I felt that this term was more challenging than the previous ones because of the amount of group work and constant assignments with strict deadlines that had to be met. It was difficult for us to work as a group because of our different and clashing timetables. We did not get to work on the blog itself, but rather we concentrated on our own, individual work for the course. On a personal note, I felt motivated at first to make this blog look awesome but I found it difficult to achieve, seeming as I am not much of a ‘computer whiz’, nor very competent when it comes to web-page building. Another challenge that resulted from this was that I lost my entire Internet quota, which was a bit of a problem to upload my assignments onto the blog. Also, the workload from other subjects discouraged me to write extra blog posts as my time became severely limited.
I think that what really motivated our story ideas was the nature of our blog, which was quite light-hearted, and the nature of the overall assignments which was limited to first-year experiences. For example, for our comic strip, we chose to stick with the theme of our blog. We used models with Barbie faces, and we scripted a story that relates to first-year issues while using a humourous tone. However, the theme of our blog also restricted me in my choice of stories, because I felt the need to relate them to our blog’s light-hearted and tongue-in-cheek humour. Thus, I decided to write about Karin, a party animal, for my profile article, instead of someone who had more serious issues. I felt sometimes that I would have liked to have dealt with more serious issues such as rape, drug abuse or other such problems at Rhodes, but it would have seemed out of place. This was also a decision by the group not to write too much on over-written issues such as rape. We wanted to offer something different, but this was to the detriment of the quality of our blog, when compared to other blogs.
Furthermore, the theme of the course “Surviving First Year” gave us the advantage of being able to talk about our personal experiences, which made it easier sometimes, but it also limited us with story ideas and our own interests. For example, there were political issues I would liked to have explored, such as American politics or the treatment of women in the Middle East, however these topics would have been out of context with the theme of the course, as well as our blog. Finally, I hesitated when deciding on what to write for my opinion piece. I was afraid to write about the ‘black awards’, an issue I really wanted to explore, but I was concerned that people would misinterpret it within the context of the blog and this could have had serious repercussions. I was not wrong to be afraid, as even the piece I did, which seemed pretty straightforward to me, confused others.
Outside of the tutorial times, we rarely had meetings as a group, because, as explained before, timetables were an issue. The one meeting that everyone could make was for the comic strip. We worked well as a team and everyone put in their bit of effort, whether it was with the props or dialogue, or even ideas for scenes; which made it a success. I did not think that the tutorials were much help regarding the blog and the assignments themselves. I think it would have been more helpful and time-saving if we were given more practical experience in applying what was seen in the lectures and what we had to do for our blog. I was also a bit confused about the style of language we were supposed to use, because blogging is quite informal yet we are still students and this work is for marks, thus the language used is still important. Another thing that bothered me was the mixed signals that we got from the lecturers in terms of their expectations. They told us that it does not necessarily have to be political but then students were criticized for not talking enough about serious issues; as Sim said, “tell it to your grand-mother.” However, this course did allow me to try new genres that I had not really previously explored. It gave me a better understanding of what the expectations and conventions of the different genres are. It allowed me to write on more diverse topics, while exploring outside of my ‘Oppidan Press comfort zone’. Also, I found blogging to be a more personal way of writing, and more opinionated, as opposed to newspaper writing where objectivity is stressed. Thus, I would say that this course allowed me to grow on a scale of 7.
Regarding the research entailed in this blogging course, I did not do any for the more personal pieces such as the letter to my younger self or the photo comic. For my profile article, I found that interviewing a friend for this piece made it easier because I knew her and thus I could talk to her with ease, which also made the writing process easier. I think though that knowing the person you are interviewing could make you more subjective in your description as well as make you question on where to draw the line between an outsider’s relatively objective position – that a journalist is supposed to have - and an insider’s knowledge. Thus, to overcome this dilemma, I interviewed some people in relation to my profiled individual. For my opinion piece, wanting to make sure I was not basing my story merely on my own personal beliefs, I researched some additional information on the Rhodes website and interviewed a few people in order to back up my argument. This was even more important since I knew that other Journalism students might be reading and critiquing my piece; thus I had to make sure that my facts were straight.
I think that blogging’s main flaw is that it is too opinionated and you cannot rely on the information that is given in them as much as in a newspaper, for example. Bloggers do not have to give out their source list, nor do they have to be held accountable to an editor or are checked by sub-editors. Thus, in some way I do not think it is such a reliable form of journalism because of its non-accountability. However, I do believe that this course was important because blogging is becoming an important source of information and debate on current issues, national and international. With the development of computer and online technology, I do believe that blogging and online forums will become more essential, more prominent and respected form of journalism. Furthermore, the advantage of blogging is its immediacy: one can easily keep up to date and discuss directly with the writer through his or her comments; something that is not possible in other media forms such as television and newspaper. Even in radio, where one can phone in, it is restricted and limited to what the radio station wants to hear and the time available. Thus, blogging allows more freedom of speech to not only the writer, but the reader too. Also, through connecting with other blogs, one can establish a global network, linking many diverse opinions and perspectives from different parts of the world; this means one can also reach a wider audience.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Marketing blog
This is a blog that relates directly to the genre of my blog as it deals with the writers own personal experiences and that is exactly the take and appeal that we were aiming to achieve in our blog. The bloggers personal experiences are very real and true which make it easy to relate to and it takes on a form that enables the reader to be able to interpret and adapt her experiences into their own life experiences. Her blog is a daily blog and that is what we were aiming for. It incorporates humour as well as serious issues which make it easy to read and light hearted as well as an informative tool on events and issues taking place in Johannesburg. The writer is in her early adult years and thus the content is very personal yet realistic. Our blog had the same ideals as this blog as we incorporated all our own experiences and hoped that our target audience will be able to interpret, relate and learn from our experiences.
Reflexive Piece
Blogging as a genre was relatively easy, quite flexible and adaptive trying to convey my points of view. My blog had a contemporary, real and personal feel to it that made my ideas come across in a personal easy to relate to way. My blogs genre was based on the concept of teaching or informing others about specific issues through my own personal experience, thus taking on an older sibling effect. The restraints that were presented were the topics that were given out for each assignment, I thought that the whole concept of blogging is that one is enabled to reflect on their own experiences and thoughts however giving us specific topics restricted us from expressing ourselves completely. I wished that I could express myself in my own individual way in order to capture my desired target market. The reason we chose such a personal genre is because we hoped to be able to relate to our specified target market of young adult’s namely first year students, this would engage them into the lives of first year students and our good and bad experiences will inevitably help them in the long run.
This terms work was really different compared to the rest of the years work because working within a genre does not allow one to come up with their own thoughts and express themselves completely without having to fit into the ideas of someone else’s ideals. This term was comprised of group work, which I do not enjoy as I prefer working on an individual basis whereby I can work in my own time and not have to compromise my schedule to fit in with the others.
We generated story ideas through our blog genre as it was based on our experiences, so every topic that was presented we could adapt to an experience that has an element of the topic. The genre we chose made our stories relatively easy to adapt to the topic at hand, although the formal tone that was needed to be applied for the opinion piece was quite challenging as I had to research my topic to a certain degree which minimized my personal tone that I wanted to achieve with my blog genre.
Working within a group was very frustrating as I have a very busy schedule and on weekend I tend to go away which only leaves the weekdays for meetings with my group. I found it very difficult to juggle everyone’s schedule because when I was free then someone always had something that clashed ,thus compromising was essential. I felt quite despondent in my group meetings as I knew that there is always one person who works harder in a group than the others. Our first scheduled meeting proved my theory as only two of the members of our group, including me pitched up for our meeting. However, when we finally came up with our final meeting point we had a very effective working group and the work that was divided was accomplished way before the deadline. Our group worked through the differences between the assignment topics, our own personal contradictions and the character of our blog by first agreeing on a specific character that we wished to adopt for our blog which immediately resolved any issues relating to our blog, the assignments that were given were relatively adaptable to our blog genre as it was easily manipulated around our genre.
This course made me more aware of the actual journalistic process which made me grow in the sense that I realise now that it is not just your actual thoughts that have to be reported but it includes the truth and some research to actually reach a non-bias true reflection of a story. I felt that this course was invaluable as no learning experience is ever a waste of time, I learned more about the connective features on the internet and this will help me to be able to communicate and put my ideas out into the public world. I grew as a writer in the sense that I was able to learn how to write in the correct format that a journalist would use and although I felt that this was a limitation, but I can always apply it to a more forma piece I writing. On a scale of one to ten, I think this course let me grow about a six.
