Excited.  Emotional.  Uncertain.  Afraid.  These were just some of the emotions we all had to endure...  It was like being hit by the waves of the ocean.  Relentless.  Some hit you without warning and they were big and powerful – like freak waves.  Some were a bit more forgiving, but they were never-ending.  They knocked you down and before you could catch your breath the next wave of emotion would knock you down.  We had about 3 months left in South Africa when our Visa was approved.  It didn’t leave us much time to finalise everything before leaving our home country.  We broke the news to the family that we were emigrating to Australia.  No words were spoken by the family.  None were needed.  Tears were flowing and the message was clear.  They were notably shocked and heartbroken.  We were the first in our family to make a massive move like this.  “We thought about this for a long time, and we understand that this is very painful for everybody, but we must take this opportunity to ensure our kids have a better, fairer and safer future.  South Africa has become far too dangerous” Dad told them.  The family was understandably shattered by the fact that we were leaving.  The rest of the day was sombre.  Quiet.  Almost uncomfortably quiet, but we also knew why and respected the fact that everyone needed time to process the big news.  After all, this affected the entire family and our fierce, fiery flames in South Africa were about to come to an almost abrupt end only to be lit again in unfamiliar, terrifying or terrific territory.

Days crept by like a tortoise rushing by.  Weeks crept by like a snail who's casually gliding by on its daily outing.  Months crept by like a sloth leisurely laying lazily in its tree - unfazed by time not waiting.  Although it felt like a snail’s pace, it went by like the speed of light.  With everything that needed to be finalised, there really wasn’t a lot of time.  We had to sell our possessions.  Our belongings.  Our history.  Everything that we have ever known.  It was sad.  Mum and Dad cried a lot.  This was their life as they knew it.  Things they have worked for their entire life.  It was bittersweet.  My brothers and I were still young.  I was 4, Mason was 2 and Dale only 6 months old.  “Mum, is there a moon in Australia?” I would ask.  The complete unknown was daunting.  Mum and Dad tried their best to explain how life would be on the other side, but we wouldn’t quite comprehend what this was all about.  Before we knew it, it was Christmas.  A very emotional Christmas.  We were to leave the day after.  And so, it happened.  The final goodbyes.  Horrible.  That was the day I witnessed the price of love.  So much sadness, but also granting us the opportunity for a better future.  Mum cried the entire way to the airport - 5 hours.  She was heartbroken.  We booked into our hotel room.  Our friends from the big city came to say goodbye.  We enjoyed a delicious delightful dinner together and reflected on some good times we had together. 

That night, there was a massive, majestic thunderstorm lashing out for most of the night.  It was like a message sent from God saying, “I am washing away the past filled with fear and trauma and opening the path to a brighter future.”  We woke up the next morning.  We went down for breakfast feeling hungry as a lion, and had a browse around the shops in the airport building.  We went back up to our room, showered, packed our suitcases and checked out.  Our luggage was checked in, and we waited.  We had a 3 hour wait before boarding our plane.  It was during this time that we noticed Mason getting restless like a tiger pacing in its cage. He held the back of his leg and cried.  Mum noticed a red lump.  At first, we thought it was a mosquito bite, but it very quickly became a lot worse.  We tried to look for a doctor in the airport building as Mum thought this was a possible spider bite.  Unfortunately, we were not able to find a doctor.  Concerned, we had no choice but to head to our boarding gate.