My bonding expeience with Billy Blanks- pain, sweat and almost tears...

I have always been a very sporty person and there is very little I have never done before. Incidentally, however, I have always found people who revolve their workouts around a video instructor absolutely hysterical. So I decided that this is this would be a wonderful experience to put my prejudices aside and give Billy Blanks and his Tae-Bo exercises a chance.
So my friend hauled me out of bed at 6:00 on Monday morning, I wiped the sleep out of my eyes, put my running gear on and with “I would much rather be sleeping” running through my head, I began my workout. Let me tell you that this exercise was no joke! It was by far the most physically challenging thing I have done in ages. It was filled with punches, upper-cuts, leg lifts and scary movements which I never knew my body was capable of doing. I worked muscles that I never knew I even had.
The most amusing part of the whole ordeal was when we really began to sweat and Billy Blanks stops his workout and began to motivate us. I wished he could have heard me swear at him but I must admit that had to giggle, because there is nothing funnier than a very oversized and sweaty man telling you to “dig deeper” and to “find your inner power” so that “you can succeed in life.”
And yet while every muscle in my body was working, and I found the rather large group of very muscular women in the video rather absurd and somewhat intimidating, I actatualy had an amazing time! My two friends and I now have an exercise group and we brave Billy Blanks’ workouts three times a week. This new experience really added to my life and I am now a total Tae-Bo expert.

Going for Gratifying Gold

By Caelyn Woolward

For this assignment we were required to immerse ourselves in an unfamiliar environment. One thing I can say very proudly is that although I have been in Grahamstown for just nine short and wonderful months, I believe that I have experienced quite a bit for the average first year. Of course I have no evidence to back up this claim but the many late nights and the hours of non-stop have to count for some thing. Despite being here for a while, doing community service, I am ashamed to say was not one of my priorities on my “to do” list.

When I was given the opportunity to help paint Noncedo primary school I decided that since it was nearing the end of the year I should pay my dues and do something worthwhile. At the time this was more of a duty, after that day it became a privilege. Noncedo Primary, located in the middle of Joza is one of those schools plagued by gangs and violence. Most of the children live in dire conditions and the school is their only refuge, despite being next to a shebeen.

We arrived at the school almost an hour late as a result of car trouble and because of the complicated task of having to navigate through the winding and dirt-ridden streets of Joza. For almost an hour we painted the school, picked up dirt and litter around the border and proceeded to help the give the children juice and, chips and biscuits, for which they were very grateful. After that is when the fun really started. Playing with those is one of the most productive things I have done all year. Not only did I have fun but I also saw just how much they appreciated the attention being given to them. All the volunteers were besieged with requests for piggy back rides and ring-a-rosy.

When it was time to leave we found ourselves surrounded by little kids not wanting us to move. The funny thing was, we did not want to leave either. It was so rewarding to see just how much a simple hug could mean for these kids. There was always that moment of weariness when we saw men coming out of the shebeen, dogs and cows in the road, women shouting at their children and little kids running across the road yet we would do it all again in a heartbeat. It was not the safest place to be but it was the most gratifying. Going back to Noncedo is definitely on my agenda for next year

Confessions of Caelyn...

By Caelyn Wolward

I reviewed the blog “Confessions of a Journalism Student”. From the moment I saw the black background and catchy purple cursive writing I was surprised. It was clear that the people within this group had put a lot of effort into their blog.
The entries were relatively well written despite the usual spelling and grammar mistakes. The posts were interesting yet I would have liked to have seen more spontaneous entries instead of just the assignments we were given.
It was clear that this blog stemmed from the creative minds of a group of particularly interesting and hard-working individuals. To see that these immensely talented writers were able to put as much effort into their work as they clearly do in having a ball is inspiring. I thoroughly enjoyed having a look at the pictures, there were pictures of the bloggers drinking, having fun and partying yet there were also pictures of them in the dining hall and at the desk displaying their hard-working demeanour.
This variety and diversity is what grabbed me. The writing however, is a bit simple and too easy. Granted, this is aimed at teenagers but I would have liked to see a better knowledge and understanding of the topics that they wrote about.
Another important factor is the headlines. I am pleased to say that all the headlines in this blog managed to grab my attention even though the text following these blogs were not as gripping as the headlines. One of the most important aspects of a blog is the way it looks. It is the first thing that one notices and if the blog does appear appealing then it is more likely that readers will return. This blog definitely fits these criteria.
To see what the people in the first year journalism class managed to achieve in such a short time has made me realise that Rhodes truly is harvesting some of the most talented journalists on the continent. It is just a pity that the majority of the entries were assignments; it would have been nice to get a viewpoint of what journalism students really find worthwhile writing about in the world.

