Reflexive Piece

2008 was a year which produced many new challenges and experiences, especially for those of us studying first year journalism at Rhodes University. 2008 was the second year your truly studied first year journalism at Rhodes, giving addage to the old expression "if at first you don't succeed try again". Although i studied jms1 again, that is not to say it was all the same. In fact, the 4th term presented a whole new course: blogging. My lecturers would argue that due to the fact that blogging is a genre in itself, the work produced for this section would have to have been planned within the constraints of the genre as opposed to the first term in which most of the processes were individual. I tend to disagree somewhat with this evaluation. Although we were made to work in groups for this course, i still believe that a majority of our processes were individual. With the exception of coming up with a name for the blog and deciding on the other admin details such as what we would like the homepage to look like, the only other piece of real "group work" was the photo comic. Other than that all blog posts were individual processes and we were given the individual freedom to construct them. With every single piece of academic work at University there are assesment criteria, blogging was no different. We were required to write in a certain style and had to include aspects of the genre into our posts. This was no different to the first term when we did newswriting and had to follow criteria for our writing, such as what onstitutes a hard news story and how to structure one.

Story ideas were not too hard to come up with. The fact that we were students writing posts for a student blog made our jobs much easier. If we were perhaps lecturers in the department of journalism the task would have been much more difficult because as lecturers we would have been less in touch with student issues and thus content material would have been a little harder to come by. So to an extent my writing was supported by the character of my group's blog. The character was very much true to the overall theme of journalism this year - a first year at Rhodes.

As the first year journ clas of 2008 were the first ever class to participate in a blogging course at Rhodes we could be viewed as Guinea pigs. As such there was always something to discuss in tutorials. The tutors were new to the material, as were the lecturers so communication on all fronts was vital. In all honesty though i feel that tutorials were a waste of this time for this course. Anyone attending lectures would be familiar with the subject material and as such our tutors were not responsible for teaching us but rather served as mediators while we engaged in discussion with our group members. Tutorials did present a good forum for us to express our individual ideas and thoughts and allowed us to brainstorm and make decisions as to what we would do for our various assignments. At the same time this is something i did not enjoy fully, bcause as a group member one is forced to go with the majority decision and that decision may sometimes be one that is completely opposite to ideas that you yourself may have had.

On a scale of 1-10 in terms of personal and proffesional goals i would give this course a 7 out of 10. The Internet is an ever-growing commodity and as such this foray into the world of blogging is a wise one as it opens up many new doors for aspiring journalists. At the same time i believe i would have been capable of running a blog whether i had done this course or not. A lot of the skills we were "taught" could be seen as basic computer literacy and common sense skills. So in that aspect i did not learn much.

Blogging is most definitely a form of journalism and that is one vital aspect of this course i will take away with me. It is a form of what i would call "public journalism" and perhaps that is the best kind as the general public to not have corporate agendas to adhere to. Obviously individuals will never be completely objective but by examining a number of posts by various members of the general public one is allowed to form their own opinions. Reserach and sourcing was very much the same. Ethics were not a concern and i don't believe my writing changed too much.

On the whole i enjoyed this section and would definetly recoomned the journ department continue with this next year.

To be or not to be? That is the question...

For many people going to University presents an opportunity for change, an opportunity to be whoever you want to be, or an opportunity to remain the same. You can fix the aspects of your lives you didn't enjoy during high school. You will be exposed to unprecedented freedom. You can more freely choose who you spend your time with. You can choose to drink or to remain sober. You can choose to party or you can choose to study. You can choose to find long lasting love or you can choose to find that one night stand. You can choose to do well or you can choose to fail miserably. You can choose to smoke that joint or you can choose to have your brain function at its optimal speed. You can choose to make friends of different races, religions and creeds or you can stick to your comfort zones, stick with your own, and remain in your bubble. You can choose to try new things you never thought you'd have the opportunity to experience or you can shy away from the adventurous and stick to the familiar norms. You can do whatever you want to do, that is the beauty of CHOICE. Some choices have life-long consequences, others do not. Some will make you happy beyond your wildest dreams; others will bring heavy rain and clouds to your usually pleasant surroundings. At the end of the day you go into University as a blank canvass. You have the potential to come out as either a masterpiece or a series of disorganised scribbles. So I say take this experience and make the most of it. I have just one piece of advice for you: Remain true to yourself. At the end of the day the most important thing is to be able to look into a mirror and to recognise and like the person you see. Don't fall into the trap of trying to meet other people's expectations and standards, rather meet your own. In the spirit of this advice here is a poem I wrote in 2006:



Pretender

Pretence is the only thing that you know,
the flawed system in control of your soul.
Mean not what you say but say what you mean,
live in reality not in false dreams.
But your words are meaningless illusions of hope,
a method designed to allow you to cope.
See the shadows my eyes know so well,
melt in the reality of this living hell.
You choose to accept what you do not know,
belief in lunacy because "they" told you so.
Who is this "they" you refer to so often?
"They" could be me or people in coffins.
Yet you are no better than those false people,
you sit down, shut up, accepting their evil.
You expect the support of those you call friends,
yet for those who betray...your mind still bends.
Blind to reality, deaf to their lies,
yet I mention these things and you seem surprised.
Surprise is for people who are not aware,
sympathy for people who previously cared.
Previously means I felt in the past,
emotions are meaningless and only momentarily last.
But this is the end so dry all your tears,
succumb to the darkness, realize all your fears.
The fears that leave you trapped in a cage,
the cage by people rattled in rage,
a rage I dare not write on this page,
this page that will last though doomed by age.
This doom I welcome and death I accept,
for I do not judge, I do not expect.
Expect from people unreasonable things,
gifts of love, such as diamond rings.
Love is untouchable, its pain is terrible,
at the best of times, simply unbareable.
If love is a mountain I dare not climb,
if true love is possible I dare not rhyme.
If love is a touch I dare not feel,
in a wise man's eyes love is surreal.
Who am i you ask? I'm nothing but real,
have a heart of gold and nerves of steel.
For all those who dare call me naive,
who stupidly think their lies I believe.
Think again you will find you are wrong,
I patiently wait in this line so long.
To tell you I'm ready, ready to fight,
I bring light to day and darkness to night.
But I am not the topic of choice,
no more than a reason, merely a voice.
So think what you want and do what you will,
your life has no purpose, blood waiting to spill.
So with these last few lines I say no more,
theres no one to listen or to write for.
You mean nothing to me as I do to you,
saying goodbye is nothing new.
So goodbye I say and this is my word,
my feelings you know, my thoughts you have heard.
Some people say that you reap what you sew,
yet pretense is the only thing that you know.
I mean what I say and say what I mean,
I refuse to live in this false dream.

(Picture is from the television series The Pretender)

Let's not be so hot-headed...

I have been an avid reader of one of my fellow JMS1 student’s blog and have found it engaging and well thought out.
However I now feel I might need to rethink my interest in the blog after reading the opinion of an author’s experience with a police man.

