"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…