DEGENERATION OF THE MIND

Ask any teenager what they think of when the thought of University creeps into their mind. Chances are they are thinking of the endless freedom that comes with the new territory of being “all grown up” and leaving home. After 18 long years they believe that they are more than ready to tackle the “big, bad, world” and yearn for the opportunity to be independent, be free of their parents and able to start a life for themselves. This was me at the beginning of year. I was thrilled at the thought of life 16 hours away from home. This was my chance. No longer would I have my parents breathing down my neck 24/7, instead it was all up to me. It was finally my life!

In my mind I was like Repunzel in a modern-day fairytale. I would be waiting for my prince charming to come find me in my third story res room and live happily ever after. Unfortunately the potential princes ended up being drunken jesters who believed that their drunkard serenading at 3am would win my heart- sadly they were very mistaken.

I soon realised that my peers viewed independence and University life as the excuse to get drunk and pass out in gutters, get stoned and waste their potential, have casual sex with random strangers, engage in fist fights and pub brawls and to sleep all day and miss every lecture and tutorial on their timetables original agenda. Although I had also pondered the thought of taking advantage of these rebellious activities, when faced with the opportunity of doing so I realised that my self-worth was more important and that moderation was the way to go.

Why is it then that so many young people are tempted to waste their future on one night of irresponsible partying? Don’t get me wrong though- I am a social person who loves a good night out with my friends and I agree that this is the time in one’s life to let loose and have fun. But I am talking about limits and whether or not people in today’s society realise that certain things go way beyond fun, and verge into very unsafe and dangerous territory.

It is a known fact that Rhodes University has one of the highest alcohol consumption rates in Southern Africa. Students claim that this is because of the lack of entertainment options and since the town is so small they feel it is one of the only activities that they can enjoy. Originally I had thought that peer pressure was a thing limited to high school students but sadly this is not the case. People here are labelled as “losers” if they do not meet the required prototype of a partying, weed- smoking, and sex obsessed “typical student”.

There is fear of falling off the social ladder if one does not meet the allocated party times and days- which is on average 4 times per week. It is a bonus if these people can pass their courses whilst upholding the Rhodes partying tradition, but I often wonder if a degree is really that important to them. Their parents had originally sent them here with the assumption that they would return as fine, mature young men or women with the potential to tackle anything they set their minds to, but sadly quite a few have already returned home with nothing to say for their time spent here except for a deregistration slip, and some “famous party photo’s”.

Many first year students come here with the belief that their aspirations, ambitions, goals and dreams will finally be attainable and that their newly found independence will set them free. Within the first month these same students will lose sight of this and become distracted by the many temptations that student life has to offer them. This is why it is important to know yourself well enough so as to ensure that you do not lose the person that you used to be. Stand strong. Dare to be different. And be prepared to tackle your future!

End it, or go the distance?

Long Distance relationships go with university like toothpaste goes with orange juice! When you go to university in another town you should break up with your boy/ girl friend because you will cheat on them. You’re young, and serious relationships should be left for the future when you’re old and using wrinkle cream. You are going to meet so many new people at university and you won’t be able to resist the urge to be with someone else. You will inevitably break up. So just do it before you go, it will make your life much easier.

What a load of rubbish! When people think of long distance relationships, they see a long dark tunnel with no light at the end. They hold to the stereotype that "long distance relationships don’t work", which is perpetuated by students who want to use university as an excuse to get with as many people as possible. People think that long distance relationships always end in a box of Kleenex and a broken heart. This is not true.

I have firsthand experience of being in a long distance relationship. After a full year of being at Rhodes, my boyfriend and I are still going strong. I think that the people who created this myth have never been in love. They do not know what a real relationship is, and therefore don’t trust in their relationship over a distance.

By saying that relationships wouldn’t last over a distance, the person is basically saying that all relationships are solely built around physical aspects. They are saying that without seeing a person physically, the feelings of love and loyalty in that relationship will dissolve and therefore the relationship will dissolve. This is totally ridiculous. A relationship is not just being physical; it also involves emotions, sharing thoughts, getting to know the character and personality of your partner and much more. Physically seeing your partner is just one part of your relationship. I’m not saying it’s easy to not see your partner, not at all. But it is definitely possible to remain together and faithful over the distance.