Are they really wanna-be journo’s?

Reviewed blog: Wannabjournos.
At an immediate level this blog is amazing! The layout and design is extremely eye catching and it definitely makes you want to continue reading their blog. Many of the names of their posts are extremely catching, consisting of play on words and enticing information. One of the most interesting of these is one of the reviews on a blog called, “The write side up”, the headline Sarita Pillay chose to comment on this blog was “Has write-side up got it wrong?” The writing is also very good. All of these writers have different and very interesting styles that are all very interesting to read.
On the down side, as wonderful as the layout is, it is very well organised but there are too many categories. It is so organised that it becomes almost too organised and complex. The categories are rather difficult to navigate around. What was a very interesting link was the link to all of their twitter posts. This is very useful and shows that they have put a lot of effort into their blog. The pictures are also very interesting and are very appropriate to their posts.
On the whole their blog is very fantastic and I will definitely follow this blog in the future because they have very interesting posts and opinions.

Breathing again thanks to Noncendo Pre-Primary School

Stepping out onto the dusty pavement I was greeted by a sea of tiny little snotty faces smiling up at me. Their arms out stretched asking to be lifted onto my hip. Being a student in Grahamstown we are confronted daily by people who have less than us, I think this is a huge understatement as they basically have no material possessions.
Gtown have many outreach programmes that help the upliftment of the location that contribute towards but I am ashamed to admit, have not. Maybe I was afraid to see what true poverty I would be forced to realise if I did help but last weekend I made the decision to get out of my tunnel vision and immerse myself in what would be one of the greatest memories of my life.
This was me now, stepping onto the pavement of Noncendo Pre-primary School. 60 little children aged three-six were pushing up against the wire fence which surrounded their quinte little school next to a Shabeen in thee location. Their excitement could be felt. They were adorable! Unloading the paint and brushes out the car I realised my own excitement.
The plan of the day was to paint the peeling walls around their play area. Taking their tiny chubby hands which by now were full of paint and pressing them against the cold walls and listening to them giggle and laugh while the played was one of the most enjoyable and grounding experiences of my life. Watching their eyes grow as we filled the table with sweets and biscuits. Standing around the table unsure what they were meant to do and eventually not one push or shove was made, each child shared with the next, no one got more than the other. This tiny community of children free of greed or jealousy humbled me.
As some kids played others came to get their hands washed of paint. Thorough the screaming and playing of the other children I felt relaxation and calm as I sat washing them. Before leaving a little girl, whose hands I had washed before, started washing the paint of my own hands.
Driving away I felt deeply connected to this new town I now live in. I realised that any expectations I might have gone there with would not have been met, they would have been way way way out done. In a way that can only be experienced emotionally.

