University of Richmond Athletics
Spiders Head on South African Safari - Blog Post #5
05/23/2018 | Football, General, Women's Basketball, Women's Track & Field, Men's Basketball
Junior football student-athlete Kevin Johnson, sophomore men's basketball student-athlete Nick Sherod, freshman women's basketball student-athlete Alex Parson and junior women's track student-athlete Marshea Robinson will spend May 16-27 exploring South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. Throughout their trip, the student-athletes will be reporting back to www.RichmondSpiders.com with blogs documenting their journey.
Â
Blog Number Five – By Marshea and Alex
Â
Some great memories were made today as we pushed out of our comfort zones and embarked on a South African safari. Leaving our hotel at 6:00 a.m., it was still dark outside but the roads were filled with passing cars heading to work., while we drove for over two hours before arriving to our destination. On the way we saw the most beautiful high rising mountains, a troop of baboons, and numerous chicken and fruit farms. The Aquila Game Safari, located in the Karoo, encompasses 24,700 acres and houses the "Big Five." The Big Five is abbreviated as BRELL and stands for Buffalo, Rhinoceros, Elephant, Lion, and Leopard. Throughout our adventure we only saw three of the Big Five, which were the white rhinos, elephants, and lions, as the others were hiding between the mountains due to the colder temperatures. It is winter here in South Africa, and along with chilly temperatures, the wind was blowing along with passing showers. Other animals we encountered included giraffes, hippopotamuses, wildebeests, ostriches, and South Africa's national animal the springbok. Unfortunately we did not see any buffalo or leopards no matter how closely we searched. Prior to beginning the tour, we covered ourselves in blankets and braved the harsh winds to embark on a once in a lifetime opportunity. None of us had ever been on a safari before, at least not quite like this, and some of our group, who will remain nameless, did not particularly care for animals, and the open air vehicle was frightening to some. We knew our African safari was going to be much different than that of our desert safari, so we were all pretty excited and a little nervous at the same time. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, giving us many facts to reference the animals in which we encountered. To be up close and person with animals in their natural habitat is truly a once in a lifetime experience, much like the rest of our trip. After the tour completed, we shared photos and talked about the different animals we had seen over lunch at the reserve's clubhouse. I can tell that we all enjoyed the experience thoroughly, although I am not sure some of us would want to encounter a lion again as close as these came.
Â
The key to today's trip out to the safari was our journey. Having spent over three hours in a vehicle, we were able to see multiple aspects of South African communities. The varying economic status' of the population is dramatic. On our way to the Aquila Game Safari, we drove by a huge sign that said, "No stopping—hijacking danger." We immediately asked our guide Anthony what this meant, as we never assumed the reality. He explained that hijacking was common on the side of the roads, and that you should never stop. Although this happens in America, it is not frequent enough to produce warning signs. For miles, we saw these signs, people on the side of the street selling fruit, children departing their separate ways heading to school, and areas scattered with shacks used as homes. The poverty in this country has driven many to a life of crime, stealing for their survival. The trip today allowed us to see the huge gap between those who are lower and middle class. Thinking about our adventure yesterday to Robben Island forced us to be more aware of how good we actually have it in the U.S. as we are viewed in a completely different light, economically. No matter how bad we believe we have it, we cannot imagine it ever being as bad as some of those have it in South Africa. The poor and homeless in America are ignored and unacknowledged, but being poor and homeless in America is completely different from being poor and homeless in a developing country. Poor individuals in this country are not only adults, but we saw many children being effected and that was hard to take in for all of us. To see children sleeping on the streets, is something that is difficult to digest. This experience of seeing the broader landscapes of the country made us think deeper about our time in this country. We think we all learned something about ourselves in that moment.
Â
Overall, we had an amazing experience at Aquila Game Safari, and to think that the majority of the locals, right here in South Africa would never be able to experience such an amazing activity is humbling. We are thankful and will continue to push outside our comfort zones each day and engage in activities that we could never have imagined before. We can now say that we stared down a lion, and this is a story I am sure we will all remember for a lifetime.