I feel that blogging is a form of journalism as it incorporates writing, reflecting and communicating with others. It embodies the essence of journalism as it is story telling in words and visual elements on behalf of public interests and thoughts. Blogging is even more personal which makes one more relative to their target audience, making it a very connective tool. I find that my strengths lie in my ability to be true and share my real life stories with the world; I find that I have a weakness when it comes to incorporating research and opinion into words. The constraint of the genre helped me realise that I want to write about fun, interesting and personal stories and not necessarily about news and hard fact stories.
The research aspect of the course made more concerned with getting the true facts across instead of just pure opinion however I do feel that exaggerated and interesting stories are better appreciated by the audience as they are more interesting. The bits of research that I did use were well researched so that my audience was reading true facts. Our personal blog genre did not need research but experience and the main form of research that we used was by talking and reflecting on personal matters and issues. I enjoyed knowing that my stories could be read by the world as this excited the story contents. All my sources were really easy to talk to and very real they did not conceal anything that would add an edge to my story. The sources I chose were not randomly picked but chosen as I knew what I wanted to take from each source. I felt an ethical factor of not being able to express myself fully through some words that could be conveyed as harsh however I think I got my message across despite this issue.
I really appreciated learning how to blog as it is a skill that can be used forever and it can help get your message across to the world at large. Blogging is the future and I feel that it is an intricate yet fundamental part of communicating and journalism.
This terms work was really different compared to the rest of the years work because working within a genre does not allow one to come up with their own thoughts and express themselves completely without having to fit into the ideas of someone else’s ideals. This term was comprised of group work, which I do not enjoy as I prefer working on an individual basis whereby I can work in my own time and not have to compromise my schedule to fit in with the others.
We generated story ideas through our blog genre as it was based on our experiences, so every topic that was presented we could adapt to an experience that has an element of the topic. The genre we chose made our stories relatively easy to adapt to the topic at hand, although the formal tone that was needed to be applied for the opinion piece was quite challenging as I had to research my topic to a certain degree which minimized my personal tone that I wanted to achieve with my blog genre.
Working within a group was very frustrating as I have a very busy schedule and on weekend I tend to go away which only leaves the weekdays for meetings with my group. I found it very difficult to juggle everyone’s schedule because when I was free then someone always had something that clashed ,thus compromising was essential. I felt quite despondent in my group meetings as I knew that there is always one person who works harder in a group than the others. Our first scheduled meeting proved my theory as only two of the members of our group, including me pitched up for our meeting. However, when we finally came up with our final meeting point we had a very effective working group and the work that was divided was accomplished way before the deadline. Our group worked through the differences between the assignment topics, our own personal contradictions and the character of our blog by first agreeing on a specific character that we wished to adopt for our blog which immediately resolved any issues relating to our blog, the assignments that were given were relatively adaptable to our blog genre as it was easily manipulated around our genre.
This course made me more aware of the actual journalistic process which made me grow in the sense that I realise now that it is not just your actual thoughts that have to be reported but it includes the truth and some research to actually reach a non-bias true reflection of a story. I felt that this course was invaluable as no learning experience is ever a waste of time, I learned more about the connective features on the internet and this will help me to be able to communicate and put my ideas out into the public world. I grew as a writer in the sense that I was able to learn how to write in the correct format that a journalist would use and although I felt that this was a limitation, but I can always apply it to a more forma piece I writing. On a scale of one to ten, I think this course let me grow about a six.
I feel that blogging is a form of journalism as it incorporates writing, reflecting and communicating with others. It embodies the essence of journalism as it is story telling in words and visual elements on behalf of public interests and thoughts. Blogging is even more personal which makes one more relative to their target audience, making it a very connective tool. I find that my strengths lie in my ability to be true and share my real life stories with the world; I find that I have a weakness when it comes to incorporating research and opinion into words. The constraint of the genre helped me realise that I want to write about fun, interesting and personal stories and not necessarily about news and hard fact stories.
The research aspect of the course made more concerned with getting the true facts across instead of just pure opinion however I do feel that exaggerated and interesting stories are better appreciated by the audience as they are more interesting. The bits of research that I did use were well researched so that my audience was reading true facts. Our personal blog genre did not need research but experience and the main form of research that we used was by talking and reflecting on personal matters and issues. I enjoyed knowing that my stories could be read by the world as this excited the story contents. All my sources were really easy to talk to and very real they did not conceal anything that would add an edge to my story. The sources I chose were not randomly picked but chosen as I knew what I wanted to take from each source. I felt an ethical factor of not being able to express myself fully through some words that could be conveyed as harsh however I think I got my message across despite this issue.
I really appreciated learning how to blog as it is a skill that can be used forever and it can help get your message across to the world at large. Blogging is the future and I feel that it is an intricate yet fundamental part of communicating and journalism.
PA Editors Blog: Homophobia and Racism: Why the political is always personal#comment-3270767
Hey Gregory!
I really enjoyed your article and totally agree with you. If you are interested, I have also written an article about racism and homophobia at my university - Rhodes in South Africa; here's the link: http://themanbarbie.blogspot.com/2008/10/racist-homophobic-and-obviously_17.html
thanks
Lovecats
I really enjoyed your article and totally agree with you. If you are interested, I have also written an article about racism and homophobia at my university - Rhodes in South Africa; here's the link: http://themanbarbie.blogspot.com/2008/10/racist-homophobic-and-obviously_17.html
thanks
Lovecats
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Hey Starfish from “Bungee My Life”
Bungee My Life: First year relationships: are they mutual or sexual?
At first I thought you made some good points about ‘love-making’ playing an important role in relationships. I do believe that many guys at Rhodes, and more generally men, just want to have sex, and for this varsity is perfect. Young ‘innocent’ and naive girls, fresh out of school and eager to experience new things, to take risks, are the ideal victims for these ‘American Pie’ boys. I also think that it is a sad world we live in where we feel we need to ‘get it on’ in order to feel adult enough for varsity or indeed the world. I think many guys feel the social pressure to ‘do’ as many girls as possible to prove how ‘kiff’ and ‘oh so manly’ they are; ‘seal clubbing’ and ‘hunt the grunt’ are proof of this stupid and unemotional relationship some guys have with girls.
However, I also think that not all men are ‘evil’ and that you can’t just generalise like that. First of all, maybe all guys do ultimately just want sex, but don’t girls too? I think girls are just less obvious and less blunt about their intentions. Although, I do believe that girls are more emotional and want something more than just sex, but they still want it. For example, I know a guy who has had casual sex with a girl, and she has consented to this, while realising that they won’t ever have a relationship as such; they both just need to relieve some stress, I guess. Thus, I think it is possible for girls to just want to ‘do it’, without the relationship idea coming into play. Furthermore, this just proves that the title of your opinion piece “First year relationships: Are they mutual or sexual?” is badly formulated, because a relationship can be “mutual” and “sexual”; actually, most ‘real’ relationships are both mutual and sexual. Thus, your stereotypical idea of girls always being the victims and guys being the villains is flawed.
Secondly, I don’t think you can say that “your relationship can only work if you are having sex” and that first year relationships don’t last. I’m going out with someone I met here, at Rhodes, eight months ago and we don’t feel the need to ‘do it’ in every dark corner to keep our relationship going. And I definitely don’t think that guys are always the ones pushing their girlfriends to do it; believe it or not, girls like it and need it too. I know for a fact that many first year relationships do last, as I know many examples of couples that are now in their third or fourth year and are still going strong. Finally, I think it is also insensitive and insulting to some guys who are actually decent and of whom have been hurt by other girls who have just wanted sex.
P.S: I’m sorry you haven’t yet found a decent guy on campus. “Once you stop looking, that person will appear.”
At first I thought you made some good points about ‘love-making’ playing an important role in relationships. I do believe that many guys at Rhodes, and more generally men, just want to have sex, and for this varsity is perfect. Young ‘innocent’ and naive girls, fresh out of school and eager to experience new things, to take risks, are the ideal victims for these ‘American Pie’ boys. I also think that it is a sad world we live in where we feel we need to ‘get it on’ in order to feel adult enough for varsity or indeed the world. I think many guys feel the social pressure to ‘do’ as many girls as possible to prove how ‘kiff’ and ‘oh so manly’ they are; ‘seal clubbing’ and ‘hunt the grunt’ are proof of this stupid and unemotional relationship some guys have with girls.
