One Last Wait in Johannesburg

We have arrived in Johannesburg. Our flight from JFK left on time and everything went without a hitch today. The flight was very long and completely full. I sat next to a young woman who was heading home to South Africa for a visit after being in the U.S. for 10 months working as an au pier. She was so excited to see her family again. We have a long lay-over here in Johannesburg because of the flight changes. We went to check in our baggage, but the man at the counter wouldn't take them because we were too early. He said "Go enjoy the airport for a couple of hours and then bring your luggage back." In a nutshell, we are stuck waiting at a coffee shop for hours again today. All three of us are too tired to explore the shops in the airport. The only way to get a seat in this part of the terminal is to sit down in a roped off restaurant area. So here we sit, sipping sodas, eating french fries, and waiting to get on the next plane. We are eager to rejoin the rest of the group this afternoon. We are missing a day at the beach today, but we are trying not to think about that right now.