"Learn, Grow, Love" by Meredith Irwin

15 things I've learned while in South Africa:

-Jumping out of planes and off bridges is completely worth it

-Elephant skin is really rough and great white sharks are incredibly big

-Paying a bill will most likely take 30-45 minutes

-Baboons will sabotage a car for food, even if there is a person in it

-When climbing a 3000 ft mountain you should not wear long sleeves

-Ostrich tastes way better than cow

-You can sleep when you're dead- or at least when you're not in South Africa

-Nelson Mandela is the epitome of sacrificing for what you believe in

-Happiness is not defined by a dollar amount

-The children at the townships are probably the most unconditionally loving people on this planet

-Change starts today and it starts with me

-Count your blessings daily and never forget to be thankful

-When you give you get so much more in return

-Always be open to new experiences- no matter how frightening they might seem

-Love is the best gift anyone can give

I had a friend tell me that I wasn't the same person I was three weeks ago and I couldn't agree more. This trip has been an incredible learning and growing experience. I think/hope I'm coming back from this adventure a better person. The friendships I've made with the children in the townships and those I've made in our group will last forever in my heart. I am so blessed that I've had the opportunity to be apart of such an amazing program.

"Seize the Day" by Graham Williams

It is taken from the Latin word, "Carpe Diem". One life, that's all we get. Take advantage of every opportunity and seek out every chance you get to do something you will never forget. So when I heard about 4 weeks of living/studying abroad in South Africa, its the first 3 words that came to mind. Yea it was going to be an expensive trip and it might put me in a little debt to the ole parents but how often to people get to go LEAD in South Africa and do all that we've done? My parents never have, my grandparents never did, and most of my friends at home probably never will... But thankfully, when the opportunity came about, I knew I had to go for it no matter what. Here in Cape town, I've been able to experience many amazing things and even cross off 5 things off of my bucket list. Here is a list of the 5 things on my bucket list that have already been checked off in just a matter of 3 weeks:

1. Submerse myself in a completely different culture and experience life as they do. CHECK.
2. Dive with Great White sharks. CHECK.
3. Go bungee jumping of the highest bungee in the world? CHECK.
4. Go skydiving?? CHECK.
5. Go on a safari in Africa? CHECK!!!

And not only is all of this happening but as our trip is dwindling down and it will be disappointing to separate with new friends- I know that just one week after they all leave, ill still be here in Cape Town knocking just one more big thing off my bucket list: Going to the WORLD CUP

"Ready. Set. Jump!" by Emilie Tollison

In one of our class lectures on the “Power of Living” we watched a video called “Everybody is allowed to wear Sunscreen.” If you have never seen this video I encourage anyone and everyone to take only five minutes out of your day and watch it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfq_A8nXMsQ. This video relays life’s simple yet often forgotten rules to live by. One of my favorites was …

“Do Something That Scares You Everyday”

Well Capetown, Congratulations…you have really left me no choice.

I have marked more off my “Bucket List” in the past two weeks than in the past twenty years of my life. So far to be checked off my list:

Bungee Jumping Shark Cage Diving with Great White Sharks

Go on an African Safari Ride an Elephant

And last to be checked off my list….

SKY DIVING

I never thought I would find myself on top of an elephant or diving head first off of the tallest bridge in the world. Nor did I ever dream of my Monday morning schedule having “shark cage diving” on the agenda. However, this trip is not one to cater to any form of a comfort zone. Today after a 2 minute briefing, I harnessed up and got into a plane to carry me 9000ft into the air only to hear the words…READY..SET…JUMP! Before I knew it I was spiraling downward with nothing but air separating me from the beautiful scenery that surrounded my fall. The first thing I said when I made the landing was, “Where do I sign up for round 2?”I jumped out of a plane today. Enough said.

"America vs. South Africa" by Jason Hafford

Any time you leave the country, you tend to notice the subtle
differences between home and abroad. Here are a few from Cape Town:

America has stop lights. South Africans call them "Robots".

America has fast food. South Africa has Steers Burgers and KFC on EVERY corner.

America has ketchup. South Africa has 1000 Island and BBQ sauce for burgers.

America has Six Flags. South Africa has the Worlds Tallest Bungee Jump.

America has petting zoos. South Africa has Shark Diving with Great Whites.

America has rush hour traffic. South Africa has Elephant road blocks.

America has football, baseball, and basketball. South Africa has rugby, cricket, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup!

While there are obviously differences between the two countries it is
ultimately the similarities and relationships that make this a special
place. I thoroughly enjoyed staying up late into the night talking
SEC football with a Canadian tourist at a hostel and realizing that
McDonald's will deliver McFlurrys to your hotel room. Moments like
these remind you that in the end people really aren't that different
even if they are separated by the Atlantic Ocean.

“Caging My Fears” by Claire McDonald

Nothing can send someone an adrenaline rush when you’re swimming in the ocean and you think you see a shark fin in the distance. So, how do you think I felt floating in a cage with an undersized wetsuit staring one in the face? Interesting, to say the least.

Sharks have never been my cup of tea. Even when I was younger on beach trips, I was always paranoid that I would get eaten. When I heard we were going to go shark cage diving, there was a huge part of me that had absolutely no desire to go, and seeing that I had an option, I highly considered skipping. However, I knew it was something I was going to regret if I didn’t do it. After a 5 AM wake up call and a two-hour bus ride, it was time to go. I was anxious on the boat ride out, and made the ultimate decision that I would go in the first group, just to get rid of my anxiety. It ended up being the best decision ever.

