"Until Next Time" by Sophie Oreck

Dearest Diary,

I am writing you within the depths of my newest home, Lagoon (pronounced Laguna) Beach Apartments. I am so sorry I haven’t written in a while, but I know you understand, you always do…Anyways, South Africa is so super cool, sorry you have to stay in the apartment room all day, but I don’t want to look like a weirdo carrying you around everywhere (I think your pink encrusted rhinestone cover would be misunderstood).

I made some new friends here! One of the first friends I made was this dude that we affectionately call Father Duck, because he is our community leader. He leads his premier community group in deep and interesting discussions. Katy and I were happy to flock beneath his beautiful wing. Another friend I made is an elephant named Jabu and a little baby elephant named Bailey…she looks more human than elephant but she claims to be one and I trust her. After all she had some weird supernatural connection to them at the elephant sanctuary. She didn’t have nearly as cool of an effect on those elephants as Joy had, boy did she put on a show.

Oh my goodness diary! I almost forgot to tell you! I have a new dream…traveling the country with a man named Johnny Clegg and performing the song Dela with him nightly. Oh you should here me sing (I dance along too)…this cool dude named JC, no no not that JC, I am talking about JC the bus driver. He taught it too me. Basically I have made some cool new friends here. I also am going to return home with the affection of a taxi cab driver named ISH, but he is oh so much more than a driver.

I hope my mommy doesn’t get too mad that I have been jumping out of planes, having ostriches peck at my head, riding elephants, and jumping off bridges(twice). Oh yeah, and riding 4 wheelers down a dangerously narrow and bumpy path (I don’t have a good history with them, apparently neither does becky boo) …Oh diary, I am so sorry but I have to run…my new BFF Jackie is calling me, I think she wants to spend some quality time with me

I will write again soon dear old diary…until next time

Love, Sophie

"It's the Friendships" by Kevin McDevitt

When I first arrived in South Africa, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Then, I was thrown into a van at 5:30 in the morning and sent across to the opposite end of the country to begin my MAF adventure. My first four days were filled of extraordinary events, including bungee jumping off the world’s highest bridge, going on a safari, riding elephants, and using all-terrain vehicles to travel through jungle trails. There was so much going on that I was physically exhausted, but in the process, I learned a lot about myself and the country in which I was residing.

Bungee jumping was the most intense thing I have ever done. I literally was scared to death, and somehow I ended up going second in a large group of thirty. Of course, there were a ton of girls so I had to act brave. As soon as I got to the ledge, I seriously thought about cancelling and turning around. Too late. Before I know it, I had literally been tossed over the side of a bridge and was hurling down towards the ground. There is no experience like it in the world, and I would do it again in a heart beat.

My favorite part of this trip has been the friendships I have made. I enjoy everyone I have met here and hope to continue these relationships upon returning home. This experience has definitely been positive and if I could do it again, I would.

"40 More Minutes..." By: Matt Barlow

So far my experience in South Africa has been unreal from day one. Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and is never boring. I could write a novel about all we have done and seen, but I will try to shorten everything into five unforgettable memories for the sake of this costly internet.
1. Adventure week. Getting the chance to bungee jump, ride an
elephant, quad bike, go dolphin viewing, go on a safari and almost get
trampled by a herd of elephants, zip line through South African gorges,
get a “kiss” from an ostrich, and crawl through the Congo Caves all in
one week.
2. The scenery. There are countless amazing views around every
corner. Pictures cannot even describe what I am getting the chance to
experience personally.
3. Table Mountain. Hiking up the rigorous terrain in order to look
over all of Cape Town.
4. Robben Island. Getting the chance to meet Nelson Mandela’s cell
mate and absorb all that he had to say along with experiencing all the
history that Robben Island displays.
5. Service. My favorite part of the trip so far hands down. Going
to Sir Lowry’s Pass and living with a family there was truly humbling.
They showed me happiness is not in the form of materials, but in the
three most important things in life: faith, family, and friends.

