#bko314

The last few weeks have been trying, to say the least, for varsity students all over South Africa. At the University of the Free State alone, peaceful protests have snowballed into full-blown racial onslaughts, cultural memorabilia has been destroyed and people have been injured. The destruction was brought on by anger so many people still feel towards white South Africans, the action or revolution was spurred on by the desire for change.

In order to move forward from the events of this last month, the student body as a united force need to stand together. The constant whispers about imminent strikes and new boycotts are continually causing students and lecturers to be on edge. Fear mongering has already added an extra week to the academic year, why prolong the angst induced drama?

South Africans will for decades more to come be defined by our history as a repressive nation. The eventual outcome of the protests even proves that. In a new generation of leadership, black pain is still overlooked. The way in which some have gone about getting heard, in specific regards to Lindokuhle Ntuli, is completely absurd.

The former SRC president ranted about white elitism and how “the system” was constantly trying to oppress him based solely on the colour of his skin. He then, in his very unsettling statement, went on to proclaim that change was coming. Change did in fact come, a few days later we found “change” in the fountain outside the main building.

The students continued to protest but thankfully they saw the error in their destructive ways and begun opting for a much more dramatic silent protest. The #UnsilenceUFS activist group has made it very clear that they no longer want to cause any damage; instead they want the University to hear them. There is nothing louder than deafening silence, eerily dressed in black from head to toe.

The events of recent weeks may not be what the University of the Free State want to be remembered by, but they do show that students want the chance to voice their opinion. It may also have taken a few trial and error days to figure out how exactly they wanted to voice it, but ultimately they seem to be getting their message across.

I was welcomed into the world a bit too early. As is the case with the majority of premature births, the months following were strenuous on my, fist time, parents.  I would stop breathing for no apparent reason, which would get them and infant me sent to the ER multiple times before I, thankfully, grew up.

My childhood was incredibly, mind-numbingly normal. The addition of another child to our family was the only significant thing to ever-so-slightly rock my family’s boat. Yes readers, my sister is the only memorable thing to happen in my childhood. There were no deaths in the family, which is great, and also no great earth-shattering tragedies like divorce (also great).

During my teens my family relocated to central Europe. The experience changed my life and the lives of my family members for the better. The culture shock my sister and I experienced from the onset up until about a year and a half into the transition was surreal to say the least. I didn’t know mean girls existed until moving to Prague and apparently Russian transfer students in an international school had no idea that white people lived in Africa.

I thought that the jump from small-minded, somewhat bigoted and, as I experienced it, racist South Africa to Europe would untangle me from a culture so set in its old ways that it struggles to move forward, but Prague in turn had its own issues. The opportunity allowed me to realise that narrow minds are not restricted to a single continent, country or region and that cultural differences have a way to make people bump heads.

As i hit the glorious age 22 , i have come to realise quite a lot. I have realised that its time to grow up and become independent ! No more running to mummy and daddy for help , no more depending on people and no more relying on common sense but rather educating myself in such a way that i can learn from my trials and tribulations!

One thing that i have learnt is that i have to rejoice in my trials and tribulations. It is no use complaining about situations that i cannot change , but what i can change is my attitude towards them. This is the time in your life where you grow the most and this is the time of your life where your character gets moulded , so that you can become the “you” that you were meant to be all along.

I cant say that i am ready for the adult world , maybe thats why I'm still completing my degree but fact of the matter is that  i am growing into the woman that i will be proud of one day.  The type of woman that will be able to teach her daughters the power of being yourself and originality, the type of woman that will be able to show people that getting bitter doesn't help you get better. 

In all honesty i have had my fair share of disappointments , failure , heartaches and betrayal , but i am so thankful for them because they have surely groomed me into the young lady that i am today. Sadly , i sometimes wish i never went through them , but had i not , i would have most probably spiralled out of control.

In regards to my last day being 21 years of age , i realised that i have become the type of woman that walks around acting as if she's too blessed to be stressed, then it dawned on me ….. This is the key to my success thus far. The past year has gone by so fast that when i think back i look at it in a way of delight. The fact that i still have respect for people who have given me nothing to respect , the fact that i have said “it is well” more than a few times in this past year and the fact that i have looked at my past as a learning experience rather than with regret. To me this was a sign that i have grown. I am not phased by the fact that i might be the most hated person on campus  ( i could possibly be ) , i am not even phased that the person that keeps taunting me is somehow winning

in life , thats purely none of my business what he/she says about me or how they are getting ahead. 

