Mumps Madness!!!

I thought I would give you a few interesting facts about mumps as its is the reason why I am bored and bed ridden. Mumps is a disease caused by a virus that usually spreads through saliva and can infect many parts of the body, especially the parotid salivary glands. These glands, which produce saliva for the mouth, are found toward the back of each cheek, in the area between the ear and jaw. In cases of mumps, these glands typically swell and become painful.

Mumps was common until the mumps vaccine was licensed in 1967. It seems that my dear friend decided to plague Rhodes and become common once again in our small town. After a case of mumps it is very unusual to have a second bout because one attack of mumps almost always gives lifelong protection against another.

What to look for…

Mumps usually starts with a fever of around 39.4° Celsius, as well as a headache and loss of appetite. The well known sign of mumps is the swollen parotid glands that kinda make you look like a hamster. The glands usually carry on swelling and become more painful over a period of 1 to 3 days. The pain gets worse when you try do anything, and i mean anything! For once in my life the common room and all the juicy gossip does not seem so attractive as I cannot add my two cents because it hurts to talk. There are other more serious side affects to mumps but by telling you them it would seriously darken an already gloomy situation.

How to avoid getting it!

Mumps is contagious and spreads in tiny drops of fluid from the mouth and nose of someone who is infected. So basically no more fun as it is spread through kissing, laughing, coughing or sneezing. But wait there’s more…The virus can also spread to other people through direct contact, such as picking up tissues or using drinking glasses that have been used by the infected person. Yay me! I did one of those terrible acts that have lead me to be confined within the four small walls of my bedroom.

People like myself are most contagious from 2 days before my symptoms began to 6 days after they eventually end.

The good news.

People with mumps do not need to stay in bed until the mumps virus has cleared!! Just ask the good old doc how long you need to stay in bed and then is back to normality!!! Therefore I should be back in the game on Thursday! keep in mind a few of these facts mumps is terrible and is not something you want to get!

Our new assignment

We diligent couch potatoes present our next assignment to you, which we have worked on with the force of a hundred potatoes. It involved doing profiles on four first year students who we identified as a hero, survivor or villain. After a quick common room session on our favourite couch we decided that we would profile four stereotypes…but the fact is there are no stereotypes at Rhodes, yes there is the typical party girl or academic or computer geek but each one transcends that stereotype in a single word or gesture. So we hope you too can see that each of these students has shone through their stereotype and emerged as heroes of their own first year fairy tale or nightmare.

Something to think about

Hey guys take a look at this...
You never know whos watching!!!!

A Precious Harmony

“My name is Precious – excuse the pun”, are the first words she utters to people when she first meets them. More often than not, the infectiously cheery smile that accompanies the words is enough to eradicate the idea of having ever not known her. Strangers she knows none and everyone’s her friend. Now isn’t that simply precious?

Precious Lungile Fatyela is a young diva in the making, whose 21 years of life have already been crammed with a lifetime of lessons. Since 23 March 1987 when she sang her first note to the world, she has been making music and spreading smiles with her voice; sometimes even leaving behind a trail of tears where her melodies have passed. “Music is the one thing that makes sense to me,” she reflects with subtle confidence, “the only thing nobody could take away from me”.

Once upon a time, her childhood was almost taken from her. Precious remembers with tear-studded eyelashes how a decade ago, she was “a broken person, angry at God, and even suicidal”. Precious is the daughter of a preacher, and her family was compelled to adapt to a nomadic lifestyle that saw her foundational years populated with sporadic and unpredictable periods of constant relocation. “I named it ‘The Calling’,” she begins, recalling the memories reluctantly, “and whenever it summoned, we picked up everything and uprooted”.

Parting was sweet sorrow, but became a hauntingly bitter reality when the young starlet’s family’s travels resulted in her moving from an Afrikaans to an English school. Although she had been an excelling learner in her previous schools, Precious’s struggles with English and Maths saw her repeating three grades consecutively. Having completed four years of primary school with Afrikaans as a first language, Precious found herself lost in a world of a language she knew almost nothing about. “I went from being the bubbly, intelligent girl everyone adored to the object of everyone’s bullying…because I was seen by my peers as stupid”. Raising her gaze upwards as if in search of divine consolation, she sighs and tries to fight the tears. “I cry, not because I haven’t been delivered from the pain, but because I’m humbled by how far I’ve come.”

A masterpiece as perfect in its simplicity as Precious, with its dampened marshmallow cheeks and soft, teddy bear eyes, could only have been made by The Perfect Artist. “I define myself as a young lady who’s found herself in God”. The sincerity in her voice tells a tale of boundless spiritual and emotional growth. “The seed that God sowed in me,” she explains, emphasising the words with a gentle beating of her fist on her thigh, “is the root of the desire that keeps me going – a reflection of his vision for me.” She admits that there were times when she was so tired and so paralysed by the fear of failure that she wanted to quit, but found in herself a fighting spirit that held the pieces together in a relentlessly determined way.

