was able to talk his way into getting my visa extended until mid-April sometime. R100 later, I was free to go. ;) I love Africa. Oh, they have a saying: TIA, this is Africa. Golden. :) So that was the corruption...We got front row seats next to the driver (oh, he got pulled over by police for not wearing his seatbelt and was fined R20...about $3...and he had the gall to complain about it...:P)and the view was even more impressive in the early morning. I would have given anything to stay a few more days...That night we stayed in a dingy, uncomfortable...adventurous backpacker in Joburg again. The roof was one piece of tin and we had a wicked thunderstorm that night. It sounded like someone was firing bullets at the roof. So we scrapped the sleeping idea and stayed up to watch some crappy music videos until the rain stopped. :) The next afternoon, we drove home to start our packing and getting ready to go...
That evening (the 3rd), one of Thea's daughters, Zoe, took Albertina and I out for drinks at a funky little bar somewhere up in the middle of nowhere. It was such a neat little place and we had a great time chatting. But Africans make...loathful margaritas and pina coladas...for the record. Afterwards, we drove to the airport to pick up a friend of Zoe's who is working in a hospice around here somewhere...grabbed some coffee and nachos (to stay awake) and headed home. So that was the cocktails...Thea's son, Rhys, had some friends over, so we hung out at his cottage for a few hours, chatting and that sort of thing. When Rhys tried to call the night guard though, we had a bit of a fright. They've (the night guards) been given paintball guns with rubber bullets and pepperspray balls, but Max is a bit older and doesn't always pay attention very well and last night a man came over the fence, stole his paintball gun and shot him several times in the head. One shot hit his eye (apparently he may lose it), another tore off most of his lip and several more caused serious swelling to his head. Obviously, he was rushed to the hospital immediately and I haven't heard anything since that. It was definitely a scary last night. Please pray that he is alright.
Today was probably the roughest day of my life. If not, it was certainly well up there...I slept in a little, wrote everyone goodbye notes and had a big, lazy breakfast with Albertina (who flew home today as well). Everything was fine at first, but the more I packed away and the cleaner my room got, the sicker I began to feel. I literally felt nauseous and light-headed...When I got a text message from Kim (who came with Riley to pick me up) saying she was five minutes out, I just though, "My word, how did it ever come down to the the last five minutes?" It was the most terrible feeling in the world. I cried a bit then, but once Riley and Kim arrived, it was easy to get distracted showing them around the nursery and introducing them to the babies. Then the moment arrived...well, it wasn't really a moment, it was more like 30 minutes of drawn-out torture...I had to say goodbye. Kissing the babies, hugging all the beautiful people that I was lucky enough to have spent the last few months with, looking back at the house as we pulled off the yard...I've never cried so much in my life. As we were cruising along the highway, I had this horrible feeling like I'd forgotten something important and then I thought, "Oh no, nothing important, just my heart..." And that is exactly how I feel right now...not myself. The family I'm staying with is one of the most beautiful in the world, but I still feel disconnected or something...It's strange to think that every volunteer that goes through there is just a passing star in the lives of the kids, but they leave footprints in our hearts forever...I can't say goodbye, I really can't. If I think about never seeing those kids again...When Rob picked me up from the airport back in December, he said that Africa gets in your blood, that you can never really leave it...and I didn't believe him...ha...So basically, I'm a mess right now. Give it a couple of days, right? I'll be fine. So that was the crying...
Anyway, nothing more to say. I hope you are all having a wonderful week. :) Oh, and PS, despite everything, I am SO excited to travel. :) Much love,

Karli