Within all relationships both partners are required to make an effort. With a long distance relationship the effort is just a bit more. It is about making a conscious attempt everyday to make your relationship work. Stay up at night talking to your boy/girlfriend on mxit, IM them on googletalk, phone them if you have free minutes. Email them cute emails or sms them in boring lectures, just to let them know that you're still thinking of them. If you do this, then the stereotype falls away.

Another thing that is implied by saying that long distance doesn’t work when coming to university is that you, the university student, will not have the will power to say no to cheating. This is as equally ridiculous as saying that every Rhodes student will become an alcoholic by age 20. Every person faced with an opportunity to cheat will make a conscious decision to do it or not to do it. That is your own choice. And if you want your long distance relationship to work, I suggest you say “no way, Jose!” It’s really not as hard as you think.

The important thing to remember in your long distance relationship is that while you might be experiencing this whole new world at university, your partner is off doing their own thing. Keep them up to date on what's going on in your life, and you won’t be separated figuratively as well as literally. You need to keep in contact, so that you don’t become strangers to each other.

But if you're just in your relationship for the physical experience, then cupcake, it's not going to last. Don't try long distance. But don't go giving the rest of us a bad name.

RHODESURANCE.

Ever wondered why everyone fusses so much about varsity?? Well, I think I have the answers. Brace yourselves. This is the moment.
1. University is usually vey far from home.
2. University means a lot of work (and by work I mean academic and “non-academic work. “
3. Meeting new people in their thousands.
4. it’s the first time you ever get to do something without parental permission.
But fear not for I bring you good news:
1. The distance could be an advantage because you are guaranteed nobody at home will ever know if u did something… not that you would.
2. You can conquer the work if you release the pressure once in awhile and just make sure you make friends with a lot of tutors so you get extra FREE assistance.(don’t mind the caps ,you are not supposed to notice.)
3. Meeting new people can be an advantage, you get to know a lot of different culture, you have people to sit with in lectures but most of all you get to say hello to them in public which just goes to show how diverse you are when it comes to making friends. TRUE DAT.
4. Just because your parents are not there to tell you what to do does not mean that you cannot make good decisions for yourself. Once in awhile you will make a mistake but you are bound to learn from it…So quit the part where you take a gap year to figure out varsity life…I got you covered. And if you are coming to Rhodes, I cannot wait to see you.
NB: I am not a tutor…

This is our AWESOME comic strip we made for you!

Hello world :)

We made a photo comic strip for you guys to enjoy... so enjoy it :)

click on one of the pics below to enlarge the comic strip.

Mr Casanova; don't hate the player, hate the game!

“If I could re-arrange the alphabet, I’d put u and I together” “Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?” Do either of these pick up lines sound familiar? I’m sure for most of you girls out there they do, as I have yet to meet a guy who does not have at least one cheesy line credited to his name. Let’s just face it, guys and girls do not always think on the same wave length.

The other night I was in my room with one of my girl friends listening to sad love songs. She was crying over yet another guy that had broken her heart and I myself was miserable after not hearing from my boyfriend for two solid days. Why is it that guys seem to hold so much power over us girls? Do they know that they hold our fragile hearts in their hands? I suddenly got to thinking of all the things that guys do in an attempt to win girls over, but once they have the trophy, will they continue parading it around? Or will they set off to win the next challenge.

It is a known fact that men enjoy the chase. If a girl gives it up too fast or too soon the man will probably lose interest. But why should we conform to playing childish games? It’s like primary school all over again when we used to play kissing catches; only now it’s more complicated with a whole new set of rules. Don’t let him catch you, but don’t run too fast ahead. Surely this philosophy confuses things even further? You want him to catch you and he says he wants you to stop running away from him, so why is there so much athleticism going on?!.

Whether we like to acknowledge it or not, we all play games on some level. Whilst guys claim that girls confuse them with their mixed signals, girls seem to feel the same way about guys. Could it be that we all have our guards up in an attempt to prevent getting hurt? On a subconscious level we play these games because we don’t want to land up heartbroken, but more often than not, they do not help our situation.

Love is a universal language. It is something that catches you by surprise and takes you on a ride that you will never forget. Many guys however see Love as “too complicated” and prefer the idea of one night stands and less serious relationships as they have “no strings attached”. I and many girls alike have been seduced by seemingly charming and charismatic young men. He claims that he is “not like other guys” and you believe him. Fast forward a couple of months and that prince charming is now referred to as “that idiot” and is no longer sending you sweet sms’s promising you the world. The girl is left bitter and more convinced than ever that single is the way to go.

