Looking back at myself six weeks ago, I see a person who was confused, worried and very scared of what I was about to encounter. Blogging, I wondered, what exactly will we be doing? Am I going to cope with this highly technical course and will I participate fully and not feel intimidated by this course which required technical knowledge in its application? These are some of the questions that bothered and unsettled me every time I thought of the course that awaited me during the start of the forth term. But six weeks later, I seem to have come up with the necessary answers to address the above questions. I look at the two contrasting characteristics which belong to me and feel sorry for the ignorant me but at the same time, I am proud of the transformation that took place in trying to replace that ignorant person of six weeks ago.
Before starting the course on blogging, I only knew the basic information about blogs that include that, a blog was a forum where people expressed themselves through article writing. It sounds surprising but this is the bulk of information I knew about blogs. How they set up the blogs in the first place was a puzzle I had to figure out during the time we started setting up our b logs in the Journalism class. I had never really gotten around to asking people who have better technical knowledge about computers how this could be done but thanks to the course, I now know how one sets up maintains and “beautify” a blog once one sets up this forum for their opinions and views.
After the technical aspect had been handled, I started to feel more at ease as I discovered that, blogging is not as difficult and challenging as I thought to be. Application of the theory in the practical sense was quite fun and I became so much fascinated by the numerous search engines we were introduced to such as comeeko. For someone who did not have so much knowledge of such services being available on the internet, it opened a new horizon for me and I began to regard the computer as a new friend and not an enemy in any way. I started to realise that, there was so much I could perform over the internet instead of only relying on the machine for typing assignments and constantly checking my yahoo mail. The mundane routine was replaced by a new and fascinating hobby which was in every sense academic. The initial fear was replaced by curiosity of how all the stuff our lecturers told us could be applied in the practical sense.
Over this period, I have learnt to be more patient in everything I do especially anything to do with the academic issues. Working in groups during this project has not always been smooth and easy. It has been tough when I look at how my other group members have been reluctant to cooperate for some of the activities we have had to do. I have learnt to be patient and at the same time I have been taught endurance. At one point, Amy and I had to leave the Jacaranda Laboratory after ten in the evening because we had to finish the photo comic assignment that was due at exactly five minutes before midnight. This was unusual for me as I stay in digs. Usually, by eight o’clock I am at home and in most cases will be preparing my evening meal but on this night, I had to make a sacrifice because my academic work had to come first. We had to meet a deadline and failure to do so would have cost us a lot of marks which were important in maintaining our academic record and performance. I have learnt to go the extra mile in ensuring that, the academic house is in perfect order. The assignments we have had to do this term have really encouraged us to work in groups and allocate each other duties. In a way, this has instilled a sense of organisation in me as an individual because on several occasions my group was disorganised but we finally put our act together in the end and produced our work in time for submission. This developed characteristic is of great help considering the fact that, success in the co-operate world requires working as a team on many occasions. I have had to learn my lesson the hard way but all of it was worth the effort.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Being new does not mean I am stupid.
By Chips.
Who ever came up with Orientation Week for first year students made a very great suggestion to ease the life of new comers. After missing one earlier this year I have first hand experience on how you get to learn the hard way and the price you pay for not getting to Rhodes in time for the O- week.
It’s a rather long story for me to explain to you why I ended up getting here after O-week. The only thing I can tell you is that, being new is no fun at all especially if you come across people who make you feel that you are a novice. After completing my academic registration at Eden Groove, I had to go to each department I had registered for to confirm my name there. This I concluded was not a problem, the crisis only stemmed from the fact that, I had not already familiarised myself with the campus and department locations. I had to gather courage to ask around where the English department, the Journalism department and also the History Department were located. I was impressed by the amount of patience people expressed when I had to explain to them on at least twice that I had not really understood the directions they had offered. I must admit, at that time I was a bit confused about everything because the feeling of being new was very overwhelming to me.
I must say, I was offended by the attitude one guy showed when I had politely asked him to direct me to the Main Library. Before he even attempted to answer, he burst out into laughter and then asked me if I was new on campus because in his view no one did not know where the “embassy” was located. He referred to the library as an embassy because I later on discovered that it is one place where a lot of people usually meet. When I think back on that encounter, I feel like laughing because, the truth of the matter was that, I did not know where the library was seriously. I felt so out of place and blamed my family for the delay that prevented me from getting here in time for the orientation. I began to ask myself why people never miss an opportunity to make some one out of place. The worst part of this whole encounter is that, of all the people who helped me, I do not seem to remember them very well but this one guy I never forgot. Every time I see him on campus, I am reminded of this embarrassing moment on my first day at university institution.
I am not trying to give a moral teaching to students in any way but all I am trying to get across is that, being new does not mean that someone is stupid and very dumb. I find it appropriate to keep quiet when some one asks a genuine question on something the are new at rather than making un necessary comments that can offend people. Why people want to prove that they have been around for longer that you, I do not know. People try by all means to prove to others that you are inferior in position as compared to them for no reason. What would this guy have lost if he had only given me the directions I had asked for or even told me that he did not know without making feel like I was the greatest fool that had been offered to study at such a high class university?
