Orientation Week: Part 1

Happy Saturday!

My orientation week is now over! I am registered for my classes, which start (gasp) on Monday! To all of you people in the states… enjoy your summer :P

This week has been a bit ridiculous. Busy and relaxed at the same time. We spent the week attending organized information sessions and exploring the town and campus during unstructured time. Overall it’s felt a lot like summer camp. At the beginning of the week, everything is new and you want to try everything, you have high expectations, you could burst from anticipation (not advisable). By week’s end, the anticipation has faded and everything feels routine. Thankfully, because I know I’ll be here for a while, there are plenty of things I have yet to explore and experience. Plenty more to discover and learn, but I no longer feel like a blind baby giraffe trying to walk on a boat for the first time.

Sunday Night June 14^th

I mentioned before that Caitie and I arrived Sunday afternoon and joined the other internationals for dinner in Kimberly Hall (all the way up the hill. A giant hike, in high elevation for my first decent meal in days. More on the food later). That night we were invited into town to The Rat and the Parrot for some drinks. (Dear future employer, the drinking age is 18 here. K thanks.)

We actually went to KFC first to get some free WiFi. So American. Gillian, who is from Kentucky, got a great picture out front to show her friends and family lol

The Rat has a cool, clean pub atmosphere. It wasn’t terribly crowded (the night life picks up once all the students are back). We spent most of the evening in the upstairs area at a long table. We kind of took over and made an international students section. Not all of the internationals had arrived yet, but we took up a lot of space nonetheless.

I sat with my back to a giant projector screen that was showing cricket - a confusing sport that I’m sure someone somewhere enjoys very much. We spent the night drinking Black Label, Castle Ice, obscenely named shooters, and sinfully sweet Mojo Jam Jars. (Dear Mom, Gam, and MomMom,  not all at once I promise! Love, Your Baby Girl) It was a great way to bond and get to know one another better. We shouted across the table at one another to find out each other’s’ names, majors, hometowns etc. Met a guy, Jake, who apparently swam for one of my high school’s rival teams. I traveled around the world to meet someone who lived in the next township. Go figure! So glad I went J definitely will visit again.

Back at the res Caitie, Gillian and I stayed up really late girltalking. We didn’t have any internet set up yet so we had no reason not to enjoy each other’s company. This tech cleanse is actually pretty awesome. My only need for the internet at this point is to tell my family that I am actually alive and well at my destination.

After saying good night, I went up to my room and let my mind stop racing for a little bit. I took a much needed shower (more on the showers later) Then what should I hear but the infectious unmistakable laughter of my friend Patrick (also a WAC student). Patrick had traveled separately from me and Caitie and it was such a relief to know that we were all together at last. We caught up briefly before deciding sleeping sounded like the best thing ever.

Monday July 15^th      

                                                                                                                                                         

Our first official day of orientation began the next day. We rose bright and early (lol jk its winter here. It was dark when my alarm went off and I had no idea where I was for a solid 3 minutes) and then stumbled downstairs to the adjoining dining hall for breakfast. (I just know you wanna hear every detail about what I’ve been eating (so nosy, geez) but you have to wait)

Next we went to the Eden Grove administration building – a fairly modern looking building with a lot of offices, a diorama map of campus, and a few lecture theaters – to register as students. We waited around and got insurance and other documents photocopied before getting our student IDs printed. It’s good to know that the DMV phenomenon of cuing and waiting for IDs and paperwork is universal. They initially misprinted my name on my ID (they thought my middle name was Miss…my card said R ISS DILLIPLANE) and had to reprint it. My picture….is acceptable. Starting to feel like an official Rhodent! (Rhodes +Student. BAM!)

Overall, the whole process barely took any time at all, and our next scheduled event was a walking tour of campus in the afternoon, so we had time to walk into town for errands (lots of people needed cell phones and various living essentials). On the way back onto campus from town for our lunch we stopped at a coffee place called Under the Arch.

Let me make this very clear. I love coffee. 90% sure I’m addicted to it and it is one of my favorite things in this world. Black, sugary, hot, cold, whatever I love it. This coffee place is one of my new favorite places. It is located under the archway (hence the name) of the gate of the main entrance of campus. Stay tuned for pictures.  The place is tiny and gives off a cool dude, hip, well kept secret vibe plus it has an apparent sense of humor. The place is owned and run by one of the sweetest guys on the planet. There is barely enough room inside for two people to stand and order a drink (imagine a walk in closet with an espresso machine and a toaster oven inside). The barista chatted with us while made coffee art with the foam of our drinks. (I got a heart in my mochaccino thank you very much!) Coffee always has the ability to improve my day somewhat, but it is impossible to leave Under the Arch, coffee in hand, and be in a bad mood. When my bank account is empty…we will all know why. Worth it, though. Worth it.

After lunch we had a walking tour with Aidan. By that time, my jet lag had settled in a bit and I was jonesing for some more Under the Arch coffee. Regardless of my grumpy fatigue we trekked all over campus. It was helpful to have certain buildings pointed out, but I quickly lost track of where I was and got turned around. I also don’t feel like I learned a whole lot of the history of the place. If you were able to walk near the front of the pack you could maybe get some cool info from Aidan (who once attended Rhodes as an undergrad). 