That famous saying “don’t get mad, get even” will come into play and the girl will be desperate to seek revenge with “that idiot” and possibly get together with his best friend or his brother in an attempt to do so (like one of my friends did). Let me just advise you that this is not a good idea. It will just leave you even more broken hearted as the “bro’s before ho’s” fraternity is never kind.

Relationships are hard but they are also inevitable. Having your heart broken is devastating but it is a part of growing up. Falling in love is the best feeling in the world but only if the feelings are mutual. Guys and girls often misinterpret one another but they need each other if they want to experience life. Life means experiencing, loving, feeling and taking chances. So the next time a guy tries his luck to sweet talk you, don’t turn him down on the merit of your past bad experiences because although you claim you can’t live with guys any longer, you definitely can’t live without them!

Beware of the busses!

Dictionary definition:
Bus – A motor vehicle designed primarily for the transportation of persons rather than property and having a passenger-carrying capacity of 10 or more persons, other than a taxicab constructed and designed for transporting persons for commercial purposes.

Rhodes definition:
Bus – A crowded vehicle that transports you magically home on weekends. A cheaper alternative to driving home in your own car because petrol is so expensive. Although the petrol might be worth it in the end because busses are uncomfortable, creepy, always late and take ages to get home.

A word of warning for those future first years planning to make use of the bus systems (eg. Translux) for weekend trips home...beware! Ok, I'm making the busses sound like hungry monsters waiting to chomp up any students that get in their path, they are not always bad, but they can be.

I’m from East London so home isn't that far away. I went home this weekend for my sisters 21st (which was awesome). I travelled from Grahamstown to East London on the Minilux (a really nice alternative to the big busses. It is a smaller bus containing old people and other students from PE or Rhodes). This ride was comfortable and on time. But then on Sunday I was scheduled to leave with Translux at 17:00. Guess when I left?

Monday evening!!!

Ok, so here is the story. We went to the bus station 15 minutes before leaving time, as usual. Then, after waiting half an hour over the time the dumb bus was meant to get there, we decided to ask. The lady at the Translux office was very polite, and told us with a shy smile that the bus was running late. That we could deal with.

So we waited some more...and more...until eventually the lady comes up to the car window and knocks softly, "Sorry mam, but the bus seems to be leaking oil. The drivers need to get it checked out. Please go to the windmill station and wait for it there." So off we went to the windmill. By this time I was already pretty annoyed, but expecting the bus to be fixed and for us to leave within the next half an hour I was okay.

Boy was I wrong! The man at the windmill office was very unclear about what was happening, but he knew two things for sure.

1. The only spare bus they had was in Port Elizabeth (4 hours away) .
2. The only mechanics they could get to look at the bus were in Butterworth and Port Elizabeth (1 hour 30 minutes or 4 hours away respectively) .

So it was either a 4 hour wait for a working bus or at the least a 1 and a half hour wait for a mechanic that could look at the bus, but not necessarily fix it! I was not impressed!

After a lot of discussion with my mom, we decided it would be best to just go home on Monday whenever the next bus left. This also being rather problematic. The next bus with space on it left at 17:15 Monday night, meaning I would have to miss all of my lectures (again!) and miss my psychology test!

To miss a test at Rhodes you have to get an LOA (leave of absence), but considering the fact that I was still not back in Grahamstown this was also difficult. And when finding out that my make- up test was today at 17:00 I had to miss my journ tutorial as well. So irritating!

The moral of the story is...Don't trust the busses! Always plan your life expecting that the bus will either be late or break down...in fact, just don't take busses!

PS. Let me know if anyone hears about a plane service from Grahamstown to East London and back. It would make life a whole lot easier for many students! Not to mention the amount of money it could make!

Tell me about your bus experiences or ask me any questions about the busses, I'm here to help :)

PROFILE ON A TALENTED ART STUDENT

Talented, ambitious, creative, fun and positive- these are some adjectives that are very appropriate when describing Romie Sciscio, a first year fine arts student at Rhodes University. There is something uniquely different about her. She gives you a smile that encourages and welcomes you in and after speaking to her briefly, you may mistake her for being a friend that you have known forever. Her friends describe her as “a true gem” which seems a great fit since she sparkles as a person and her talent shines through. She sees herself as “a very tolerant and persevering person who is a good motivator” and is the perfect example of a well rounded University student.