Who ever came up with Orientation Week for first year students made a very great suggestion to ease the life of new comers. After missing one earlier this year I have first hand experience on how you get to learn the hard way and the price you pay for not getting to Rhodes in time for the O- week.
It’s a rather long story for me to explain to you why I ended up getting here after O-week. The only thing I can tell you is that, being new is no fun at all especially if you come across people who make you feel that you are a novice. After completing my academic registration at Eden Groove, I had to go to each department I had registered for to confirm my name there. This I concluded was not a problem, the crisis only stemmed from the fact that, I had not already familiarised myself with the campus and department locations. I had to gather courage to ask around where the English department, the Journalism department and also the History Department were located. I was impressed by the amount of patience people expressed when I had to explain to them on at least twice that I had not really understood the directions they had offered. I must admit, at that time I was a bit confused about everything because the feeling of being new was very overwhelming to me.
I must say, I was offended by the attitude one guy showed when I had politely asked him to direct me to the Main Library. Before he even attempted to answer, he burst out into laughter and then asked me if I was new on campus because in his view no one did not know where the “embassy” was located. He referred to the library as an embassy because I later on discovered that it is one place where a lot of people usually meet. When I think back on that encounter, I feel like laughing because, the truth of the matter was that, I did not know where the library was seriously. I felt so out of place and blamed my family for the delay that prevented me from getting here in time for the orientation. I began to ask myself why people never miss an opportunity to make some one out of place. The worst part of this whole encounter is that, of all the people who helped me, I do not seem to remember them very well but this one guy I never forgot. Every time I see him on campus, I am reminded of this embarrassing moment on my first day at university institution.
I am not trying to give a moral teaching to students in any way but all I am trying to get across is that, being new does not mean that someone is stupid and very dumb. I find it appropriate to keep quiet when some one asks a genuine question on something the are new at rather than making un necessary comments that can offend people. Why people want to prove that they have been around for longer that you, I do not know. People try by all means to prove to others that you are inferior in position as compared to them for no reason. What would this guy have lost if he had only given me the directions I had asked for or even told me that he did not know without making feel like I was the greatest fool that had been offered to study at such a high class university?
Friday, October 17, 2008
I found a fingernail in my juice.
By Amy Esterhuizen
It’s twelve o’ clock on Tuesday and I’m starving! I feel annoyed when I think that this was usually a favourite time of day, lunch time, when I got to eat a good meal that I’d been looking forward to. I drag myself to the Jan Smuts Dining Hall. Walking up the stairs I can already smell the ‘fish in batter’ and hold my breath a little. Shouting, banging of trays and an indescribable stench all make for the atmosphere. Once finally finding some cutlery, I get to the ‘chip machine’, “Halaal fast!” one of the catering staff shouts. Thank God, if it was default I don’t know what I would do. My friend in front of me receives her plate of ‘fish in batter’ and says with a disgusted look on her face, “You’re so lucky.” The catering staff looks blankly at me, “uh Halaal fast food,” I say. She gives me a suspicious glance, as if I’m trying to cheat the ‘default’ system, and slaps a greasy chicken pizza along with some even greasier chips on my plate. I take the plate from her before she throws it down on the counter. “Wow, whatever happened to a ‘friendly and hospitable environment’,” I mumble to myself. My friend calls me over to the free seats she has just discovered, I walk over and it down. “Sick!” Someone else’s left over chutney sticks to my arm. Looking down at my food, and the pool of old oil surrounding it I start to wonder if I am really going to eat this and make my way to the ‘salad bar’. Wilted lettuce is all that remains of the salad but I take some anyway, at least it’s not oily! “No, uh not again!” my friend looks at me and says, “What again?” “A worm in my salad again!” I exclaim. At this point we have both lost our appetite and have been so put off by the dining hall that we decide to leave and eat ‘vending machine food’ instead.
The dining hall is usually not a student’s favourite place and we all know that the food will never be as it was at home. Cooking in bulk and often without much interest obviously makes food less appealing, as quantity becomes more important than quality. Students have come to accept this. But the nutritional value of meals, hygiene and hospitable service that the Catering Services at Rhodes University promises is often questionable.
Rhodes University’s Catering Services allows students to choose from eight options for each meal. The meals range from fast food to ‘health platter’ and it is the student’s responsibility to make the choice between the pie and chips or the chicken salad. Even though there are these options and some may be healthier than others, the overall nutritional value and quality of the food leaves much to be desired. In most meals one will find an abundance of carbohydrates and copious amounts of oil, for example the ‘hake in batter’, which consists of deep fried chips, oily fried fish in a thick layer of batter and vegetables that have been overcooked. As for health platter, I would like know how a few strips of chicken smothered in mayonnaise on a thin bed of lettuce or an oily saucy stir-fried mixture is considered healthy. The meals at the dining halls claim to be ‘well-balanced’, but when receiving ‘Southern Fried Chicken’ with mash and no vegetables, you start to question this claim. No wonder so many first years fall victim to ‘first year spread’! The food they are receiving is usually extremely fattening or just tastes like fish oil. This is why many students supplement their diet with junk food from the vending machine or bread and butter. As Jen, another first year student explains on her blog, “‘toast’ is not just a cooked piece of bread, it becomes a social dining hall activity and filler when res food disappoints (so in other words you eat it every day).” And she goes on to explain how this will lead to weight gain.