Firstly to acknowledge and apologize for the “over-emotional and heated writing” and also to realize “that the above is inductive, generalized, simply based on one personal experience” doesn’t really justify the piece in any way. A murderer telling his soon to be victim that “I know this is wrong” and then apologizing afterwards doesn’t make what was done justified in any way. It is said that the event showed her that our country is not near the democratic, peaceful society we all believe it to be. Firstly it is the kind of generalizations this author makes, and the hot-headed manner in which she goes about making them, that will hold back our country from making the advances it needs. Secondly to say that we have not come far in the last decade is ignorant of all the positive advances that have most definitely occurred. The opinion might have some kind of substance to it, in that yes the policeman did seem to mistreat the author; however this probably needed to be more thought out and structured before hastily throwing it onto the blog for all to see!

Reflexive Piece

With the start of the new term also came the start of a new genre for the JMS 1 students, blogging. We were required to work in groups to create this foreign media and the task seemed daunting at first. However, as the process developed, I found that my group and I created a masterpiece that I could never have conceived of had I been working alone. This is one of the few times that I have found working in a group beneficial as we all had different strengths to bring to the table and we ended up getting along famously.

Besides a group environment offering support and guidance while working with a genre I knew nothing about, I also found that I was encouraged to be more productive during this term. My group was passionate about our blog especially Pieter who updated daily. This inspired me to be more creative with our assignments and incorporate the character of our blog into my writing. Another factor that made me want to be productive and put effort into my writing was the fact that I knew people from all over the world could be reading my work and that naturally made me want to write better content.

Our group generated most story ideas during our weekly tutorials where we had time to interact as a group and discuss what we did and did not want to be on our blog. I generated the story ideas for our compulsory assignments by myself, drawing inspiration from what was happening in my immediate surroundings and from other JMS 1 blogs. I do not feel that my ideas were stifled in any way and felt free to write about what I thought was important. As I have said, I found tutorials beneficial in terms of generating story ideas, but I also found them helpful in clarifying exactly what was expected of me and my group as lectures were at times vague. I felt comfortable at these meetings and confident enough to raise any concerns that my group and I were having. During group meetings I felt excited about our project and the ideas that kept coming up; during every meeting some improvement was made to the task at hand, especially when we were producing our photo comic.

This experience has allowed me to grow as a person and as a journalist. I have found that working with a cooperative and intelligent group of people can be highly beneficial and that I can learn a lot from my peers. I would rate my personal and professional growth at a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10. This experience has also allowed me to accept blogging as a form of journalism and also found that working on a real publication that anyone could read caused me to think about what I am writing a lot more carefully. The character my group assigned our blog was not confining as allowed a broad scope of discussion and issues to be brought up. The fact that I was writing for fellow first years allowed me to be honest and down to earth in my writing and not include any academic flourishes that one normally used to impress professors.

I do believe that blogging is journalism as it is a platform for writers of all ages and from all backgrounds to voice their opinions and concerns. Blogging is one of the only forms of journalism that is not censored by corporations and it epitomises freedom of speech. For example, our blogging group would not have been able to write about issues that affect first years in any other publication as our views were subjective. Blogging is the only media platform that allows subjective reporting. I do not feel that we were “confined” to the theme of surviving first year, but that it was more of a guideline that gave our blog focus. I feel that even if we had not been given this theme, most of our posts would have been about first year and our experiences thus far, because that is what is directly affecting our lives at the moment.

As I have mentioned before, I did take more care with my work knowing that there would be a public audience reading it, and the same applies to research. Even though the blogs were written with a personal style I still found it necessary to check facts, as a wide audience would be reading our material and therefore there was a greater chance that someone would find fault with something we had written on our blog. The research that I conducted while working on our blog was checking with other first years whether they agreed with what was being written or if our content was too generalised. It was important to make sure all first years could relate to our blog and that it did not only appeal to the members of our group.

I did not find my dealings with sources different from previous journalism genre assignments. Sources were willing to appear on our blog as they understood that our blog character was light hearted and not to be taken too seriously. I did not have to deal with an angry source but I did find it challenging interviewing a good friend of mine because of the familiarity. I feel that a stranger might have taken the task more seriously, but I feel that the piece ultimately benefited because I was able to give insight and depth to my writing because I knew the interviewee very well. I definitely learned to experiment while working on our blog as there was more freedom to be creative and address issues that I felt were important without having to be concerned with academic register, referencing and so on. I did not deal with any ethical issues personally but our group always had to make sure that our content was not generalised or defamatory in any way. We wanted our blog to be free, creative and daring but also fair.

In conclusion, I have found creating a blog within a group to be a valuable experience that taught me a lot about writing, ethics, technology and productivity and I am sure the knowledge I have gained will stand me in good stead in the future.

Dismantling Opinion

I strongly disagree with the fact that we are essentially being asked to analyse someone's opinion piece and to tear it apart piece by piece. Firstly the fact that an opinion piece counts for marks is ludicrous because if we have; stated our opinion and backed up the reasons for us having those opinions, our lecturers should not be giving us any less than 100% on principle because you can't mark based on content when the content is our opinion.

In the spirit of keeping my DP however, I will have to partake.

This is a reply to an opinion piece posted on http://outtaurspace.blogspot.com/.

You say, "Looking at other universities students still die because they are scared of what other people might say to them about their sexual status." I can't recall the last time I came across an article in a newspaper (if ever) which said that someone had died because they were scared of what other people said about their sexual status. Maybe you did not mean "die" in a literal sense, but that’s what it comes off as so you might want to look at rephrasing that.

You go on to say that people walk around campus and call themselves lesbians but when they go home they are not. That commented is purely unadulterated speculation. What are you basing this assumption on? If you have a friend who did this and you could back up your argument by explaining the situation with your friend it might give some credibility to your argument. As you do not do this, you fail to convince your audience that this actually happens thus this comes across as a weak argument.

The rest of your opinion piece follows this same trend. Your argument is based on assumptions which you have provide no evidence for and as such does not hold up. This means that you do not establish authority as a speaker, your argument i laced with assumption and your argument is often illogical.

This is your opinion and as such it should be respected, but if you want others to share your opinion you will have to come up with much stronger an argument.

Degrees: Invaluable or Insignificant?

The following is a response to a comment left on my last post:

In my personal opinion education is definitely overvalued. Not in terms of personal growth, but in terms of the job market. I joined Rhodes Music Radio this year, and to be honest I have learned more about journalism by being on radio than I have all year sitting in lectures. Hands-on experience is invaluable in the work place today. Chances are I could apply to a popular radio station 2 years from now and would be more likely to get the job than someone with honours in journalism who does not have the experience I have.

To a degree education is unfair in this country, in part due to what the apartheid regime left behind, but also in part due to the structure of education in the country. In both the United States and Canada primary education is free, only once people start attending university do people have to concern themselves with paying for education. That is the gap between a developing country and a first world country. How can the playing fields ever be level when one person can go to St. Johns and pay R120 000 a year in fees and someone else goes to a school in the township that costs R2000 a year.

Like you said, emphasis is placed on degrees, but only those with some wealth (or those who work really hard to overcome their circumstances to win bursaries or scholarships) are able to get these degrees. Personally I have a problem with any system that limits personal growth simply because the financial backing is not there.

Rhodes: Education VS Exploitation?

We all go to university to get a degree and with the exception of the limited number of students on scholarships; we pay through the roof to be here. Tuition costs in the region of R21 400 and R27 600 depending on your degree. Residence will cost somewhere in the same region. Thus before one has even set foot in a lecture, parents/guardians/we have already spent somewhere in the region of R50 000 and that’s before we even take things such as stationary or textbooks into account. This is the price of education – or is it?

