The end of the countdown

Obviously, I haven't been very good about updating my blog... (hmmm...) and now I leave in 4 days. I probably won't update this again until I'm back in SA - and then a successful post will very much depend upon the internet connection (which I am supposed to be sorting out when I get home!!).

The last full update I did was before I finished at work. Easter weekend was fun - the Erasmuses' (not sure of the punctuation!) family came over and it was a good holiday! The last two weeks at work were insane. I didn't get everything finished, which I felt really bad about leaving for the new person (I honestly did). However, she is more than capable and I think she'll fit in very well, so I have no worries about my replacement! The last 4 days of work were filled with lunches - it was very busy!! ;) For various reasons there was something happening each day, so I'm really glad I was semi-prepared for the training, though I'm sure my replacement feels that she was thrown in the deep end!!

I have tied up all my loose ends and closed off accounts, cards, whatever else I had to sort out. I had a brief panic attack over the taxes, because I completely missed the instruction about me having to file taxes before I left! Now I don't know what's going to happen to it - I'm desperately trying not to worry about it! My grey hairs are visible again, so when I actually look at them I'm convinced they are increasing rapidly - and I'm blaming it all on stress!
On a totally vain-thread, I almost can't wait for my hair to go back to its natural colour, though the closer I get to it, the more I think the dark hair just looks better!! If it had just stayed black as I grew up, that would've saved me a lot of hair dye... :P

The Lazer Tag plans went the way of the dodo - including everyone 'dying' one-by-one, so that was a bit of a bust. Oh well, I guess it's something else to be added to that "One Day to-do" list. I've seen a bit more of the area, though not as much as I would've liked - it's my own fault though. I chose to sleep late for a week and it threw everything off! That's one thing that I have missed - something to make sure I get up: I had to let Lottie out every morning, regardless of what my plans for the day were, so I had to get out of bed fairly early. I am so excited to see her again! I'm not sure how to put this, so bear with me as I figure it out: it's as though it's easier missing my parents, because I know that they miss me and because I can talk to them, I know that they're excited about seeing me again. Plus, I can actually talk to them and keep in touch with them! Though, my dad has been very good about making me talk to Lottie when I phone him - I feel a right-idiot sitting in the middle of an empty boardroom going "Hey, Lu, how's my baby?"... yes... well...
But with Lottie, I'm really scared that she thinks I've abandoned her. My folks would write to say that she would follow them to the car or check the car when they came back from somewhere - as though they were hiding me! My dog does do a very good mournful look, so you can't help but feel guilty about leaving her behind! (It's started - I'm rambling on for whole paragraphs about my dog... I'm going to have to rename this site when I get back home!)

Um... what have I done in the last couple of weeks, other than nothing... I went downtown to watch the start and finish of the Sun Run - that was a mammoth undertaking, I'd hate to be the organiser of that!! Yikes. The first batch of runners had finished before half the entrants had started! But it was fun to see and good to see work people - a whole two days after I'd last seen them!! Then I showed up at work on the following Friday... :s And was put to work, I might add!!
I met up with my boss today after she ran the half-marathon in Vancouver, so I'm having fun seeing people outside of work too! Might as well make the most of it, cos I'm not going to see everyone again for a few years... oy... what a depressing thought. The thing about my time in Canada, is that I knew I'd be going back to SA at some point - if the visa/permit thing had worked out, it might only have been to pack up, and then I would've said proper goodbyes. But leaving Canada now - I don't know when I'm coming back and I've made such good friends here. And I'm not the best correspondent, as you all know, so I'm fairly sure that some of them will fall by the wayside. ('ether-side'?? or would it be 'web-side'? That sounds like internet murder "webicide"... huh...) (wow, I bet most of you weren't missing the rambling were you?!!)

As far as packing goes, I have two suitcases packed - both overweight. I have one suitcase left ... I'm just waiting for it to be emptied of other stuff, so hopefully I can pack that tomorrow and do my final packing on Wednesday. I'm going back downtown for a birthday on Tuesday, so that will be my 'old routine' of 5:30am wake-up! Ooh boy!
I think I'm going to be carrying a terrifying amount in my carry-on - I'm going to have to check the carry-on weight, cos I can't just leave stuff behind! Doncha miss the good ol' days when the backpack had 11kg worth of magazines?! Yeah.
I think the packing is leading to very sleepless nights - I haven't felt this tired in ages, but when I should be sleeping, I just can't. It's somewhat frustrating... I wonder if I'll miss the freight trains going past every hour from 10pm onwards... Ooh, there goes one now!

Ok, so, just in case I don't add anything before Thursday:
I leave Canada on Thursday (hopefully with all 3 suitcases and all my 'stuff'!), fly to Amsterdam overnight. There I will meet up with my mother (YAY!) and cousin (YAY!) and overnight in Amsterdam. Saturday morning I leave Schipol airport and fly to Joburg where my dad will pick me up from the airport (YAY!!). I think we're staying overnight in Joburg and back to Howick on Sunday - where I will see my dog (YAY!!) - and possibly my brother, if he's still at the house (so, naturally, YAY!). So... people in SA reading this: I'm probably only going to see you sometime after the 15th, cos there is no way on earth I'm going to be sane for the first week! And from there I will see. I really want to settle down for a bit, but of course, everything "depends"...
My dad's been getting the flatlet ready for me, which is quite exciting, so I'm looking forward to that - I'm trying to figure out if I missed glass shower doors or my puffy queen-sized duvet more... tough call... ;)