Updates!

What a crazy four months this has been!


I love being back at school. I love being busy again, and I love waking up in the morning to face a day filled with things to do.


And those things have kept me BUSY! Some days I would leave the house at 8 am and not return until 11 pm. Needless to say, I also love my Sunday-morning periods of laziness. But it’s been worth all of that running around (especially when I look in the mirror to find that more than 20 pounds have disappeared!).


First of all, classes have been going very well. Initially I was worried that it’d be a bit difficult to get back into the swing of things academically after such long hiatus, but it’s been a very easy transition. I’m able to connect the concepts discussed in different courses with my actual life experience, almost on a daily basis. I’m thrilled to be able to fulfil another minor dream of mine and learn French (how’s this for globalization: I’m basically an American, studying a European language at an African university, with a professor who is Brazilian). Also, I’ve noticed how learning French is a mini-tradition in my family: mom studied it in college, and my sister did in high school.


Since my undergraduate degree program takes only three years to complete, I’m considering either an Honours degree, or a Master’s. Two different people in the last two weeks have told me that they saw a doctorate in my future, so perhaps there’s that in my future as well…


On the extracurricular side, things are just as interesting. I’m now a front page journalist (visit UCT’s Varsity Newspaper)! Working on the paper has sharpened my journalistic talents, and has helped me to improve my interview techniques. I covered a speech given in April, and that was a great exercise in filtering out the rhetoric and getting to the “meat” of what was being said.


On the radio, we’ve hired a new station manager, who is dedicated to taking the station to new heights. He’s given me a semi-promotion, so that in addition to doing general news, I’ll also have a daily business news report! During this vacation I’ll be busy researching for that.


I’ve also joined the sub-committee of the Cape Town Globalist, which is the student-run current/global affairs magazine (similar to TIME Magazine), as a contributor and sub-editor. This is a great chance to get more experience writing and editing.


Our choir had two beautiful concerts this semester, as well as a two-day workshop, and if I can brag for a minute, we performed beautifully! I can already see improvements in my own singing, which is always nice. We’re going on a charity benefit tour in September, which I’m helping to plan, and for which we are all excited.


And, next year I will be an Orientation Leader! This is something I knew I wanted to do the minute my own orientation started, and I’m definitely looking forward to welcoming all the freshmen next year. It’ll be a great leadership and teamwork experience. And it doesn’t hurt that it means I get to spend more time in Cape Town…and it REALLY doesn’t hurt that it’s a paid position.


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So school is going very well, but what about life in general? Well, this week marks one full year of my living in South Africa. WOW. It has gone by so quickly. So, a few observations after a year of living here:


-Compared to other African (and other) countries, I’m very fortunate to be in South Africa. While the country does have it’s problems, it’s one of the, if not the largest, economies in sub-Saharan Africa, and there are many things we have here that people in other countries can only dream about. I’m privileged to be attending a world-class university, with a parent who is gainfully employed. We have access to good health care. The country’s constitution grants us many freedoms that others in the world do not have. The nation serves as an example to surrounding nations.


-I’ve managed to teach myself to stop speaking Spanish so often. Learning it in high school, and interacting with Spanish-speaking people in the US as often as I did, I was unaware of just how integrated Spanish was into my vocabulary. It’s funny when I order quesadillas here because I have to mispronounce the word for people to understand me.


-The winter holidays absolutely do not compare to those in the States. I don’t just miss the snow and the winter cold, I miss the festivity! There’s no real holiday spirit here that I’ve noticed—people seem more excited to have time off from work. Instead of Christmas carols, all I heard around Christmas was more house music. Depressing.


-I HATE IMMIGRATION.


-Customer service here, in some aspects, isn’t that great. This relates to the immigration issue a bit, but I’ve found in one or two cases that I’ve almost had to beg people to do their jobs. And the bigger problem I see is that people here are used to it, and therefore don’t challenge it.


-Speaking of challenging things, I’ve definitely become more assertive. I certainly like the realization as I get older that I don’t have to take crap. I’m more in touch with myself than ever before, and it’s easier for me to voice opinions that I might have otherwise internalized. I know what I want and am driven to do what it takes to succeed.


