Returning Home

For all my readers out there, i am leaving South Africa tomorrow (wed April 25th) i'm experiencing mixed feelings about this mainly because i absolutely love South Africa, i've made so many friends here and had so many amazing experiences that the thought of leaving terrifies me. Also, i didn't really get to choose the date of my departure and thus i am feeling a bit like i'm being ripped from my home here. I'm not leaving on my terms and that makes me sad and angry. I realize that if i had been a bit more decisive, or stood up for myself a bit more, i would be leaving on May 7th like i had originally intended.
But having said that, i am also very excited to be returning home, first to Vancouver to give a presentation at UBC on my experiences in South Africa. I am always looking for ways to become more proficient at public speaking so I'm hoping that this experience will be a good one. Then its on to Edmonton to see the family and friends. I'm really excited. Yet a bit apprehensive as well, because like it was when i returned from England, i went back to living with my parents which is great, but i go back to being 15 and am dependent on them for my transportation needs, my mobility is restricted there, not because they stop me from doing what i want to do, they have been amazingly flexible to accommodate my wish to borrow the car and stuff like that, but in the end I'm still reliant on them and thats what bugs me and thats what i don't like about returning home. But it will only be for a short while and then I'll have found a job and get on with my life.
but to make sense of that rambling mess: I'm very excited to be returning home to being with my family, i look forward to chatting with them about how theyve changed and whats gone on in their lives and regaling them with stories of my African adventure. I may complain about leaving, but at the end of it i'm happy to be going home. So just bare with me as i say "i'm so happy to be going home but..."

Awesome People

I'm very cross that i'm meeting so many amazing people in South Africa, a mere month before i return to Canada. this makes leaving all that much harder. I mean, i'll probably remember them for years to come, where as i'll probably only show up as a tiny little blip on their radar. sigh.
Today, for instance i had the opportunity to meet Patrick Chamusso the man who was tortured as a terrorist during the Apartheid era, partly blew up the Skunda power plant (the, then, largest coal to oil refinery in the world) and was sentenced to 25 years on Robbin Island. His story has been recounted in the film "Catch a Fire." He is so nice and so amazing and is just the coolest person i have ever met. he is my new hero and i can not wait to go back to his home/orphanage for AIDS orphans tomorrow.

Catch Up Blogging

So here is an update for y'all.
I'm no longer living in Pretoria, i've recently moved to White River, Mpumalanga (on the eastern side of South Africa).

i had to leave the country on march 27th because that was when my visa expired. I went to swaziland and treated myself to a nice B and B.

upon my return to SA 2 days later, the jerks at home affairs only gave me an additional 30 days to remain in south africa. as a canadian entering as a tourist i automatically get 90 days. jerks.

i will leaving South Africa on April 28th (a saturday, i mean, couldn't they have given me 31 days, and leave on the sunday?). i still have to book my flight, but that is when i have to leave the country.

I'm not as sad about this as i thought i would be. which is suprising because if i had to leave back when i was supposed to, in february, it would have been kicking and screaming as i was tossed on to the airplane. i guess my time here in SA is finally up and i'm ready to return home. (Though there is still a part of me that will go kicking and screaming, and probably shed a few tears along the way)

i have a ton of work to do in these short 3 weeks, (they're short because there are a ton of bizarre mid-week national holidays in april, like on tuesdays and stuff) as well i have lots of friends to visit and places i want to go and see before i leave. So i will be putting in very long work days so i can goof off and have fun on the weekends and holidays.

Um, thats all the news for now. Will post pics when i can. but for now, just revel in the fact that you are literate and can read the words that i am writing...then go read something more meaningful cause this is a rob-centric blog and honestly, where are a bunch of ramblings about my life going to get you?