Purple Knickers Back at You

The blog Purple Knickers is created by four female journalism students at Rhodes University. They blog on controversial issues surrounding the life of being a woman and students. The amusing name and the array pink in the blog give it a light hearted feel. But don’t be fooled, this blog addresses issues in an upfront and personal way. There is no fooling around; their opinion pieces address rape and the sexuality in the media. They have a no tolerance view towards males who dictate towards women.
Although they address the topics in such a serious manner they use satire in their writing which helps the reader not become to depressed and low down. The blog is easy to read and gripping. The pictures included in the blog are relevant and fun.
The post Rape Me Metaphorically is the deepest thought provoking post far overcrossing the line of acceptable conservative writing, and even so it deserves awards though and through. Tackling straight to the heart of representation of rape in the media, the depersonalisation of one of the most personal violent acts. The metaphors used to represent her feelings would touch anyone.
All in all the blog is a though provoking insightful look into the girl’s minds. The addition of a few light-hearted posts helps lit the mood. The blog is written to open the minds to feminism and the emancipation of women’s true sexual freedom. Read this blog for a deeply honest crucial look into the world of young woman and their brutally honest feminist opinions.

A Blog in a Billion

By Philippa Bradbury

The Number 42 is purple? How intriguing. The rather eccentric and allegorical name caught my eye immediately and I quickly followed the instruction, “Ctrl+Click”, and found myself transported to another world. The members of the group have formed an intoxicating maze of journalism topics and I found my eyes drawn to their array of headlines such as “What a load of Twitter!” and “When did beauty need a beast to be fashionable?”. Their posts portray their different personalities perfectly and, let us be honest; they are the most articulate bunch of girls! I was overwhelmed with the use of phrases such as “through beads of sweat and strained breathing” and “her Hooker high heels on display create a dubious persona”. It was hugely refreshing to see the English Language used so masterfully and I hungrily read on, and on, and on.

I was particularly engaged by their rather philosophical take on life and how the writers questioned what was going on in the world around them. They looked at people and the role they play, such as the infamous “fence sitter” who thinks that they are, in every way, brilliant. They seem to have taken new angles on what the word “Journalism” implies and have turned arbitrary observations into newsworthy articles. Needless to say, I am very impressed by their originality.

One can almost say that the blog welcomes a reader. With the bright colours and posts that seem to address the reader with the inclusion of “you”, one feels as though they wrote it just for, well, you. Indoctrination, I tell you. Or is it propaganda? Oh, what the hell, I will ask the writers of this blog, they are bound to know.

Enjoyment seems to shine through their blog and they have taken every effort to make it an opinionated, original and very “quirky” read. Good for them. To employ some of the writer’s words, “Fucks sakes, this blog is good!”

Climbing Chaos

By Philippa Bradbury

It seemed like such a good idea before. Not only would I be getting my journalism assignment done, but I would also be getting out of Grahamstown for a few restorative hours to frolic with nature. What did it matter that I cannot stand heights, or that the people I were with, were very experienced in this particular activity? I would, if not conquer, then at least introduce myself, to my fear. I was going climbing and that was all there was to it.

On a particularly sunny afternoon, a few of my friends took me to a climbing spot about 20 minutes outside of Grahamstown. I was all decked out in my sporting gear and ready to throw myself into the gritty activity of climbing a very real, very rocky and, as I discovered when I arrived, very steep mountain face. I am not afraid to say that when I saw it, my mouth dropped a little and the pores in my hands opened so wide that my hands felt like I had put them in water. Revolting I know, but I quickly resolved that situation with a bit of climbing chalk and no one was any the wiser.

I opted to go last so that I could pick up a few tips. “It is not really that difficult, Pip” one particular friend commented, while she strapped on some kind of harness, that, to be honest, would have looked stupid on anyone but her. Typical. I grinned, somewhat manically, as the muscles in my face would have preferred far more to grimace, and stepped closer to watch her boyfriend begin to climb the wall, with no rope attached, as someone had to start the lead rope. It really did not look that hard, but, as most people have discovered, what looks easy, is generally far more difficult.

Finally my turn came. My friend stepped out of her harness and passed it to me. I held it gingerly and began to shakily put my leg through the strap. I swayed as my one leg spasmed in terror and held onto my friend to sort out the other leg. Eventually, I was done. I felt like I was wearing some kind of chastity belt and, as the thought passed my mind, I giggled softly. I felt so proud, that at such a terrifying moment, I could make myself laugh. I turned to look at the rock before me and quickly pinpointed the hairline crack in which I was supposed to somehow wedge my fingers into and, subsequently, pull up my 55kg body. The rope was attached to me. I was learning all kinds of climbing jargon, like “karabiner” and “belay”. At least, if I chickened out, I would have expanded my vocabulary.