The hygiene in the dinning hall is often something most students do not like to talk about, and those who have done community service in the kitchen often stop going to the dinning hall for a week or two in order to mentally prepare themselves for their return. I personally have found a fingernail in my juice, many worms in my salad and hair in my food. The service in every dining hall differs, but from my experience I definitely have not been treated with “respect and friendship”. I have been accused of lying about my meal booking and received rude responses when asking for more salad, knives, plates and bread (which seem to run out so often).
I understand that the dining hall can not always run perfectly and that the food will not always be desirable, but when the problem persists and nothing is done to improve the situation, even after continuous complaints form many students, I start to wonder how much the University actually cares about the services us students receive. Food is an important part of life. The cost of residence is expensive, and many students would like to see an improvement in the dining hall. Because of the state of some of the dining halls, much food is wasted and this is very unfortunate considering that people just a few kilometres away in poorer areas of Grahamstown struggle to feed themselves everyday. I just hope that the University and Catering Services will start to listen to students complaints and make a change.
It’s twelve o’ clock on Tuesday and I’m starving! I feel annoyed when I think that this was usually a favourite time of day, lunch time, when I got to eat a good meal that I’d been looking forward to. I drag myself to the Jan Smuts Dining Hall. Walking up the stairs I can already smell the ‘fish in batter’ and hold my breath a little. Shouting, banging of trays and an indescribable stench all make for the atmosphere. Once finally finding some cutlery, I get to the ‘chip machine’, “Halaal fast!” one of the catering staff shouts. Thank God, if it was default I don’t know what I would do. My friend in front of me receives her plate of ‘fish in batter’ and says with a disgusted look on her face, “You’re so lucky.” The catering staff looks blankly at me, “uh Halaal fast food,” I say. She gives me a suspicious glance, as if I’m trying to cheat the ‘default’ system, and slaps a greasy chicken pizza along with some even greasier chips on my plate. I take the plate from her before she throws it down on the counter. “Wow, whatever happened to a ‘friendly and hospitable environment’,” I mumble to myself. My friend calls me over to the free seats she has just discovered, I walk over and it down. “Sick!” Someone else’s left over chutney sticks to my arm. Looking down at my food, and the pool of old oil surrounding it I start to wonder if I am really going to eat this and make my way to the ‘salad bar’. Wilted lettuce is all that remains of the salad but I take some anyway, at least it’s not oily! “No, uh not again!” my friend looks at me and says, “What again?” “A worm in my salad again!” I exclaim. At this point we have both lost our appetite and have been so put off by the dining hall that we decide to leave and eat ‘vending machine food’ instead.
The dining hall is usually not a student’s favourite place and we all know that the food will never be as it was at home. Cooking in bulk and often without much interest obviously makes food less appealing, as quantity becomes more important than quality. Students have come to accept this. But the nutritional value of meals, hygiene and hospitable service that the Catering Services at Rhodes University promises is often questionable.
Rhodes University’s Catering Services allows students to choose from eight options for each meal. The meals range from fast food to ‘health platter’ and it is the student’s responsibility to make the choice between the pie and chips or the chicken salad. Even though there are these options and some may be healthier than others, the overall nutritional value and quality of the food leaves much to be desired. In most meals one will find an abundance of carbohydrates and copious amounts of oil, for example the ‘hake in batter’, which consists of deep fried chips, oily fried fish in a thick layer of batter and vegetables that have been overcooked. As for health platter, I would like know how a few strips of chicken smothered in mayonnaise on a thin bed of lettuce or an oily saucy stir-fried mixture is considered healthy. The meals at the dining halls claim to be ‘well-balanced’, but when receiving ‘Southern Fried Chicken’ with mash and no vegetables, you start to question this claim. No wonder so many first years fall victim to ‘first year spread’! The food they are receiving is usually extremely fattening or just tastes like fish oil. This is why many students supplement their diet with junk food from the vending machine or bread and butter. As Jen, another first year student explains on her blog, “‘toast’ is not just a cooked piece of bread, it becomes a social dining hall activity and filler when res food disappoints (so in other words you eat it every day).” And she goes on to explain how this will lead to weight gain.
The hygiene in the dinning hall is often something most students do not like to talk about, and those who have done community service in the kitchen often stop going to the dinning hall for a week or two in order to mentally prepare themselves for their return. I personally have found a fingernail in my juice, many worms in my salad and hair in my food. The service in every dining hall differs, but from my experience I definitely have not been treated with “respect and friendship”. I have been accused of lying about my meal booking and received rude responses when asking for more salad, knives, plates and bread (which seem to run out so often).
I understand that the dining hall can not always run perfectly and that the food will not always be desirable, but when the problem persists and nothing is done to improve the situation, even after continuous complaints form many students, I start to wonder how much the University actually cares about the services us students receive. Food is an important part of life. The cost of residence is expensive, and many students would like to see an improvement in the dining hall. Because of the state of some of the dining halls, much food is wasted and this is very unfortunate considering that people just a few kilometres away in poorer areas of Grahamstown struggle to feed themselves everyday. I just hope that the University and Catering Services will start to listen to students complaints and make a change.
