Nabil's Blog: Confused!#links
your post was an eye opener to many, and as i have written an article on coping with first year university, my post seems so irrelevant compared to urs. i realised your situation is far more intense and heart sore. the issues i dealt with are leaving home an adjusting to the new life and choosing subjects correctly. your post is touching and deals with students who are unable to use their degrees. my heart also bleeds to every Iraqi student who cannot finish his degree. you cannot give up and with faith and hope,things should improve there.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Reply to an Opinion piece
This is a reply to an opinion piece labelled “lecture theatre relationships”
On blog site - Tales from a rhodent
Firstly, I would like to agree with your statement that there is definitely a problem with first year students and lecturers this term. I am quite aware that there seems to be unease in the lectures, but as students we need to adapt to the lecturers way of teaching, and if this means keeping quiet in class, then we should! Respect has to be earned and in order for the lecturer to respect you, you have to respect him and the manner in which he teaches. I think you generalised in terms of faculties, as I know of several Bcom students who leave their theatres half way through the lectures. All lecturers are different, and the fact that that our previous lecturer Priscilla Boshoff also had a problem with the level of noise, does not give a good impression to JMS1 students. The first time Sim pointed out talking in his class should have been a lesson for the rest of us, but people still continued to talk, even after his requests. In my opinion that is rude, and if you don’t want to be at the lecture, you shouldn’t bother coming, it is a distraction to the class and to the lecturer when a student leaves half way through a presentation. Lectures are optional, so instead of disrupting the class, rather not attend and cause bad relations with the lecturer. Although the fault lies partly with us, I also think that lecturers should aim to make the lectures more interesting in order to gain the students full attention.
On blog site - Tales from a rhodent
Firstly, I would like to agree with your statement that there is definitely a problem with first year students and lecturers this term. I am quite aware that there seems to be unease in the lectures, but as students we need to adapt to the lecturers way of teaching, and if this means keeping quiet in class, then we should! Respect has to be earned and in order for the lecturer to respect you, you have to respect him and the manner in which he teaches. I think you generalised in terms of faculties, as I know of several Bcom students who leave their theatres half way through the lectures. All lecturers are different, and the fact that that our previous lecturer Priscilla Boshoff also had a problem with the level of noise, does not give a good impression to JMS1 students. The first time Sim pointed out talking in his class should have been a lesson for the rest of us, but people still continued to talk, even after his requests. In my opinion that is rude, and if you don’t want to be at the lecture, you shouldn’t bother coming, it is a distraction to the class and to the lecturer when a student leaves half way through a presentation. Lectures are optional, so instead of disrupting the class, rather not attend and cause bad relations with the lecturer. Although the fault lies partly with us, I also think that lecturers should aim to make the lectures more interesting in order to gain the students full attention.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
There was a time when proving yourself or fitting in simply meant getting the right clothes and having a bad attitude but fashion does not last long and what is in today could be called vintage tomorrow. Nowadays the new trends have changed and what we used to call a trend such as fashion is gradually falling behind as something harder to stop becomes the new way to make yourself feel like you are fitting in. These days you don’t just get into a click and immediately fit in, you have to get in, fit in and make sure you maintain that position at all costs…no matter what the costs. Keeping up with the Jones’ is something most students in first year will do just about anything to do and keep, even to the detriment of their academics and sometimes even their lives. This trend is one that is taking over slowly but surely, this is a trend that is very much alive in most if not all universities, this trend is alcohol abuse.
There are a few students who choose not to even venture into the scary woods of alcohol in the fear of getting lost in there forever but then you find those who choose to explore, live a little and experiment since first year is all about experimenting in order to gain experience. Most students in first year are on the verge of being alcoholics and this is indicative in the way they party, their dependency on alcohol and their conduct once they have consumed too much alcohol. There are students who start partying from as early as Wednesday with the full intention of skipping lectures for the rest of the week since they know it will be pretty hard to get up for lectures if they have hangovers. Rhodes University is infamous for being the ‘drinking capital’ and even though many campaigns, such as getting societies to stop giving free alcohol, have been implemented by the school to try and curb the amount of alcohol consumed by students there are still those who drink too much alcohol and it has become a norm to forget what happened on Friday night.