In grade ten, the process of metamorphosis turned a fear-stricken caterpillar into a growing, glowing and soaring butterfly, liberated from a fear she couldn’t suppress. “I got sick of the world oppressing me, so I groomed myself out of my feelings of inferiority”, she starts with a smile, suddenly reminded of her success. “So I learnt to see and love myself the way my parents did, and took time to learn about the reflection of God’s image in my own being.” A self-confessed “Daddy’s girl”, Precious reveals that a significant portion of strength to endure came from the support and strength of her parents.

She is carefully refined in language, dress and manners, as the formal definition of ‘precious’ states. A young songstress who’s effortless humility and impassioned voice have the ability to raise hair from flesh and bring chills to those blessed by her singing, Precious is a true diamond, who hasn’t been spared the heat of the refining process. Her appreciation for every part of her life is perhaps her greatest attribute. “Every obstacle and triumph given to me act as a cloth – tools to polish myself with so that I can truly shine”. Her name is Precious, excuse the pun.

The Stereotypical Rhodent.

Ashleigh describes herself as a spoilt brat who throws tantrums when she doesn't get her way. This helped her achieve everything she wanted in her school years. She was always part of the popular group and developed a serious interest in boys and partying. She decided to come to Rhodes to become more independent and receive a solid tertiary education, which would allow her to become a success in the field of marketing, "Little did I know that education would be the last thing on my mind.”

Still hung over after a typical night out she looks far from the energetic beauty she was the night before. A typical night out for Ashleigh consists of pre-drinks (a bottle of wine) and then more drinking when she goes out, her selection involves shots, ciders and cane trains, “when I am out I generally do a lot of stupid embarrassing things that I would never do when I am sober but I still have fun.” Her attitude reflects her feelings that she is laid back and ‘chilled’, and that she doesn’t have a care in the world. It is this quality that attracts many people to her.

Since being at Rhodes she has changed and she believes it’s for the worse, "I know I have changed, thanks to the booze and crap food I have grown wider and I am confused about what I want to do with my life.” She has no motivation and all her world revolves around is where and when the next huge party is happening. “I used to party quite a lot before Rhodes but nothing compared to how much I do now, oh well you only live once so why not.” The fact is that not being motivated does not make you a bad person and she is a perfect example of this.

Ashleigh describes herself as typical Rhodent, going out, getting drunk and meeting people that she won’t remember in the morning, but despite the memory loss she still has many friends. “My friends are a major influence in my life, there is no point in partying if you are doing it alone.” When talking about her friends her body language changes and she becomes excited, her smile reflects her happiness and love for them. Unfortunately peer pressure is a problem for her, which is something that separates her from the stereotypical Rhodent.

She may be a Rhodent but she is also a person. “I love my family and sometimes I feel that my partying ways have let them down and myself.” There is a hint of sadness in her eyes but she quickly recovers, “I know in the end I will make them proud so why not have fun on they way.” She has a contagious laugh which makes it easy to see why people like her so much. She plans to travel the world, which is one thing that has stayed constant since being a Rhodes. Despite being a Rhodent and having no idea what she wants to become, Ashleigh feels like she will become a success. “Rhodes is one chapter in my life and there will be several after this, I am not really worried. I will find my way and it will just be in my own time on my own terms.” Ashleigh is a Rhodent in her own right and is proud of it.