A Year in Words
Simon Balmuth
“I’m feeling rough; I’m feeling raw in the prime of my life”.
-A time to pretend, MGMT.
The end of the year approaches like some dark shadow cast by the setting sun, bringing with it the ominous presence of exams. As I sit above this vast chasm, I feel an underlying urge to reflect. To look back on a year, which has played host to a constant battering of the senses, through various avenues. Bottle after bottle, night after night, too comfortably numb to appreciate the enormity of it all.
I feel the year has only just begun, but here I stand in the twilight of my initial university expedition. As time has lurched on at it’s relentless pace, waiting for no man, I have lost myself in the depths of independence. Not without direction but treading a precarious road without the utmost certainty. The existence of the unknown is refreshing in the sense that it provides an alternative to the constraints of structure, which have governed life from the outset. University provides an outlet, a response to the years of the conformity of schooling.
A thrill ride, a theme park, this year has been about moving from one high to another. Chasing pleasure, the inexplicable dilation of the pupils, brief in it’s enjoyment but the motive behind hours of action. The year has been constructed out of moments not days, brief fleeting moments over in the blink of an eye. On a journey? Where do I get off? where do you get off? more importantly do we ever get off at all?. If these days are the first of the rest of your life, is this a sign of the madness to come? The train rumbles on while people stop and stare, some get off, few stay while my finger hovers precariously above the self destruct button.
Amongst this backdrop of intoxicating madness, one strives to better oneself through the pursuit of knowledge. The sum total of my academic endeavors, reams of paper countless pages of words each as convincing as the last. Late nights spent endlessly battering the keyboard seeking to construct something of depth, of purpose, something to stand up and be accounted for. As I rush from one task to the next, climbing an obstacle without sign of relief. This is what is to be a student, to truly study, a process which many go through but few question. It is accepted as a norm of society in order to better ourselves we study, to fill our heads with information ordained by a higher set of intellectuals. We accept this as a way of life a sacrifice to enter a higher set, the so called upper reaches of mankind. It was the path taken by generations before us, a well trodden one with a variety of destinations.
So where has the year gone? The time has been filtered into a variation of fields. From enlightenment to travesty, at times so disgustingly self righteous waiting for a slap in the face that never comes. 2008 has been a year for words. These are my words and this is my year.
“I’m feeling rough; I’m feeling raw in the prime of my life”.
-A time to pretend, MGMT.
The end of the year approaches like some dark shadow cast by the setting sun, bringing with it the ominous presence of exams. As I sit above this vast chasm, I feel an underlying urge to reflect. To look back on a year, which has played host to a constant battering of the senses, through various avenues. Bottle after bottle, night after night, too comfortably numb to appreciate the enormity of it all.
I feel the year has only just begun, but here I stand in the twilight of my initial university expedition. As time has lurched on at it’s relentless pace, waiting for no man, I have lost myself in the depths of independence. Not without direction but treading a precarious road without the utmost certainty. The existence of the unknown is refreshing in the sense that it provides an alternative to the constraints of structure, which have governed life from the outset. University provides an outlet, a response to the years of the conformity of schooling.
A thrill ride, a theme park, this year has been about moving from one high to another. Chasing pleasure, the inexplicable dilation of the pupils, brief in it’s enjoyment but the motive behind hours of action. The year has been constructed out of moments not days, brief fleeting moments over in the blink of an eye. On a journey? Where do I get off? where do you get off? more importantly do we ever get off at all?. If these days are the first of the rest of your life, is this a sign of the madness to come? The train rumbles on while people stop and stare, some get off, few stay while my finger hovers precariously above the self destruct button.
Amongst this backdrop of intoxicating madness, one strives to better oneself through the pursuit of knowledge. The sum total of my academic endeavors, reams of paper countless pages of words each as convincing as the last. Late nights spent endlessly battering the keyboard seeking to construct something of depth, of purpose, something to stand up and be accounted for. As I rush from one task to the next, climbing an obstacle without sign of relief. This is what is to be a student, to truly study, a process which many go through but few question. It is accepted as a norm of society in order to better ourselves we study, to fill our heads with information ordained by a higher set of intellectuals. We accept this as a way of life a sacrifice to enter a higher set, the so called upper reaches of mankind. It was the path taken by generations before us, a well trodden one with a variety of destinations.
So where has the year gone? The time has been filtered into a variation of fields. From enlightenment to travesty, at times so disgustingly self righteous waiting for a slap in the face that never comes. 2008 has been a year for words. These are my words and this is my year.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
Her Pink Wind Chime
by Amy Esterhuizen
For Ayushi Chhabra (www.fourhensandacock.blogspot.com), a first year journalism and drama major, the hardest part of first year has not been surviving academic life but rather surviving the social life that comes with being a first year at Rhodes. Her outgoing and enthusiastic nature makes it seem like she would have no trouble at all fitting in and coping with the social life at Rhodes. But as she explains, the difficult part of social life has been being judged and stereotyped by other people. “You want to have fun, experience many things, make mistakes and learn from them but in that process people create these false perceptions of you and it’s hard to change the way they think,” she says.