However, I also think that not all men are ‘evil’ and that you can’t just generalise like that. First of all, maybe all guys do ultimately just want sex, but don’t girls too? I think girls are just less obvious and less blunt about their intentions. Although, I do believe that girls are more emotional and want something more than just sex, but they still want it. For example, I know a guy who has had casual sex with a girl, and she has consented to this, while realising that they won’t ever have a relationship as such; they both just need to relieve some stress, I guess. Thus, I think it is possible for girls to just want to ‘do it’, without the relationship idea coming into play. Furthermore, this just proves that the title of your opinion piece “First year relationships: Are they mutual or sexual?” is badly formulated, because a relationship can be “mutual” and “sexual”; actually, most ‘real’ relationships are both mutual and sexual. Thus, your stereotypical idea of girls always being the victims and guys being the villains is flawed.
Secondly, I don’t think you can say that “your relationship can only work if you are having sex” and that first year relationships don’t last. I’m going out with someone I met here, at Rhodes, eight months ago and we don’t feel the need to ‘do it’ in every dark corner to keep our relationship going. And I definitely don’t think that guys are always the ones pushing their girlfriends to do it; believe it or not, girls like it and need it too. I know for a fact that many first year relationships do last, as I know many examples of couples that are now in their third or fourth year and are still going strong. Finally, I think it is also insensitive and insulting to some guys who are actually decent and of whom have been hurt by other girls who have just wanted sex.
P.S: I’m sorry you haven’t yet found a decent guy on campus. “Once you stop looking, that person will appear.”
It is really a Shame on us
My First Time#links#links#links
I’m with you on this one Maryjane, South Africa must learn to have some sense of hospitality on the people come from African countries, and the truth must be told to those who pretend to be Anti-Xenophobic while still calling a Zimbabwean or Nigerian amakwere-kwere. Most South Africans not only just Rhodes first year’s students are xenophobic and ignorant not that I exclude myself because I am also a South African. The way we treat our fellow Africans it’s like South Africa has a continent of its own outside Africa which makes us to be special and better than the other African countries. We tend to judge and denigrate black foreigners because they come from Africa, while admiring those ones from the western countries. Here at Rhodes the issue of Xenophobia is not really dealt with in public because people hide their true colours under carpet, they pretend to be innocent saints and when they are asked about how they feel about foreigners… the only respond you get is that they don’t have anything against them while they calling them by names.
I’m with you on this one Maryjane, South Africa must learn to have some sense of hospitality on the people come from African countries, and the truth must be told to those who pretend to be Anti-Xenophobic while still calling a Zimbabwean or Nigerian amakwere-kwere. Most South Africans not only just Rhodes first year’s students are xenophobic and ignorant not that I exclude myself because I am also a South African. The way we treat our fellow Africans it’s like South Africa has a continent of its own outside Africa which makes us to be special and better than the other African countries. We tend to judge and denigrate black foreigners because they come from Africa, while admiring those ones from the western countries. Here at Rhodes the issue of Xenophobia is not really dealt with in public because people hide their true colours under carpet, they pretend to be innocent saints and when they are asked about how they feel about foreigners… the only respond you get is that they don’t have anything against them while they calling them by names.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
ANC is not a playground for anyone
As a young black South African I’m very concerned about the future of this country, because I think in years to come we are going to be in a havoc where a black man will kill his own brother fighting for being in a position of leader of the house which they built together to become their home, but this can be prevented at some point if some people like the back stabbers of ANC can use their minds to think with not their feet. From what is happening today inside the ANC, it’s a shock because it does not give a good example to the future generation on how to create a better place for our people. It is very disappointing to see the people who fought for the freedom of this country, people who we perceived as the leaders of our nation bringing down the dignity and pride of the party (ANC) because of their senseless motives of selfishness. This is a shame to the heroes and heroines who sacrificed their lives for the better of this nation. Instead of concentrating on how to improve the conditions of this country, they are just concerned about trying to destroy one another in order to satisfied their personal interest, forgetting that even today most black people are still drowning in the ocean of poverty where lot of damage control caused by apartheid needs to be done.So I think it is time of our politicians most especially black politicians, those who are trying to bring humiliation to ANC, they must start to acting like people who have morals and respect to the ANC, people like Mosiuoa Lekota the former Minister of Defence who broke away from ANC in an unmannered way, he needs to know that ANC it is not just a political party as he may regard it, but it is also representation of the history of us black people showing us how far we have travel and also an honour to our fellow South Africans who died for South Africa to be what it is today. So to our former President Mr Thabo Mbeki, he had failed to unite the people of this country, instead he had just created more conflict because he was just a power-hungry who never wanted to give other people a chance to lead this country, if he really respects the family of ANC, he should take a break from politics or just give up because really it was about time for him to step down as a President; his period was long overdue before the Polokwane Conference. And for Mr Jacob Zuma the ANC president I hope when the elections come next year he will become a good president who respects the values of ANC and it’s people, and he will also prove many people who have don’t believe in him that he will do a good job for the country.
Bantu Abamnyama (Black People) Let us not forget where we come from.
Bantu Abamnyama (Black People) Let us not forget where we come from.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Zombie, I am - Comment on "RU A ZOMBIE?"
Really original narrative with the disruption of the students’ brainstorming – the initial equilibrium – with the arrival of a zombie; it’s really funny and satirical. The dialogue was really entertaining. I like the idea of how they parody the life of Journ students, drawing on their own experiences. What was also amusing was their melodramatic reactions to the threat of the villain. Furthermore, the heroes, Dean and Thirusha, are so obvious in their actions and thus the narrative seems predictable, however, the ending, where Chris is going to be fed to the students and the heroes, creates an interesting and amusing twist to the story. Therefore, the reader thinks that peace, a new equilibrium, has been restored, but instead a new disruption occurs at the end, which shocks the reader.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Comment on a photo comic
I really enjoyed the photo comic by Sotally Tober, named “Cane train to the Rescue.” It incorporated all the elements of Todorov’s theory as it begins with a girl presenting her problem to a friend which is the initial equilibrium and then the alcohol gives her ‘dutch courage’ which enables her to go speak to the man she fancies. There is a disruption which is when a rude man knocks into the girl and then the fight is resolved and the new couple goes off into the sunset which can be seen as the new equilibrium. They also make use of Proppian’s characters as there is a princess which needs to be rescued, and this is the girl, there is a villain, who is the man that knocks into her and then there is the hero, who is the man that the girl fancies and they end up with the proverbial ending of ‘happily ever after.’ The story line is very simple however this is effective as the comic is catchy and witty. There could have been more of a twist at the end to add some excitement in their plot but it was well thought out and well presented. There plot related well to their blog genre.
First year female students are at more of a risk of contracting HIV than any other students at Rhodes.
HIV/ AIDS is a life threatening disease that has horrendous effects on both the victim and the immediate family. HIV/AIDS leads to the deterioration of ones quality of life and inevitably to death. Many students, namely females are falling victim to practicing unprotected sex due to ignorance, vulnerability, alcoholic influences and down right stupidity.
As a young naïve student embarking on the first steps of an independent lifestyle, I believe that first year students are more susceptible to contacting HIV as they are in the prime age of experimentation and everything is new and exciting as they are starting their lives as an ‘adult’. First year students have finally been loosened from their parents ‘apron strings’ and this freedom allows for both good and bad experiences as well as errors. To prove my belief, I evaluated a group of my friends on a random Wednesday night. This particular group of friends consists of six fifth year students, two fourth year students and four first year students, that includes myself. We all ended our night at Friars and were relatively inebriated, all four of us, first year students had what Rhodes likes to call, ‘naps’ and none of the fifth year students had even kissed anybody that night. I cannot help to think whether it is due to their generation having more values and morals than our generation? Or could it be that the first years are unable to handle their alcohol properly and this leads to a lapse in judgment?
First year females are more likely to contract the virus as HIV is transmitted more easily from male to female than from female to male (Burmaster, 2006). Thus, suggesting that women are at more of a risk because of the fact that young females generally have sexual intercourse with men who are older than themselves and therefore have more sexual partners. First year girls are more likely to be targets for older students at Rhodes as the boys participate in what they call “seal clubbing” which is when the older students, usually the men, get sexually involved with the first year students. Many first year students are not used to drinking alcohol in such large quantities that are consumed at Rhodes and this obstructs their decision making tactics and can lead to them being taken advantage of. Because men at Rhodes generally drink lighter drinks such as beer, it takes a lot longer for them to get drunk than it takes for girls as they drink alcohol with a higher alcoholic percentage and this may also lead to the females making bad decisions due to the influence of alcohol. On a night on the town in O-week I was so inebriated that I passed out in the gutter outside Friars and thank goodness an older male friend took me home and I did not partake in any sexual relations that could have lead to a sour outcome. When I awoke all I could think about was, “did I have sex or not,” and this is when you know that you have to be more responsible because if it was not for my friend, anything could have happened.
