The day is drawing to a close - lazy legs amble to dinner, voices grow softer and heavy sighs of relief mark the end of yet another day. The fatigue seems contagious in the Oriel house, until my interviewee bounces into the once dull picture. The 1.55 cm tall Oriel House resident is a ball of energy, eager to share her experience as a first year student after taking two gap years.Jena Scheepers had the unfortunate pleasure of re-entering a learning institution after having spent two years on a working holiday visa in London in what she describes as, “the best years of my life”. Her cosmopolitan lifestyle painted a picture of shopping, sight-seeing and an amazing nightlife – enough to persuade anybody to hop onto the next flight to Heathrow.
This BA student truly valued her independence and convenient lifestyle that she led when abroad and reluctantly returned home in December 2007, to prepare for yet another lifestyle – life as a Rhodent! The 20-year-old chuckles in disbelief when she describes her transition from living the high life in London to small town life at Rhodes. “When you’ve been in the city for so long, the novelty of a small town ends very fast. I found myself wanting to go home very quickly!”, she said.
In first year, students have to adapt to many academic and emotional situations like separation anxiety, subject choices, financial issues and most importantly, facing the mystery meat on their plate each night! In addition to this, Jena had to re-establish her thirst for knowledge and adapt to being in an academic environment after having last picked up a textbook in 2005. She says that, “After two years, you forget how to write. It was all very different.” She closes her eyes as she describes how she had to convince herself that university was the next best logical step for her. This lively first-year was determined to make it work, she had to remind herself that moping was not an option and had to snap back to reality fast. Her ability to not focus on the past, allowed her to focus on her other anxieties in first year like ...finding friends! The ability to create a good impression and the concern about meeting new people formed a major speed-bump in Jena’s journey as a first year at Rhodes. It would seem that she flew right over this speed bump because, she managed to make life-long bonds with a group of fellow first-years that she fondly calls “her sisters”. Luckily, Jena shares a room with one of her “sisters” but had to learn how to share her private space without loosing her sanity. However, she explains that this is not the worse thing about living in res, instead she hates having to pack up her room during breaks.
Eight months and 179 days later, Jena has made it through her first year successfully (with most of her sanity intact).When she thinks about her time, she bursts into a roar of contagious laughter as she recalls stories of her and her friends. Stories involving the “dining hall, naartjies and twitching eyes”...times that will forever remain etched in her memory. When asked about what she would have done differently, she says, “I would have more of an open mind about things and try to make as many friends as possible.”
Life at Rhodes will never compare to her life in London. It was an experience that she will never forget, but so is her first year as a Rhodes student. Jena learnt to adapt to her new lifestyle very fast and lives by the motto that “You will never be happier than you expect, to change your happiness, change your expectations.” She hopes to make the most of her next three years, and until she gets another opportunity to stand beside the Big Ben again, the clock tower will have to do!
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2 comments:
Hey Andrea
Jenna is my hero first of all for actually going back to University after having spent two years in one of the most glamorous places in the world. She is also my hero for of all places to study again, after London, was Rhodes University placed in the small and quaint town of Grahamstown.
Choosing Jenna as your hero shows that you place the glamorous life before education because the only reason you chose Jenna as your hero is because she actually decided to study again after her two gap-years. But nonetheless it is clear to see how brave Jenna is for actually touching a text book again. I know if I was in her situation I would have never considered leaving London for the sleepy Grahamstown.
In the eyes of Propp Jenna can be seen as a hero as she committed an act of bravery and shown admirable strength of courage by leaving the Big Ben for the quaint Clock Tower. Therefore your chose of profiling Jenna Scheepers was a wise one.
Lesh
Tzvetan Todorov defines a narrative structure in five single steps. At the beginning there is harmonious state until an event occurs which disrupts this pleasant state. Later there is an attempt to restore the disrupted state which will thereafter create a new form of melodious state. Jenna Sheepers’ life story can be represented in this form of narrative structure designed by Todorov.
Jenna’s life was pleasant while she was in London. The two years spent in London was described by her to be: “the best years of her life.” The disruption of this can be the ending of her two year working holiday visa which expired. Jenna’s recognition of this disruption sent her back to South Africa where she entered a tertiary education facility to allow her to continue with her life. Her restored state of harmony is her acceptance of her life at present.
Jenna was chosen to be interviewed because she has had a very different experience thus far in her life than other first year students.
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