"In the Moment" By: Meg Diamond

I have been non-stop since this trip began. Between the township service project, classes, cape extreme adventure activities and all the other things I want to do with my free time, I have hardly had a chance to sleep. On Monday I had the opportunity to go sand boarding and 4 wheeling. I was with a small group of seven and Christo, one of the cape extreme leaders took us to the second smallest dessert in the world. The four wheeling was great and sand boarding came pretty natural to me but what I didn’t expect to experience that day was the most incredible part. The group of seven was split into a group of four and a group of three. I was in the group of four and we went four wheeling first. During the bumpy ride we saw beautiful rolling sand hills but the beauty of the land was taken over by the loud humming of the motor and my focus on gripping the handles. When we came to a stop and switched activities and the group of three zoomed away I finally got to hear the silence of the dessert. We climbed to the top of a steep sand hill and look out to see an amazing view of Table Mountain. Even though I was standing there with three other people I felt alone. There wasn’t a single moving object around us and the beautiful sight of the white sand against the blue sky took my breath away. After sand boarding for a while we went back to the top of the hill for a rest and noticed some eerie clouds in the distance. These clouds were coming towards us pretty fast and the four of us sat and watched the clouds roll in and suddenly consume us. Before we knew it the view we had experienced only minutes before was gone and we could hardly see the hill next to us let alone Table Mountain. My roommate immediately said, “I wish I had my camera.” And in that moment I realized how cool the moment really was. No one had a camera because of all the sand and there was no way to capture what we experienced. That moment will be shared only between the four of us and as much as I ever try to explain it in this blog or to anyone else at home or on this trip it won’t ever to that moment justice. It made me think further about no matter how much I write in my journal or how many pictures I take there is no way I could ever describe this trip and this experience in South Africa. This month will be shared with the 104 students on this trip. No matter how hard I try to make my friends and family understand what I have learned and seen, they won’t understand unless they come and do this themselves.
Obviously I don’t have a picture of this moment or any pictures from this day but since I am required to attach a picture to this blog I will try to show you another amazing moment that I have experienced in Cape Town. This picture is of the Water Front as we came back from the sunset cruise on Sunday night. Most people were inside and did not get to see how amazing the Waterfront is light up at night but luckily I got to see this and capture in this photo.
As much fun as it is to take pictures to bring home sometimes it is important to put the camera down and be where you are. So my three words are: in the moment.

"What Candy Jade Portia brought to the table…" By: Kylie Droke

Candy Jade Portia did not know what she was getting herself into at 5AM on the first day of a day 5 long Adventure Week. She was bombarded with 12 “Wild of the Wild” college kids on a study abroad program and pioneered by a hunk of a man tour guide named Cristo. She led the way through the winding roads of Africa during all times of day, withstanding all types of weather. Her precious carpeted skin got a little dirty from fish guts from sharkcage diving, elephant gunk from riding Jabia, dew from ziplining through African waterfalls and terrain, rock minerals from caving, dirt and dust from ATVing, and last but not least: sweat from bungee jumping. The thing I appreciate the most about Candy Jade Portia is the amount of memories she gave me that I will take away for a lifetime. At first, I was upset that I was going on Adventure Week right off the bat. Now, I thank the Lord I did because I experienced one of the best weeks of my life. It was amazing to see the transformation of the group as the week went on. It went from barely knowing each other and fear in our eyes during our first couple of adventure week experiences to a group harmony, pushing each other through, unified by spirit, motivation, and love. I was the first to go out of a group of 30 for bungee jumping. Talk about truly testing yourself, your composure, and the risk you are taking for the life you have been given and how easily it could be stripped away from you. My group was behind me, motivating me, and encouraging me to not turn back. I would have done it either way but it was because of those bonding moments in Candy Jade Portia that made me realize how much I loved these people and how much I did not want to let them or myself down. The memories I made during Adventure Week will forever be in my heart. Keep Truckin’ Candy…