Rhodes may not differ drastically from other universities in terms of fees but in personal experience I can say that various departments and societies at Rhodes will do their most to make a buck off of you. At the University of Cape Town students pay their fees for residence and their rooms belong to them for the duration of the year. They can come and go as they please with no need to pack up, no need to worry about getting in and out of residence before certain dates. Rhodes however is not like this. At Rhodes it seems the university will take every opportunity whatsoever to make some money. This basically means you have to pack up your room almost every vacation so that your residence may be used as accommodation for people attending conferences such as Highway Africa. If one wished to remain in one’s room during such a vacation, one would still be required to pack up their belongings and they would then be forced to pay an exuberant fee per night. It is my understanding that all the money made goes back to the university and its students. However I fail to see this. I currently live in a residence located on the hill and as such it is quite a bit away from any computer labs on campus. At the beginning of the year residences were told by the university that residences would be receiving their own printers, these would be distributed starting with female residences and then based on how far away one’s residence is from campus. Strange thing though, my residence still has no printer and residences right next to or across from computer labs do.

While we are on the printing issue let me just say that as a journalism student it is a big mission to have to finish an assignment; go down campus to print; and come back up to submit when the Journalism Department is right across the road. It wastes a good thirty minutes of valuable time that we as students can’t afford to lose. And while I’m talking about the Africa Media Matrix the Journalism Department is yet another department who makes the most of fees paid by students. The department accepts roughly 270 students into first year, and then accepts only 130 or so into second year because competition is fierce and apparently they do not have the resources to accommodate more students. Ironic then that in 2008 they added electronic ticker tape to the outside of the AMM which probably cost hundreds of thousands to do. Also ironic then that there are 4 huge flat-screen televisions embedded in the wall in the foyer. For a department that has limited resources they have rather curious spending habits.

Moving away from the university and the academic departments, even your fellow students will try to exploit your wallet. I present to you: Societies Evening; mega money drain madness. A hundred different societies will “convince” (and by convince I mean pester/harass/persuade) you that you need to sign up and join for a small fee, usually in the region of R100 – R150. What they fail to tell you is that after signing your money away, you are not likely to participate, you are not likely to attend functions, and if you wish to cancel your membership you will only receive a certain portion of your money back.

So if I have some advice for you it is this: Buyer Beware. The degree trade is a cut-throat industry and one will need their wits to come out with wallet still in hand.

(The picture is a little something i came up with by using Zapiro's Zuma comic as inspiration and borrowing Zapiro's art)

Opinion Piece

Let’s Get Wasted?

There is one statement in life that one can make at any time and remain undisputed. Rhodents love to drink. It doesn’t matter what the weather’s like, what time of year it is, or if a tornado has just ripped through Grahamstown, the Rat and Parrot will be bursting with students out to get their hands on the cheapest draft they can find. The thing is, this is all very well until the reality of upcoming exams sets in. How are the loyal patrons of Grahamstown’s watering- holes supposed to go ‘cold turkey’ and give up there thrice- weekly debauchery? This is a question that many first year partygoers are asking themselves at this very moment. Finals are looming and the pressure to go out and drink themselves into oblivion remains.

I just want to make it clear that I am not preaching here, I happened to be one of the guilty parties myself, but I like to think I have it in me to curb my habit during exam fever. Exam- time is all about moderation, a moderate amount of studying, a moderate amount of procrastination and a moderate amount of letting loose at Friars on a Friday night. The problem arises when students begin to use revelry as a form of procrastination, as this is when the situation gets out of hand, and you end up with a panicking, hung-over undergraduate, cramming for an accounting exam which is due to take place in a mere 12 hours. This is, of course, the said undergraduate’s own fault and he or she should therefore deal with the consequences. However, I do believe the “pressure to party” at Rhodes does have a large role to play. One might argue that students should not give in to peer- pressure and make the conscious decision to stay in and study, but the pressure is not only from peers, it is also from the ethos of Rhodes University as a whole. One of the first things I heard about Rhodes before my arrival at this splendid institution, was that I would drink more than I ever have in my life and that there was a 1 in 5 chance I would get my stomach pumped in first year. I am proud to announce that the latter event has not taken place, but I have felt the pressure from the reputation that Rhodents have, to party harder than any other students in the country (and possibly even the world).

I guess the crux of this argument is that if you are an outgoing, adventurous, party loving student, the chances are that the drinking culture at Rhodes will take advantage of these brilliant traits and turn you into a hard-core “joller” in every sense of the word. The fact is that it is difficult to break this cycle when it comes to exams and other important academic issues. Rhodents need to exercise caution during the term so that their partying habits do not get out of hand. In this way, they will be able to cut down on their visits to the Rat during Swot Week and exams and manage to live up to the reputation of a true Rhodent, which is someone who can handle the intensity of the social scene at Rhodes but also work hard when it counts.

In support of Blog Action Day

Do we all honestly believe that somehow, by being a student here at Rhodes University, we are exempt from worrying about the national crisis that is poverty in South Africa? Every day passes and another dining hall meal is taken for granted as the food is wasted. Money is needlessly spent on pointless items and alcohol as 2 meters outside the door of the Rat a young, hungry child waits for his next 5 rand to put towards bread.

The assumption is that most middle income teenagers will move on to a tertiary education and the lucky few will make it to Rhodes, yet when the acceptance letter arrives there seems to set in an attitude of keeping our eyes closed. Is the point of going to university not that we are supposed to open our eyes? First year is treated as a baptism of fire into the culture of university; however this culture is being confused with a constant mood of ignorance, arrogance and lack of responsibility. When the topic of most conversations at the Kaif is about what’s going on that night and “who was so drunk” the night before while we eat copious amounts of junk food and throw it in the bin, while not a kilometer away families are not sure when the next meal will come.

However who can be to blame for the lack of caring on the students’ part about the poverty around us and in the country? The students themselves might have taken a oblivious attitude towards the situation and palmed off and feeling of responsibility to someone else with the phrase “oh, someone else will do it.” Commonly thrown around without any thought or conscientiousness, the blame must lie with students; we can no longer live by the idea that somebody else will tell us what to do or where to go. If we are old enough to consume alcohol and deeming ourselves responsible enough to live our own way, then surely it is on us as the “future leaders” to take a stand and actually pay attention to the world around us. No parent, teacher, lecturer or any person for that matter can truly take any responsibility for us as young adults not fulfilling a service we owe to the poverty stricken of our country. An example of the lack of responsibility felt by students is the lack of response by JMS 1 students to the blog action day. This action towards showing solidarity did not take any special effort and in fact can be labeled as an easy task; yet uninterested 1st years palmed it off and didn’t think twice about contributing towards the action. This points out in general the lack of acute awareness we as students are personifying and allowing to creep into out demographic description.

It is never too late for us to finally make our mark on the problem of poverty, we are a powerful demographic and know that in numbers we can change the world, so we’ve changed it for ourselves; it’s about time we change it for someone else.

Our comic strip...

So for our JMS 1 course, we were required to create a comic strip....So here is the saga of a poor misguided princess, waking up where she shouldn't, so heed the warning young future first years... This is an example of what people call... Seal Clubbing...