Friday nights are usually packed with countless students drinking and ‘having fun’ as they call it, not realising that some of them are pretty close to going over the edge and depending solely on alcohol to have fun. No matter how sick they get, they still keep drinking and despite the effects of drinking, they still carry on in order to fit in or prove to others that they can have as many drinks as possible without getting drunk. The boys cheer each other on and laugh at each others actions when they are drunk while the girls just do it for the fun of it or to have a better time because they feel that when they are drunk they have more fun. Some students even take it to the extreme by drinking in private spaces; they drink in the comfort of their rooms in order to motivate themselves to study or to calm themselves down just before a test or an exam. These types of students are so immune to alcohol that they do not even get drunk; instead alcohol has become like a drug to them and has a calming effect as opposed to an energising effect.
As a first year coming from protective homes, first years generally get overwhelmed by the freedom they get furthermore they do not know anyone so they do just about anything to prove themselves and fit in, this is also fuelled further by peer pressure. Alcohol is a substance that should be consumed in small quantities and not drank in excess and even though your first drink might be a memorable experience (sometimes not memorable because of you forget everything), the drink after that might be the drink that could make you one step closer to being an alcoholic. Drink responsibly.
There are a few students who choose not to even venture into the scary woods of alcohol in the fear of getting lost in there forever but then you find those who choose to explore, live a little and experiment since first year is all about experimenting in order to gain experience. Most students in first year are on the verge of being alcoholics and this is indicative in the way they party, their dependency on alcohol and their conduct once they have consumed too much alcohol. There are students who start partying from as early as Wednesday with the full intention of skipping lectures for the rest of the week since they know it will be pretty hard to get up for lectures if they have hangovers. Rhodes University is infamous for being the ‘drinking capital’ and even though many campaigns, such as getting societies to stop giving free alcohol, have been implemented by the school to try and curb the amount of alcohol consumed by students there are still those who drink too much alcohol and it has become a norm to forget what happened on Friday night.
Friday nights are usually packed with countless students drinking and ‘having fun’ as they call it, not realising that some of them are pretty close to going over the edge and depending solely on alcohol to have fun. No matter how sick they get, they still keep drinking and despite the effects of drinking, they still carry on in order to fit in or prove to others that they can have as many drinks as possible without getting drunk. The boys cheer each other on and laugh at each others actions when they are drunk while the girls just do it for the fun of it or to have a better time because they feel that when they are drunk they have more fun. Some students even take it to the extreme by drinking in private spaces; they drink in the comfort of their rooms in order to motivate themselves to study or to calm themselves down just before a test or an exam. These types of students are so immune to alcohol that they do not even get drunk; instead alcohol has become like a drug to them and has a calming effect as opposed to an energising effect.
As a first year coming from protective homes, first years generally get overwhelmed by the freedom they get furthermore they do not know anyone so they do just about anything to prove themselves and fit in, this is also fuelled further by peer pressure. Alcohol is a substance that should be consumed in small quantities and not drank in excess and even though your first drink might be a memorable experience (sometimes not memorable because of you forget everything), the drink after that might be the drink that could make you one step closer to being an alcoholic. Drink responsibly.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
First Year Alcoholism - you must be blind not to see it!!
This is a reply to the opinion piece entitled "Firts Years Alcoholics. . . I Protest. ." on the blog: http://intermsoftomatoes.blogspot.com . Have a look at it before reading further..
The Journal of the American Medical Association defines alcoholism as "a primary, chronic disease characterized by impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with the drug alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking." According to this definition, an alcoholic is not in fact simply someone who has to drink each and every day as is defined by this opinion piece. Therefore the entire argument is flawed, because as I am sure you will agree, there are more than just a few Rhodents who use alcohol despite its adverse consequences and beyond the limitations at which their thinking becomes distorted.
Technically, according to the definition by the Journal of the American Medical Association most Rhodes students in fact balance on the verge of alcoholism, or have toppled over it. So as a counterargument to your argument that most first year Rhodes students are not alcoholics, I would put it to you to consider that most in fact are, and I would ask you to look for a reliable medical definition of what alcoholism is before assuming that your opinion is correct. Also consider the matter of “binge alcoholics” who do not need to drink every day, but still get completely drunk on a regular basis.
The Journal of the American Medical Association defines alcoholism as "a primary, chronic disease characterized by impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with the drug alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking." According to this definition, an alcoholic is not in fact simply someone who has to drink each and every day as is defined by this opinion piece. Therefore the entire argument is flawed, because as I am sure you will agree, there are more than just a few Rhodents who use alcohol despite its adverse consequences and beyond the limitations at which their thinking becomes distorted.