In the report of the Department of Health in South Africa, it states that “young adults are the fastest growing age group to be infected with HIV” and specifically female university students aged between 19-30 years. This is because they are at the height of their sexuality, they practice sex frequently and in most cases there are several different partners in a short span of time. The United Nations AIDS also released statistics recently that indicated that more than half of the HIV/AIDS infections that have been reported in 2007-2008 have been in 15-24 year olds (Knight, 2008).
I strongly believe that first year female students are at a greater risk of contracting HIV/AIDS as they are usually associated with sexually involving themselves with older male students, making them more likely to the risk and because they are more vulnerable when drinking alcohol which can lead to unprotected sex.
As a young naïve student embarking on the first steps of an independent lifestyle, I believe that first year students are more susceptible to contacting HIV as they are in the prime age of experimentation and everything is new and exciting as they are starting their lives as an ‘adult’. First year students have finally been loosened from their parents ‘apron strings’ and this freedom allows for both good and bad experiences as well as errors. To prove my belief, I evaluated a group of my friends on a random Wednesday night. This particular group of friends consists of six fifth year students, two fourth year students and four first year students, that includes myself. We all ended our night at Friars and were relatively inebriated, all four of us, first year students had what Rhodes likes to call, ‘naps’ and none of the fifth year students had even kissed anybody that night. I cannot help to think whether it is due to their generation having more values and morals than our generation? Or could it be that the first years are unable to handle their alcohol properly and this leads to a lapse in judgment?
First year females are more likely to contract the virus as HIV is transmitted more easily from male to female than from female to male (Burmaster, 2006). Thus, suggesting that women are at more of a risk because of the fact that young females generally have sexual intercourse with men who are older than themselves and therefore have more sexual partners. First year girls are more likely to be targets for older students at Rhodes as the boys participate in what they call “seal clubbing” which is when the older students, usually the men, get sexually involved with the first year students. Many first year students are not used to drinking alcohol in such large quantities that are consumed at Rhodes and this obstructs their decision making tactics and can lead to them being taken advantage of. Because men at Rhodes generally drink lighter drinks such as beer, it takes a lot longer for them to get drunk than it takes for girls as they drink alcohol with a higher alcoholic percentage and this may also lead to the females making bad decisions due to the influence of alcohol. On a night on the town in O-week I was so inebriated that I passed out in the gutter outside Friars and thank goodness an older male friend took me home and I did not partake in any sexual relations that could have lead to a sour outcome. When I awoke all I could think about was, “did I have sex or not,” and this is when you know that you have to be more responsible because if it was not for my friend, anything could have happened.
In the report of the Department of Health in South Africa, it states that “young adults are the fastest growing age group to be infected with HIV” and specifically female university students aged between 19-30 years. This is because they are at the height of their sexuality, they practice sex frequently and in most cases there are several different partners in a short span of time. The United Nations AIDS also released statistics recently that indicated that more than half of the HIV/AIDS infections that have been reported in 2007-2008 have been in 15-24 year olds (Knight, 2008).
I strongly believe that first year female students are at a greater risk of contracting HIV/AIDS as they are usually associated with sexually involving themselves with older male students, making them more likely to the risk and because they are more vulnerable when drinking alcohol which can lead to unprotected sex.
Friday, October 17, 2008
The Ultimate Survivor Challenge: EXAMS
1. Party your buttocks off before swot week (and during swot week if you need to)2. Eat lots of bananas - they help for stress
3. Bite your nails if it helps, preferably your toe nails (no-one can see those) if you're flexible enough
4. Wear a poncho when taking exams in the Great Hall - bird poop stains (for life)
5. For Stats students, smarties are always a 'happier' way to calculate means, modes and ranges, and whatever else it is you people do
6. Rest is always good, so don't neglect that little nap in the afternoon, after a long night out
7. Play 30 seconds: a little general knowledge might not get you that first, but it is ALWAYS helpful to BS your way through
8. If you finish your exam early, but you just missed the cut to leave, let one rip and see what happens
9. A discreet kick in the back of the chair in front of you, when the invigilator is not looking, is always encouraged to silence that noisy chewer or sniffer
10. If they're behind you... You're on your own
Racist, Homophobic and Obviously Discriminatory Ethical stance by Students (Rhodes)…?
When arriving at Rhodes, one of the first things to do is to establish relationships with other first-years, the people you are going to hang out with for the rest of your varsity life. This is a lot more difficult, and ‘picky’, than it seems.Compared to other South African universities, Rhodes is known for its cultural diversity and its open-mindedness; as a first-year girl in my residence, Sibongile says, “Rhodes is very liberal, tolerant and conducive for everyone.” However, when looking at some of the posts on the Activate forum and hearing comments from others, this seems to be far from the truth. Rhodes is not the ideal post-apartheid wonderland that it appears to be, but rather, it is plagued by homophobia and racism.
Former SRC president, Ricardo Pillay, admits having witnessed homophobic behaviour at Rhodes, with students calling homosexuals “queer” and “faggots”. Another student, Jenna Collett, in response to derogatory comments directed towards homosexuality, spoke about her own experiences as a lesbian: she had to make out in the Rat’s bathrooms to avoid the disapproving looks and gossip, but also disgusting comments such as, “‘Yes girls! Do it again’,” or “I can set you straight”, which belittles and reduces her relationship to pornography. She adds, “believe me, kissing someone you are interested in, in a shitty, vomit covered bathroom is not the ideal venue for a meaningful connection.” She also points out the other problems that homosexuals have to deal with, such as verbal and physical harassment, sometimes even rape. There have been other incidents where homosexual men have been thrown out of Friar’s for kissing. 
Speaking of our beloved Friar’s, not only have there been homophobic incidences, but some students have also expressed their anger towards the silent discrimination that goes on at the door. There have been cases where black students have been refused entrance or have been given trouble, while the bouncer will let the next white person in line, inside. I have even heard a similar personal account from someone, where she was turned down at the door, only for the next person – white, of course – to be let in.
So much for the broad smiles in the ‘colourful’ pictures advertising Rhodes’s diversity. I think that these examples of blatant hatred of the ‘other’ truly illustrate the side that Rhodes does not want to show. It is easy to turn a blind eye on these issues, however, ignoring them is not the solution either. As students, and especially first years, we need to challenge these fears of what is different. 
However, the issues of accepting people who are different than yourself, are more complicated than it seems. It is not always an issue of skin colour or gender preference, but more an issue of cultural clashes. When speaking to Sibongile, I found out that, according to her, “people prefer sticking to their own kind.” She explains that it is a personal choice: people don’t want to explore another race, gender or culture, “it is too much admin.” She thinks it might be out of fear of the family’s reaction, external pressures and “it’s just too complicated”, because of the differences in values and up-bringings. Jadine, another first-year, adds, “you can’t be with someone who doesn’t have the same belief system as you; the relationship won’t work.”
Another problem with the students’ mentality, and more broadly, South Africans, is that we define people through stereotypes and are still not familiar with the idea of cultural hybridisation. As the article “Coconuts and Oreos” clearly expresses, we have set ideas of what it means to be ‘black’, ‘white’, and more generally, ‘homosexual’ or ‘heterosexual’ or anything else for that matter! It doesn’t help saying that we ‘accept’ diversity, yet we still regard homosexuals as different to us or define people by the colour of their skin; for example, are such comments as “I’m not racist but I wouldn’t consider going out with a black person”, or vice versa, truly accepting different races or diversity in general? I don’t think so. Finally, to quote OUTRhodes 
“labels are for boxes”; so we must stop trying to fit people into our own little realities, but rather, let’s try to understand theirs.
“labels are for boxes”; so we must stop trying to fit people into our own little realities, but rather, let’s try to understand theirs.Lauren’s "The Canadian Romeo: in the realms of G-Town"
Lauren is telling us the story of a Canadian student, Tommie, and his experiences at Rhodes so far. Following Propp’s theory on narrative, it seems that this hero has overcome many minor disruptions, for example, he did not let Rhodes’s “purple stained reputation” as Lauren puts it - influence him but rather, our Canadian hero has resisted the lure of the ‘villain’, alcohol. Thus, our hero is not afraid to distance himself from Rhodes traditions and stereotypes.