As I placed my fingers into the crack, I swung my leg up to a point above my shoulder. I was in the most ungainly position but I stubbornly stuck to it as that was what my friends had done. I had one foot left on the ground and I hoped to high heaven that I would be able to lift it in the yoga-like position I was in. With a deep breath, and a huge effort, I pulled myself off the ground, where, unfortunately, it scraped haphazardly at the rock, as I had not thought of where that second foot would go. I finally found a little ledge. I breathed slightly and tried to stop the shaking of my arms. I heard a cheer below and grinned a little, feeling slightly more cheerful. I looked up and stretched my right arm and then my left leg and so on, until I was about eight metres high. I turned to where the encouraging whistles were coming from and then heard the panicked shout of my friend, “Don’t Pip! Don’t look down!” What does any person who has been told not to look down do? They look down. I could feel myself falling backwards and scrambled madly for the wall. It was no good; I was too far away now. I carried on going backwards until I was falling. It lasted about two seconds as the friction in the rope stopped my fall and I was jerked to a stop. With my heart beating wild rhythms in my chest, I was slowly let down to the ground. I still had not said a word. My friend asked me if I was ok. I could hardly hear her, for the pounding in my ears was so great. I stepped out of the harness, removed my climbing shoes and sat on a rock. Never again.

Out of Control

By Caelyn Woolward

One of the advantages of being a journalism student is that we tend to notice everything. The past year that I have been studying at Rhodes I have noticed that there have been many fights.

This is not particularly unusual since we live in a student town where there are numerous drunk and aggressive students walking the town on a Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and now even a Monday night. What does surprise me is that the most vicious fights involve “The control” the very people who are there to ensure order.

It appears that these bouncers take their temper out on anybody who happens to disobey club rules. Bear in mind that these men are not small, they are muscular and sometimes even trained fighters. I am not going to defend drunk and disorderly students, however, nobody should be a punching bag. There is a limit to the amount of violence and blood that these bouncers should have to shed. As recently as Friday a student was beaten up by one of the bouncers at Lounge Around. The stench of blood was everywhere and the students face was not visible behind the bruises and scratches. Surely this should not be allowed?

The worst thing is that nobody stops the bouncers because everybody is too scared and people are always thinking that since they are bouncers they probably have good reason to beat someone up. This is outrageous. It takes virtually no effort for them to walk the perpetrator out of the club. The fight should never have to end with an unconscious student. The scary thing is that if this is what is happening to the students then one can only imagine what is happening to the street children.

Liberated Africa used for Exploitation

kelley wake

Slavery still exists on the “dark continent” of Africa. World powers the USA and China continuously exploit and violate human rights in Africa in a form of neo-colonialism. Multinational Corporations reap enormous profits by extracting raw materials from Africa and selling them back to Africa at unaffordable prices. African produce is used as aid by world powers to tie African further into detrimental relationships.
U.S. trade policies allow U.S. corporations to send their products to Africa demanding that African countries lower their tariffs but do not provide means for African farmers to access U.S. markets.
The turnover for the top multinational corporations, such as Firestone, is greater than the gross national product of the 100 poorest countries. The net worth of the three richest people is more then the gross national product of all least developed countries and their 600 million inhabitants. Firestone uses child labour to extract rubber from Liberia without paying proper taxes to the government. The world ignored the Rwanda genocide and the Black Hawk Down in Somalia were a horrific mistakes made by world powers.
Salmi defines violence as any avoidable action that constitutes the violation of human rights in its widest meaning. Violence in Africa has grown to disproportionate amounts with no sign of help from those who the opportunities to help Africa. They remain blind and greedy to the millions of dying hopeful eyes crying up to them. Will you remain one of them?

