Cape Town.. The City of Gold

Saying goodbye to Ghana was tough, but the pain was quickly numbed upon our arrival to the beautiful city of Cape Town. The 7 hour overnight flight was almost like a time capsule, traveling from the underdeveloped, poverty-stricken streets of Accra to the modern metropolis that is Cape Town. It was an absolute pleasure to trade the humid and sticky heat of Accra for the cool, breezy air that greeted us as we left the airport; not to mention the open sewers for functioning toilets, cold buckets for warm, running showers, and fire pits for trash cans. The modern age has never felt so good.

We arrived at our host family to an extremely warm and welcoming reception. Our host mom, Faye, is an absolute sweetheart who makes the most excellent food. A few years ago, she quit her job at the bank repossessing houses because she wanted to do good in the world instead of ruining peoples lives. Since then she has seen thousands of volunteers come through her home, as she has commited her life to providing people with the opportunity to experience this wonderful country. Her husband, Aslam, is a very kind and wise man. His stories of living through apartheid are absolutely fascinating, and he is more than willing to share his wealth of knowledge and his love of life. There are also three foreign exchange students in her house, one from Thailand, one from Germany, and one from Brazil. She has taken them under her wing to provide them an education and an opportunity to learn English. I must say that they are two of the most genuinely awesome people I have ever met.

Coincidentally, one of the girls in her group was celebrating her 18th birthday when we arrived yesterday. Faye had a cake waiting, and after a singing and blowing out the candles, we unpacked and headed downtown. A minibus took us to Long Street, a local backpackers hub and popular party spot. While withdrawing some cash from the ATM, the some sneaky assailants managed to steal the birthday girl's credit card, and took of running into the night. Local police showed up and we had our first taste of the big city crime (quite a shock after the friendly, safe atmosphere of Accra). After calling her bank and cancelling the card, it was off to the bars. Just about every door on the street led into a different bar or club, each with unique decor and ambiance. After a long night of fun and dancing, we hopped back in the minibus and headed home, where Faye had left plenty of food for us to eat, even at 3 a.m. This morning came quite early and we had a lengthy induction ceremony, where we learned how to catch the train to work, activate cell phones, and prevent further ATM robberies. While we only saw a small bit, the city, with it's view of the stunning Table Mountain and the hurling ocean, is absolutely beautiful. I could not be happier with where I am at in life.

And so I will leave you all with this... Ask yourself each day what you have to offer to the world as the individual that you are. Sometimes it will be a lot, and sometimes it will be very little, but know that even the smallest difference made each day can add up to a great sum. "Death becomes meaningful when impact has been made on Earth" (from a billboard in Accra honoring their president who recently passed)