Dear Disillusioned,
I know you don’t like taking advice, but I’m better placed than anyone has ever been to dish it out. Go to Rhodes. I know where your mind is at right now, and it’s not a good place but excuses will get you no where in life. Confess your fears; people will always be willing to help. I can’t stress how imperative it is that you don’t let this opportunity slip. You’ve been dying to get away from home, to leave the insensitive, money chasing, steroid pumped suburban life style. So what are you waiting for? But old me, don’t expect too much of a change in attitudes and perceptions when you get to varsity. People are more open minded, sure. But you can’t expect to stop encountering inane and brainless people, carbon copies of the dross spewing imbeciles of your home town. Unfortunately university selection policies don’t have a way of filtering out these individuals. Be patient, they’re still there. A few in your row in the lecture theatre, one down your corridor in res, a couple near you at the pub- they didn’t go anywhere. Learn to deal with these people and you’ll have a brilliant year. Tough as it is, be a cynic about love. I know you, so I’ll tell you this- wipe the goofy grin off your face and the stars out of your eyes and learn to be more perceptive. I can only give you this advice, I can only hope to God (and yes your faith will be tested) that you take it.
Communal living will test your limits but will teach you tolerance. Don’t ignore the lessons on tolerance, and don’t be afraid to call Rhodes home.
Regards,
An older, wiser you
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Letter To My Old Self.
Dear Freshman
As I sat on my desk last night reading about your first few weeks in university, I nearly fell off my chair with uncontrollable laughter coupled with moments of shock and endearment. A truly gagging experience for you, it felt like a walk down memory lane for me.
What would you have done? Mom and dad came out off their bedroom satisfied with the arguments and counter arguments they have been throwing back and forth at each other without much success for weeks on end. Dad suggesting UCT and mom hell burnt about sending you to UKZN, she used to say: “We will easily monitor his progress here”, the famous last words. I remember the sullenness that filled the room as they switched off the TV to break your future down for you (in layman’s terms). The “verdict” was out: Rhodes University was going to be the destination. The bewilderment in your face just said it all.
All the hours you spent on the internet browsing for Rhodes University, all the calls to the student Bureau staff, printing out residences; may have helped you out in coming to terms with what you were to encounter in real life, but alas! Arriving in Grahamstown on its own has a way of calming down people, in a special way that you talked about in your letter. When you said that before coming to Rhodes, the colour purple was not really an element you ever thought would be so much part of a town, not even an educational institution for that matter, it struck me that this is the colour to ever dominate anything else in this town, except for churches. It is the same colour that I got to associate with the town’s weather, which is basically winter with sprawls of other seasons at any given time.
At this point, I will have to praise you for your interesting observation about the “ripping—off” done by the societies on students. You did a good thing by avoiding them, even Trevor Manuel would not mind roping you in, judging by your general thriftiness. That is one of the aspect you can gladly pass to the coming ‘freshmen’.
For the whole duration of your stay at Rhodes, you will still be moved by many things, like having dogs roaming around in lecture theatres; witnessing weekend long drinking sprees—as you correctly put it that a day without a drunk person seems like a day out of town. But the people are nice here; some of them go out of their way to make this place as enjoyable as it possibly can.
You see, it was not that harsh a decision that the parents made. All you ever had to do was to arrive. Everything else is chilled.
Yours in reflection.
Sizwe Hlatshwayo
As I sat on my desk last night reading about your first few weeks in university, I nearly fell off my chair with uncontrollable laughter coupled with moments of shock and endearment. A truly gagging experience for you, it felt like a walk down memory lane for me.
What would you have done? Mom and dad came out off their bedroom satisfied with the arguments and counter arguments they have been throwing back and forth at each other without much success for weeks on end. Dad suggesting UCT and mom hell burnt about sending you to UKZN, she used to say: “We will easily monitor his progress here”, the famous last words. I remember the sullenness that filled the room as they switched off the TV to break your future down for you (in layman’s terms). The “verdict” was out: Rhodes University was going to be the destination. The bewilderment in your face just said it all.