Being only 17 years old, Ayushi is much younger than many other first years. This makes her feel vulnerable and affects her on every level of her Rhodes experience. She looks down at her pink duvet and says, “People’s comments made it hard for me to be who I am”, but then with clear confidence she looks at me and continues, “But I’ve moved on and have learnt not to take other people’s shit to heart.” Ayushi explains that at Rhodes she felt a pressure to prove herself to other people and break free from the stereotypes that are so common here. Her fast paced and loud speech makes it clear that she has had many experiences of being stereotyped before. “I find it difficult balancing my two worlds” she says. Auyshi is Hindu and has lived in India for most of her life and says that this has often led to her being stereotyped because she comes from an Indian background but has a “western” social network. “Just because you belong to a certain ethnic group it’s like you have to submit yourself to their ‘ways’ instead of just being Indian inside of you”. Feeling excluded from the Hindu society at times has been hurtful for Ayushi who often hears that she is ‘too western’ for their liking.
She moved on to tell me about her experiences in Residence and how it hasn’t been an easy change due to some of the girls’ judgements. Ayushi tugs restlessly on her white scarf as she says, “the people in my res have a false image of me” and explains that she has often been called “fake, Barbie or a bitch”. The only time doubt and unhappiness is expressed through her voice is when she speaks about some of the issues that have occurred in her res. “I ran for entertainment Rep and the girls in my res ripped my posters off and tore them up,” she said seriously. It is because of incidents like this that Ayushi is changing residence next year, but this is not going to ruin her experience of first year.
Auyshi came to Rhodes because she needed a change from the lifestyle and ‘high school mentality’ she had in Johannesburg. She smiles and says that she has changed for the better, becoming a strong independent girl who is not going to let other people bring her down. “I’m very proud to be who I am, I consider myself a survivor”, she exclaims. Ayushi’s strong opinions and wisdom are a breath of fresh air. Her pink wind chime blows melodically in the wind as she says “the most important lesson I’ve learnt is to be true to yourself, be who you want to be and everything will be alright”. She leans back and says that she won’t let these problems get her down because these problems are what “make life, life”. Ayushi is looking forward to each new day here at Rhodes, having fun and doing things on the spur of the moment. She grins and says, “In ten years time I want to look back on my time at Rhodes and say, ‘Whoa, those were the days!’”.
For Ayushi Chhabra (www.fourhensandacock.blogspot.com), a first year journalism and drama major, the hardest part of first year has not been surviving academic life but rather surviving the social life that comes with being a first year at Rhodes. Her outgoing and enthusiastic nature makes it seem like she would have no trouble at all fitting in and coping with the social life at Rhodes. But as she explains, the difficult part of social life has been being judged and stereotyped by other people. “You want to have fun, experience many things, make mistakes and learn from them but in that process people create these false perceptions of you and it’s hard to change the way they think,” she says.
Being only 17 years old, Ayushi is much younger than many other first years. This makes her feel vulnerable and affects her on every level of her Rhodes experience. She looks down at her pink duvet and says, “People’s comments made it hard for me to be who I am”, but then with clear confidence she looks at me and continues, “But I’ve moved on and have learnt not to take other people’s shit to heart.” Ayushi explains that at Rhodes she felt a pressure to prove herself to other people and break free from the stereotypes that are so common here. Her fast paced and loud speech makes it clear that she has had many experiences of being stereotyped before. “I find it difficult balancing my two worlds” she says. Auyshi is Hindu and has lived in India for most of her life and says that this has often led to her being stereotyped because she comes from an Indian background but has a “western” social network. “Just because you belong to a certain ethnic group it’s like you have to submit yourself to their ‘ways’ instead of just being Indian inside of you”. Feeling excluded from the Hindu society at times has been hurtful for Ayushi who often hears that she is ‘too western’ for their liking.
She moved on to tell me about her experiences in Residence and how it hasn’t been an easy change due to some of the girls’ judgements. Ayushi tugs restlessly on her white scarf as she says, “the people in my res have a false image of me” and explains that she has often been called “fake, Barbie or a bitch”. The only time doubt and unhappiness is expressed through her voice is when she speaks about some of the issues that have occurred in her res. “I ran for entertainment Rep and the girls in my res ripped my posters off and tore them up,” she said seriously. It is because of incidents like this that Ayushi is changing residence next year, but this is not going to ruin her experience of first year.
Auyshi came to Rhodes because she needed a change from the lifestyle and ‘high school mentality’ she had in Johannesburg. She smiles and says that she has changed for the better, becoming a strong independent girl who is not going to let other people bring her down. “I’m very proud to be who I am, I consider myself a survivor”, she exclaims. Ayushi’s strong opinions and wisdom are a breath of fresh air. Her pink wind chime blows melodically in the wind as she says “the most important lesson I’ve learnt is to be true to yourself, be who you want to be and everything will be alright”. She leans back and says that she won’t let these problems get her down because these problems are what “make life, life”. Ayushi is looking forward to each new day here at Rhodes, having fun and doing things on the spur of the moment. She grins and says, “In ten years time I want to look back on my time at Rhodes and say, ‘Whoa, those were the days!’”.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
The Route Less Traveled
The Route Less Traveled
By Simon Balmuth
As we bask in the aftermath of an epic Tuesday night, the sun starts to rise bringing calm to the madness signaling the start of a new day. It is at this unlikely hour that I sit down with Adam Green a first year humanities student.