-No matter where I am, and no matter what flavour of mess is going on in my life, I continue to be blessed with great friends, for whom I am eternally grateful.


Of course, not everything is perfect. There's family drama, as always. I could always use more money haha. I miss my family and friends in the US like you wouldn’t believe (and that means YOU!).


But honestly, I’m a lot better off.



Listen: "I Choose" -- India.Arie

On My Grind.

You will just have to forgive me in the coming months. This being busy thing is no joke, and unfortch, the number of updates here may diminish a bit, although I will work hard to make sure that does not happen.

In addition to taking English, Media and Society, Sociology, and French, all of which meet every day, I am writing for the school newspaper, writing for the student-run global current events magazine, doing the news for the radio station, and singing in the choir. I'm going to try to fit in a part time job in there somewhere, somehow (but don't be fooled; I still take donations! haha). Add cooking dinner, finding time to clean the apartment, grocery shopping, and numerous other errands/meetings/discussion groups, setting up my empire (people will KNOW MY NAME en masse by the end of this year), finding time to relax...I need a secretary.

Real pictures soon, hopefully! Still working on getting the camera fixed. Much love!


Listen: "Work It Out" - Beyoncé

Right Your Wrongs

I'm pretty certain that everybody has a story or experience in which they offended someone, but for whatever reason has yet to apologize for their actions. Perhaps you didn't realize the effect you had until it was too late. Perhaps you think too much time has passed for your apology to sound sincere. Maybe you're struggling with that guilt everyday but have no idea, or are too ashamed, to make things right. Perhaps you feel that the gap between you and the people you've hurt is too great to mend.

My advice is simple: just do it. Even if it's been years and years, just do it. Often we don't realize just how far reaching our actions can be--they have to power to influence people for years and years. Even if you can't be there in person to express your contrition, make a phone call, write a letter, hire a skywriter--do something. Perhaps that simple action will make all the difference. And even if it doesn't, maybe you'll even sleep a little better at night knowing that you've done your best. Part of growing, I believe, is not only learning how your mistakes affect you, but realizing their effects on others, and humbling yourself enough to admit your imperfections. Imagine how much more fulfilling our relationships with each other would be if everyone was willing to admit their faults. Or how much more we would respect each other if we were willing to do whatever it takes to make things right. So, do it! You have the power!

I guarantee you that you'll be a much happier person if you do. By showing others enough respect to admit what you've done wrong, you'll be better able to respect yourself.

Keep It Together!

One of the most beneficial personal traits one can possess is organization. Being organized allows one to have more focus concerning the activities of one's everyday life, both in the workplace and in the home. With proper organization, goals and tasks can be accomplished quickly and efficiently. Also, organization is something people recognize and appreciate in others; it depicts strong focus, a solid work ethic, and indicates a clear, straight-forward way of thinking.

Personally, I try to stay very organized, and it has served me well in group projects or other environments where people were depending on me. Does this mean that my room is always flawlessly clean? Or that I haven't occasionally lost things? Absolutely not. But by developing a method of organization, I rarely have either of those problems.

Perhaps it was my mother who influenced me in this way. Some would call her a neat freak (a trait of hers which, having seen the alternatives, I love), but she really only had two tricks when it came to keeping home and office: 1)Keep everything in its place, and 2) Clean as you go.

Proper cleaning (dusting, vacuuming, etc.) is something everybody should do on a regular basis, so for now I'm going to leave that one alone and focus on #1--keeping everything in its place. This means designating one particular spot for certain things, and sticking to it. I keep all of my extension cords, power adapters, and other cords/wires, for example, in one specific drawer in my room. This ensures that I will always know where to look for any of these items when the need for them arises, and that I won't spend half an hour looking for something. And by keeping the entire home like that, it's easy to keep things tidy--and especially easy to return things to a state of tidiness in a rush.

While those things refer to the more domestic areas of organization, the topic is one that extends into one's thought processes, activities, and endeavors. I'm not saying that people have to be neat freaks in order to accomplish the things they want to, but (speaking from experience) a bit of togetherness never hurt.