Technically, according to the definition by the Journal of the American Medical Association most Rhodes students in fact balance on the verge of alcoholism, or have toppled over it. So as a counterargument to your argument that most first year Rhodes students are not alcoholics, I would put it to you to consider that most in fact are, and I would ask you to look for a reliable medical definition of what alcoholism is before assuming that your opinion is correct. Also consider the matter of “binge alcoholics” who do not need to drink every day, but still get completely drunk on a regular basis.
Just my liddle opinion.
University is a great big, trouble free bubble. Nothing but swanky soirees and unusual yet fascinating people. This is the opinion held by many a First Year.
Lies. Damn lies.
Coming from a town like Welkom (where clog-like shoes and spiral perms are still the height of sophistication and chic), I thought that moving to a university town like Grahamstown would solve all my problems.
I would never be bored or lonely. The people would be like the characters in all my favourite novels – cool intellectuals, expanding my horizons with their deeply philosophical and unique banter. Finally, I would fit in and be adored for the unique yet deeply misunderstood little snowflake that I was; free from the confines of my overly-conservative upbringing.
As with most long-held expectations, this one bombed the instant I arrived at Rhodes.
Firstly, the loneliness pounced on me like a combusting man headed for a swimming pool. The cool intellectuals, it seemed, had all gone to sun themselves at some other university. I was stuck, instead, with a group of people more pretentious than the conversations at Fashion Week.
With everyone trying to impress and make new friends, it was extremely difficult to find someone who was genuinely being themselves. The same generic chatter would surface, with band names and movie titles being dropped all about the floor around me like overworked bumblebees.
People even started to dress the same. Or if not the same, they would go the opposite route and dress like burlesque dancers and lumberjacks. I found that coming to university does not guarantee you a lifelong friendship - or even tolerable companionship – with people you will like.
People at university are harder to decode, harder to trust, and harder to hold onto than the friends you would make at school. School relationships have a longer time to develop – at varsity you learn to take what you can get just to avoid looking like a hermit/ drifter/ paedophile.
Assuming that I would fit in straight away was an even bigger lapse in brain activity. People at university were just as guarded and judgemental as the people in my hometown – they just hid it better with protestations of social liberalism and claims to open and worldly minds.
There was just as big an expectation to belong to a generic at Rhodes. Appearance was the defining factor – with everyone scrambling to find groups of people who seemed to have something in common with them.
Girls with Guess handbags paired up with girls with Guess handbags.
Boys with skinny-jeans and All Stars paired up with boys with skinny-jeans and All Stars.
Jocks with Jocks.
Preppy Kids with Preppy Kids.
Nerds with Nerds.
Hardly the liberal judgement-free Utopia I had been expecting.
Suddenly, old Welkom didn’t seem so bad. I had a mom to do everything for me, a group of friends who knew everything about me, and I had a defined identity – known to everyone about town. Here at Rhodes I was just another addict looking for a fix of popularity and companionship.
I’m not saying that Rhodes is a terrible place; it’s actually grown on me (and not like a cancer). I have found kindness, friendship and honesty. It just wasn’t as effortless a process as I had expected. Coming to university will not solve your problems – that is something you do yourself.
Sitting in your hometown and wishing the time away is the biggest mistake you can make. Enjoy that time – it’s the last time in your life where you will know anything with certainty. Expect less from university; try not to let it make you bitter.
But most of all, know that the search for the things you want is always worth it.
Lies. Damn lies.
Coming from a town like Welkom (where clog-like shoes and spiral perms are still the height of sophistication and chic), I thought that moving to a university town like Grahamstown would solve all my problems.
I would never be bored or lonely. The people would be like the characters in all my favourite novels – cool intellectuals, expanding my horizons with their deeply philosophical and unique banter. Finally, I would fit in and be adored for the unique yet deeply misunderstood little snowflake that I was; free from the confines of my overly-conservative upbringing.
As with most long-held expectations, this one bombed the instant I arrived at Rhodes.
Firstly, the loneliness pounced on me like a combusting man headed for a swimming pool. The cool intellectuals, it seemed, had all gone to sun themselves at some other university. I was stuck, instead, with a group of people more pretentious than the conversations at Fashion Week.
With everyone trying to impress and make new friends, it was extremely difficult to find someone who was genuinely being themselves. The same generic chatter would surface, with band names and movie titles being dropped all about the floor around me like overworked bumblebees.