The scream

The desire to scream occurs to most that go to varsity, but for some it is a way to express their passion. One of the T-shirts owned by Robyn Johnson is of the famous Evard Munch, 1893, painting called "The Scream". Mainly people that follow the art world would know about the painting. it depicts a figure with their hands on their cheeks letting out an what you‘d think is a loud scream from the gaping mouth and droopy eyes, with a background made up of hazy blues, oranges and yellow that seem to speed by like a fast train. Her face always brightens up when she gets an opportunity to talk about her favourite subject. She came all the way from the temperate beaches of Durban, bypassing the city of fame and maybe fortune Johannesburg, to be in a little town she now calls home- Grahamstown. Many share her sentiments, about the friendly town, as she has found many, in her first year, at Rhodes that are like her. “I am not the only one that procrastinates,” she says laughing at her realisation that there are others that do this at Rhodes. She came here thinking that she would not fit in as she’s quite an individual back home. Although she loves the fact that she’s surrounded by people with many different talents, she also found that there are those that felt like her when they arrived they all came here finding that what made them different at home is what makes them fit in at Rhodes. She felt that what made her different was her creativity and artistic nature, it still is, but now she has come to a point where she has learned how it can be enhanced. “You learn how to be criticized”, she says telling of the emotions of being an arts student. She likens their experience to that of drama students; she feels that they go through many of the same emotions. The girl that wears a purple corduroy jacket, a fading jeans and a pair of her trusty black takkies tend to look like this every day matching up her jeans and trusty takkies with a thick woollen scarf. You would not pinpoint her as an arts student; you only find this out when you engage with her in conversation. By studying her favourite thing in the world she has found that she has been pushed out of her comfort zone- she had to become comfortable with taking pictures of strangers. “Parts of me that were hidden are revealed,” she says when she enthuses about how she has grown in the current year. Many become independent and learn to stand on their own feet, but you also find yourself. The people, the community of Rhodes and Grahamstown and her friends and classmates, have taught her a whole lot more about life more than the education that she’s paying thousands for has. They get taught by the best, “they are famous art world people,” she says seriously. They are specialists that will help them grow into some of the top artists in SA. After all this she believes that she is still the Miss Johnson everyone knows and loves.. She does not mind the residence food much and even found it to be perfectly fine commenting that what she found the food she ate home to have better nutritional value and that what they ate as fast food is given a well balanced meal at the dining hall. The town is her play ground; she knows where every hardware store, material shop and the likes are in Grahamstown. “If you had a car you would see a whole lot more,” she says when she tells of her love of exploring the little town of Grahamstown, there’s a whole lot more to it than meets the eye. Much like the horror that you think the figure in ‘The Scream’ is seeing.

"I am just not a career-orientated, power--hungry individual"

“Everyone around me was happy, manically happily, as if I was at some freak show, except that I was the freak because I was the only one crying”, laughs Tyreen Ragadu, a first year journalism student, as she nervously curls her black painted finger nails through her scarf. Tyreen, one of the winners of the Steve Biko writing competition and who received an impressive aggregate for a film and media learnership, knew “with out a doubt” that she was destined to study at Rhodes University. The smell of change was in the air and she was ready to grab it but unfortunately her grip on the rope slackened barely a week into her new life.

Her tune quickly changed to there being, “no doubt in my mind that I want to leave”. This comment was delivered with shocking confidence because after a month of weeping in her room she realised that she had made a big mistake. An honest mistake or a premeditated mistake, she was not sure but what ever it was, it was a mistake and she wanted out. The state of her room made this all the more evident. It looked as though it was ready to jump up and follow her as soon as she made her great escape. Boxes lay open; their innards spilling out over cupboard doors, her overnight suitcase still packed to the brim and no pictures or friendly decorations covering the drab walls. It looks as if she is just waiting for the interior design police to unexpectedly barge in and expel her from her nightmare.

At a hint that perhaps a considerable transformation of attitude was in order, she replied with a touch of irritation, despite her shyness, that, “it’s nonsense when people tell you that you have to change your attitude. Why do I have to sacrifice my happiness just because this is Rhodes and you are supposedly a freak for wanting to leave it”? She is aware that many people would kill for such an opportunity and that this makes her part of the stereotypical “beauty school dropout” but she has other plans that will take her just as far. Her attitude, which she knows will be the right one in the right place, will take her where she needs to go. It’s off to Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University to study Media, Communications and Culture and if you can fit in anymore after that mouthful, Tyreen hopes to travel the world as an airhostess in order to find her prince charming and finally settle down and live the stereotypical dream that Rhodes tries hard to squash out of you. “I am just not a career-orientated, power-hungry individual” she admits with a giggle because she knows that if her mother had to hear that, it would be tickets!

Tyreen recalls that in a recent journalism lecture a first year student had written to him/herself about their experience at Rhodes and she could relate to how Rhodes only accepts certain types of individuals and “cheers to the rest of you”. She too felt a similar crush of identity and was angered by the inability of students to transcend the stereotypes. “You either have to be an academic and sit in your room all night or you have to be a party animal and anyone else is probably in second year and they do not offer any assistance” says Tyreen with disappointment and further curling of her fingers through her scarf.

“We need Tyreen because of her very interesting sense of humour and she adds balance to our group”, says Tyreens’ close friend, Phemelo, who along with the rest of the group is disappointed at Tyreens decision to leave. Evidently though, not even friendship will hold this rebel back because even if she had no choice but to stay, Tyreen jokingly admits that, “you will then have to bring me a rope!” But as if sickened by her joke or the prospect of the death sentence proposed, the laughs subsides into a deep sigh that seems to expose her gloom at having lost sight of her Rhodes dream but the end of the sigh is filled with the sad fact that, “there truly is no choice, I have to leave before I become any more of a freak”.