Campus Help

In hopes of giving you as many tips and top advice as possible in O-week 2010, we brought in our ’shoulder to cry on’, our ‘pillar of strength’ and best of all ‘person most likely to jam it up on a night out’… girls and guys… Roza Carvalho

My brief is to provide you, the fresh meat, with some meaningful advice. Impart my hard earned knowledge and invaluable life experience to your malleable first year brains. Well kids, that was lesson one. People like me and anyone not a first year will think it their divine right to give you their often crappy and condescending opinion. I will freely admit that I don’t know anything for certain. I barely made it through O-week, scraped through first year, tenuously maintained my sanity through second year and cruised through third year. All I can offer are a few of my observations. Like the insane amount of finger food that you will be offered during this great week, feel free to gorge greedily or pass, rather dejectedly.

The purple O-week helpers are a little scary. Their absolute joy at getting an O-week do-over can make them seem like very nice crack addicts. Little do they know, they won’t spend their week enjoying the nocturnal entertainment Grahamstown has to offer, but will, plastic bag in hand, be doing a lot of cleaning up. Lesson two, under no circumstances become an O-week helper. If the next few days aren’t your best, come back next year, with a digs or a friend in digs. Don’t completely write off Rhodes’ little purple elves though – they can give you directions, help with administration et cetera.

Lesson three, residence social mixers and O-week events are awkward. Perhaps I’m just socially challenged. The intentions are admirable, but after the usual “Where are you from?” “What are you studying?” conversation fillers are exhausted, you’ll be left staring at your shoes. Or maybe not, make the awkwardness your friend. Relax a little and go with it.

I wouldn’t bother with the walking tours or those lecture introduction things. You’ll eventually find your way around, Rhodes isn’t that big. Most of the stuff they say in those introductory lectures is in the handbook. Maybe if you’re not certain about that last subject choice give it a try. You can always change after the first week of lectures anyway. The only tour worth taking is the library one. Do it!

Now to address ‘going out’. Many Rhodents spend more energy applying themselves to maintaining our raucous reputation than their final term essay.

Why shouldn’t they? Grahamstown has so many fine establishments, all of which cater to a varied range of tastes and personalities. However, I would rather have spent my first O-week nights cradling my duvet in the fetal position. The crowds, the projectile vomiting, Friars – memories I need to let go of. Again, maybe I’m socially challenged. Second last lesson – tailor your experience to how you’re feeling. Go out, don’t go out. Go to Slipstream instead of Rat. Cuddle your teddy or cuddle a random.

I have no great words of wisdom for my final lesson. Don’t try too hard. Enjoy it – even the shitty terrible parts will make for good stories. The truly hard part is the Monday after O-week, the beginning of the rest of your year. Do what you have to do. Be happy. Be safe. Have a smashing good time kids!