Aidan outside of Provost Cafe. Isn't he adorable?!

Highlights of the tour were seeing the koi fountain, a the second ever discovered coelacanth (living fish fossil), learning about some prehistoric trees on campus, and the Provost Café, which used to be a prison, but now serves meh coffee and pastries. People mostly go there for the atmosphere. 

prehistoric plant. They are everywhere here!

Coelocanth.Delicious embalmed giant fish..

Open air dining at the Provost Cafe

The oddly beautiful path to the bathroom at the Provost Cafe

Patrick and Caitie imprisoned in the Provost Cafe

It was also super hot for our tour. I had packed anticipating winter and I was beginning to panic that I was horribly unprepared for the weather here. (It had gotten colder, though, which is a relief. More on the weather later!)

That night a lot of people from the group went to the bar again. Patrick hadn’t gone with us the night before so we introduced him to the Rat and the Parrot. It was a more casual night, but the bar was a bit busier. We hung out in the downstairs/ main part where we encountered 3 game reserve rangers that behaved like frat boys past their prime. They were friendly, loud, and certainly entertaining.  Caitie and I and a few others left earlier than everyone else to try and combat our jet lag with a good night sleep. Of course we all stayed up really late talking anyway, completely defeating the purpose. Worth it, though. Worth it J

Tuesday July 16^th – The Day of Semi-Informative Lectures

Tuesday was spent in an upstairs seminar room listening to a number of lectures about the programs and services of Rhodes. Most of the speakers Aidan had arranged to speak to us pulled out at the last second so Aidan did a lot of the presenting. The best lecture was about the service opportunities available at Rhodes. I can’t wait to get involved in the community! I will let y’all know what I end up doing.

The good news is they fed us a lot. We had donuts and sandwiches and other familiar treats, but also glazed-donut –like pastries called Cook Sisters – braided fried dough dipped in deliciousness – and Milk Tarts – quarter sized pastries topped with something creamy. They sort of resembled deviled eggs but they were delicious too.

That night people went out again, but a lot of us stayed in for a lazy evening. Sean, Jennah, Caitie, Katie (awesome girl from BC who knows her South African ish!), and I found the common room and watched Invictus on Katie’s  Mac. Great movie if, if you haven’t seen it, about how Nelson Mandela used the South African rugby team as a mechanism of mitigating post-apartheid prejudices. Arguably a bit idealized, but I’m not gonna be the one to tell that to director Clint Eastwood.  Jennah and Caitie started falling asleep half way through (I did too a little bit) and went to bed. I enjoyed what I remember of the movie, and it was really cool to watch it knowing how close we are to Nelson Mandela’s birth place. Sadly, Nelson Mandela is in very poor health currently. I’m anxious to see how if he will improve or worsen during my time here. (Not to say that my presence in his country is directly correlated with his health. Though if he lives for the next couple years, I totally helped.)

It was another very late night, but instead of going to bed, I Facebooked with my boyfriend J Worth it.

Wednesday July 17^th

Wednesday was reserved for individual meeting times organized according to our colleges for the purpose of discussing intended courses. By the time Patrick, Caitie, and I arrived for our meeting, Aidan and the other administrator, Helen, were running an hour off of schedule. So we braved the rain to visit Under the Arch again for some coffee. I got a cappuccino that the barista decorated with a Teddy Bear in the foam J Then we decided we should probably head back for our meeting.

A word on course selection: Everything you are told about courses before you leave on your trip will be immediately contradicted during your advising meeting. Be flexible. All schools have different systems. Ask lots of questions. I’m in a bit of a unique situation because, though it is my first semester of my junior year, students here are entering their second semester of the school year. Be careful when considering what courses are actually available. Get as much information about classes before leaving for your host institution, but also keep in mind that there are no guarantees. Don’t show up with a totally inflexible hypothetical schedule. You will be in for a world of hurt if you do.

At Rhodes the classes are run very differently than what I’m used to. You have a class at least 4 times a week with Tuts (tutorials) and Pracs (Practicals) in the afternoon – think of them as extra lab time or a more hands on lecture. A typical class schedule here reminds me of high school schedules more than my college schedule. The Drop/Add system here is also more flexible than I’m used to. You can shop around for classes and then drop them any time leading all the way up to the, say, the day before your final exam. Consequently, they recommend you take a heavy course load and drop a class as needed.

Aidan and Helen helped me devise a hypothetical schedule that comprised of Drama, History, and Psychology. I’m not really sure how to explain how they do their classes here. They have very set curricula for specified majors. For example: A drama major takes Drama 1 one year, then Drama 2, then Drama 3. Drama 2 for instance is comprised of a series of lectures and practicals. At my institution I am used to a set of requirements for the major that I am responsible for filling through any combination of courses that are available from semester to semester. Make sense? No? Good.

Wednesday Night is Karaoke Night at Champs – a slightly dingier pub down the road from The Rat and the Parrot.

I’m going to let you mentally prepare for that story.

Talk to you soon! Thanks for reading! More to come J