Life is unfair! but we shouldnt add to it.

Growing up in a small town, with little money, little opportunities and even less love, it becomes very difficult for these children to live lives that would compare to those described as normal especially when they are presented with minis qual prospect for future success. Many of these street children in Grahamstown spend their days looking for their next meals while they are constantly confronted by drunken students, who have been presented with almost all the opportunities in the world, who refuse to give them that extra R10 they have in their pockets so that they can buy another drink when they reach the Rat and Parrot. To make the issue worse these children are treated as less than human when they approach people in the streets, as they are mostly confronted with a mere sniggers or a blank faces that refuse to acknowledge their existences.
Many street children are bright, talented and eager to learn, but don’t have opportunities to develop their skills. This is where the problem comes in because these children are constantly placed in the shadows of students, who because they were born into more privileged existences, have the opportunities to develop their skills and make successes of their lives. The saddest part of all is that the majority of these street children will grow into hobos, who have what many would deem, no real meaning to their lives.
This is where we, as the privileged group of students, should change the way we regard these people. We are no better than them and have no right to treat them as though we are. Firstly we need to treat them like human beings, in a friendly and helpful manner. And secondly it is important that we help them wherever possible.

Rhodes, ROAR and Rights

By Philippa Bradbury

Earlier this month, Rhodes University was host to a full five days of events that rejected animal cruelty. The events were orchestrated by Rhodes’ very own animal cruelty awareness organisation, ROAR.

Animal cruelty comes in a variety of different forms. You hear of stories where people try to drown puppies or abandon their cats on the sides of roads. This is probably the least violent act of cruelty you might say, but the fact that someone can abandon another creature, whether it is covered in fur or not, makes my blood boil. One may argue that animals just do not think the same way that humans do and thus do not realise when they are being abandoned or intentionally hurt. I know this to be complete rubbish. My golden labrador would sink into a wave of depression whenever he saw a suitcase because he knew that we were leaving to go on holiday. He knew the difference between a school bag, and a sports bag, to a holiday suitcase. Animals may not think exactly like humans, but they are closer than you think.

One particular event that stood out during the Animal Awareness Week, was a run of some completely naked, and some very nearly bare arsed, students who ran from the African Media Matrix to Eden Grove, shouting their mantra, “Wear your own skin!”. It was an extremely effective staged protest in some ways as people still talk about it today, but it is generally over their cereal filled with milk, that came from cows who are kept pregnant their whole lives so as to produce the best milk, or over their pork chops, not knowing that the pigs they are now eating, are kept in stalls in which they cannot even move their heads from side to side and are now, as a result, insane.

To stop animal cruelty, one needs to change the mindset that exists. Someone who eats meat in this day and age and shouts angrily, “I am not cruel to animals!” is, in fact, a liar. For, although one realises that people have always eaten beef, it is the circumstances in which these animals are sheltered that are cruel. It is the fact that the chicken we eat came from an animal that was so pumped full of steroids, that the breasts were too heavy for the chicken to hold up and thus her legs were broken. This particular chicken was then not killed for another six weeks. We, the consumers, are providing a market for this cruelty to animals to continue. Until we change this, anyone who eats milk, chicken, fish or beef, is providing the worst form of cruelty to animals that exist. Can you live with that?

SA's top 100 schools

By Caelyn Woolward

The Sunday times recently released a survey of the top 100 schools in South Africa. The school rated number one is Weterford High in Cape Town followed by Westville Girls' High in Durban and Pretoria's Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool. The survey also found that 94 of the top 100 schools are former model C schools.
Uhm, I’m sorry but I honestly cannot be the ONLY person not surprised by this. The blame cannot solely be placed on the government or on the schools. Granted, not many schools have the resources that Westerford has but it has been proven that hard-work, dedication and parent involvement can make up for this lack of resources.
Coming from someone who at least has an idea of the politics within a high school, I would say (and I’ve put a lot of though into this) that the people most to blame for students not performing to their full potential are the parents.
Another interesting aspect is that although Westerford is pricey (the annual school fees is around R15 000) schools such as Hilton or Crawford College, where parents literally go bankrupt trying to pay school fees, are nowhere near the top ten.
The school s which are not former model C schools but have made it into the top 100 include Mbilwi Secondary, Metropolitan-Raucall and the Cape Academy of Mathematics, Science and Technology.
This survey will either wake some parents out of their stupor or it will give them even more of an excuse to blame the government or the school.Let’s hope it’s the former.