Sitting at the Rat and Parrot (one of Grahamstown’s famous bars), she tells me that she had many expectations of Rhodes when she first arrived here this year “When I first got here I guess I expected instant gratification. I saw myself as a serious artist destined for stardom and success, but soon after I got here I realised that University is like a new language that you need to learn and get used to, and you can’t exactly become a star is a foreign place so it takes time to get where you want to be- and lots of perseverance!”

Like most first year students, Romie was excited about starting a new life for herself this year and loves her independence but also misses home as she is very family orientated. Luckily for her she has become extremely close with fellow art students as they spend countless hours in the art department together whilst working on their “masterpieces” and because of all that time spent together they have formed very close bonds and have become a support away from home. “I know that I can trust them and I really appreciate their opinions when it comes to my art. They support me and I don’t know what I would do without them”.

Growing up, she was always surrounded by art as her mother was always very crafty. Every Christmas she would receive paints and utensils from “Santa” and although at the time she wondered why she didn’t get Barbies like her friends, she is now “very grateful” and sees how her parents encouraged her right from the tender age of five.
She lists the accumulative growth of her artwork as one of her biggest accomplishments and after seeing some of her work it is easy to understand why. “With this year has come the realisation that you forever learn. I came here initially thinking that I would just do my own thing but I have become so inspired by how much more I can actually learn.”

Her advice to new students is for them to take advantage of all the opportunities that present themselves and not to be afraid to ask questions. “First year of Varsity went by so fast so it’s important to make the most of every moment you have to expand your mind, heart and soul.”

FAST FACTS ABOUT ROMIE:

1. FAVOURITE MOVIE: Kiss me Kate; from the 1950’s. I love TCM classics
2. FAVOURITE COLOUR: I’m an artist so I love all colours
3. ROLE MODEL: There are so many great artists to look up to but I want to be myself and bring something unique
4. FAVOURITE VARSITY MOMENT: Meeting new people every day
5. MOST EMBARRASING MOMENT: I was talking about my art lecturer and saying how she scares the crap out of me, and I turned around and found her standing right behind me. Blind one!!!

Home Advantage

Energetic, funny, sporty, happy, easy going. That is how the world sees Thando, but how does she see herself?

When asked to describe herself in one sentence, Thando Eloquently replies “You could say I’m a little bit of this and a little bit of that and I’m trying to fit in wherever I can.”
Thando and her family have been Grahamstown citizens for many years, but she thinks differently to the way most first years do. Even though her parents live within Grahamstown, Thando goes home less often than other first years that live away from home. This is an achievement in terms of being a first year.

When arriving at Rhodes, most first years tend to get a bad case of ‘home sickness’. This home sickness starts out small, but it spreads like the flu. Once one person is missing home, everyone starts to miss it until it becomes an epidemic. Thando has obviously had her ‘home sickness’ shots because she stays strong and avoids remaining dependant on her parents.

Thando could go home every day if she wanted to, but she doesn’t. She feels that Rhodes is where she needs to be. She has had a fantastic first year: meeting many new people and growing as a person, but would this have been possible if she had gone home as often as she could? Would Thando have got the same Rhodes experience if she had lived at home instead of at res?

I doubt it.

Being at Rhodes has really brought Thando out of her comfort zone. She has met people that she would never have met before, and made many new friends. The Rhodes experience has brought enrichment into her life. She tries to get involved in everything she can: from playing an excellent game of hockey on the Rhodes first team, to getting a first in her last statistics test. “It’s all about choice,” she explains, “There are a lot of different things you can do at Rhodes but it’s up to you to choose which things you want to be a part of. You should make a choice and stick with it.”

It is important to try to keep a balance between your academic, sporting and social life, she says. Thando’s philosophy is that “you work hard but play even harder.” According to her, it’s all about tolerance. A person can only have so much fun before they must do the right thing and do their work. Work should always come first, no matter how much you want to go to that hockey match or party.

Thando can teach us all that it is good to break away from our parents. Even though we might miss them sometimes, and they might be close by, by going home too often we miss out on life as a student at Rhodes. A balance between the different aspects of being a student is also very important for a happy and successful first year.


Fast Facts

Favorite movie: Forest Gump
Favorite Colour: black
Role Model: I’m getting there…there are too many…my mother.
Favorite varsity moment: My first hockey fines meeting.
Most embarrassing moment: I don’t really get embarrassed, so none. I have had a lot of hilarious moments though.

