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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton Women's Lacrosse: South Africa Day 2
November 03, 2016 | Women's Lacrosse
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Versatility is the name of the game in lacrosse and international travel! Today we had a fun packed day-- but not the one we intended to have!
We set off this morning with stick and goalie bags in tow ready for a full day of adventures. Chris auctioned off the blog post for tonight, and your lovely freshman class were the lucky winners! Our first stop was Robben Island to visit where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years of his life. But a quick change of plans had us heading to the opposite end of the Cape to see penguins interacting in their natural habitat on Boulders Beach. We saw so many penguins swimming, standing and waddling around. Although some of our teammates were terrified of birds and refused to go near them, others were treated to the lovely commentary of Jeanie, one of our seniors, who narrated every movement of the penguins. Chris also informed us that the rocks on the shore were 540 million years old!
Next we headed back to Robben Island. We took a 45 minute ferry ride out to the island. On the way we saw seals and whales swimming in the ocean! Once we arrived on the island we were led on a tour by Modise Phekonyane, a former prisoner who was incarcerated for five years in the Robben Island prison. Except Modise and his cellmates didn't refer to Robben Island as a prison, they called it home. After being forced to leave their families and homes, the young men like Modise, who was only eighteen when he was arrested, found new brothers and fathers in the older men around them who became their mentors. One of these older men was Nelson Mandela who surprisingly Modise didn't like when he first met him. It was interesting hearing his perspective on the man we today all revere as one of the most inspiring leaders of our time because for us, looking from the outside, it's much simpler. But if anyone was in Modise's position, listening to a man preach about forgiveness and love in a place built on torture and hate, I doubt they would find it easy to take his message seriously. And this is exactly why Modise calls the island "the university of life" because he grew up there, he clandestinely studied books there, and he learned the power of his own mind and heart there. Fear and love are at the root of all decisions, and in the midst of unimaginable pain, Modise chose love. He chose to see the guards as his equals, both just victims in a country suffering from prejudice. And he chooses to come back to the island to share his story with people like us so that we too can learn the importance of perspective.
After a full day of team bonding, bus sing alongs, games, learning and adventures we finished up our day with some shopping in Victoria Alfred Harbor Area and a beautiful team dinner with a view of the sunset overlooking the ocean!
Looking forward to our many adventures tomorrow!
Love the Freshies
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Versatility is the name of the game in lacrosse and international travel! Today we had a fun packed day-- but not the one we intended to have!
We set off this morning with stick and goalie bags in tow ready for a full day of adventures. Chris auctioned off the blog post for tonight, and your lovely freshman class were the lucky winners! Our first stop was Robben Island to visit where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years of his life. But a quick change of plans had us heading to the opposite end of the Cape to see penguins interacting in their natural habitat on Boulders Beach. We saw so many penguins swimming, standing and waddling around. Although some of our teammates were terrified of birds and refused to go near them, others were treated to the lovely commentary of Jeanie, one of our seniors, who narrated every movement of the penguins. Chris also informed us that the rocks on the shore were 540 million years old!
Next we headed back to Robben Island. We took a 45 minute ferry ride out to the island. On the way we saw seals and whales swimming in the ocean! Once we arrived on the island we were led on a tour by Modise Phekonyane, a former prisoner who was incarcerated for five years in the Robben Island prison. Except Modise and his cellmates didn't refer to Robben Island as a prison, they called it home. After being forced to leave their families and homes, the young men like Modise, who was only eighteen when he was arrested, found new brothers and fathers in the older men around them who became their mentors. One of these older men was Nelson Mandela who surprisingly Modise didn't like when he first met him. It was interesting hearing his perspective on the man we today all revere as one of the most inspiring leaders of our time because for us, looking from the outside, it's much simpler. But if anyone was in Modise's position, listening to a man preach about forgiveness and love in a place built on torture and hate, I doubt they would find it easy to take his message seriously. And this is exactly why Modise calls the island "the university of life" because he grew up there, he clandestinely studied books there, and he learned the power of his own mind and heart there. Fear and love are at the root of all decisions, and in the midst of unimaginable pain, Modise chose love. He chose to see the guards as his equals, both just victims in a country suffering from prejudice. And he chooses to come back to the island to share his story with people like us so that we too can learn the importance of perspective.
After a full day of team bonding, bus sing alongs, games, learning and adventures we finished up our day with some shopping in Victoria Alfred Harbor Area and a beautiful team dinner with a view of the sunset overlooking the ocean!
Looking forward to our many adventures tomorrow!
Love the Freshies
Â
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