What not to wear...

In university, especially Rhodes university, the question of what to wear is not too difficult to answer, as anything generally goes. It's not surprising to see somebody sitting in a lecture in their PJ's or a night gown and wigs and weird hats are common place. Personally I am quite well known for having an innate ability to dress up like a complete tool, it's all just a question of how you wear whatever it is you've got on. Walking around with a massive black afro wig and aviators on, if you're walking around thinking to yourself, "wow I look like an idiot, why am i doing this" then you're going to come looking like an awkward idiot with a black afro wig on (that also happens to sparkle with red lights). However if you walk around thinking to yourself "Wow i look like an idiot, but i love it!" then people are going to pick up your vibe and may worry about your mental state, but at least they'll have a laugh with you... You'll be surprised at how being dressed like a fool can make another person's day that much more enjoyable.

In life people can be really judgemental, stereotypes are hard to kick and generally life can be a tough social environment to come through without a few ego bruises. University however is the one place you can let yourself go and act a bit crazy without fear of judgement. Trust me if i was really judged on some of the outfits I've donned over the year, I'd have no social life!

So always remember to pack at least one item of odd clothing when preparing to come to Rhodes, cause more often than not, it's the person who hasn't dressed up that looks like the tool! However this brings me to the point of this post, what not to wear! With all this fashion freedom it can happen that somebody crosses the line, dress like a nurse, walk around in nothing but a sheet wrapped like a toga, but never EVER EVER EVER wear a pink and turquoise flower print shirt! No matter how accepting people are, this item of clothing can never be pulled of! EVER!

Much Love

The Piet

Whether to worry about weather...

When it comes to Grahamstown weather, there is nothing that can be said to prepare you for it's craziness, it seems to follow the craziness of the people that live here.
Yesterday saw a tragic event occur here in G-Town, something unheard of, a mini-tornado hit the community, smashing scores of houses and leaving some people injured, all this happening while students on campus were being battered with golf balls for hail stones! It really was a weird event, something that doesn't happen in this country.
However what really makes it so crazy weird, is that not an hour before the hailstorm and tornado hit, the G-town sun was blazing at full temperature and I was walking around in shorts and a T-Shirt, and to add to this the sun came out again for a beautiful afternoon, just for us to be hit with waterfall's worth of rain in the evening. It was a Wednesday and most people were keen to go out, and after the rain, it became pretty mild and seemed like it was going to be a decent evening, however, that is when the winds came up, blowing up not only skirts, but the hopes many had to go out that night...

This was the epitome of a true Grahamstown day in terms of weather, we literally experienced every season in one day... There is nothing to prepare you for the weather in this town, unless you leave in the morning with a backpack full of raincoats, jerseys and a change of pants, you cannot be prepared... You will either be too hot or too cold...

Ha ha, seems like a bleak picture, but it really isn't, it just adds to the super-crazy-psycho-coolness that is living in Grahamstown!

Much Love

The Piet

P.S, these photo's were taken on the same day only 1 hour apart...

Reminders of Sanity...

The dining hall, the two-faced being that she is, can throw up some seriously dodgy food, but at the same time is host to some of the most memorable moments of your varsity career.

Things to remember about the food are things like, at dinner never have the left over chips from lunch and never have the minute steak, as tasty as it seems when described, I'm still trying to figure out what wild critter they're trying to pass of as steak! Oh and Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are peanut butter and syrup days!

If you're lucky enough to end up in a hall like Nelson Mandela, you'll generally be treated to some awesome food, and the kitchen staff are really friendly. However there are some halls, (Cough cough..... Smuts) that are not renowned for amazing food, and in fact have been known to run out of certain foods, so when you're running up to lunch to get your chicken mayo roll and all they've got left is the dodgy health platter mushroom roll, you'll be cursing your lecturer for going over time!

Though this post is not about the food this time, (we'll post a list of what foods to eat and what not to eat soon enough) but this post is about the friends you make in the dining hall...

This evening I sat in the dining hall from 5 o'clock until about quarter past 6. How is it possible that I sat for an hour and fifteen minutes in the dining hall? Well the eating of the food took all of 15 minutes (I love mushroom rolls, hmmm) and then I indulged in the most amazing chill time. You'll walk over to the toaster (Which is known for turning bread in to either pancakes or charcoal, unless timed right!) and on the way you'll pass a fellow Journ student and while waiting for the toast you'll bitch about all the work you've got coming up. While sitting at the table eating your toast (All 4 slices, I’ll repeat, Hmmm I love mushroom rolls) one of the people at the table will offer tea and coffee (Let's just say it's not Mugg and Bean coffee), and you'll gladly accept, in between your hysterical laughing as a friend cracks the dodgiest jokes. Then if it's a Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday or Saturday, the question "areyougoingouttonight?" will get brought up by at least 4 different people, all to which you'll generally answer "Of course!" even if there isn't a chance in Denmark you're going out. Even if you sit at a table with different people every day of the week, you still treat it like it's a family dinner, and various anecdotes about peoples days are thrown around like bouncing balls... "Ya, wow did any of you guys see that naked guy outside Eden Grove!" "Nought bru, but I heard about it! What a tweaker!"

The conversation isn't riveting but it's just what everybody needs at the end of a long day of lectures (or a long day of skipping lectures and smoking hubbly by the pool). During exams is when the dining hall really serves a purpose, it becomes a procrastinators paradise! Everybody finds the most insignificant reason to stay in the dining hall and avoid going back to res to study. The dining hall is the place where you will meet your friends for life and learn about their eating habits. If you treat it like your family dinner room, the dining hall, besides all its dodgy food and overheating toasters, can be place for some really awesome times!

Much Love

The Piet

Life is like a box of Smarties...

As I lay, watching a zombie movie, cuddling and in a complete state of laid back bliss, I was hit with an epiphany! Rather i was blindsided by a massive wave of realisation, that it is as clear as the air we breath that this was the meaning of life.... These few words...



Life is like a box of Smarties...



Yes that is what i came to realise that wonderful Sunday evening, that through all the stresses and complexities we encounter in life it all comes down to a box of smarties. Every person is like a candy coated piece of chocolaty goodness, each with it's own colour and slight shape variations, yet all made of the same amazing chocolaty awesomeness.

Even though you know they all taste the same and deliver the same amount of tastiness explosion, you still somehow develop a favourite... And you cant but help to separate them into there different colours, like we class the people in our lives, all in their own boxes each with it's own purpose and time to be eaten. There are various ways to eat a smartie, you can suck on it until the candy dissolves and it's just the syrupy chocolate spectacular left to suck and swallow, or you can chomp a whole handful and and just chew them to a scrumptious mix of crunch and munch... Just like the many ways we can eat smarties so are the many ways we handle all the various people in our life, the love we have for family, the kinship of our friends and the affection given by our partners. Each smartie similar in so many ways yet with a multitude of ways to enjoy them.

So I've figured out a way to conceptualise life for any person who feels a bit lost... Just think of it like a box of smarties, pick your favourite and find the best way to enjoy it while still savouring how awesome the rest of the smarties are!

Well that was just a random rant of some really really really random stuff, probably not the meaning of life, but something to think about...

Much Love...