Zimbabwe Governmental Crisis

Kelley Wake
For the past couple of years or so I have been following the Zimbabwean crisis just above our boarder. The shocking stories of the humanitarian crisis and the disregard for human rights have deeply angered me. When the media began covering the crisis, farms where being taken from farmers and given to Zanu PF supporters. Now years later the country is in ruins and the leading party, Zanu PF along with their gracious president, Robert Mugabe, neglects to see the horror they are causing. As of February this year the rival party, MDC, led by Morgan Tsvangirai, had talks and decided on a coalition government after MDC won the elections. This sparked the dreams of many around the world that Zimbabwe would finally begin its path to recovery. On Friday the 15th October Morgan announced that he would be leaving the joint party, but remaining is parliament as there is a disregard to respect and the joint government. This I think could be a good thing for the future although MDC may just be doing it for their ego. Talk Zimbabwe describes it as breaking the constitution and supporter trust. All they are doing it staying out of the Zanu PF but still in parliament. Tsvangaria needs to stand on his won feet and lead his country. Mugabe is keeping him back, but maybe this is a waste as it won’t make a difference to Mugabe, as All Africa. Every sign of recovery and progress is disdained by the corruption that seems to be in all sides of the ‘war’. I do not agree with The Zimbabwe Times , I believe the arrest of Bennet was the cause of the split. BBC describes the same way as well as Talk Zimbabwe who describe is more as a racists act than good.

Is Obama Nobel?

After a mere nine months in the White House president Obama has been able to win himself a Nobel peace prize. The committee praised Obama for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," citing his fledgling push for nuclear disarmament and his outreach to the Muslim world. This award has lead to very large amounts of both ranting and raving from people all over the world.

As the award was given to him on the account that he plans to do something rather than for something he has actually done. Obama himself was quoted as saying that he would accept the award as a “call to action” to confront the global challenges. He also said that he did not view it as recognition of his own accomplishments but rather an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations."

This raises problems on many levels. Firstly it places large amounts of pressure on Obama to bring a sudden, peaceful and smooth end to war on terror. Realistically this is going to be a very rocky process and the inevitable speed bumps along the way will be attributed to him. Secondly politicians will say almost anything to gain support. Their promises and their actions always seem to be a different thing. And as big of an Obama fan as I am I feel that they should have given the award when he actually accomplished something.

Death Penalty For Homosexuals

By Philippa Bradbury

Uganda is currently in the process of passing a bill which states that any person who commits a homosexual act with someone who is below the age of 18, HIV positive, or disabled, will be sentenced to death. The bill was proposed by David Bahati, an MP of the ruling party of Uganda. He believes that this bill will “protect the traditional family by prohibiting any form of sexual relations between persons of the same sex”. According to John Otekat Emile, the bill has a 99 percent chance of being approved.

99 percent? That is an amazing statistic and one that is actually quite horrifying, especially when you compare it to the fact that it has been estimated that there are 500 000 homosexuals living in Uganda. Surely, this would not only be a violation of human rights but also constitute towards crimes against humanity?

Different cultures view homosexuality in different ways. African cultures especially do not condone it, but I think this bill is rather extreme, especially when one considers that worldwide, there are generally only 2300 deaths a year resulting from the death penalty, in which 72 percent are in China. Homosexual acts are thus being equated to murders which are “heinous, atrocious, cruel, depraved and/or involving torture”.

There is a moral line that cannot be crossed and if this bill is passed, then the lines for all crimes are smudged, if not wiped away completely.