This especially applies to people in all areas of leadership. As a leader, being organized means being able to communicate clearly with all involved parties, knowing all of the important factors pertinent to the project, extensively planning ahead (for every contingency), and being able to recall or quickly access information when necessary. If the leader is organized, the whole group benefits--flourishes, even.

Which is why, I suppose, I get extremely irritated when people who don't possess these traits (as not everyone does, but I believe everyone can get there if they try) attempt to lead. I'm currently working on a project right now with a good friend who fits that description. It's unfortunate, really, because I really would like to be involved, and I believe I can bring a lot to this project. What kills me is the lack of communication throughout the entire project. Rarely do I receive communication directly from said leader; instead, I hear about group meetings (if and when they occur) and such simply by happenstance. I'm not asking for miracles, mind you, but let me know what's going on! Things about this project keep changing, nothing is really solidified, and I'm sourly awaiting that frantic last-minute phone call that always arrives in situations like this. It's odd, really, when, in this age of Facebook Group messages, MySpace nulletins, email list-serves, hell, even group text messages--communication from one person to a group of others should be a non-issue. All of this has led me to a lack of faith in the success and fruition of the project as a whole, and a lack of faith and trust in the leader--sad because we're friends.

Granted, this may be the first time this person has attempted anything like this, a situation with which I can certainly understand and identify. Personally, however, in that situation I would make even more organizational strides that normal, but to each his own, right?

My advice to people considering leadership--in any forum--is simple: If you want to take the reins, be sure you are able to handle them! And, please, please, please...

Keep it together!




Listen: Danity Kane - Hold Me Down

There's a Leak In This Old Building...

...And My Soul Has Got to Move!


So begins the transition. The nest is crackling, not by any fault of its own, but rather I have outgrown it. No longer can I rest within its warm and familiar enclosures. It's time to move.

If everything had worked out perfectly (ha!) and I had been graduating college on time, this would be my last year; Graduation Day would be imminent and I would finally be free to move on to bigger and better things. You know, get my own place, a good job, and start building my life. While my life has deviated from what I thought it should/would be, it is time to free myself, to force myself to move on. I'm not a child any longer, I am a man, an adult. An intelligent, independent, self-sufficient adult who is capable of doing whatever he chooses. As such, I need to let myself be that adult. I need to stop living in fear of the future, to stop living in fear of change. These fears are justifiable, of course; I'm currently in the process of preparing to leave everything I've ever known: home, country, history, economy, government, culture, friends that become family. But no longer will these fears paralyze me, no longer will they keep me stagnant. I can't stay in this situation and expect to grow or become anything substantial. It's not beneficial to me to sit around and do nothing, and it's certainly not beneficial to anyone else.

Where this will take me, I'm not quite sure. I know the first step is returning to South Africa, where I can gain even the most basic things that are unavailable to me here. A car, for one. A legitimate, stable job. A home of my own. Not shared (unless I choose to), but mine. In short, a life. Perhaps I'll work for a while, then start school again. I'm not quite sure yet. But this will give me an opportunity to 1) connect with my family, and in turn connect with myself; 2) truly experience self-sufficiency in full, an environment in which I absolutely thrive; and 3) open myself to the entire world. Going to South Africa does not mean staying there forever. Here, I am limited to these four borders; upon leaving, the whole world is mine. And there are so many places I'd love to go--Australia, Japan, Spain, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Jamaica and the Caribbean--so much for me to explore and discover. No longer can I limit myself to what I see those around me doing.

It's almost like an itch, really. I feel that I can only go so far in Easton, as if there is some sort of glass ceiling, and I can see beyond it to where I should truly be. It's an itch that's growing increasingly difficult to assuage. An itch that says, Go! Go! Go!

Not to say I haven't enjoyed my time here. It's a part of me, and it's part of what made me who I am. The lessons learned and the experiences had are irreplaceable. The people will always be a part of my heart and my being. It's time now to apply all those experiences and lessons and, well, fly. It may be a journey I'll have to fly alone, but I believe i'm ready for it.

Graduation Day is here.




Listen: Beyonce - World Wide Woman