Darling let's do lunch!

It was humid and the sun was on its best performance. I sat and waited. And waited. As I turned around for the fifth time, I saw my subject; Alexander William Nicholas Hawings-Byass. As the man with the name of someone royal approached, he rubbed his tired eyes. It was clear he had just got out of bed.

There are many students whose story should be told about how to go about first year. Alex’s is one of how not to!

Age 19 and a Pom, Mr. Hawings-Byass decided to attend Rhodes University in 2008, because it “provided a good education. I didn’t expect much from a South African University, but was pleasantly surprised.” On the contrary however; he continued with, “I expected to party… And get a degree.”

We sat at the prime meeting spot on campus; the Kaif, and talked about every possible questionable choice he has made this year. His “laid back” attitude was reflected in his wearing of a pair of aviator Rayban sunglasses and a Rhodes Jersey. His fluffy whipped mane shone in the sunlight and the stubble on his chin confirmed he hadn’t touched a razor for a couple of days.
An average day for Alex consists of a shower ( I’m pleased to announce) followed by being clothed, a quick check in the mirror, then the odd stroll to a lecture, lunch, watching an episode of whatever he hasn’t seen, supper and then finally pre-drinking. “I go to about four lectures per week, one practical and two tutorials. Whatever is the minimal.” His subjects are suffering the consequences. He’s enrolled for Art History, Philosophy, Geography and Classics. As the first three are doing alright, the last, Classics has yet to be passed. “I wish I had gone to lectures. I have to pass Classics somehow.”

His partying habits are bad and frequent. Going out five times a week, means more time catching up on sleep and thus affecting his lecture attendance. He starts with pre-drinking in res and then moves on to the usual; “Union, Rat and Friars”. He claims his biggest mistake is drinking and talking. “A word of advice to all first years, don’t drink and talk!”
Talking about talking, Alex is a smooth talker; a charmer and an ultimate ladies man. Referred to as the “Chuck Bass” of Rhodes, Mr. Hawkings-Byass has had countless encounters with the older women of Rhodes. “I like older women” he says plain and simply. “South African girls are modest. I like that!”

If his partying habits and lecture attendance are not enough, his spending habits will surely do. On first look, one wouldn’t expect him to be a spender, but Alex handles the small allowance he receives per month rather well. R5000 is his little budget. I nearly fell over backwards when I heard those four digits being uttered out of his mouth. “I didn’t think I would be able to manage with only that when I first came to Rhodes, but I’m managing alright”. He spends most of his money on alcohol and food. “I get take -aways three times a week, and pre-drinking costs a lot”. A fan of popular food locations in town, Alex spends most of his meal times at either Juice bar or Steers. “I can’t live without either of them”. Another cost factor in Alex’s budget is petrol. Often too lazy to walk home, or down to town, he pays petrol money for Piet; a res mate, to transport him. Food bribes are frequently involved as well.

After careful evaluation, I am surely convinced that Alex is a prime candidate for how not to go about first year. He parties way too much. Barely spends more than ten minutes at his desk; and that’s just to check his Facebook profile, hardly knows what subjects he’s enrolled in and eats far too much take-out! What I have also concluded however is that Alex is another Guy Butler legend. Yes, I’m afraid I am saying this, but he has gone above and beyond doing everything that every Rhodes student would love to do, but just don’t have the guts to do-or daddy’s bank account to rely on. He’s happy at Rhodes! And although he may wish he had done certain things differently, he has done one thing right- and that is shown first year students what to avoid!

Check out his profile page on Facebook to explore more of his eccentric behavior!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1629030040&ref=ts

The Ultimate Rhodent

Kirsten MacGillivray and I chat about nothing as we walk the few metres from our Res to the Kaif. Affectionately known as Kirst, she is the girl with the infectious laugh and knack for playing pranks on the unsuspecting the residents of John Kotze House, and is one who I have come to know and love these past nine months. We arrive, find a secluded spot and Kirst begins to speak about the University that has enabled her to follow her passion, acting. Drama is the reason Kirst came to Rhodes and also why she has grown to love this little place. She considers herself a typical, fun- loving, wine- drinking Rhodent, and is not ashamed to admit that she falls under some of the stereotypes associated with Rhodes students. However, Kirst comes with a twist, although she loves to visit the Union, Rat and Parrot and Friars every weekend and get involved with sport, she also considers herself, “one of the drama kids” and this gives her the opportunity to let her alternative side show. Kirst looks the part today in her emerald green cardigan over a bright green T- shirt, a multi-coloured scarf, dark jeans and sneakers, and a bright yellow badge with a cheeky mouth on it.
While slowly sipping a strawberry Sterrie Stumpi, Kirst gazes at the passing students through her huge black sunglasses and chats about the people she has met at Rhodes thus far. The person she believes to have had the best influence on her is another J.K. native, Mia. She says this is because of Mia’s “no stress, no judgement” outlook on life and her ability to be herself and be happy with who she is. Kirst also admires Mia’s self-confidence, something that Kirst feels she lacks, despite having to perform in front of other people every day. She says her best qualities are her willingness to help a friend in need, her creativity and her unconventionality. Speaking of unconventional, Kirst chooses the night she was found asleep in the bathroom of the Rat and Parrot as the craziest thing that has happened to her while at Rhodes, “I was just in there taking a nap”, she laughs.
Although Kirst is mostly content with life at Rhodes, she has had her share of highs and lows. One particular low that she remembers is when she doubted whether studying drama at an academic institution was indeed the right path for her. She was contemplating whether going to a specialized acting school such as AFDA, or trying to make it in the international business would not be a better choice. However, Kirst has set her doubts aside and has decided that Rhodes is definitely the place to hone her acting skills and have a campus life at the same time. Still, there are times when she feels discouraged, “Like now, when my drama group is falling apart” she sighs. At this point our good friend Cit joins us at the table, the Kaif, after all, is the social hub on campus. Kirst and Cit both light up a cigarette, a habit Kirst picked up from hanging around outside the drama department.
Kirst has an adventurous spirit and describes her best day at Rhodes as the day she was thrown into a pit of mud after Botha House’s “Mud Olympics” and ended up having to walk home coated in the gooey, brown substance. She describes Rhodes as a University with a great campus life and a place that “allows you to make good friends quickly”. Advice she would give to incoming first years is to learn to balance work and play and also to take any opportunity they are presented with. However she says with a laugh, “Don’t stress about anything, it’s just first year, you’re only expected to pass”. This tongue-in-cheek statement encapsulates Kirst’s happy-go-lucky personality and is why she has been so successful in becoming the “ultimate Rhodent”.

Have a look at Kirst's Facebook profile: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=670510714&ref=ts

Lady's Man

Down two flights of stairs, right down a long passage to the second last door a knock on a standard issue Rhodes residence door, and this is where I find Mvuselelo Gcaba. I sit down in the arm chair next to his neatly made bed and he returns to his chair at his desk. The desk is covered in books and it is quite obvious that this is someone who takes their academic career seriously. It is 10:30pm on a Wednesday night and while I was watching TV series not thirty minutes prior to the interview, Mvu has been working. When I tell him the interview will be short and to the point, I fail to realise the contradiction these words have to his stature. Mvu is far from short, his bulky frame takes up a large portion of the room but intimidation is the last thought on one’s mind. “Would you like something to drink?” he asks before I begin my cross-examination thus affirming his reputation as being kind. As cliché as it may be to say, he is the epitome of a gentle giant. I politely decline as I am a man on a mission and letting him stray from the task at hand may lead to long and lengthy conversations about anything and everything.

