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.