The little things.

I've been consistently blogging about the day-to-day activities: where we go, what we do, etc. That's well and great, but things are falling through the cracks. If it's not a focal point of my day, sometimes it won't make an appearance in the blog. But that doesn't mean it's any less influential in my experiences here.

For example, every single day when I walk outside the flat, I look to the right to check out how Table Mountain is. Somedays it's covered in clouds, sometimes there's a layer of haze surrounding it, other times there's a table cloth perched on top, and on my favorite days, it's crystal clear and the mountain pops off the blue skies. But every time I walk out the door it's there, and every time I walk out the door I check on it. It's part of my routine now.

And then there's Romeo. Romeo drives cabs for a company called Elite Taxi. Marita had made a connection with him, and got his card from him before we arrived. Every time we need a cab - whether it to be to the city centre or the waterfront or out to dinner, we call Romeo. Every time, he comes and picks us up and is delighted to see us. He gets out of the car to open our doors for us. With each day and each ride in his taxi and each short 15-minute drive, we have really gotten to know him. He used to be a police officer, but because of the sudden death of his brother needed to make a career change. Now he takes pride in safely bringing his clients' to where they need to be. We've talked about politics, the animals we see on the side of the M2, the crime and gangsters, his ex-girlfriend, the cost of cars in the U.S. and SA, and how when he was mugged (off duty from his shift as a police officer) on the train he had no choice but to shoot his gun. He sheepishly told us that while we were driving through his neighborhood on the way back from Stellenbosch, he was tempted to stop and introduce us to his family. He is quick and witty and makes us laugh. He appreciates us because we tip him and call him every time we need transport; we appreciate him because he looks out for us. When he dropped us back at the flat last night after dinner out at a Thai restaurant, he sent us an SMS (text) that said, "guys, you don't know how much i appreciate you, if more people were like you the world would be a better place. Thanks ladies, god bless you."

The blogs I write are about volunteering, hiking, shopping, sightseeing, and the likes. But each day I look forward to our conversation and laughter with Romeo. It may only be a 10 minute drive, but it's familiar and enjoyable. And if we don't need a taxi for a few days, I find myself missing sitting in the back of his cab.