Mvu hails from Manor Gardens in Durban. When asked if he surfs or not he laughs and says, “Not a chance, black people and water don’t mix”. Despite this phobia of water he goes to the beach quite often when he is back home in Durban. “I go to the beach a lot but I don’t go in the water, I go cause I know there will be girls in bikinis”. One needs do nothing else but take a look at his profile picture on Facebook to know that Mvuselelo Gcaba is a lady’s man. While we are on the topic of women I ask him if he expects to find his wife at Rhodes and he says, “My wife is in Durban, the one thing that has disappointed me most at Rhodes is the women. I expected them to be much hotter. I heard there was a high ratio of women-to-men but high numbers mean nothing when there is limited talent.” He is a man of great confidence who clearly knows what he wants. Putting two and two together I ask if this means his long term aim is to work and live in Durban and he says, “I’m not a Jo’Burg person and I’m Definitely not a Cape Town Person!”. I ask him what else he expects to gain from being at Rhodes, despite a degree and he tells me that, “I plan to learn how to deal with life more effectively, I’m here to meet new people and create contacts in the business world for when I’m done.”

To end off my interview I ask him a bit about his personal life. He has a brother whom is 11 years of age, he quickly tells me his brother was not planned but that his parents love him more. Usually this statement comes from a place of bitterness but in Mvu’s case it seems to come more from affection than anything else. It is quite evident he is happy to play the role of big brother and to give his brother something to aspire to. And a good role model he is. He excels at Academics at Rhodes, he was voted on to his residence’s House Committee within 4 months of living there, and he even manages to find time for Sunday afternoon basketball. Mvuselelo Gcaba is someone who has stayed grounded and stayed true to himself but has also embraced the title of “first year” whole heartedly. He works hard, he plays hard, and he’s rather hard to miss in a crowd. The nickname “Baby Shaq”, says it all.

The Importance Of Your Residence - Male Residences Part 1

For many students attending a University such as Rhodes, it is their first time being away from home and as such their new "home" is of vital importance. For some students this new home will be found in the form of digs, for a majority of other students it will be residence. The room you will be staying in, the people you will be living with, the common room you will be watching premiership football and hating on Manchester United in are all vital aspects in your adaption to life as a first year at university. That being said there are obviously many residences to choose from. So i have compiled a list for you guys of the residences at Rhodes, basically highlighting the positives and negatives and hopefully after reading it you will be able to make an informed decision about where you would like to live.

1 - Jan Smuts House - You DO NOT want to live here. Smuts hall is credited with the worst food at Rhodes. It's residents tend to be of the rowdy sort and go out drinking on a regular occasion. Is detrimental to your trying to pick up women during o-week - They hear "Smuts" and go running for the hills. The rooms are fairly old as it is one of the older residences on campus. Kotch Creek is also located behind this residence...enough said.

2 - Cullen Bowles House - You probably don't want to live here either. Located in Kimberley Hall way up on the hill, which means walking to and from lectures is a mission. The food in Kimberley is quite awful, which just goes to emphasise how bad the food must be in Smuts. Beds are concrete blocks with mattresses on them, the rooms consist of immovable objects. The common room is located in one of the multiple buildings they have so if it's raining and you don't happen to be in that building you probably aren't going to be able to watch television or use the microwave. The one plus this residence has is that the rooms have both hot and cold water taps - not that the hot water is ever hot. This residence has bath tubs as well as showers. Not ideal but definitely preferable to Smuts.

3 - Guy Butler Residence - Perhaps I'm a little bias but this is the place to be. The res is located on the hill (but closer to campus than Kimberley Hall) in Nelson Mandela Hall. The hall has the best food at Rhodes and has the awards to prove as much. It's one of the newer residences at Rhodes, thus rooms are modern and well-sized. The res is located near the Rhodes astro turf and Prospects soccer pitches. The res has its own braai for those warm summer days. Most importantly this res accommodates an awesome group of guys and does not feature any of the negative aspects that the other residences do.

A day in the wild...

On a hot summers day in the wild jungle/savanna/forest/mountains or whatever metaphor you’d like to apply to university, all the animals/creatures/fauna or whatever metaphor you’d like to apply to varsity students flock to the only place to be…. The watering hole, aka the pool! There is no better place to cool down on a sweltering Grahamstown day then at the pool, although knowing G-Town weather you might need a coat to take shelter from freezing winds, however that is a topic for another post!

There are a few things though that need to be pointed out about the pool; in all honesty it doesn’t just serve as a cool down spot, it is yet another crazy example of a unique social context. Just today I was attempting to crisp myself in the sun (you’ll find most of the white folk tend to lie around in the sun, crisping) and I was attempting to get some video footage of what the vibe is like around the pool. So just to my right was a “2-set”, (this is guy-talk for 2 humans of the female form) being pursued by 2 red-blooded males. Now as it should be known, the way to act in situations like this if you are; a) Female, twist your hair between your fingers, laugh excessively loudly at the guys jokes and feel free to glance up and down the males body, admiring (or at least pretending to admire) his physique, which brings me to, b) Male, tense all you muscles as often as you can, finding whatever position you can that might show off your physique, take any opportunity you can to flex your manliness by throwing girls in the water or racing other males across the pool (in theory, the winner gets the girl, but that’s just theory) and otherwise just be as Alpha-Male as possible.

Back to my situation, so I’m recording and the AMOG (basically the most “Alpha-male of group”) of the 2 guys seducing the 2-set realizes that I am recording and seems to take offence, for what I don’t know, he went on about the ladies privacy(him trying to win brownie points). He obviously spots this as a moment to apply macho-ness and decides to confront me about the video. What he doesn’t realize is that the “2-set” he’s trying to seduce is actually a good friend of mine and her sister. So I play along and pander to his demands, by deleting the video (it was boring anyway). He struts back to the group, feeling like he must be a real man now and that the “2-set” must be really impressed with him... But I get the last laugh, so I pack up my stuff (he’s really smirking now as he thinks he’s scared me off) and I walk over to his “2-set”, greet my friend, ask if she feels like going for a walk and a drink, to which she gleefully accepts. We link arms; I give him a quick smile and a “cheers bud” and walk away… Looking back as he sits with a very embarrassed look on his face and looking distinctly pink (Somehow I don’t think it was sun-burn)

Moral of the story, the pool is a treacherous area of cut-throat flexing, manliness and twiddling of hair, so be prepared. Unless of course you just came for the swim…

Mucho Amore

The Piet

Cafe Blanca, fresh party place!!

When entering Grahamstown you need to realise that you are entering a town with limited venues for having a good time. A quick list of them, and i'm afraid i wont go into detail on this post but you'll get the low down pretty soon;
1. Union; On campus, cheap booze, starting point of most party nights, dancefloor.
2. Olde 65; cheap booze, more sit down and bar vibe
3. Equilibrium; House and Hip Hop club, generally where special events get hosted.
4. Rat & Parrot; The flagship bar of the town, can get packed.
5. Friar Tucks; More mainstream club, can also get packed, but can be good for serious drunken jam sessions.
6. Slipstream; Bar/Club vibe, also more hip hop, bit far down the road though.
7. Old Gaol; Alternative bar vibe, can have live music.
8. Cow Moon Theory; Hubbly lounge, bring your own booze, serious chill out area.

