humbled

I'm finishing up my week in Durban, South Africa. I came to visit a friend from college and see what she was doing for her international development internship. There have been so many things this week that have humbled me, and I wanted to share a few of them.

For some reason, close to the end of my flight from Port Elizabeth to here, I felt like talking to the guy who was sitting next to me. So I struck up a conversation and really had a nice time. Then he asked how I was getting to the place I was staying in Durban. I told him I had planned on just taking a taxi and he said in response, "You don't want to do that. It takes about a half hour to get into town from the airport and the taxis are huge ripoffs. Let me see if my ride can give you a ride into town." As soon as we're walking toward the baggage claim, he pulls out his cell phone and calls his ride and sees if he'd be willing to give another guy a ride. He says yes, and as a result I have a free ride into the city. We go to the driver's place of business, where I switch cars and get taken by my new friend's mom to the area where I will be staying. Needless to say, I was more than grateful for the free ride and tried to express my gratitude but simply couldn't.

Next, my friend gets off work and comes to the restaurant where I was at waiting for her. That's another thing. This restaurant wasn't even technically open but they let me stay there anyways. And the manager gave me a coke for free. Anyways, my friend gets there and we greet each other and head over to where she's been staying. Elise is one of the sweetest girls I know and it was so good to see another American who understood my accent. She was truly a blessing this trip. We got to catch up over the past few years of what has gone on in each others' lives and had great conversations. Her host family that she was staying with couldn't have been more accommodating, something I've come to expect from all South Africans because of my experience the past few weeks. They cooked me a ton of meals and were so pleasant to be around. Elise had to leave earlier today but they let me stay until tomorrow since my flight doesn't leave until then.

I have been more than taken care of in South Africa and have been humbled and inspired as a result. I want to open my home to travelers when I return home to the states. It's such a great way to meet people of other cultures and learn something new about the world. I will miss South Africa greatly, from all the adventure to the outstanding hospitality that continually humbled me. In 2 days though, it's on to Hong Kong, the road calls again...