Follow the ways of a Debate Master

Extroverted, ambitious, level-headed, successful and down- to- earth but how does Luyanda Mfeka see himself? “I am a very adventurous person but try to stay grounded in everything I do,” he said.

Luyanda, or ‘Lu’ as he is known to his friends, resides in Jan Smuts residence which of course comes with a reputation of debauchery but as you enter his neat room and are comforted by his bright smile it is obvious that he is not one who enhances this reputation in any way. His room is well organised which reflects in his nature and appearance with trim stylish hair and slight stubble.

‘Lu’ attended Alexander High School in Pietermaritzburg where he had as scholarship and served as head boy in his senior year. It was at Alexander High that he first became involved in debate, mainly due to his headmaster who felt it was necessary to excel in all forms of school activity to keep a scholarship and according to ‘Lu’ he, “wasn’t in the mood to play chess,” so debate became a part of his life. ‘Lu’ feels that debating is enjoyable but what he enjoys most is the challenge, “I like to see if I can argue my way out of anything.” said ‘Lu’.

‘Lu’s decision to come to Rhodes was based on his experience of the Grahamstown festival as well as,” the party experience and the experiences that I had heard from my friends.” Being confident in nature ‘Lu’ felt little apprehension upon entering the Rhodes community and was exited about experiencing a new environment and set of people. “You get over the nervousness quite quickly all you need to do is find a good bunch of friends because as a survival mechanism first years bunch and being alone can be quite rough.” Said ‘Lu’.

For ‘Lu’ joining the Rhodes debating society was a natural progression from high-school, he just wanted to see what would happen and had low expectations,” Quite frankly I expected to get my but kicked,” said ‘Lu’. This however was not the case and ‘Lu’ soon found out that you don’t have to be ‘Ultra-intelligent’ to debate and he began to make his mark on the debating scene. ‘Lu’ became so successful that he and his debating partner Luxolo Matebese reached the final of the English Secondary Language (ESL) debate division. ‘Lu’ admits to being nervous in the debate competition, facing fourth years on occasion, but realised that at times, “I could run circles around them.” ‘Lu’ added to his debating achievements when he made the Eastern Cape provincial team and received an award from the province. He also picked up an award for best new speaker from Rhodes.

After an excellent maiden debating season at Rhodes ‘Lu’ was also chosen as secretary of the Rhodes debating society and adding to his C.V was voted as a student’s representative counsel (SRC) hall rep for Jan Smuts Hall.

Luyanda Mfeka is not just a survivor of first year at Rhodes; he is someone who has achieved much in a short space of time. He has also gone about achieving what he has in a very humble way and so has made many friends throughout the year. This grounded nature and achievement is something that all prospective first year students can aspire to an ‘Lu’s’ example is one that can be learnt from and should be followed.

Fast Facts:

Favourite Movie: ‘V for Vendetta’

Favourite Colour: ‘black or blue, never been able to make up my mind on that one’

Role Model: Ruth Everson, ”The woman left me close to tears after attending one of her lectures and I have been a fan of her work ever since.”

Favourite Varsity Moment: “For better or for worse, the night of the 8/08/08(those concerned will know) legendary night at the monument filled with good buds and the bear.”

Most Embarrassing Moment: “Many but failing to pronounce the word homeopathic while participating in a public debate in high-school about alternative medicines.