Which brings me to my reason for the post....

There is a new place in town!!!!

Cafe Blanca.
I was there tonight (Sunday night, shock-horror), with two uber awesome friends, keen for a chillout... What i was greeted by was an enthusiatic bar and waitering staff (who could still do with more expereince but that will come with time), a rocking DJ playing some awesome music, a wide open air area with benches, garden chairs and garden tables, a large amount of people all involved in there own groups having a seriously good time chilling out. The place was awesome, it sells itself as a cocktail bar and pulls it off in style, for just R20, which is cheap nowdays, you can get a delicious cocktail, from Long Islands to Harvey Wallbangers, otherwise booze is cheap, with ciders going for R11 and beer from R8. So booze is cheap, which is always a good start, but what really sets this place apart from any other place in G-Town is how it doesn't take itself to seriously, the management and staff are obviously undertrained, and they know it and they are not shy to hide it, which actually makes getting served by a nervous young waiter all the more humurous and tolerable. Every Sunday they get a DJ in from 5 till late and i can really recomend this place as good as any here in G-Town and for something fresh, different and really worth it, visit with some friends. It leaves opportunity to party and dance but also to sit and just shoot the breeze with friends!

Either way, I have now also decided this is where i'll be celebrating my birthday this year, and you're all invited, going to be amazing!

Well there you go, just a quick glimpse at the new fresh place in town! Go check it out, you wont be dissapointed! If you're coming here next year, make a note!

Mucho Amore

The Piet

My opinion on your opinion...

So we've had to comment on a fellow bloggers post and link it our own post. Guess i was devious about this one though, as i commented on my ex-girlfriends post to her younger self, which made it easy for me, cause i knew her younger self, devious i know, but i mean i couldn't resist!

Dear Lis

So it's probably alot easier for me to comment on your post, as i knew the younger pre-Rhodes you... So after reading your post, i understand what you're saying, there are many boxes. People do seem to go into these boxes and i was also telling my younger self to start preparing for the crazy people out there. I'm glad you said that you could learn to enjoy all the boxes, because i was also saying how my younger self should learn to be himself more often because i guess thats the same as saying you'll be able to fit into every box... Well anyway think it was good advice for your younger self, though you left out a 6th box, The one i belong to... The Awesome Box! Well here's a link to my post if you feel like reading it: http://unofficialkaif.blogspot.com/2008/09/letter-to-little-piet.html

Much Love Piet!

A quick word of advice...

So...

If you end up in res, as you most certainly will, as Rhodes tries to make sure every first year starts of in Res, or if you're in res at the moment, there are a few things to remember, I guess this is mostly aimed at guys, though I'm sure some of the girls res's are just as vicious (cough cough.... Beit..... cough cough)...

Anyway, res life is really unique, it has an amazing way of making the most polar opposite of people the best friends in the world, your room, is your little bubble of safety, you can always go to it, put on some music, lock out the rest of the world and just chill, but you always know you can knock on the door of your neighbour and there is someone to talk to.... Well that's assuming he/she isn't a moody over sized cage fighter who hasn't had any action for a while (yes i know female cage fighters!)... But seriously, if you're lucky enough to land up with at least 1 decent person near you, res life can be something special!

Back to things to remember!

1: Don't piss off the moody over sized cage fighter he-woman
2: Pick a shower and stick to using the same one
3: Pick a toilet cubicle, you can never be too sure
4: Keep more then one towel in your room, towels always end up being thieved while you're showering and walking naked and wet to your room, can be traumatising, so keep a spare nearby
5: Get a cooler bag and a lock for the fridge, drunk people cant tell whose milk is whose at 3 in the morning
6: Shotgun rules apply to everything.
7: A shotgun call can be overruled by a "Hijack" call unless "anti-hijack" was called.
8: Which can in turn be overruled by a "Tracker" call unless "anti-tracker" was called.
9: Never, and I repeat, NEVER have a one night stand with anybody in the same dining hall!
10: Re-emphasizing the importance of point 9!
11: Top floor kicks ass
12: Now this is a really important one... Do not fall asleep in the common room! Here is evidence as to why you should not fall asleep in the common room, as my friend Thabo unfortunately found out the hard way...

13: This one would seem obvious, however, my friend Jet, just obviously was not thinking straight... Never, fall asleep in the common room, 3 minutes after you just watched the guy in front of you get creamed!!!

So there you go, keep these few things in mind, otherwise be prepared for absolute awesomeness!

Mucho Amore

The Piet

nice one

good job guys its looking legen...wait for it...dary!!!
seeeee yaaaa xxx

Friday Night Alternatives Part 1 - Poker

As a newcomer to any university, one's first priority is to find and make friends as soon as possible. University can be a frightening prospect for those fresh out of high school and the easiest way to put these fears to rest is by making friends so one does not have to face all the new and different elements of university alone. That being said, once one has some friends, come Friday night you guys are going to need things to do, the most obvious being hitting the town, getting drunk, partaking in the "night life" and such. However, this kind of "fun" is not for all of us so I’m here to suggest some alternatives. Today's alternative is one of my firm favourites - Texas Hold'Em Poker. All you need is a poker chips and cards (which one can quite easily find at most toy shops at a reasonable price) and the fun can begin from the comfort of your own digs or common room. The rules are fairly simple, the hands are easy to remember and both are easily accessible online through the wonderful little tool called google. So if alcohol isn't quite your thing, you can now spend an evening in with your mates and still have fun, and if nothing else at least you'll be able to understand what's going on in all those James Bond Movies.

What are we about...

Hey people!

So we sort of just jumped straight into things here at the Kaif. So I thought that we might give a quick introduction into what this place is about...
For those of you not at Rhodes just yet, the "Kaif" is our day Cafe on campus, where there are benches to sit in the sun and chat with friends and they sell the most amazing snack foods, like toasted sandwiches etc etc... So basically, in between lectures (or generally when you bunk lectures) everybody sits at the Kaif and just passes the time with gossip, jokes and general small talk... It's a microcosm (big word hey!) of the social enviroment that is Rhodes or general university life, you can point out the various groups, The Goths, The Jocks, The Barbies, The Nerds and the list goes on. So through this blog, we'll attempt to show you how life works here, the things they don't tell you in the introductory booklet!

Feel free to comment and ask questions, this is The Kaif, anything goes!

Keep it real and keep reading!

Mucho Amore

The Piet

our letters

Hey

These are some letters that we wrote to our younger pre-Rhodes selves.

They will give you some insight into what our experiences have been so far and what advice we would have liked to have been given before embarking on our varsity adventure.

Hopefully by reading them you will get to know us a bit better :)

See ya xx

Letter To My Younger Self

Dear Sem Small,

University is such an amazing place and you have so much to look forward to in the coming years. Enjoy high school while you can though, you will miss the teachers, the classrooms, playing football during lunch time and the extra-murals you love so much. Don’t stress about Matric finals, you’ll do more than okay, though now that I’ve said that I wonder if you will study as hard.

