This past week has been by far the most eventful week this term with: tests, assignment hand-ins, tutorials (one deadline after another) and lots of other delightful events as well. I sometimes felt like I couldn’t breathe, the pressure was just too overwhelming and I often had to remind myself why I’m here and why I put myself through such “torture”, as I often like to call it.  You see exams are nearly here, in fact they’re just lurking around the corner, and like most students panic mode is beginning to creep in. One wonders whether they’re ready and what fruits shall come of their labour. All is not gloom and doom though because end of semester also means end of the semester parties. Rhodents never fail to amaze me! They find every reason to have a “mare”/party. Common excuses are often, “it’s the end of the week let’s celebrate” and end of semester is no different. What a roller coaster year it has been though, one could say that having a “mare” is justified! Although the end of the week took a turn for the better, or worst, still remains to be seen.

Earlier this year I decided it was high time I did something about my inability to stand in front of a large crowed and say what’s on my mind. I think this fear started when I was in primary school and I reached the dreaded teens. Like most I developed acne, it was to be expected though because my mom, aunt and cousins had all had it. It didn’t make it any easier though even though home was my safe haven the rest of the world wasn’t. I was teased endlessly about it! I was called names from gravel face to speed bumps etc. It wasn’t pleasant at all and it made me dread going to school I’d even pretend to be sick just because I didn’t want to face the world and how cruel it can be. By the time I reached high school I’d mastered the art of keeping to myself, yes I became a book worm! Everyone knew where to find me during lunch break, in the classroom going through the work we’d just covered in class, just so I could avoid interacting with the other pupils. But even that couldn’t save me from having to give speeches in the language classes. 

This year I decided enough was enough! It’s time I said goodbye to sweaty palms and minor anxiety attacks every time anyone mentioned that I had to present something in front of an audience. It was time I put the butterflies into formation so I joined Toastmasters, a friend of mine had been trying to recruit me since first year but I’d never been able to bring myself to attend any of their meetings and find out what it’s about. Every time he mentioned it I’d say “I’ll join next year my dear friend” and so the routine went. Beginning of the semester however, I did my level 1 speech where I had to introduce myself to the audience. The speech was to be between 4-6minutes long! I remember thinking to myself “what could I possibly say about myself that would last for such a long time, are these people crazy!” but I was determined to get it over and done with. So I presented my speech and realised that they weren’t looking at my face and how bad my acne is but genuinely wanted to hear what I had to say, they wanted to know more about me, not when did I start developing acne! And they certainly weren’t trying to give me advice on how I could get “rid” of it.

I’m proud to say that I’m in the committee for this very society, as treasurer to be exact, and I’m looking forward to presenting my next speech later this week. I do have to admit that I’m nervous but when the butterflies in my stomach start doing summersaults I’ll simply tell them “its show time so get with the program”! 

We often plan how we want our lives to turn out, the standard or normal life plan usually to finish high school, attend varsity where you meet you’re life partner (if you haven’t met them already that is) and you graduate. Then enter into the “big bad world” of responsibilities and 9am – 5pm jobs, oh the joys! This is not all gloom and doom however, because one often hopes to become an industry leader in their chosen profession and follow in the foot steps of idols such as Oprah Winfrey, Donald Trump, Bill Gates and Trevor Manual (the list is endless!). Only to get married a few years down the line and live happily ever after.

It all sounds so wonderful and exciting doesn’t it? But, more often that not, how your life turns out depends on one critical point in your life. A point where you had to make a life changing decision of what subject choices to study and what it is exactly that you want to do with your life. Some follow the traditional conservative office job approach; what I'd like to call playing it "safe", they want to become Doctors, Lawyers and even Accountants. While others, are slightly more adventurous and want to become Astronauts, Fireman and even Surfers.

We all have our various reasons for pursuing our chosen professions, whether it's simply to annoy our sometimes overbearing, although they mean well, parents or fulfilling a life long dream that will ensure financial stability as well as independence. Whatever reasons we have for our individual pursuits, the one thing we all have in common is the desire to succeed and be happy. We thus all partake on a journey to better ourselves. We seek education, knowledge as well as wisdom and thus end up in varsity. Unfortunately, some don’t end up at their first choice universities but they make the most of their varsity experience at whichever university they end up.

So you make it past matric, get good grades and you begin to think to yourself “yes I’ve made it”! So what’s next? The daunting thought of where do you go from there, how will you manage, will you even be able to manage and last but certainly not least, if you’re not from a financially stable family, where will the thousands of Rands required  magically appear from. Then one begins to wonder “where did the years go and how did I get here so fast”, well at least now one begins to understand how our parents felt when we moved form being innocent little toddlers to irresponsible teenagers with ranging hormones.

At this point getting a job might be appealing and one begins to wonder what thoughts were going through their mind when they set their sights so high in the first place. Well, I say to you dream and dream big! My former English teacher, back in the days, used to say aim for the moon so that if, and not when, you fall, you’ll fall among the stars.