Another disruption he has overcome is his lack of luck regarding women and relationships. However, Tommie seems to have found, what Todorov calls a new equilibrium, with his love-interest, Nicole. Thus, one could say that Tommie was rather the Damsel in Distress and Nicole, his hero, has saved him and restored this new equilibrium. One thing that the writer seems to do is show Tommie as a hopeless romantic, creating a very dreamy and flattering image of this student.
Finally, Lauren finishes off by describing this character’s hopes and dreams, showing us the future obstacles ahead that he will have to face, creating the potential for a follow-up narrative to this profile.
Another disruption he has overcome is his lack of luck regarding women and relationships. However, Tommie seems to have found, what Todorov calls a new equilibrium, with his love-interest, Nicole. Thus, one could say that Tommie was rather the Damsel in Distress and Nicole, his hero, has saved him and restored this new equilibrium. One thing that the writer seems to do is show Tommie as a hopeless romantic, creating a very dreamy and flattering image of this student.
Finally, Lauren finishes off by describing this character’s hopes and dreams, showing us the future obstacles ahead that he will have to face, creating the potential for a follow-up narrative to this profile.
Drunk Run
I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine. Her name is Drunk Run. She frequently visits me after a night out. Sometimes, she stands under my window and calls to me to come out and play. I never oblige. You see, the thing about Drunk Run is that once you become friends with her, there’s no escaping her best friend, Alcohol.
Alcohol has been around campus for as long as anyone can remember. She is very popular and is friends with almost everyone at university. She is also beautiful and all of the boys go crazy whenever she walks by. I once heard a rumour that she can stimulate relaxation and euphoria with just one kiss.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholic_beverage#Flavorings
Drunk Run and I met during O-week. We hung out a couple of times because we lived so close to each other but Dean of Students, Vivien de Klerk, warned us about hanging out with Drunk Run’s best friend Alcohol. Now, we smile and wave politely at each other from across the road, but we aren’t as close as we used to be.
When I walked into my residence room for the first time, I beamed with pride. My room, the place I had to look after and could call my own, signalled the start of the wave of independence that first year would bring. Or so I thought. You see, my room was on the top floor of the residence and it overlooked the street. And while the view was more appealing than CPU, it meant that I would be running into Drunk Run a lot more than I would have liked.
Although Drunk Run is bubbly and friendly, not everyone likes her. The Daily Dispatch said that she was the link between the university’s students’ poor academic performance and the high alcohol consumption rate on campus. http://www.dispatch.co.za/article.aspx?id=249752
De Klerk, or Viv as I like to call her, has also said some horrible things about Drunk Run. She said that “peer pressure and the false sense of security that comes from living in a small town” was the reason Drunk Run behaves the way she does. http://www.aa-uk.org.uk/alcoholics-anonymous-reviews/2008/09/boozy-pupils-are-poor-achievers.html
With all the warnings and negative comments about Drunk Run floating around, I’m sure you’re wondering why I call her my friend. I admit that she is a bit reckless, and she has this annoying habit of making me feel as if I’m missing out on all the fun. But then again, my cheeks always flush with a hint of green whenever I see her. The more irritable she seems, the more I realise how serious I’m becoming. Maybe, secretly, I wish I could be a little bit more like her.
And, in the words of Donna Roberts, “A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.” http://thinkexist.com/quotation/a_friend_knows_the_song_in_my_heart_and_sings_it/202834.html. Drunk Run not only knows that song off-by-heart, but also how to sing. And boy, does she sing well…
So, when I’ve been particularly forgetful, I go along with Drunk Run on her nightly expeditions, even if it’s just for a little while. Because, let’s face it, we all need a good friend once in a while. Even Viv.
Alcohol has been around campus for as long as anyone can remember. She is very popular and is friends with almost everyone at university. She is also beautiful and all of the boys go crazy whenever she walks by. I once heard a rumour that she can stimulate relaxation and euphoria with just one kiss.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholic_beverage#Flavorings
Drunk Run and I met during O-week. We hung out a couple of times because we lived so close to each other but Dean of Students, Vivien de Klerk, warned us about hanging out with Drunk Run’s best friend Alcohol. Now, we smile and wave politely at each other from across the road, but we aren’t as close as we used to be.
When I walked into my residence room for the first time, I beamed with pride. My room, the place I had to look after and could call my own, signalled the start of the wave of independence that first year would bring. Or so I thought. You see, my room was on the top floor of the residence and it overlooked the street. And while the view was more appealing than CPU, it meant that I would be running into Drunk Run a lot more than I would have liked.
Although Drunk Run is bubbly and friendly, not everyone likes her. The Daily Dispatch said that she was the link between the university’s students’ poor academic performance and the high alcohol consumption rate on campus. http://www.dispatch.co.za/article.aspx?id=249752
De Klerk, or Viv as I like to call her, has also said some horrible things about Drunk Run. She said that “peer pressure and the false sense of security that comes from living in a small town” was the reason Drunk Run behaves the way she does. http://www.aa-uk.org.uk/alcoholics-anonymous-reviews/2008/09/boozy-pupils-are-poor-achievers.html
With all the warnings and negative comments about Drunk Run floating around, I’m sure you’re wondering why I call her my friend. I admit that she is a bit reckless, and she has this annoying habit of making me feel as if I’m missing out on all the fun. But then again, my cheeks always flush with a hint of green whenever I see her. The more irritable she seems, the more I realise how serious I’m becoming. Maybe, secretly, I wish I could be a little bit more like her.
And, in the words of Donna Roberts, “A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.” http://thinkexist.com/quotation/a_friend_knows_the_song_in_my_heart_and_sings_it/202834.html. Drunk Run not only knows that song off-by-heart, but also how to sing. And boy, does she sing well…
So, when I’ve been particularly forgetful, I go along with Drunk Run on her nightly expeditions, even if it’s just for a little while. Because, let’s face it, we all need a good friend once in a while. Even Viv.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Comment on a profile
Monde Mdodanas profile is written by Nonkie and is found on the blog, "First year blood?" It is well written as it keeps the reader’s attention. The student chosen is alternative and different. He dresses like a Rastafarian, but is an English intellectual. His appearance is in contrast to his personality although this misconception may lead to one immediately wrongfully categorising him. Monde seems to not care what others think and this is inspirational in a materialistic society. Monde has had to overcome interacting with many people on daily basis, which is difficult for someone who is anti-social and he has had to neglect his writing to a certain extent, to focus on his studies. The choice of person chosen for the profile eludes one to think that Nonkie is interested by all walks of life, the crowds she socializes with must be filled with many different characters and the crowds she does not hang out with interest her. She may come across judgmental but it is just her curiosity and not necessarily a mean streak. Nonkies writing is naturalistic in the sense that it is real, and one can easily relate to her angle of debate. She seems truly interested in her subject’s story and this adds that extra element of enjoyment to her writing.
I believe that Nonkie’s profile of Monde Mdodana embraces Todorov’s model of narrative because the story begins with an assumption, which can be seen as the initial equilibrium, the way Nonkie envisaged Monde to be. She then describes his appearance and that can be seen as the disruption as it is a direct contrast to the person that she eventually meets in person. Nonkie is surprised at how wrong she was about Monde as she gets to know more about him and this is the restoration of the equilibrium which leads to her writing about Monde’s personal identity which is the realization of the new equilibrium that is formed.
I believe that Nonkie’s profile of Monde Mdodana embraces Todorov’s model of narrative because the story begins with an assumption, which can be seen as the initial equilibrium, the way Nonkie envisaged Monde to be. She then describes his appearance and that can be seen as the disruption as it is a direct contrast to the person that she eventually meets in person. Nonkie is surprised at how wrong she was about Monde as she gets to know more about him and this is the restoration of the equilibrium which leads to her writing about Monde’s personal identity which is the realization of the new equilibrium that is formed.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
First year:Overcoming My difficulties
My father gave me what he couldn’t get, a chance to have a better education" these was the words from Mcebisi Nkume a 20 years old, first year student in Extended Studies in Journalism and media studies looking so calm and relaxed as he reveal his reason of choosing to be at Rhodes. He is a shy young man who does not find it easy to talk to new people and also don’t like to be in an uncomfortable situation without someone he knows. This became his most weakness but also at the same time a challenge when he came to Rhodes.He comes from Kenton, a township very close to Grahamstown and the reason he chose to study at Rhodes was because of the influence of his father because his father once wanted to study media here in Rhodes but he couldn’t get in because of the certain issues which were imposed by the apartheid laws.For Mcebisi life in University was not easy as he expected it to be, "Rhodes is a different place because it’s not easy for me to interact with other people because of my English considering my educational background" he said.