Adam has a sense of quiet calmness about him; even in the most challenging situations he appears to have all the time in the world. But what or who can he thank for this attribute?, it is a possession born out of maturity., but then again this is his second year out of school, and as he will admit it was the gap between school and university that enabled him to gain that maturity. It is this inherent maturity that has enabled him to take University in his stride. “The year I took out from studying allowed me to grow immensely as a person; I would encourage everyone if it was possible to take a gap year”.
Perching nonchalantly on my windowsill Adam pulls out a box of cigarettes, and lights up. He offers me a smoke; I decline as the smoke begins to rise merging with the golden haze of dawn. He drags deeply with a guilty smile etched on his face, taking comfort from the private indulgence that the nicotine supplies.
As the sun climbs higher in the sky our conversation picks up pace and purpose. Adam has met the challenges of varsity life with apparent ease, unruffled and unphased. But is there any element of distress that lurks behind this untouchable veneer. “University took a while to get used to; the lifestyle that comes with being a Rhodes student is extremely different to living at home”. As with most students Adam took a while to adjust to the alien environment, but as the year begins to grind to a halt, he seems so settled both in himself and here at Rhodes. He is a brilliant advert for a controversial product, the gap year.
Where does Adam see himself in ten years from now? where in his mind does the journey end?. “I have always wanted to be involved in the analysis of our environment, One day I hope to become an environmentalist”. It is no surprise that Adam’s heart strays away from the choking formalities of the corporate sphere; the daily formalities would crush the passion that drives him, the yearning to make a difference in this world. His path is not a well trodden one it is a diversion from the main stream, a slowly winding dirt track to some far off location. But it is with purpose that he treads this rough track and I have no doubt that his journey will be successful.
The sun is now high in the sky and the room is shrouded in a warm amber glow. Adam maintains his perch on the windowsill looking out at the world below. A world which bears limitless opportunities to the driven and hidden pitfalls for the lost. As we say goodbye a new day has begun, a day like no other, just another step in Adam’s journey
By Simon Balmuth
As we bask in the aftermath of an epic Tuesday night, the sun starts to rise bringing calm to the madness signaling the start of a new day. It is at this unlikely hour that I sit down with Adam Green a first year humanities student.
Adam has a sense of quiet calmness about him; even in the most challenging situations he appears to have all the time in the world. But what or who can he thank for this attribute?, it is a possession born out of maturity., but then again this is his second year out of school, and as he will admit it was the gap between school and university that enabled him to gain that maturity. It is this inherent maturity that has enabled him to take University in his stride. “The year I took out from studying allowed me to grow immensely as a person; I would encourage everyone if it was possible to take a gap year”.
Perching nonchalantly on my windowsill Adam pulls out a box of cigarettes, and lights up. He offers me a smoke; I decline as the smoke begins to rise merging with the golden haze of dawn. He drags deeply with a guilty smile etched on his face, taking comfort from the private indulgence that the nicotine supplies.
As the sun climbs higher in the sky our conversation picks up pace and purpose. Adam has met the challenges of varsity life with apparent ease, unruffled and unphased. But is there any element of distress that lurks behind this untouchable veneer. “University took a while to get used to; the lifestyle that comes with being a Rhodes student is extremely different to living at home”. As with most students Adam took a while to adjust to the alien environment, but as the year begins to grind to a halt, he seems so settled both in himself and here at Rhodes. He is a brilliant advert for a controversial product, the gap year.
Where does Adam see himself in ten years from now? where in his mind does the journey end?. “I have always wanted to be involved in the analysis of our environment, One day I hope to become an environmentalist”. It is no surprise that Adam’s heart strays away from the choking formalities of the corporate sphere; the daily formalities would crush the passion that drives him, the yearning to make a difference in this world. His path is not a well trodden one it is a diversion from the main stream, a slowly winding dirt track to some far off location. But it is with purpose that he treads this rough track and I have no doubt that his journey will be successful.
The sun is now high in the sky and the room is shrouded in a warm amber glow. Adam maintains his perch on the windowsill looking out at the world below. A world which bears limitless opportunities to the driven and hidden pitfalls for the lost. As we say goodbye a new day has begun, a day like no other, just another step in Adam’s journey
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
A new experience in a foreign land...
By Chipo Munyuki.
She smiles to herself, the glow is quite visible on her face. One would think she has been told that she has just won the lottery price but contrary to this, she says, “I’m so excited about sharing my experiences as a Rhodent with you! Honestly speaking, 2008 has been such an amazing year for me. I’ve had my ups and downs but coming to South Africa has been a major highlight in my academic life. ” She looks so relaxed and feeling at home in her brightly decorated room in her residence. A wall of fame where she has displayed her photographs from childhood reveal a smiling young girl- a trait she still owns even today.