People even started to dress the same. Or if not the same, they would go the opposite route and dress like burlesque dancers and lumberjacks. I found that coming to university does not guarantee you a lifelong friendship - or even tolerable companionship – with people you will like.
People at university are harder to decode, harder to trust, and harder to hold onto than the friends you would make at school. School relationships have a longer time to develop – at varsity you learn to take what you can get just to avoid looking like a hermit/ drifter/ paedophile.
Assuming that I would fit in straight away was an even bigger lapse in brain activity. People at university were just as guarded and judgemental as the people in my hometown – they just hid it better with protestations of social liberalism and claims to open and worldly minds.
There was just as big an expectation to belong to a generic at Rhodes. Appearance was the defining factor – with everyone scrambling to find groups of people who seemed to have something in common with them.
Girls with Guess handbags paired up with girls with Guess handbags.
Boys with skinny-jeans and All Stars paired up with boys with skinny-jeans and All Stars.
Jocks with Jocks.
Preppy Kids with Preppy Kids.
Nerds with Nerds.
Hardly the liberal judgement-free Utopia I had been expecting.
Suddenly, old Welkom didn’t seem so bad. I had a mom to do everything for me, a group of friends who knew everything about me, and I had a defined identity – known to everyone about town. Here at Rhodes I was just another addict looking for a fix of popularity and companionship.
I’m not saying that Rhodes is a terrible place; it’s actually grown on me (and not like a cancer). I have found kindness, friendship and honesty. It just wasn’t as effortless a process as I had expected. Coming to university will not solve your problems – that is something you do yourself.
Sitting in your hometown and wishing the time away is the biggest mistake you can make. Enjoy that time – it’s the last time in your life where you will know anything with certainty. Expect less from university; try not to let it make you bitter.
But most of all, know that the search for the things you want is always worth it.
Reflecting on the past.
Looking back over the past few months, reflecting on events, moments leading up to those events and finally the outcome to those events, I have come to realise how extremely productive and interesting life this term at Rhodes has been. From the many different people I have met to the gruelling assignments, all of which have played their part in moulding me into the all newly ‘improved’ person that I have become.
Planning was the key ingredient to being productive. While most 1st years were planning how to fit in an assignment and study time in-between party nights, I was juggling quality time between my wife, two boys and the dreaded DEADLINES. On a number of occasions I was met with encouragement by newly made acquaintances, but mainly by Jenni, my wife. She would often have to hand me her pair of binoculars so I could see what I stood to gain at the end of what sometimes seemed to be an endlessly long, dark and dungy tunnel.
Story ideas are not easy to fabricate. What made it even more difficult was the fact that five very different people were asked to blog on one sight, 5 In Blindsight. This is exactly what it was, blind-sight. Expected to come up with story ideas of similar genre is no easy task. One may as well be blindfolded, asked to cross a busy highway and expected to emerge on the other side with your head still attached to your shoulders.
My next reflexive thought, performance at formative meetings. What a disaster. I don’t remember us ever being able to successfully meet up with every member of the group at any given time. Not even the lure of pizza and beer, unbelievable for students I know, could get us together as a group. The only successful meetings were the compulsory ones on a Tuesday afternoon with Lindsey, our tutor.
I am not one to complain and hate the sound of my last two paragraphs. Life without challenges leads to life without growth. My personal growth in this last term is showing, if not to others, most definitely to myself. On a scale of one to ten, I give myself a nine. Being introduced to blogging has placed long term goals I have set for myself higher up the ladder. Grahamstown is going to be my home for a very long time. Blogging is a great way to be in touch with the rest of the world.
This brings me to the question of whether blogging is journalism or not. It all depends on one’s journalistic mission. For me, journalism is about having the power to make a difference. The web is growing in numbers on a daily bases. The more readers one has the bigger the difference made at the end of the day. As I have learnt the last week or so, there are many different methods one can use to have your ‘posts’ read, I just had to remember to ‘keep it real’.
Research was the key element to ‘keeping it real’. By searching the web for current affairs, topics that are more recently open for discussion, made blogging that much more meaningful. Everyday life at Rhodes aided with our blog genre. The topic “Surviving First Year” allowed for a broad and open discussion of the pros and cons of life as a 1st year. The only hitch was finding the time to ‘post’.