If I can give you one piece of advice for the future it is this: Never Stop Writing. Express yourself…you have the creative capacity to do so. Not all your poems or song lyrics will be exceptional, but one has to grind coal down before it becomes a diamond.

I know you’ve missed playing football at high school but university has some in store for you. Not only will you get to play but you’ll get to exercise the leadership skills I know you have. Organising team kit and doing all the administrative work is no easy feat so I’m giving you warning now. First year will take some time getting used to, being away from home and all. You will meet someone interesting people and some not-so-interesting ones. You will also meet those who shock you and those who intrigue you so its probably best you keep an open mind. Second year holds in store that long-term relationship and romance you’ve always wanted.

Be careful not to neglect those you love but at the same time remember to lead a balanced lifestyle. Most importantly always remember who your friends are, they are the people who will be there when the chips are down. Well I hope some of this advice is useful to you in the coming years, try not to read too much into any of it. I know how you always wished you could see where you were a few years into the future so I’ll tell you this much, the view from here is amazing.

Yours Sincerely,

Sem Big

Letter to younger self

Dear Petty

First of all I would like to congratulate you for reaching this stage of your life at the place you’ve always dreamed of, Rhodes University. I must say, I am proud of you girl.

Well I understand that you may have made some silly or regrettable decisions in the early days of your year. Remember that day, Societies day, when people were signing up for different societies? That or those were decisions by a confused first year with mixed feelings on which society to join. The numerous, inviting societies of Rhodes, Rocsoc, Zimsoc, Rotaract and so forth.

There you were walking around in that big Hall, called Mullins, where tables were all over the place ,heart bursting music was booming from all angles of the room. You were so excited and amused at the funny clothes that some of the people were wearing, overalls and helmets, flattering and ‘victimising’ first years that joined the societies blindly without a clue of what they were doing, and you were one of them. Remember when that cute guy from your tutorial group winked at you and invited you to join their society? By the time he had finished talking you had already put down your signature all because of that cute guy, which was something!

The funny thing is that you joined the societies because of different, silly reasons. You walked over to one table because they were giving out chocolates and the other one because they were offering free beer and wine. You thought to yourself,’’ok I’m a fun loving and I love to paaarty, so why not join these societies?’’.At the end of the day you had joined more than five societies and you’re not even interested in some of the things these societies do, like the Greek Socety,it was more of like the ‘’Geek’’ society for you. Well funny enough, you were shocked to discover that more than five hundred rands had been deducted from your account because of the same societies.Well that was a lesson learnt.

Anyway, enjoy the rest of your year and, a word of advice; ask older students or well-informed people before putting tour signature down. Good luck in your exams.

Yours truly

Petronellar

A Letter to petite Jess

Well hello,

While I’m sitting here writing this letter to you, I can only wish that I had a letter like this written to me. You’re feeling scared and overwhelmed aren’t you? It’s not easy to just get on a plane and leave home and not look back. But it’s not that hard either. I’m sure you’re feeling just as excited as I did. That’s a great thing. You’re about to embark on a whole new journey. Savour it. Take in everything you can, enjoy every moment.

Starting out at a new place is never easy. You’ll need to take many deep breaths; that was my saving grace. I remember attending my first lecture. It was English and Linguistics at 9:35 am on a Monday morning. That nervous feeling that’s creeping into your body now, that’s normal. I felt it too when I thought about my first lecture. You’re going to feel lost and plagued by venues and times, but just take a deep breath and don’t be afraid to ask for help. The one thing I found comfort in was that people were always willing to help.

Think carefully about what sports and cultural clubs you join. I made the mistake of joining everything I could- and to my parent’s bank statements shock and horror. It’s a great thing to want to take part in it all, but once the work kicks in you have to prioritise when to work, when to play, when to relax and when to fit in a few sport or cultural activities. I know that you’re a do-everything person, but chose a few you enjoy or you’ll find yourself tangled if you try and manage it all.

Don’t rush in trying to make friends or finding a boyfriend for that matter. You have all the time in the world. You’re stuck in one town, so make use of your fours years wisely! Take your time with people, show them who you really are. If you happen to find that special guy fairly early on, like me, that’s fantastic. Treasure it.

Just take everything in your stride, relax and don’t stop smiling! At the end of the day it’s not the end of the world, and if it is, home isn’t far away! Hold tight-you’re in for the adventure of your life.

Hugs and kisses
Jess

Letter to Little Piet

Dear Little Piet

So I’m nearing the end of my first year as a journalism student at Rhodes. It is 2008 which means, and you might not know it now, but you’re going to take a gap year. I remember feeling what you’re feeling right now, all unsure about where you stand socially, feeling awkward around girls and all that kind of stuff. You’re going to go through some serious changes over the next few years as you move on from high school. You’ll realize that where you’re at right now is just a puddle in comparison to the ocean that is the big world beyond high school. If I’d been given warning as to what kind of social experiences to expect coming into first year here, I would have adapted a lot quicker. People are crazy; you have to start expecting craziness and the problem with all the crazy people here at Rhodes is it affects you and makes you go slightly crazy. This can be seen as a good thing though, because the world is crazy, so it helps with fitting in after varsity. So basically if anyone had told me how crazy stuff gets here and how easy it is to just be yourself and act crazy, I would have stopped worrying about all that high school stuff you’re worrying about, because then I would have arrived here focused and just doing my thing instead of still living with the high school mentality. So start relaxing, life isn’t that stressful, not until the craziness of varsity, enjoy the naivety and fun of being as young as you are, it would have helped me a lot with fitting in and adjusting, if I’d started relaxing before I got here. So I’ll say it again, just relax.
Much Love
Big Piet

Letter to my younger self...

Dear younger Candice

This is around the time when you will be getting everything together to leave for Rhodes. By this stage, most your friends have left for Stellenbosch and UCT and you are counting down the days until you get to go off on your own adventure. Do not do this! Savour your time at home with your family and friends who are still around, you will miss them dearly when you first get to Rhodes. However, you are in for the best experience of your life. You have absolutely no reason to be apprehensive, you are going into the best house with the most amazing and supportive group of girls imaginable.

Despite this, there are a couple of things I wish I had known before leaving for varsity: take as many things as you can that will make your room feel like home, fill it with photographs and pillows and colourful things because it will be where you spend most of your time when exam time comes around. Also, leave home with an open mind and a sense of adventure; this is the start of a new phase in your life and a chance to become who you really want to be. You will no longer be restricted by the rules and boundaries of school and home and will be free to be whoever you want.

Don’t get sucked into whatever the crowd is doing, march to your own beat and really experience all that the little town of Grahamstown has to offer.

On a lighter note, be prepared, Rhodes is somewhat lacking in eligible bachelors, to not expect to be swept off your feet. Also, stay away from Pirates, Munchies and all those places that look highly appealing when intoxicated, first year spread is not a myth. Most of all, don’t be afraid to try something new, be different, be opinionated or even just let loose for a bit. It all part of the Rhodes experience. It is a place like no other and you will be introduced to some crazy events and traditions and take advantage of all of these because they allow you to get involved and become a true Rhodent.

Start working on your alcohol tolerance :)

Love Candice xxx