There is so much that Nyaradzai, a first year Pharmacy student at Rhodes needs to say about how she is coping with life as a student. For a moment, her voice lowered, she tells of how it was an emotional moment for her having to leave her family in Zimbabwe when she was coming to begin her studies. “I knew it was going to be an emotional moment for me when the time to leave home came. You know how it is living so far away from your parents for the first time.” Cheerfully, she concludes the issue by saying, “living away from home is not that bad after all! It feels good to have this false feeling of being independent for once. My mother would not support me on that one though at the moment.”
On the issue of academic life, Nyaradzai says that, the highlight of the moment was the Orientation Week she participated in during the beginning of the year, “I will never forget that week. The only business I got up to was eating, sleeping and enjoying an academic week that did not involve anything to do with studying. Isn’t that just so great?” She jokingly also says that, this was the time she spent so much money buying clothes and food and she attributes this to the fact that, this was her first time to have gotten such an opportunity to spend so much considering the fact that, back at home there is an economic crisis. After this once in a life time experience had gone as she likes to call the orientation week, this young lady says that, her academic work has taken up most of her time. Her academic week only allows her to have a free afternoon on a Tuesday because all the other times she has to attend practicals. “My academic program fails to acknowledge that I also have a social life to run during the week”, she complains.
Nyaradzai takes time to appreciate and acknowledge the fact that, leaving home has been of great help. She acknowledges that, this year has been a learning experience for her. “I’ve had the opportunity to grow up very quickly. I have learnt to be responsible because I am out here on my own. No one has my back covered.” While she says this, one can feel that her mood has transformed into a more serious one and her tone has diverted to that of a mature person. She expresses surprise at herself because she says that it has dawned on her that she has actually matured during the course of the year. “I am no longer a child because my little sisters look up to me with respect every time I go home now. I feel proud of myself and what Rhodes as an Institution has helped me to achieve so far.”
Nyaradzai Nyangari is a first year Pharmacy Student at Rhodes University.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Monday blues!
By Chipo M.
Good morning to you all who are in a very good mood this Monday morning. I know a majority are still trying to get a grip on themselves because the weekend "virus" is not gone as yet. Most of you are feeling guilty right now because you are still in bed and have missed the dawny lecture at Eden Groove. you know who you are! I will not mention names... There is no need to start up a fight is there!! To those who are up and running, I salute you.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Letter to My Younger Self
Hey Stranger
Wow, I can’t believe that a whole year has passed since we last spoke, but scarily it has. One thing is for sure; your first year at varsity is going to be the fastest year of your life . The time literally flies, like someone up there has constantly got his finger on the fast forward button. But in this never ending blur of friends, alcohol, girls and memory loss take the time to step backwards and appreciate the experience; these truly are the best years of your life.
You will learn to love the independence that comes with living away from home, embrace it, seize it and assume control. Remember that is you and you alone who is responsible for the path you take.
Balance will prove to be an important word for you; in the upcoming year you will claim it, lose it, fight for it and eventually realize that without it you will go nowhere. Learn to balance, balance your relationships and friends, and balance your studies and partying. If I could give a single piece of advice to you, one word is all that I need- Balance.
You have a heck of a journey in front of you; you will discover things not only about the world around you but also about the person inside you. Above all remember to enjoy the good times as they will pull you through the bad. Hang on to your dreams as they fuel your actions.
In this new environment your eyes will be opened as you realize that there is so much more to life, than what you left behind on that overcast February morning. Although you will not think so at the time, in leaving your world behind you will gain so much more.
Keep it Real ……
S.Balmuth
Wow, I can’t believe that a whole year has passed since we last spoke, but scarily it has. One thing is for sure; your first year at varsity is going to be the fastest year of your life . The time literally flies, like someone up there has constantly got his finger on the fast forward button. But in this never ending blur of friends, alcohol, girls and memory loss take the time to step backwards and appreciate the experience; these truly are the best years of your life.
You will learn to love the independence that comes with living away from home, embrace it, seize it and assume control. Remember that is you and you alone who is responsible for the path you take.
Balance will prove to be an important word for you; in the upcoming year you will claim it, lose it, fight for it and eventually realize that without it you will go nowhere. Learn to balance, balance your relationships and friends, and balance your studies and partying. If I could give a single piece of advice to you, one word is all that I need- Balance.
You have a heck of a journey in front of you; you will discover things not only about the world around you but also about the person inside you. Above all remember to enjoy the good times as they will pull you through the bad. Hang on to your dreams as they fuel your actions.
In this new environment your eyes will be opened as you realize that there is so much more to life, than what you left behind on that overcast February morning. Although you will not think so at the time, in leaving your world behind you will gain so much more.
Keep it Real ……
S.Balmuth
Home sickness.
To my beloved sister.
I know that as I am writing this letter you are miles away. You might even fail to understand what I am saying because your mind is a thousand miles away north of the country you are in right now.
Yes, I know you are physically at Rhodes but your mind is visualising you with your family at home right now. You were the missing piece in the puzzle but now the circle is complete that you are finally home. Your facial expression, that haggard and mournful look tells me that you did not expect to be so far away from home for such a long time. Living away from your parents, sister and your boyfriend especially is a daily struggle for you. Remember that night a fortnight ago when you cried yourself to sleep because you could not take it anymore? Will you ever forget that day when you have already set up a home going count down on your 2008 purple and white planner?