I put on an incredibly smelly wetsuit and snorkel and hopped in the cage. Almost immediately, one of the members of the crew told me to go under and look straight ahead. Not even ten feet ahead of me was the biggest great white shark I had ever seen. Granted, I don’t think I’ve actually ever seen one in person, but it was still huge. For the next twenty minutes or so, I saw sharks up close and personal. The crew even drew the shark in so close that I could almost feel its tail whipping towards me. Needless to say, I’m so glad I faced my fear and took advantage of this opportunity. If given the chance, I would definitely do it again.

“Prove Yourself Wrong” By: Helen King

“Do you think I could go on this trip and not skydive because you know me and that. ain’t. happenin.” This exact sentence was what was written in the e-mail I sent to my parents above the link to Global L.E.A.D Cape Town. My parents replied later that day, assuring me that no one would make me do anything I was not comfortable with. So, with my parents’ support and my love for great white sharks biting at my heels (literally?), I decided to sign up for the trip. To this day, I am not really sure why I did. I have always been an overly cautious person and have felt strongly about what I did not want to do: no roller coasters, no cruises, no plane rides (which never seemed to stop my parents from booking transatlantic flights for the family sans discussion), among other things I was not willing to do, but CERTAINLY I was NEVER going to skydive. Have you seen those shows were the parachute doesn’t open and people die? Well, I have so count. me. out.

Well, I did sign up for the trip and I did fly over 20 hours in a plane over the course of one (maybe two? …I lost track) days. (Side note: can’t Delta just order Domino’s for the whole flight and call it a day? )

Since I first arrived in Cape Town, my view of myself has changed drastically. I spent the night in a township on a dollar a day, danced with creepy South Africans at a club (for about 2 seconds, but it counts!), and climbed Table Mountain (the most rigorous, but rewarding hikes of my life). And none of it was that bad (okay, maybe the South African dancing part). But, most importantly, I skydived. I did the thing that I said I would never, ever do. And it was definitely one of the best moments of my life. Not only was the feeling and experience incredible, but most importantly, I proved myself wrong. I thought I could never do it and I did. So, take that, self!

"Stop at Steers" By: Scott Franzen

The experience of Cape Town thus far has been too great to sum up into a small blog. The trip has been full of highs and lows, and for my blog I have chosen to share a few of my top emotional highs with all of you reading this at home:

Top 10 Emotional Highs:
1.) Bungee jumping – one of the most peaceful, liberating experiences of my life
2.) Cage diving with great whites – getting over my biggest fear…sharks
3.) Sunset cruise – the scenic view of Table Mountain
4.) Hiking table mountain – overcoming physical barriers to reach an incredible view of the city
5.) Meeting Nelson Mandela’s cellmate – never in my life have I been so humbled by this tour of Robben Island
6.) Having our van surrounded by elephants on the safari – an overwhelming vision of the power of nature
7.) Our night spent in Sir Lowry’s Pass – I have never been so thankful for the simple luxuries of life
8.) Caving – an adventurous experience into history
9.) 6 Hour car rides on adventure week – I was able to make new friendships and share experiences
10.) Meeting Wesley at the hostel – a true symbol of South African Hospitality and a mirror to model myself after

So far, my time at Cape Town cannot possibly be written down in words, but I believe these 10 key points have been the most memorable of them all. My experiences here are far from over and I know that I have many more emotional highs to come, especially with service week in my near future. I know that when time comes for me to return to the US I will not be ready, and I can only hope that I will experience all that is key to have a true South African experience.

“Bucket List Time” By: Taylor Cardwell

South Africa is a place where one should go to complete his or her bucket list. No matter what activities that you enjoy participating in, South Africa will have it. You might be a hiker; well you could always climb Table Mountain. You might like swimming; well you could cage dive with Great White Sharks. You might be crazy; well you could jump out of a plane to skydive or off a bridge to bungee jump. There are also plenty of places to shop and tons on wine vineyards for those people who like to keep their feet more grounded. Those cat lovers out there could go to the Cheetah Outreach and pet cheetahs. If you love playing with kids and can resist making someone truly happy you can visit Sir Lowry’s Pass where “out of energy” is just some the kids do not experience. There is plenty of rugby and even the World Cup for all of those sports fans. The point is that South Africa has it all and I would like to share some of the things that I will be checking off of my bucket list on this trip.
1. Bungee Jump (off the 2nd highest bungee jump in the world.)
2. Pet a Wild Animal (the cheetahs)
3. Climb a mountain (Table Mountain)
4. Learn to surf
5. Cage Dive with Great White Sharks
6. Go on a Safari
7. Go to a World Cup match

"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…

"My South African Experience" By: Dana Tashiro

My South African experience so far has been completely unreal and over the top amazing. When in Cape Town, we have started to frequently use the catchy acronym, T.I.A. T.I.A. is most commonly known as, “This is Africa”. So naturally, here’s my top 5 most African things or experiences:

1. Petting cheetahs at free will with a small payment of 100 Rands
2. The unyielding love for both Michael Jackson and Justin Beiber that resides in virtually all township homes
3. Mama Africa, the name says it all
4. Obsessions with anything Springbok and everything Bafana Bafana
5. The opportunity to cage dive with great white sharks, bungee jump, sky dive, surf, sand board, para-glide, go on wild safaris, and riding ostriches all while only traveling at max a few hours from home

T.I.A. is a legitimate phrase and is used to describe only true African happenings.