But this was not the only difficulties he came across because when it comes to academics Mcebisi was struggling during the first term, he was failing his courses because he was not used to write the big essays he got here, it was too much for him.He even thought of quitting because he felt alienated and he tried to get help from career counseling and it didn’t make any difference, "sometime I will go to the carrier centre for counseling, and to tell the truth it was not helpful because it made me feel batter for one or two days and come the next day I was feeling lost again" looking confident with a smile as he continues "but the only thing kept me from quitting was my family background knowing that they are looking up to me and also that Rhodes is the most respected institution and most people will die to be here".
But all the difficulties he had came to halt from the second term, he became settled and started doing well in his studies until to the June exams where he did exceptionally well though he was troubled with one of his subject computer literacy and didn’t pass it, Mcebisi said he won’t let it bring him down again and he’s determined that he will improve in the final exams.As a way of trying to improving his academic skills Mcebisi had manage it through planning for his studies saying that it helps him to improve his time management, he explains it by expressing his faith saying that: "I know that I’m not perfect because sometimes I can be organized according to my study plan for a short of time, but I work hard every time to do the best of my work". And as a result of his determination to his hard work, he became one of the journalism 1 top students awarded in the third term.Apart from his academics, socially Mcebisi is still having difficulties to be part of the university life; he thinks that it is too fancy comparing to his standard and he feels like he’s been trying to change in order to fit in, of which he hasn’t able to.
The other thing which prevents him to have a good experience about the varsity life is because he does not live in campus, and the issue of money also affects him since he is finically needy where sometimes he just come to campus walking from township without even money for lunch, but he said: "I don’t really allow my personal issues to affect my studies because I had learned and also prepared to be strong during hard times".
But this was not the only difficulties he came across because when it comes to academics Mcebisi was struggling during the first term, he was failing his courses because he was not used to write the big essays he got here, it was too much for him.He even thought of quitting because he felt alienated and he tried to get help from career counseling and it didn’t make any difference, "sometime I will go to the carrier centre for counseling, and to tell the truth it was not helpful because it made me feel batter for one or two days and come the next day I was feeling lost again" looking confident with a smile as he continues "but the only thing kept me from quitting was my family background knowing that they are looking up to me and also that Rhodes is the most respected institution and most people will die to be here".
But all the difficulties he had came to halt from the second term, he became settled and started doing well in his studies until to the June exams where he did exceptionally well though he was troubled with one of his subject computer literacy and didn’t pass it, Mcebisi said he won’t let it bring him down again and he’s determined that he will improve in the final exams.As a way of trying to improving his academic skills Mcebisi had manage it through planning for his studies saying that it helps him to improve his time management, he explains it by expressing his faith saying that: "I know that I’m not perfect because sometimes I can be organized according to my study plan for a short of time, but I work hard every time to do the best of my work". And as a result of his determination to his hard work, he became one of the journalism 1 top students awarded in the third term.Apart from his academics, socially Mcebisi is still having difficulties to be part of the university life; he thinks that it is too fancy comparing to his standard and he feels like he’s been trying to change in order to fit in, of which he hasn’t able to.
The other thing which prevents him to have a good experience about the varsity life is because he does not live in campus, and the issue of money also affects him since he is finically needy where sometimes he just come to campus walking from township without even money for lunch, but he said: "I don’t really allow my personal issues to affect my studies because I had learned and also prepared to be strong during hard times".
According to Eva
In a bundle of blankets, lying on her bed, watching the latest download off of DC++, Eva Masemola proudly professes that “there is nothing wrong with all-nighters”. Her room suggests that she has done just that; clothes are strewn haphazardly across the floor and the wrappers from midnight snacks poke out from various crevices – the typical image that comes to mind when you picture a Rhodent.
This bright-eyed, smiling girl, so comfortable in her surroundings, once struggled to adapt to life at Rhodes. “Before, I thought that the people here were crazy and that they dressed funny, but now I’ve gotten used to it. People do the weirdest things here,” she says thoughtfully. “At the same time, the people I interact with here are not so receptive to what one could call ‘weirdness’. People here are more conservative than people at home. For instance, if I went out in long, stripy socks, people at home would be like ‘Oh my gosh! Those are so cool!’ Here, they look at me as if to say ‘What the hell were you thinking?” she says.
Eva, a second-year* Bachelor of Science student, originally comes from Polokwane. With a job already lined up for after she graduates, Eva is a hardworking girl. An active volley ball player and member of the gym, Eva is well-equipped for her role as the Sports Representative for Hobson House. She is also a member of EastSocWestSoc and RocSoc. When she gets tired of looking at rocks, she goes out with her friends for some much needed, and deserved, fun. “I like the Rat and Equilibrium, not so much Friars, and, um...” she pauses, “what else can you do in Grahamstown?”
Two years has given Eva more than enough time to learn the do’s and don’ts of university life. “If you don’t go out you won’t experience anything, because no one here is going to drag you out,” she says seriously. She adds, “Time management is also essential. The workload moves fast and there is no time to chill.” Socially, Eva has no problems making friends. “The culture here makes it easy - people at Rhodes are very approachable. Well, most of them anyway,” she says with a grin.
Getting involved, whether academically or socially, is on top of Eva’s list for a smooth transition from high school to university life. “You can’t leave Rhodes without doing Festival,” she pauses, “you don’t ‘go’ to Festival. You do it!” For the less adventurous, Eva suggests taking a walk up to the Monument, going to a drum and bass party, having a drink at the Old Gaol or relaxing at Olde 65. “Something always happens at Oldies,” she says affectionately.
On the romantic side of things, it will come eventually. As Eva puts it, “The guys at Rhodes – first you look at them and think they are not that good looking, then you get used to their faces!” Giggling, she absentmindedly pushes her braids behind her shoulders.
See Eva's Facebook profile:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=561781198&ref=ts
*Although it was specified that a first-year student must be interviewed for this assignment, it would not have fitted in with our blog character and therefore I chose to interview a second-year student instead.
This bright-eyed, smiling girl, so comfortable in her surroundings, once struggled to adapt to life at Rhodes. “Before, I thought that the people here were crazy and that they dressed funny, but now I’ve gotten used to it. People do the weirdest things here,” she says thoughtfully. “At the same time, the people I interact with here are not so receptive to what one could call ‘weirdness’. People here are more conservative than people at home. For instance, if I went out in long, stripy socks, people at home would be like ‘Oh my gosh! Those are so cool!’ Here, they look at me as if to say ‘What the hell were you thinking?” she says.
Eva, a second-year* Bachelor of Science student, originally comes from Polokwane. With a job already lined up for after she graduates, Eva is a hardworking girl. An active volley ball player and member of the gym, Eva is well-equipped for her role as the Sports Representative for Hobson House. She is also a member of EastSocWestSoc and RocSoc. When she gets tired of looking at rocks, she goes out with her friends for some much needed, and deserved, fun. “I like the Rat and Equilibrium, not so much Friars, and, um...” she pauses, “what else can you do in Grahamstown?”
Two years has given Eva more than enough time to learn the do’s and don’ts of university life. “If you don’t go out you won’t experience anything, because no one here is going to drag you out,” she says seriously. She adds, “Time management is also essential. The workload moves fast and there is no time to chill.” Socially, Eva has no problems making friends. “The culture here makes it easy - people at Rhodes are very approachable. Well, most of them anyway,” she says with a grin.
Getting involved, whether academically or socially, is on top of Eva’s list for a smooth transition from high school to university life. “You can’t leave Rhodes without doing Festival,” she pauses, “you don’t ‘go’ to Festival. You do it!” For the less adventurous, Eva suggests taking a walk up to the Monument, going to a drum and bass party, having a drink at the Old Gaol or relaxing at Olde 65. “Something always happens at Oldies,” she says affectionately.
On the romantic side of things, it will come eventually. As Eva puts it, “The guys at Rhodes – first you look at them and think they are not that good looking, then you get used to their faces!” Giggling, she absentmindedly pushes her braids behind her shoulders.