I have realised that it’s okay to let go of my emotions , it’s okay to cry and express feelings , and its okay to be discussed because if i wasn't doing anything right i surely wouldn't be hated and discussed this much. I have learnt to love everybody. By everybody i mean every soul that has hurt me , broke me , glued me back together and every person that has never smiled back . Why? I am at peace with life and the path I'm on.  I am not comparing my life to anyone else's  because what good does that bring ? Their blessing or path is different from mine and my season will come. I am content with what i have and what i don’t. I am happy to breathe air into my lungs every morning and be with the few people ( well the 3 varsity friends ) that i have. Somehow , they have accepted me and declined all areas of negativity about me, they never let it effect them or their relationship.

As i am 24 hours away from my 22nd birthday , i realised that at this age , it doesn't matter how much money

The annual autumn graduation took place this past week and i must say the atmosphere was just unbelievable ! You might be wondering why i chose this  particular event ? I feel as though annual graduations are the best source of motivation , not only for me , but every single student at the University of the Free State. This is what you work towards. This day is the reason you stay up , this is the reason you are broke ( well in most cases ), this is the reason your parents struggle through those years ( due to financing your future ) , this is the reason you go to class , study and attempt to do well. This is the reason you miss those  “epic parties “ , because there is a bigger one waiting for you at the finish line.

It is definitely indescribable , to see academic beings start a new life with one piece of paper. The one piece of paper that changes you for the better and helps you get places in society ( well in most cases ). The piece of paper that helps you help others get to where you are. I found myself sitting by the fountain everyday watching the class of 2014 rejoice and take pride in themselves , i watched proud parents brag with their kid geniuses and of course i observed the fashion sense of most  but i still could find nothing wrong between the multi hued dresses and the weird looking suits that these graduates were wearing.

Graduation is a time of year where your success really does make the noise for you , sadly for some of us ( like myself ) , got really emotional . Why ? Well the idea of that day being so close but yet 365 days away , possibly ( if i pass and do really well ), is  unbelievable. I simply cannot wait. A few of my friends graduated and when i asked about the emotions that ran through their bodies at the time , the moment they walk onto that stage and receive the one thing that we are all here to obtain , they described it as “ surreal ” , which is understandable . I mean , here i am , crying my heart out because i am so tired , here i am , still working on assignments  at 3am and pulling all nighters . You come to the realisation that this place , this university trend , has been built to build character. To show you that all your hard work does pay off and that if you apply yourself , you could surprise yourself beyond measure. Anyone can make it in this world, but it takes a special breed to work like a slave , just to live like a king some day.

What’s even more appealing , is seeing lecturers get their masters and doctorates and seeing Prof Jansen look proud as if all these graduates were his own children . Technically there is some truth to that , otherwise he simply wouldn't be making effort to be so interactive and write letters to us on blackboard and student portal.  Another aspect of graduation that i found highly interesting was that 45% of the students that graduated ( well the ones that i had spoken to ) , didn't graduate in their class. 

They took longer than expected. One anonymous source actually stated that it took her 7 years to complete her degree / course which was 4 years. Another made it clear to me that it doesn't matter when you finish , as long as you finish. This was enough motivation to last me a lifetime.  Only now , do i fully understand , after sitting through a graduation ceremony , what it means to be educated , and how blessed we as students are to be in a position to experience something of this sort.

When one of my favourite twelebrities (a new term used to describe people made famous by twitter. Twitter + Celebrity = Twelebrity) is hosted by the University of the Free State to present a guest lecture about his book “There’s a Bantu in my Bathroom”, you do need to guess who was first in line.

The lecture was presented at the Mabaleng Auditorium, it started at exactly 7pm. Eusebius McKaiser enters the auditorium and there us a roar of applause from the quite surprisingly full venue, he graces us with a smile and thanks us for attending. To my surprise he is quite formally dressed in a suit but no tie, this totally distorts the image of him in my mind.

The lecture was refreshing and it was quite thrilling to be confronted with issues we would rather not discuss and considering the history of our university, race was the touchiest topic. The whole venue was cringing, I know this because I too was cringing and deflecting my embarrassment with uncomfortable chuckles. Once the race issue was done we eased back into the lecture conversation ranging from non-service delivery, the dreaded affirmative action, BEE and as well as the inequalities in our society that affect both Black and White. Mr McKaiser was eloquent and charming, as well as very funny even at the most uncomfortable times. This lecture was one of the best lectures I have attended on campus, next to the late Chinua Achebe’s lecture which was presented in 2012.