HERSELF v OURSELVES -RHODES CRITICAL COURT

Withdrawn, quiet, obedient, shy and very observant. This is how everyone sees her but how does she see herself. She shuffles her feet hesitantly to let me into her room. A smile creeps onto her face as she notices the reassuring one on mine. The room she owns is so much more colourful than I expected it to be, a sharp contrast to her seemingly colourless life. Something stirs the need to know what else the interview will reveal underneath her layered self.
Nyasha speaks slowly cautiously, as one would if they were forced to step onto quicksand. She stiffens; wringing her hands on her laps and braces herself for the oncoming questions. She has been through the most challenging year in her life so far. She came to Rhodes expecting an easy flowing life but it turned to be quite the opposite; a hurdle track.
When she arrived she had no friends at all and felt homesick most of the time. Her facial expression confirmed that telling the story was just like reliving it. As if homesickness was not enough, she felt too shy to approach anyone about her problem adapting to Rhodes. She did not know her way around campus and always found it difficult to have to ask for directions to go somewhere. She explains how meeting new people has always been one of her biggest fears. She touches my cords of emotion when she says, “there is nothing as fearful as having to face your fears.” A true revelation of how she felt when she came to University.
Her biggest fear however was that she would not fit in. At first every first year was in the same boat; scared and observant. When everyone else had moved on to a faster university life, Nyasha was still the same. This sparked a lot of criticism from everyone around her. She shakes her head and almost whispers, “I felt so much like the ugly duckling of the university.” For some time this affected her academic work. She could not concentrate in lectures because she kept thinking that everyone who looked her way was talking about her.
She relates one particular incident that she encountered. On her second Saturday at Rhodes, she was getting ready for bed when she heard a sharp commanding knock on her door. She opened the door to find a group of first years she barely knew dressed in skimpy, glittery attire. She knew immediately that they were on a mission to show the nerd what real university life was about. Her lips trembled, reluctant to smile.
The tall gal who dominated the gang simply said, “Get dressed.” Nyasha just stood in awe with her mouth agape. She slammed the door shut in their faces and slumped against the door. She could not stand to think that everyone thought she needed someone to help her discover herself. She throws her head back and laughs. A real laugh.
Thinking back now she has every reason to laugh at how stupid she was, to think she had to fit in when all she had to do was be herself. She is not at all what people perceived her to be but one thing was certain. She is unique.

FAST FACTS

Favourite Movie: Bourne Ultimatum.

Favourite Colour: Blue.

Role model:Oprah Winfrey.

Most embarassing moment: i stepped on a wet spot and fell in the dining hall as i was going to place my tray on the trolley. What made it worse was that the leftover custard in the tray spilled all ober my face.It was like a movie scene.

Um, ja....hi me

Yo Jay,

If there is one person you should be completely honest with it’s yourself, so…..you’re lazy- but you know that and you’ve been told it a million times by teachers, parents, student councillors and even your friends. Thing is, at Rhodes you’ll have to find a way to motivate yourself because no one else is going to, not even the wrath of your mother can be incurred upon you from 1400 kilometres away, and the trend in your life has been the older you get, the less push you get from others and the lower your marks end up being.
Attend as many lectures as you can(which you don’t do currently) and think of them as a social period, that’s where you are going to meet people and, just like class, you can screw around most of the time while still taking something in. As king of procrastination it is very important that from day one you develop a habit of doing work before time, I’m even writing this letter late so it won’t be easy, maybe you should get a really uptight girl involved in your life- it worked in primary school. Also stay away from DC! It’s a program that allows you to download different movies and types of music and it will be the end of you- it won’t be your social life that suffers, you know you would never let that happen!
Its important that you realise weekends are not exclusively free or sport time and sure, recover from your hangover on Saturday but do a little bit on Sunday, it’ll make your life so much easier. Just think of that weekend with Suki, it started a long line of failures in for Ms Cerisier that you were lucky to crawl out of.
Party hard but you don’t want to find out what repeating a subject is like and that’s one thing I have to look forward to so don’t make the same mistake.

Cheers,
From your older self

Hello!!
I am so glad you will be coming to Rhodes next year. It’s been so long since I saw you and I cannot wait to share my Rhodes experiences with you. At least you do not have to worry about finding your way around campus because I could be your atlas for the first few days. Hopefully after that it will not be so difficult.

There is so much more to university than meets the eye. Believe me; I had my fair share of experiences. All of them I remember well but nothing beats having to balance social life and your academic work. When you arrive you can’t really go out because you are not yet familiar with the places to go to and the people to go with. It takes some time to actually get the courage to go out, so most first year students would rather sit back and observe for a while before getting captivated by the night life.
You should try to at least squeeze in all your assignments before Friday, just to be on the safe side. Personally I dread the weekend .Not that I have anything against it .I just hate dealing with the pressure that comes along with it. Somehow I always manage to save my precious work for the last minute. Just when I think I should start planning my weekend extravaganza I realise that I should actually be planning an essay. And I wonder why they won’t just let us party, after all it’s what we Rhodents know how to do best.
But be warned, partying can be very addictive. This is because you will feel the need to let off some steam after struggling with assignment deadlines. Since they usually come on a Friday, you will probably indulge in a weekend of hard partying. So just make sure that no matter how much partying you intend to do, academic work always comes first. I am looking forward to seeing you soon.
Yours sincerely,
The future you.

Plan, jump, push, freefall. Thrill.