All the hours you spent on the internet browsing for Rhodes University, all the calls to the student Bureau staff, printing out residences; may have helped you out in coming to terms with what you were to encounter in real life, but alas! Arriving in Grahamstown on its own has a way of calming down people, in a special way that you talked about in your letter. When you said that before coming to Rhodes, the colour purple was not really an element you ever thought would be so much part of a town, not even an educational institution for that matter, it struck me that this is the colour to ever dominate anything else in this town, except for churches. It is the same colour that I got to associate with the town’s weather, which is basically winter with sprawls of other seasons at any given time.
At this point, I will have to praise you for your interesting observation about the “ripping—off” done by the societies on students. You did a good thing by avoiding them, even Trevor Manuel would not mind roping you in, judging by your general thriftiness. That is one of the aspect you can gladly pass to the coming ‘freshmen’.
For the whole duration of your stay at Rhodes, you will still be moved by many things, like having dogs roaming around in lecture theatres; witnessing weekend long drinking sprees—as you correctly put it that a day without a drunk person seems like a day out of town. But the people are nice here; some of them go out of their way to make this place as enjoyable as it possibly can.
You see, it was not that harsh a decision that the parents made. All you ever had to do was to arrive. Everything else is chilled.
Yours in reflection.
Sizwe Hlatshwayo
Friday, September 26, 2008
Eager friend
My dear eager, yet inexperienced friend
The life of tertiary is fun, it has no limitations. The sound of freedom whispers in your ears every minute, while you wonder the streets of Grahamstown, after 10pm. Heading for the ‘sin street’ filled with all of the outgoing students of Rhodes, yes the one street in Grahamstown which has more than three clubs lined down. The sensation will get you excited; you surely can not wait to loosen up and get into the feel of things. Oh boy, this is the Rhodes life for sure, especially during O-week; the first week of your tertiary life.
This might not seem like it is just too much to handle for the first week. Well this is not where it ends. There are parties throughout the year; clubs are always open almost every weekend of the year, but club nights start on Wednesdays. With guest appearances every month; and you have no one stopping you from going out. Even when you have tests lined up for the following week.
Here is where I come in; I am not going to forbid you from having fun or experimenting tertiary life. Well go ahead enjoy yourself, but always bear one thing in mind. You are here to get a degree, and that is what you are going to do. Now my first lesson for you is that no matter what plans you have for the weekend, during the week you should push your academic work till Thursday so that you have the weekend free. Let the weekend freedom be a reward to all the hard work which you put in during the week.
I know things might seem dreary in your world of innocence, and you feeling the excitement of starting the pleasurable and untamed life of tertiary. To be honest with you, not all things are as they seem on the surface. Yes tertiary is fun, oh the fresh and yet so sweet atmosphere of freedom lingers in the air of Grahamstown. But bear in mind that all that freedom comes with responsibilities. You are coming here to learn how to think outside the box, and that does not only mean academically, but also socially.
I am here if you need to give me a shout, or seem to be battling with anything in the department entertainment. Hey keep smiling and brighten up your way to success.
Yours truly
Tokoloho Thoahlane, your big sis *;)
Thursday, September 25, 2008
A Letter to My Younger Self
Dear Itu
I know that you are excited and terrified about the year ahead, it is to be expected. You have closed one chapter in your life and you are about to open a new one. Don’t think that the experience that one gets from university is specific and therefore evident, it does not matter where you go or what you do, you learn what you choose to.
I have now been here for sometime and I can honestly say that most of the things that I have learned have not come from text books or lectures. I remember first arriving here and having strangers tell me “just chill”, I should have listened. I instead devoted all my time to my studies and what do I have to show for it, I’m still a high school student only in a different location. In terms of studying I can only give you one advice, take your head out of the books and look around, maybe then you’ll learn something that can actually be helpful to a normal person like yourself. Remember when just before leaving dad said “Your life is about to change,” and you said “Agh please, I have been in hostel since I was twelve”, well it’s not the same thing. You need to grow and the only way to do that is to live, not just to exist.