See Eva's Facebook profile:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=561781198&ref=ts
*Although it was specified that a first-year student must be interviewed for this assignment, it would not have fitted in with our blog character and therefore I chose to interview a second-year student instead.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
The "bunggy girl"
Karin Reum sits casually at her desk, chatting to her friends on Facebook, as she reveals her insecurities from her first year at Rhodes and how she overcame them. “You’re so far away from home, you carry on living the same way in ‘parallel’, but you have so many expectations,” she says looking straight at me with tired eyes, “I felt like I had to leave the person I was behind.”
Talking to her friend Jamie Du Plooy, ‘insecure’ is just about the last word you would use to describe Karin: “she’s very outgoing, a lot of people think she’s loud, fun and confident.” Karin explains that when you arrive here as a first-year, “you’re thrown into such a mix of different people, people that you might not have ever interacted with in your life,” something that can be very intimidating even for the most sociable and alternative of us. Karin’s clothes are very colourful and unique, “people think she’s this chilled bunggy girl,” Jamie adds, as the other girls laugh. Therefore, being part of the crowd seems like the last thing on this socialite’s mind, yet Karin admits that she went through a phase of “not feeling good and ‘cool’ enough; the total cliché of not fitting in.” She felt like she had to be careful about what she said and did, not wanting to offend anyone. She didn’t feel comfortable enough to be herself, “insecurities resurface because you’re away from the people who know, with whom you can ‘be’ and exist.”
She finds Rhodes University “very groupie, there is such a cult in terms of group dynamics,” people party and move around in specific groups; students from the same society or the same residence will “hang out together.” This makes it harder for someone as versatile as Karin to find where they fit in, “it’s a bit of a battle to find where you belong.” She feels that “people loose their individuality because they are part of this group thing”, people always feel like they have to respond or act according to the group: “let me check with the guys,” is an example of a response she got from one of her male friends. She also thinks that “the whole drinking thing at Rhodes” is reinforced by this idea of ‘the group’, where people feel like they have to drink to be a part of it. According to her friends, she is “quite a hectic partier” but doesn’t buy in to the whole idea of needing to drink to have fun; even though she has had her fair share of ‘happy times’.
Karin also realises that “the uniqueness of this university-town, where most of us don’t have any family or ‘old friends’,” makes us more dependent on one another. And in second term, this led her to question who her friends really were and to ask herself, “are these my people?” Karin wants to share her life with people who enjoy the same things as her and who support her; she believes it is important to find the people “you click with.” It seems that she has eventually found her place here and is content with the fact that “life is not a perfect routine, it doesn’t meet your expectations.” She makes it her mission to meet new people as well as to do different things everyday, “you have to be spontaneous!” Finally, she ends the conversation with “life for me at this moment is just so happy.”
Talking to her friend Jamie Du Plooy, ‘insecure’ is just about the last word you would use to describe Karin: “she’s very outgoing, a lot of people think she’s loud, fun and confident.” Karin explains that when you arrive here as a first-year, “you’re thrown into such a mix of different people, people that you might not have ever interacted with in your life,” something that can be very intimidating even for the most sociable and alternative of us. Karin’s clothes are very colourful and unique, “people think she’s this chilled bunggy girl,” Jamie adds, as the other girls laugh. Therefore, being part of the crowd seems like the last thing on this socialite’s mind, yet Karin admits that she went through a phase of “not feeling good and ‘cool’ enough; the total cliché of not fitting in.” She felt like she had to be careful about what she said and did, not wanting to offend anyone. She didn’t feel comfortable enough to be herself, “insecurities resurface because you’re away from the people who know, with whom you can ‘be’ and exist.”
She finds Rhodes University “very groupie, there is such a cult in terms of group dynamics,” people party and move around in specific groups; students from the same society or the same residence will “hang out together.” This makes it harder for someone as versatile as Karin to find where they fit in, “it’s a bit of a battle to find where you belong.” She feels that “people loose their individuality because they are part of this group thing”, people always feel like they have to respond or act according to the group: “let me check with the guys,” is an example of a response she got from one of her male friends. She also thinks that “the whole drinking thing at Rhodes” is reinforced by this idea of ‘the group’, where people feel like they have to drink to be a part of it. According to her friends, she is “quite a hectic partier” but doesn’t buy in to the whole idea of needing to drink to have fun; even though she has had her fair share of ‘happy times’.
Karin also realises that “the uniqueness of this university-town, where most of us don’t have any family or ‘old friends’,” makes us more dependent on one another. And in second term, this led her to question who her friends really were and to ask herself, “are these my people?” Karin wants to share her life with people who enjoy the same things as her and who support her; she believes it is important to find the people “you click with.” It seems that she has eventually found her place here and is content with the fact that “life is not a perfect routine, it doesn’t meet your expectations.” She makes it her mission to meet new people as well as to do different things everyday, “you have to be spontaneous!” Finally, she ends the conversation with “life for me at this moment is just so happy.”
That Girl
Her orange hair stands at attention on her head as she talks whilst balancing a cigarette between her lips, it becomes quite evident that this technique has been mastered over a good couple of years. "It just speaks to me," she utters as she rattles on about her favorite friend, Jack, Jack Daniels. Rachel is not one for the faint hearted, she drinks too much, smokes too much and parties too hard for any ordinary citizen to keep up, however as she sits and swirls her drink around the ice blocks with an emaciated finger one would imagine that this tooth picked frame of a woman would collapse after one drink, but not this girl, she can handle her drink way too well.
Rachel is a makeup virgin; she wears a pretty floral blouse and her quietly spoken nature all present the wrong impression. If she was placed in a habit one would not think twice, although this is a character whereby "judging the book by the cover" could lead to a huge shock and possible cardiac arrest. "What? I am a walking contradiction," she laughs half choking on her drink at the same time.
"The thing that concerns me at Rhodes is that if you look a certain way, or hang out with certain people you immediately have a stigma attached to you, this is definitely not the case. If a girl is seen with a group of people who smoke weed, it doesn’t necessarily mean that she does it too, just like me; just because I drink more than most girls it does not mean that I am a drunk, I just have a thirst that doesn’t get quenched easily," her blatant annoyance is portrayed through the tone of her voice which has gone from calm and mellow to slightly pinched. As she scans the crowd at the Rat and Parrot, it becomes apparent that she is well known and quite popular amongst many Rhodents, "Hi Paul, Steven, Emma, Lauren," the list just went on, until she quickly turned and announced that a particular boy that walked through the door had bad mouthed her friend.
She admits that her friend was so drunk that the thought of the gutter outside Friars seemed just as comfortable as a bed and she rested her head there for a while, but his name calling was over the top. "If that friend was male, I can take you a bet that that would not have happened," she said condescendingly.
Rachel was brought up in a household with three brothers and says that trying to be included by them required a lot of rough and tumble than most girls have to go through, "my brothers made me prove my worth, I was always trying to impress them by burping the loudest or enduring the most pain, but as I got older I started to drink with them as well and that is why I can drink so much, it was the boot camp I went through as a child." Her eyes start to light up as she recalls the past, and she opens her sling bag to present a photo, it is stored within a bag brimming with books, an on looker would seriously think this girl was a library nerd. Rachel’s education is equally as important to her, she enjoys her subject choice and says that although she parties hard, she still gets her work done, "I may not get the marks I could get if I was more focused, but university is about having fun, you cannot still act like this when you are thirty, so one could say I am getting it out of my system whilst it is still acceptable."
Rachel was initially going to study in Cape Town, but during O-week she came to visit some friends and realised that what she called her nasty little habits were the norm of the students at Rhodes. She says that the selling factor to move to Rhodes was when she got asked to join the girls drinking club. "I believe that I have broken the stereotype of woman, I hate Brutal Fruits."
She starts to turn puce, from the neck up as she laughs hysterically, Rachel has not changed for anyone at Rhodes and that is why she has been accepted with all her good and bad attributes so willingly. "Obviously there are a few men that feel intimidated by my drinking skills and go out of their way to be rude, but I could drink them under the table if they gave me half the chance."
Rachel is genuinely happy with her choice of university and encourages everyone to stay true to themselves and just have fun, "this is the only time in your life when being bad is justified by the term ‘student’, so stuff moderation, if you are going to do something bad, do it well."
Rachel is a makeup virgin; she wears a pretty floral blouse and her quietly spoken nature all present the wrong impression. If she was placed in a habit one would not think twice, although this is a character whereby "judging the book by the cover" could lead to a huge shock and possible cardiac arrest. "What? I am a walking contradiction," she laughs half choking on her drink at the same time.