I can tell you are having a tough time with the distance that is between you and home . You can not talk about what is troubling you because you consider yourself as surrounded by strangers who do not understand you the way your mother takes her time to listen to your problems. After all, you feel it is proper to discuss your problems with people who appear as too busy with their own crisis- an assingment that is due in twenty four hours.
This is all part of growing up. This you should know my dear. I know and you can confirm that, in two month's time you will be home. Your thousand mile journey is coming to an end. A smile on your face confirms that what I am saying is true. Soon you will be going home.
With love
Trudy.
I know that as I am writing this letter you are miles away. You might even fail to understand what I am saying because your mind is a thousand miles away north of the country you are in right now.
Yes, I know you are physically at Rhodes but your mind is visualising you with your family at home right now. You were the missing piece in the puzzle but now the circle is complete that you are finally home. Your facial expression, that haggard and mournful look tells me that you did not expect to be so far away from home for such a long time. Living away from your parents, sister and your boyfriend especially is a daily struggle for you. Remember that night a fortnight ago when you cried yourself to sleep because you could not take it anymore? Will you ever forget that day when you have already set up a home going count down on your 2008 purple and white planner?
I can tell you are having a tough time with the distance that is between you and home . You can not talk about what is troubling you because you consider yourself as surrounded by strangers who do not understand you the way your mother takes her time to listen to your problems. After all, you feel it is proper to discuss your problems with people who appear as too busy with their own crisis- an assingment that is due in twenty four hours.
This is all part of growing up. This you should know my dear. I know and you can confirm that, in two month's time you will be home. Your thousand mile journey is coming to an end. A smile on your face confirms that what I am saying is true. Soon you will be going home.
With love
Trudy.
Letter to Younger Self
Dear Amy
I hope your voice has come back after being sick in ‘o-week’ and trying to keep up with the partying and drinking every night. The term has now begun and you should be prepared for a hectic year ahead. And yes, now it’s time to knuckle down and work! I know you think University is going to be one big party and you are going to have so much fun, but I’m sorry to say it’s not going to be like that. Many of your nights are going to be spent working into the early hours of the morning or sometimes not sleeping at all, only finishing your assignment half an hour before it’s due the next day. You will become very familiar with the term “all-nighter”! This is because the night before (and all the weeks before when you already knew about the assignment) you chose to go out to the Union, Rat and Friars, got drunk (‘cane-trains’ are dangerous) and stumbled into Res at 5:am the next morning. Because of this you will most likely miss all your lectures the next day and can only start recovering from your hang-over at 8pm, about the time when you realise you are ‘screwed’ for your essay. You will do more work this year than you have ever done in your life and often wonder how it is humanly possible to do three major assignments in one night, but this is your fault! So stop feeling sorry for yourself. Learn to manage your time and work in advance, instead of watching every series possible on DC++, and you won’t put so much pressure on yourself in the future. I’m not saying you are going to do badly at university, actually you will do pretty well (amazingly), but you don’t want to spend your days tired, hung-over and guilty with an assignment looming in the back of your mind. Stop letting other people influence you so much, especially when it comes to going out, maybe if you listen to yourself for once you won’t make half the mistakes you are going to make. Don’t care about what they think or even feel because half of them won’t be your friends by the end of the year anyway. What is important is your happiness, not their's. Tell yourself everyday that everything will be alright.
Love,
Your older self
I hope your voice has come back after being sick in ‘o-week’ and trying to keep up with the partying and drinking every night. The term has now begun and you should be prepared for a hectic year ahead. And yes, now it’s time to knuckle down and work! I know you think University is going to be one big party and you are going to have so much fun, but I’m sorry to say it’s not going to be like that. Many of your nights are going to be spent working into the early hours of the morning or sometimes not sleeping at all, only finishing your assignment half an hour before it’s due the next day. You will become very familiar with the term “all-nighter”! This is because the night before (and all the weeks before when you already knew about the assignment) you chose to go out to the Union, Rat and Friars, got drunk (‘cane-trains’ are dangerous) and stumbled into Res at 5:am the next morning. Because of this you will most likely miss all your lectures the next day and can only start recovering from your hang-over at 8pm, about the time when you realise you are ‘screwed’ for your essay. You will do more work this year than you have ever done in your life and often wonder how it is humanly possible to do three major assignments in one night, but this is your fault! So stop feeling sorry for yourself. Learn to manage your time and work in advance, instead of watching every series possible on DC++, and you won’t put so much pressure on yourself in the future. I’m not saying you are going to do badly at university, actually you will do pretty well (amazingly), but you don’t want to spend your days tired, hung-over and guilty with an assignment looming in the back of your mind. Stop letting other people influence you so much, especially when it comes to going out, maybe if you listen to yourself for once you won’t make half the mistakes you are going to make. Don’t care about what they think or even feel because half of them won’t be your friends by the end of the year anyway. What is important is your happiness, not their's. Tell yourself everyday that everything will be alright.
Love,
Your older self
Monday, September 22, 2008
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