Bungee jumping is a real thrill...but it’s also really scary! I think university and bungee jumping have a lot in common...I'll attempt to explain this to you:

Before going to university you feel anxious and scared, but also very excited. You can't wait for the day to come where you pack your bags and gain the freedom you‘ve wanted since you started high school. But with this excitement also comes anxiety. What degree will you do? Will you be able to handle the work load? How much will it all cost? Will you be okay away from home? Will you keep in touch with your friends? These are all totally normal feelings. University is a big step. This excitement and nervousness is like the days before you plan to go bungee jumping. You ask yourself if you will be able to go through with it and if you will be okay afterwards. After a bit of self convincing, or a push from someone else, you take the leap...like making the decision to go to university.

At first you feel amazing. You feel the freedom and excitement bubbling out of you. You find it hard to believe that you are finally here. After waiting 5 years to finish school so you can go to university, the day has arrived! You get thrown into a world unknown to you. You can’t wait to meet new people and experience new things...life is about to start. This is like the trip from the bungee jumping platform to just before the bungee cord is pulled taut. It is a feeling of weightlessness that you have never experienced before.

Before you reach the bottom of your jump for the first time you start to stress slightly: will the cord hold you? Is it going to be okay? This is like the first few weeks/months of university. You suddenly get the work piled on, you have to choose your subjects, you miss home, and every part of your life has changed. But soon these feelings will subside. You realise that the cord isn’t going to break. Everything will work out ok and so you start to enjoy the ride. This is where real university life starts.

Dear eager past version of me

Dear eager past version of me

I know how excited you are to finally be going to university: I was too! The feeling of gaining your freedom is amazing – there is nothing like it. Before you leave home I want you to eat as much of mom’s food as you can. Spend time with our sister and everyone else in our family, because you don’t realise how much you are going to miss them.

This year is going to be filled with new people and experiences; I can’t even remember them all! But I know you are a strong-willed person and won’t compromise yourself for anyone, you will be fine.

There is one thing I want to warn you about though: please get enough sleep! The many assignments, practicals, tests and tutorials (a weekly gathering of a smaller group of people from your lecture. You have an assignment each week for each subject- a bummer I know, but vitally important) will take time. I know you will be tempted to leave these tedious tasks until an hour before bed time, but don’t! It’s not worth it. Yes, the assignments will get done in time, but the next day you will be really tired. Your Monday early morning lecture will become your nap time and your alarm will magically go off some mornings without waking you up.

This is not a good thing.

Missing lectures because you are tired is no excuse. I want to see you going to bed at a decent hour every night and not leaving your assignments until the last minute. I have found through my experience this year that doing your work when you get it is the best way to go. You might feel like going out instead, but take it from me as I know you best of all: it’s not worth the sleep loss.

Be good!
Love Me

A letter to my younger self

Dear Kaz

I’m writing to you as your future self, as the girl you are going to evolve into next year. You are about to begin the most exciting journey of your life, and it all starts on the road to independence. You have always been wise beyond your years and have yearned for the opportunity to spread your wings and fly to your highest aspirations, but were warned by your parents that it’s a “big bad world out there that you aren’t quite ready for”. Well guess what? that “big bad world” is not all bad and comes with all sorts of perks and pleasures, but maybe Mom and Dad were right to assume that it might initially come as a shock, as you have had many “firsts” this year and some tough and stressful experiences as well, and that is why I am writing to you- in an attempt to prepare you for what is to come. This year has definitely been a rollercoaster ride, so hop on but don’t forget to fasten that safety belt!

You never did waste any time here and you proved that when you accidently ended up landing a job as the new, hot DJ in town- in your very first week of Varsity! Wow! Awesome! You always wanted fame and there was your stage! In that same week you succeeded in dying all your white clothes pink in the wash, getting a reputation as a ditsy blonde, found out that people actually can run out of money, and met some of the greatest people and friends this planet has to offer.

Sadly the DJ job only lasted for 3 months as you soon realised that you were here for a degree and that playing “the golden oldies” at 3am in the morning on a weekday to drunken disorderly disco dancers was not exactly educational. But still, the experience was fun while it lasted, and so was your first year of freedom.

Keep well and good luck
LOVE ME (a.k.a "you" ;) )

Letters to the past...

We decided that a good way to give you a glimpse into how we have changed and to give you some advice for next year would be to write a letter to our former selves (before we got to university) so here it goes....hope they help!