It's not in the shoes but, in the walk.

Dear naughty,

You are standing there in the middle of the club, with a skirt shorter than a bandana accompanied by the liquid your dad told you to never touch. Head spinning hips swinging- you have never seen the world from this view. Your friends saw that you couldn’t take anymore but yet they rolled up a joint and waved it in your face. You started smiling but deep down your stomach was oozing with drunkenness and your conscious fighting the future decision you are bound to make. Your legs started to move but you did not know where to stop naughty girl, don’t do it. Remember when you were supposed to study for the Journalism test, but instead you partied a storm up at Equilibrium. This is not for you and you know it. Love you’re self and you will be loved. You are young my love, why rush to become a woman. But you kept moving the next thing you know you are outside passing the joint amongst the people in the circle. Your friend next to you looked at you and smiled, as if you have just been initiated. You just fell into the deepest hole and did not even realize it. Stumbling back into the club, you did not know who you were. Your friends were concerned but, only because they were under the influence of marijuana…

As time flew by, so did you. The night ended with you on your bed and pure darkness…

Yours sincerely

Eyes wide shut

Been there, done that...got the jacket!

Dear me,

You may think that this letter is strange at first but I am who you will become so keep reading...it’s for your own good.At this stage, you probably can’t wait to escape the confinement of high school, but let me tell you friend that university is more than parties, fun and the occasional lecture. There are other issues that crop up along the way...like fashion! You may not believe it, but deciding what to wear every morning will take up a substantial amount of your time.

Grahamstown weather is somewhat unpredictable. Sometimes you will experience four seasons in a day so when you pack, I hope that you are more practical than ambitious. However, this doesn’t mean you need to abandon your style completely. Oh and you will soon find that you have become a frequent customer at Mr. Price as this is one of (only) eight clothing stores. Yep, that’s the small town life of Grahamstown!You can’t really escape fashion here at Rhodes, people express their creativity through their fashion but sometimes everybody ends up looking the same. For example, at least twice a day you should encounter someone with a Steve Biko/Che Guevara (or some freedom fighter) imprinted on an item of clothing. People here seriously embrace their inner political activist / hippie through their fashion.

Do you remember the time when someone accused you of stealing a jacket just because you wore an identical one? And then, you had to prove that the jacket was indeed yours. Yes, people are serious about fashion here and somehow it always turns political.Just remember to wear you genes with pride, first year is going to be the year when you create first impressions and learn new things about your strength of character.

Trust me – been there, done that, got the jacket!

Yours in spirit
Me

Dear mini-me

Dearest mini-me

Wow, I can’t believe that it’s been almost nine months since you’ve embarked on the journey that is university. I can still remember your nervous excitement during that excruciating eleven hour drive to Grahamstown, followed by that sinking feeling when you finally pulled into High Street and realised just how small town really is.

Little did you know how familiar you would become with town and all its little streets as well as how the quaintness of Grahamstown would grow on you, despite its rather limited shopping scene. So, instead of indulging in one of your favourite pastimes, shopping, you have to find other ways to keep busy, be it taking make-up lessons with friends, having spur of the moment “sleepovers” or movie nights in Res and more importantly experimenting with and learning cook all the important food groups namely: chips, popcorn, cheese, noodles and croissants in the microwave!

Another great way to make use of your somewhat limited free time is by taking driving lessons. It’s a great move toward independence but believe you me, it doesn’t come without its ups and downs. No, you didn’t injure yourself or anyone else for that matter...well...not yet, but you did however fail the road test. Now, I know you’re probably upset by this news but don’t let it get to you. In hindsight, failure was just what you needed to keep you level headed especially as all the other aspects of your life were going well and you started to view the world through rose tinted glasses.

Looking back and considering all your reservations about leaving the comfort and security of home, I would say that you really have nothing to worry about. Rhodes is great, well except at the end of short terms when you’re swamped with work and have to meet seemingly impossible deadlines. Other than that, I’m sure that you’ll find this never ending adventure and quest for self-discovery and independence to be quite fulfilling. You will also meet some of the most amazing and interesting people here. You’ll also see more bare feet in your first two weeks here, than you’ve seen your whole life!

I’d like to leave you with a word of advice before you embark on this journey: take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way, you’ll soon discover that it really is worth it and remember what Bliss Blass says, “when in doubt, wear red”!

Bon Voyage!

Love,
Your older and slightly wiser self