"The thing that concerns me at Rhodes is that if you look a certain way, or hang out with certain people you immediately have a stigma attached to you, this is definitely not the case. If a girl is seen with a group of people who smoke weed, it doesn’t necessarily mean that she does it too, just like me; just because I drink more than most girls it does not mean that I am a drunk, I just have a thirst that doesn’t get quenched easily," her blatant annoyance is portrayed through the tone of her voice which has gone from calm and mellow to slightly pinched. As she scans the crowd at the Rat and Parrot, it becomes apparent that she is well known and quite popular amongst many Rhodents, "Hi Paul, Steven, Emma, Lauren," the list just went on, until she quickly turned and announced that a particular boy that walked through the door had bad mouthed her friend.
She admits that her friend was so drunk that the thought of the gutter outside Friars seemed just as comfortable as a bed and she rested her head there for a while, but his name calling was over the top. "If that friend was male, I can take you a bet that that would not have happened," she said condescendingly.
Rachel was brought up in a household with three brothers and says that trying to be included by them required a lot of rough and tumble than most girls have to go through, "my brothers made me prove my worth, I was always trying to impress them by burping the loudest or enduring the most pain, but as I got older I started to drink with them as well and that is why I can drink so much, it was the boot camp I went through as a child." Her eyes start to light up as she recalls the past, and she opens her sling bag to present a photo, it is stored within a bag brimming with books, an on looker would seriously think this girl was a library nerd. Rachel’s education is equally as important to her, she enjoys her subject choice and says that although she parties hard, she still gets her work done, "I may not get the marks I could get if I was more focused, but university is about having fun, you cannot still act like this when you are thirty, so one could say I am getting it out of my system whilst it is still acceptable."
Rachel was initially going to study in Cape Town, but during O-week she came to visit some friends and realised that what she called her nasty little habits were the norm of the students at Rhodes. She says that the selling factor to move to Rhodes was when she got asked to join the girls drinking club. "I believe that I have broken the stereotype of woman, I hate Brutal Fruits."
She starts to turn puce, from the neck up as she laughs hysterically, Rachel has not changed for anyone at Rhodes and that is why she has been accepted with all her good and bad attributes so willingly. "Obviously there are a few men that feel intimidated by my drinking skills and go out of their way to be rude, but I could drink them under the table if they gave me half the chance."
Rachel is genuinely happy with her choice of university and encourages everyone to stay true to themselves and just have fun, "this is the only time in your life when being bad is justified by the term ‘student’, so stuff moderation, if you are going to do something bad, do it well."
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Drama hits the Drama Department!
Last week, two students, were rehearsing at the Drama department, when they were mugged. Get this, there are CPU guards outside the entrance 24/7. Yet, the girls were still mugged inside the department by two street kids. This makes you wonder what these guards are doing, because they are obviously not doing their jobs - protecting the students. How are we, students, expected to feel safe walking around campus, if we are not even protected inside?
A few days ago, I went to the computer labs, which is on the other side of campus for me, and as I was walking back, the streets were deserted. It was pitch-black and there wasn't a soul nor a panic button in sight. I could have been mugged or raped, and probably no one would have heard me because the wind was howling so loud. I was so freaked out. I got back to my residence, red-faced and out of breath!
Now I realise what the students who don't have laptops or computers have to go through: constant paranoia and a hardcore workout. No seriously, it's very scary to think that you could be a victim of a crime in a place that is said to be safe: campus. It is also not cool to live your life in constant fear, it's enough to have to deal with all the academic stress; we don't need all this other crap.
So basically, a few words of advice, don't trust anyone and don't go anywhere alone!
I would just like to add that taking it from the street kids' point of view, they're starving and desperate, and often we see them as a nuisance, forgetting that they actually are human beings too. They're just trying to survive and maybe if we helped them a bit, by getting involved with the local community, supporting societies like G.R.A.S.S and Masincedane, or just giving them a bit of food; that would ease the tension between us 'rich brats' and them. Or is that too much to ask?
A few days ago, I went to the computer labs, which is on the other side of campus for me, and as I was walking back, the streets were deserted. It was pitch-black and there wasn't a soul nor a panic button in sight. I could have been mugged or raped, and probably no one would have heard me because the wind was howling so loud. I was so freaked out. I got back to my residence, red-faced and out of breath!
Now I realise what the students who don't have laptops or computers have to go through: constant paranoia and a hardcore workout. No seriously, it's very scary to think that you could be a victim of a crime in a place that is said to be safe: campus. It is also not cool to live your life in constant fear, it's enough to have to deal with all the academic stress; we don't need all this other crap.
So basically, a few words of advice, don't trust anyone and don't go anywhere alone!
I would just like to add that taking it from the street kids' point of view, they're starving and desperate, and often we see them as a nuisance, forgetting that they actually are human beings too. They're just trying to survive and maybe if we helped them a bit, by getting involved with the local community, supporting societies like G.R.A.S.S and Masincedane, or just giving them a bit of food; that would ease the tension between us 'rich brats' and them. Or is that too much to ask?
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
From solid to sludge.
My innocent better half,Kira,
I was toying with the idea of writing to you to tell you what has been on my mind for quite a while, but I have been apprehensive as I know that it will hurt your feelings. As I look in the mirror I feel compelled to tell you, that I cringe as I start to see the destructive damage I have subjected you to. When I close my eyes, I can picture you a year ago, smooth skin like melted vanilla ice cream, a slender body that could wear a latex suit without a long top covering your thighs, that girl should have been wiser and if you ever get a chance to do things over, this advice is worthwhile as it is from age old wisdom. I am not saying that you should not go out; by all means paint the town, let your hair down, swig a couple tequilas, do body shots, but follow the correct precautions, which will nurture your body in the long run.
In the mirror, I see black rings that highlight your eyes, from the late nights out in the Rat and Parrot, your skin resembles that of a gherkins exterior, from the fast food take-outs at four in the morning, the balls of your feet are swollen from the continued dancing at Friars, you look like you have feet of a 90- year- old calloused granny. Your throat is scratchy and you sound like a R100 an hour prostitute, that’s from those long drags on your tobacco fix and the countless number of boys you kiss each night. "Why, you could be a tranny, for heavens sake." Your stomach bulges over the top of your jeans, like a marshmallow being shoved between two Marie Biscuits, "have you secretly given birth to twins?" Unfortunately you have no excuse, the first year spread is a result of your friend who lives in the pit of your stomach and bellows, "feed me BP pies and chocolate."
When I close my eyes I begin to smile, thinking that you still have that glorious skin and slender body that you possessed last year, but when I opened my eyes I saw the truth. You should use this knowledge to respect yourself more. If you ever get another chance to relive your youth, I suggest that you should use this information.I apologise if my words have offended or hurt you, but please know that it was done with your best interests at heart.
Yours forever,
always staring back at you,
Your reflection, Kira.x o x o x o
I was toying with the idea of writing to you to tell you what has been on my mind for quite a while, but I have been apprehensive as I know that it will hurt your feelings. As I look in the mirror I feel compelled to tell you, that I cringe as I start to see the destructive damage I have subjected you to. When I close my eyes, I can picture you a year ago, smooth skin like melted vanilla ice cream, a slender body that could wear a latex suit without a long top covering your thighs, that girl should have been wiser and if you ever get a chance to do things over, this advice is worthwhile as it is from age old wisdom. I am not saying that you should not go out; by all means paint the town, let your hair down, swig a couple tequilas, do body shots, but follow the correct precautions, which will nurture your body in the long run.
In the mirror, I see black rings that highlight your eyes, from the late nights out in the Rat and Parrot, your skin resembles that of a gherkins exterior, from the fast food take-outs at four in the morning, the balls of your feet are swollen from the continued dancing at Friars, you look like you have feet of a 90- year- old calloused granny. Your throat is scratchy and you sound like a R100 an hour prostitute, that’s from those long drags on your tobacco fix and the countless number of boys you kiss each night. "Why, you could be a tranny, for heavens sake." Your stomach bulges over the top of your jeans, like a marshmallow being shoved between two Marie Biscuits, "have you secretly given birth to twins?" Unfortunately you have no excuse, the first year spread is a result of your friend who lives in the pit of your stomach and bellows, "feed me BP pies and chocolate."
When I close my eyes I begin to smile, thinking that you still have that glorious skin and slender body that you possessed last year, but when I opened my eyes I saw the truth. You should use this knowledge to respect yourself more. If you ever get another chance to relive your youth, I suggest that you should use this information.I apologise if my words have offended or hurt you, but please know that it was done with your best interests at heart.
Yours forever,
always staring back at you,
Your reflection, Kira.x o x o x o
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