David uses the latter part of the South Africa trip to open up to his fellow housemates, and the effort is much appreciated. He has long talks with Jamie, Matt, and Kelley in order for him to get to know them better and vice-versa. Besides this, he exhibits other changes, which include being more adventurous. Although he is afraid, he bungee jumps off of Victoria Falls along with Matt, Jamie, and Julie. For all of them, this is one of the best experiences they have ever had, and David is so glad he had a chance to do it.
He really uses the trip to his advantage, but there is one moment during the last day of the trip that really proves this. The gang's last stop is a South African township, where they visit the people who live in it and have a chance to reach out to them. Julie tries giving a child a gift, but all the other kids around fight over it, and she is upset she caused trouble among otherwise peaceful people. But David also tries his hand at gift giving, and it pays off.
He used to be a mentor to a boy named Trey, who unfortunately passed away. But before Trey died, he gave David an Ernie doll that he has since treasured. David sees a little boy in the township and decides that Trey would have wanted him to share his gift with the boy, so David gives him the doll, one of his most prized posessions. This really impresses his housemates, and they let him know that. By doing this, he finally feels like a member of the house, not an outcast.