Reporting on the Rhodes Rejects Cruelty...

By Caelyn Woolward

As part of being a journ student we are always encouraged to work at one of the student newspapers. Although a taxing task at times, the voluntary work can bring quite interesting topics to the table. For example, this past Monday (October 5) was the start of a week long initiative by ROAR (Rhodes Organisation for Animal Rights)to make people and especially students aware if the cruel way in which animals are treated.

The week started off with a bang when about 50 half-naked students and approximately 10 brave,passionate fully naked activists ran from the Africa Media Matrix to Eden Grove in protest of wearing fur and leather. Waving posters and chanting "wear your own fur", the group drew much attention but by far the most classic reactions came from the students working in the Jacaranda labs. As naked students ran through the labs, many astonished looks and gasps followed them.

I'm writing about all this because as a writer for the hard news section of Activate I got sent on the story and I admit that I got caught up in the action and ended up running with the students in just a bra and jeans. For some this was a bit of mad fun. For others it was a passionate plea to hear the crying of the cruelly treated animals. At first I was part of the former group but this week, after attending the debates and doing research for my article I've become part of the latter. Lesson number one:

Journalism takes the blindfolds off and makes you want to make a difference. You can longer look at these things and say "what the hell...its not my problem"...at least not if you have a conscience.

Making every moment count!

As students we are surrounded by a lot of opportunity to have fun. This however is matched by the endless assignments, tests and exams. So it becomes really difficult to manage your time appropriately because we are presented with so much of it and its all ours to do with it whatever we want whenever we want. For the first time in many of our lives we don’t have the constant nagging of the parents asking us whether we have finished our work or not.
We often see the people around us going to either extreme; they either hibernate in their rooms and work overboard or party far too hard, drink far too much and end doing last minute assignments and pulling horrible all-nighters. So where do you draw the line? Unfortunately I am not able to answer this question and I think that it is something we all have to figure out on our own but I do know that we only live once and these short three or four years we have at Varsity are all we have. And to not make the most of this experience would be a mistake.
I realised this during SWOT week in June earlier this year, when me and a group of my friends were rather swamped with work and feeling rather overwhelmed and stressed. So that Monday night we bundled up in our warmest clothes and went for a run around campus. We had an awesome time, laughing and climbing up almost any structure we could find photographing ourselves and we had a few frightening run-ins with security. We had a crazy time and it was so much fun because it was so much different from the normal way we go out. It added to the excitement and after that we were all able to work and got lots of work done in the rest of the week.

New Friends equals a New Mind

Starting journalism at Rhodes had me unexpected for the transformation my mind was going to be out through. I have never before thought of my self as a closed minded person or someone who has culture or race preference. Although all though my schooling career I have gone to very culturally and racially mixed schools, I have never actually had a mixed group of friends. Being a white girl I had white girl friends all having generally the same backgrounds.
Arriving at Rhodes scribbling down my name on the journalism register the first day was a new start for my thoughts. I noticed that there was a variation of people of different races in the room. The first journalism course with Rod Amner was based on race. As the days and weeks progressed my mind began to open to what the world could become for me. All along I thought that I had white only friends because we had so much in common. I thought that I was not friends with people of other races because I thought that I would not have the same interests in common. The course was changing my mind set. I was beginning to realise that I was being closed minded thinking this way. I know can say I see no race and it surprises me when actually notice race
Group work in journalism saw no boundaries what so ever. We had many chances to read other journalism students work. The writing I read was so different to anything I had read before. When I read there was no evidence of race. Every piece of writing was so different to another. The writing saw no race boundaries. All it is is the creative expression of people with different stories. The people were not different to one another because of their race, but because of experiences, emotions, views and opinions.
Rhodes in a place that is neutral to most. Students attending uni here are not for one place with on outlook and from one class. There is flourishing diversity. There is no way that a person who is here could keep their minds closed and refuse to immerse themselves in this new way of life. No matter how open minded and ‘new south African’ a person thinks they were, when coming to Rhodes reading the variation of creative writing, the mind is stretched across they sky in order to find the racially blended world we were meant to live in.

