What would you do for a dollar? For a pound? Usually not that much as for most people that isn’t that much money. Maybe something stupid for a few laughs. Or in my case, pay my friend ten rand (£1) to eat an entire clove of garlic. Very hilarious but very regrettable the next morning. While that’s funny enough, there are millions here in south Africa who would do a lot for that same ten rand. When I observed training on medical laws at the HIV hospice in one of the townships, the women needed to fill out a survey at the end of the session. Being the extreme keen person that I am, I had about 40 pens at the ready. I take great pride in my pens, the really smooth rolling pens that write beautifully. These women noticed my pens as well and complimented them. I told them that I got five pens for R14, a really good deal in my humble opinion. A woman turned to me and said, ‘R14! That’s a lot of money for us!’ Now if she was just referring to herself, her family, the hospice care workers or black people living in townships in general is left up to the interpreter. However, it made me think of the things that I take for granted. Pens, for example. Something so incredibly silly and trivial as a pen, that costs more than someone’s dinner.