When you arrive hear you will be bombarded with posters and leaflets about what to do and which societies to join. Take one and join something. The best way to find out what you like is by exploring and discovering what you don’t like. The university is truly filled with many societies, some not as productive as others, but at least by the end of your first year you will know what you want and what you don’t. So I wish you good luck for the upcoming year and remember, you can not always learn by observing, sometimes you need to do.
With the utmost sincerity
Your Future Self
I know that you are excited and terrified about the year ahead, it is to be expected. You have closed one chapter in your life and you are about to open a new one. Don’t think that the experience that one gets from university is specific and therefore evident, it does not matter where you go or what you do, you learn what you choose to.
I have now been here for sometime and I can honestly say that most of the things that I have learned have not come from text books or lectures. I remember first arriving here and having strangers tell me “just chill”, I should have listened. I instead devoted all my time to my studies and what do I have to show for it, I’m still a high school student only in a different location. In terms of studying I can only give you one advice, take your head out of the books and look around, maybe then you’ll learn something that can actually be helpful to a normal person like yourself. Remember when just before leaving dad said “Your life is about to change,” and you said “Agh please, I have been in hostel since I was twelve”, well it’s not the same thing. You need to grow and the only way to do that is to live, not just to exist.
When you arrive hear you will be bombarded with posters and leaflets about what to do and which societies to join. Take one and join something. The best way to find out what you like is by exploring and discovering what you don’t like. The university is truly filled with many societies, some not as productive as others, but at least by the end of your first year you will know what you want and what you don’t. So I wish you good luck for the upcoming year and remember, you can not always learn by observing, sometimes you need to do.
With the utmost sincerity
Your Future Self
Letter to a younger me
Dearest Delusion
I know that you are prone to be humble. I know that you are open to advice and suggestion and so I beseech you to pay careful attention:
The change that occurs along with enlightenment may be more pressing than what you have heard. Please, oh deluded one, please don’t judge what you have not encountered, for appearance as you may well already know can easily throw you off course. You might think you have witnessed it all and yet I know that everything you’ve been exposed to was embraced within the comfort of what steadfast alliances allowed for easy living. This lifestyle is different simply because the people you will meet are not what you are accustomed to surrounding yourself with. The choice to embrace what you don’t immediately understand with the mindset of an inexperienced voyager might be the best choice for you to make. Don’t hesitate when new, seemingly foolish, opportunities arise. The chances to act the fool are not ever going to be as fulfilling as when you’re not the only fool enjoying yourself. Be cautious of expectations, they are never what you pictured and even if they turn out to be better than what you pictured, the present is never reliable- get things said, done and printed yesterday already.
Above all, don’t be afraid to acknowledge the change you will begin to recognise within yourself. Those who haven’t known you your whole life will not know how much you actually have changed as a person and you should take full advantage of exploring ‘a new life’. Eventually you will see how that judgement that you will not adhere to is somehow ingrained in the heart of this place.
Best of luck,
Post-deluded.
I know that you are prone to be humble. I know that you are open to advice and suggestion and so I beseech you to pay careful attention:
The change that occurs along with enlightenment may be more pressing than what you have heard. Please, oh deluded one, please don’t judge what you have not encountered, for appearance as you may well already know can easily throw you off course. You might think you have witnessed it all and yet I know that everything you’ve been exposed to was embraced within the comfort of what steadfast alliances allowed for easy living. This lifestyle is different simply because the people you will meet are not what you are accustomed to surrounding yourself with. The choice to embrace what you don’t immediately understand with the mindset of an inexperienced voyager might be the best choice for you to make. Don’t hesitate when new, seemingly foolish, opportunities arise. The chances to act the fool are not ever going to be as fulfilling as when you’re not the only fool enjoying yourself. Be cautious of expectations, they are never what you pictured and even if they turn out to be better than what you pictured, the present is never reliable- get things said, done and printed yesterday already.
Above all, don’t be afraid to acknowledge the change you will begin to recognise within yourself. Those who haven’t known you your whole life will not know how much you actually have changed as a person and you should take full advantage of exploring ‘a new life’. Eventually you will see how that judgement that you will not adhere to is somehow ingrained in the heart of this place.
Best of luck,
Post-deluded.
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