Flavour for survival

Hello my innocent friend

You have come to an important time in your life, whereby you’re choosing what path you are going to follow from here on out. Your road starts here at Rhodes; hopefully you will get to where you are going. There will be lots of good times ahead for you, but don’t get caught up in all the fun that your new found freedom has to offer. It is often said that with great power comes great responsibility. Academically as well, you must be sure of what you want to do, because you don’t to chop and change courses and degrees during your time here. You must enjoy what you’re studying.
With all the seriousness having been said, you will also meet a lot of new people, be it in res should you live there, or in your digs. This is also what fun in this place is about. Lifelong bonds are made here. It’s that you get that sense of belonging to a community, unlike most of these bigger institutions. Should you happen to want to drink, you have heard from family and other people who are here about the university’s drinking reputation. This is true, and indeed part of the Rhodes student culture, just know that a pint of beer every now and then is not a bad thing, but should you have too much then you are on the road to being an alcoholic. I can tell you that the morning after is never cool, and last year there were quite a few of those for your boet over here. That then is not why your parents and/or sponsors gave so much money for you to come here. Have a belter of an O-week broer.

No seal-clubbing there neh. Party hard, work harder.
Your big boy, Mnix.

A letter to my younger self

A letter to my younger self

Dear friend I am writing you this letter, to let you know more about university life. University years are some of the best years that you may experience but there is more involved than you can imagine. Coming to university may sound like so much fun and it is because you are away from your parents or guardians and not only have the freedom to do as you please but also the responsibility. There are many aspects of university life that you should be aware of such as socially, culturally and most importantly academically. The most important aspect of coming to university is of course your academic work. You should never take it for granted because you will fall through the cracks. Also if you choose subjects make sure that it is what you want to do and that you stayed committed, you will get to know the library very well. If you do mess up, remember that university is your stage to make mistakes so that when you are an adult you do not repeat regrettable mistakes. Once you come to university you will explore and experience an advanced world. You should definitely have fun but remember that there are many challenges you will be faced with including boys, peer pressure, drugs and alcohol and that you must be cautious. There are so many exciting aspects of university life such Trivarsity, joining societies to keep you busy and if you are in residence then there will be balls, cocktail parties and all sorts of entertainment. However there is a sad reality of break-ins, mobbing and date rapes but if you take care of yourself and walk with friends you are almost guaranteed to be safe. One last thing have fun, do your work and this is the time to learn more about you, so do not let anyone mess it up for you. Have a pleasurable time and enjoy o-week. Yours sincerely Persome Oliphant

Letter to my younger self

Dear my apprehensive younger self

Coming to university has been an incredible journey to say the least.Incredible in the sense that it has opened my eyes up to a world, that I was obviously unfamiliar with, a world that has certain alarming elements, unbeknownst to someone who is yet to come to university.

Some of these elements or obstacles,include making friends or rather finging that group of people you feel comfortable with, much like the group of friends you had at school. A group of people who would laugh with you, and not at you, and a group of people who would not belittle you and find the fact that you try to maintain a good work ethic, a joking matter.
A group of people who would not make you doubt yourself but rather encourage you, and not make you feel like a loser if you don't go out to Equlibrium every night.
You know it's funny; people always go on and on about university, about the "good times" and parties. Granted there are a lot of these, people also say that you will make "tons of friends". As I said the first two ring true but making friends is not that easy. I know that you are a friendly and sociable person by nature, but what you may find at university is that making real friends becomes a task. It is so sad to see people losing themselves and conforming to 'systems', systems that they do not know, systems that they feel they should be a part of so that they can be cool.
'Cultures' such as the excessive usage of alcohol are plenty.
"ok lets go out and get totally wasted tonight" is a line you will hear more often than not. Do not misunderstand what I am saying; I am all for going out, neither am I anti-alcohol but I don't think that alcohol is necessary for you to have a good time. Surely the whole point of you going out and having those much spoken about good times, is for you to remember them?
I am not preaching to you at all, I just do not want you to disappoint yourself by losing yourself because you think that you have to fit in. I am just opening up your eyes to the fact that at times, making friends may not be that easy to do.
University does come with its pro's and con's, as do most things in life and it is good to be aware of these so that you are not a complete and utter wreck if you have not made friends, not acquaintances but friends, and there is a huge difference between the two.

I am not trying to scare you, university is an awesome place to learn and experience life. Thise is advice that I am offering, based on issues that you may or may not be faced with.
;)

A Letter to Young Naivety

To a young version of naivety,

The envelope of this letter said it was to be opened only at 20:00 on a Thursday evening. And if you’re reading this then it means that time has come… and I know exactly what it is you are settling down to do right now – watch the latest episode of One Tree Hill, right? And while you watch the scenes of this fictional plot, you can’t help but relate their lives to your own. I know that you do this because I used to do exactly the same.
However, I am writing this in the hope of shedding some light on the future that awaits you at Rhodes University. I want you to know that during your first year, you will probably have to cope with how easily your expectations can change and how often disappointments can arise because I know that you are full of hope, hope that all your dreams are about to start coming true!

The reality is that yes, you are going to have an amazing life down in Grahamstown, you really will be blessed with more than heart could ever desire! But, your first year at university is still going to be a year of difficulty and hard work. With all the blessings, you will also have to face setbacks in many aspects of life. Your social life will be the greatest party all year round, and you will meet people who will become the type of friends you keep for life. Your academic studies will open your mind and challenge any preconceptions you have about society. All the good and bad days that have already formed your life will be nothing compared to the experiences you’ll find here!

But it won’t always be easy. At times it will seem as though for the first time in your life, you have lost your way too far to come back. And while this is scarier than can be imagined, the strength you gain while finding your way back, will be the strength you’ll rely on for the rest of life’s obstacles. This strength will give you unbreakable faith in yourself, what you stand for and how you fight for your dreams.

But for now, enjoy you favourite TV show, you’ll love downloading it from DC++ next year! I wanted you to read this before you watched because of the following quote from One Tree Hill… Rewrite it, stick it on your mirror and live each and every day by it ok!? Great=)

“Make a wish and place it in your heart. Anything you want, everything you want. Do you have it? Good. Now believe it can come true. You never know where the next miracle is gonna come from, the next smile, the next wish come true. But if you believe that it's right around the corner, and you open your heart and mind to the possibility of it, to the certainty of it… You just might get the thing you're wishing for. The world is full of magic. You just have to believe in it. So make your wish. Do you have it? Good. Now believe in it. With all your heart.”