reaching for that pot of gold

It's been a very hectic but very successful week.

Monday morning, back from Joburg, we were refreshed and ready to house-hunt again. It paid off.

After seeing the 6th house of the day (and probably a few dozen in total since the beginning of our search), we came across THE perfect place in Hout Bay, about a 30 minute drive from Cape Town city.

Perched on top of the mountain overlooking the beach and sea, it is a welcoming place with character and warmth. See pics of views from balcony and patio.

The extra goodies include a fireplace, pool and mini garden/braai area. It's definitely a world apart from our Hong Kong flat, much more spacious and generous in space. Needless to say, we signed that very day. We move in October 15th.

It is such a welcome relief to have found a place to call our new home. And on top of that major achievement, we found out that our new landlady, Val, a super energetic woman who devotes her life to raising 3 young boys, running a household and a side business, also has a literacy organization that helps kids who are lagging a bit behind in school (mainly in language skills) and gives them enough boost so they don't drop out. They also work with street kids so that they can enter the education system and have a hopeful future.

Still quite a new initiative, they are looking for more resources and people to help out. I had to control my excitement. This is the kind of project I was hoping to get involved in, something that involves teaching/training within the community setting. So once Spring Break is finished, I'll see if and how I can contribute to this initiative.

We're finding our feet here, meeting lots of people, seeing as much of this country as possible, and (I never thought I'd say this), I'm absolutely loving my car and the freedom it gives me.