When ‘posting’ on a specific topic, sources become extremely valuable. By creating hyperlinks I was able to give the reader of my ‘post’ additional sources where more information could be obtained relating to the topic of discussion. The web is by far the easiest access to additional sources. A little hair-raising at times was when I had to personally interview a source. Thoughts of misquoting ran through my head. Then the question of whether or not the source would have allowed photos to be taken and even when photos were allowed, the question of which photos would have been allowed to be displayed on the blog site which potentially would be viewed by millions of people had to be answered.
Finally, it all boils down to the writing. Ethics played a major part here. I believe I was able to express myself a little easier when I was asked to comment on other blog ‘posts’. The reason for this is I sometimes felt that certain ethics of fellow bloggers were non-existent. Blogging comes with great responsibility. What was ‘posted’ became accessible to millions of people worldwide. Even if other fellow bloggers don’t care, I most certainly did and I still most certainly do.
Honest to Blog... I must just say...
This is a short reply to the opinion piece posted by "Mazet" entitled: "Homosexuality".
I hate going into arguments like this. Arguments that rest on Religion for a justification. I am a firm non-believer in what the institution of religion has come to stand for. Originally a beautiful piece of hope for millions, intended to give a structure to the world whilst giving believers the comfort of knowing that they are not alone when the lights go out - Religion has morphed into some horrific justification for the bigoted and ignorant of the world.
"Homosexuality is a sin in my eyes. It is an act of denying God's creation and God's plan with an individual's life." My veins are pumping battery acid right now. Firstly, the Bible was created in an archaic world - cultural relativism has outdated many of the practises described in the Bible.
Because we don't live in 400 AC. We don't stone people to death, we don't keep women subordinate to men and we for damn sure don't crucify people anymore. Its funny how ol' homophobe over here doesn't hate THESE positive progressions, but loathes the fact that its not fair to lynch a homo like in the good days with JC. This is a typical case of Religion being used to veil personal ignorance.
So you don't like homosexuals. I'm pretty sure they don't like you either. I'm sure lots of people don't like lots of people for lots of different reasons. Just wish you had been brave enough to admit that instead of hiding behind Jesus to make yourself look noble and good.
Homo or Hetero, we all go "Ouchies!" when we stub our toes. Whether its with men or women that you find love - love is a beautiful thing. You search your whole life to find it, and often it is shocking, unexpected and messy. But its the last redeeming factor in these times of war, destruction and tragedy. The world has bigger problems than men kissing men.
I'm sure God is more insulted by the genocides, murders and abuses being committed across the world than he is of the Transgender man/lady in Fables. Why don't we tackle all that first before we start locking up the gays? Mmmmk pumpkin?
Looky! Even Heteros can be siff -
This biggoty piecey of pseudo goodness can be found at: http://gerbilthefunkyrhodent.blogspot.com/2008/10/homosexuality.html#links
I hate going into arguments like this. Arguments that rest on Religion for a justification. I am a firm non-believer in what the institution of religion has come to stand for. Originally a beautiful piece of hope for millions, intended to give a structure to the world whilst giving believers the comfort of knowing that they are not alone when the lights go out - Religion has morphed into some horrific justification for the bigoted and ignorant of the world.
"Homosexuality is a sin in my eyes. It is an act of denying God's creation and God's plan with an individual's life." My veins are pumping battery acid right now. Firstly, the Bible was created in an archaic world - cultural relativism has outdated many of the practises described in the Bible.
Because we don't live in 400 AC. We don't stone people to death, we don't keep women subordinate to men and we for damn sure don't crucify people anymore. Its funny how ol' homophobe over here doesn't hate THESE positive progressions, but loathes the fact that its not fair to lynch a homo like in the good days with JC. This is a typical case of Religion being used to veil personal ignorance.
So you don't like homosexuals. I'm pretty sure they don't like you either. I'm sure lots of people don't like lots of people for lots of different reasons. Just wish you had been brave enough to admit that instead of hiding behind Jesus to make yourself look noble and good.
Homo or Hetero, we all go "Ouchies!" when we stub our toes. Whether its with men or women that you find love - love is a beautiful thing. You search your whole life to find it, and often it is shocking, unexpected and messy. But its the last redeeming factor in these times of war, destruction and tragedy. The world has bigger problems than men kissing men.
I'm sure God is more insulted by the genocides, murders and abuses being committed across the world than he is of the Transgender man/lady in Fables. Why don't we tackle all that first before we start locking up the gays? Mmmmk pumpkin?
Looky! Even Heteros can be siff -
This biggoty piecey of pseudo goodness can be found at: http://gerbilthefunkyrhodent.blogspot.com/2008/10/homosexuality.html#links
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