Â
Alex and Marshea
Â
Blog Number Five – By Marshea and Alex
Â
Some great memories were made today as we pushed out of our comfort zones and embarked on a South African safari. Leaving our hotel at 6:00 a.m., it was still dark outside but the roads were filled with passing cars heading to work., while we drove for over two hours before arriving to our destination. On the way we saw the most beautiful high rising mountains, a troop of baboons, and numerous chicken and fruit farms. The Aquila Game Safari, located in the Karoo, encompasses 24,700 acres and houses the "Big Five." The Big Five is abbreviated as BRELL and stands for Buffalo, Rhinoceros, Elephant, Lion, and Leopard. Throughout our adventure we only saw three of the Big Five, which were the white rhinos, elephants, and lions, as the others were hiding between the mountains due to the colder temperatures. It is winter here in South Africa, and along with chilly temperatures, the wind was blowing along with passing showers. Other animals we encountered included giraffes, hippopotamuses, wildebeests, ostriches, and South Africa's national animal the springbok. Unfortunately we did not see any buffalo or leopards no matter how closely we searched. Prior to beginning the tour, we covered ourselves in blankets and braved the harsh winds to embark on a once in a lifetime opportunity. None of us had ever been on a safari before, at least not quite like this, and some of our group, who will remain nameless, did not particularly care for animals, and the open air vehicle was frightening to some. We knew our African safari was going to be much different than that of our desert safari, so we were all pretty excited and a little nervous at the same time. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, giving us many facts to reference the animals in which we encountered. To be up close and person with animals in their natural habitat is truly a once in a lifetime experience, much like the rest of our trip. After the tour completed, we shared photos and talked about the different animals we had seen over lunch at the reserve's clubhouse. I can tell that we all enjoyed the experience thoroughly, although I am not sure some of us would want to encounter a lion again as close as these came.
Â
The key to today's trip out to the safari was our journey. Having spent over three hours in a vehicle, we were able to see multiple aspects of South African communities. The varying economic status' of the population is dramatic. On our way to the Aquila Game Safari, we drove by a huge sign that said, "No stopping—hijacking danger." We immediately asked our guide Anthony what this meant, as we never assumed the reality. He explained that hijacking was common on the side of the roads, and that you should never stop. Although this happens in America, it is not frequent enough to produce warning signs. For miles, we saw these signs, people on the side of the street selling fruit, children departing their separate ways heading to school, and areas scattered with shacks used as homes. The poverty in this country has driven many to a life of crime, stealing for their survival. The trip today allowed us to see the huge gap between those who are lower and middle class. Thinking about our adventure yesterday to Robben Island forced us to be more aware of how good we actually have it in the U.S. as we are viewed in a completely different light, economically. No matter how bad we believe we have it, we cannot imagine it ever being as bad as some of those have it in South Africa. The poor and homeless in America are ignored and unacknowledged, but being poor and homeless in America is completely different from being poor and homeless in a developing country. Poor individuals in this country are not only adults, but we saw many children being effected and that was hard to take in for all of us. To see children sleeping on the streets, is something that is difficult to digest. This experience of seeing the broader landscapes of the country made us think deeper about our time in this country. We think we all learned something about ourselves in that moment.
Â
Overall, we had an amazing experience at Aquila Game Safari, and to think that the majority of the locals, right here in South Africa would never be able to experience such an amazing activity is humbling. We are thankful and will continue to push outside our comfort zones each day and engage in activities that we could never have imagined before. We can now say that we stared down a lion, and this is a story I am sure we will all remember for a lifetime.
Â
Alex and Marshea
Players Mentioned
QB
/ Football
G
/ Women's Basketball
Sprints
/ Women's Track & Field
G
/ Men's BasketballMen's Basketball Postgame - St. Bonaventure
Sunday, February 22
Baseball Postgame vs Penn State: Head Coach Mik Aoki
Sunday, February 22
Men's Basketball Press Conference - February 20
Friday, February 20
Davidson Postgame
Thursday, February 19