How To Make It In Journalism

Let’s look at a hypothetical situation in which someone has not been admitted into the Journalism 2 class and thus feel as though their whole world is crashing down around them as their dreams of becoming a world renowned journalist are shattered. Do you a) Cry bitter tears, rage at the whole University and quit, or do you b) shout “What the Hell!” and find an alternative course of action. I, personally, would combine the two, but let’s say, for argument’s sake, that we are all mature individuals and choose b).

What is out there for students who want to study Journalism after their university career? Will that even guarantee them success, especially in this day and age? Ease your minds. There is a huge amount of courses out there for everyone. One such example is a diploma in “Professional Freelance Journalism” which is offered by the British College of Journalism. The course is conducted via the Internet and only takes12- 24 weeks to complete, as opposed to three or four years. While on the course, the administration publishes most of your work to get your name out into the journalism world and, even better, you can get paid for your efforts.

The BBC also run a multitude of training courses available online as well as face-to-face courses and I imagine, that having a piece of paper with the BBC letterhead on it saying you passed their course, would stand anyone in good stead.

That took only about 15 minutes to find out and I am sure that if people were serious about finding a course, they would find many more.
To every student who wants to be a journalist, especially to Rhodes Journalism 1 students whose portfolios are due this coming week, search the Internet and you will find a way to make it.

BBC Website- http://www.bbctraining.com/journalism.asp
Britsh College of Journalism website http://tinyurl.com/ydy9x2m

My name is Caelyn Woolward and I am probably going to be the last person to post my blog because that is just how I am and I cant change the way I am even though I have tried. I am a first year journalism student at Rhodes University. I do not like complicated writing but I do not like boring stories either, Rhodes has taught me how to find a balance between the two.
I have learnt many things at the Rhodes School of Journalism in the short time that I have been here. I have learnt that the ability to express oneself is never an easy task. It is even harder to do so through writing. Finding the right words and saying the right things can become very tricky, yet putting too much thought into this process does not help either. Writers and thereby journalists have the ability to find the words that fit and relate it to a situation in a way that makes readers feel that they are in that situation. Journalists have imagination and readers are able to absorb this imagination through the writing.
As an aspiring journalist I view the world through a lens of words. I look at objects, at nature and at people and attempt to find words which would best describe it. I experience feelings and try to think of ways to express these feelings to other people.
Being a journalism student has taught me that language is universal and people may not always understand what you are saying but they can understand where you are coming from. There are many layers to our world. The question is not whether you will go into these layers the question is how far will you go.
A good writer can write about anything from fashion and art to war and Hollywood. Knowledge on these topics is no doubt encouraged but when you are able learn and uncover layers to find the best story, that is when writing about something you have just learnt not only becomes exciting for you to write but also interesting for people to read.
Being a journalist means having the ability to make the most boring story seem interesting. You cannot use the kind of language that academics use in a newspaper and expect readers to find your story interesting. Big words and complicated sentences is not what journalism is about. Many people may scoff and think “What does an 18 year old know about writing?” but the truth is that no matter your age or experience, you should know what makes a story interesting.
Keeping a balance between a news story and your personality is hard, it is always good to remember that readers have their won personalities and therefore their own opinions. The same goes for blogging. Even though blogging gives a writer more freedom to express their views and opinion, writers need to ensure that their personality does not suffocate the story.
Right now, I see the world as an interesting place with lots of possibilities.
I see endless excitement and achievement but I also see heartache and hardships. However, I believe that journalists can change this. Change can only happen when people know about what needs changing and they can only know when the stories are brought to them. It is our responsibility to find those stories and take it to the people who can make a real difference, those people are the readers. Maybe I am a bit optimistic, maybe in a few years time when I am a working journalist I will have a more cynical view of the world but right now is what counts and if I can express what I am feeling and what I see right now then that is an achievement on its own.