At first glance, Alexandra Smith looks completely confident and collected. She is sitting at the Kaif, idly sipping on a cool drink and observing the people around her. Her greeting is warm and friendly; one is instantly at ease in her presence. She immediately insists on being called Alex. Alex continues to sip on her cool drink, but is now entirely focused on the task at hand. The conversation is animated and fast, almost as if she has a lot to say but not enough time to get her point across effectively.
Unexpectedly, Alex has dreams of being a relief worker for the United Nations, but her mother told her that it is almost impossible to get anywhere in life without a degree. This is when the idea of coming to Rhodes was established. She has always been interested in politics and the “gross display of human rights violations” she sees regularly. Therefore, being a political journalist was an intriguing notion. She still has her heart set on eventually working for the United Nations, because, as she says, “Once I set my mind on something, I want to do it”. Doing community work at a convalescent hospital in Cape Town (where 90 percent of the children are HIV positive) further convinced Alex that this is something she needs to experience.
It is shocking to realise that Alex was not always as self-assured as she is now. “I’ve had to learn to accept myself,” is one of the first statements she makes. Her greatest difficulty when she first came to Rhodes was trying to find herself and her place in such a diverse community. Coming straight out of an all girls school that she had attended for fifteen years, Alex was not content with herself as being around girls for that period of time meant she was constantly judged. “I thought I never fitted in,” she says, a little sadly. This led to her having quite a problem with her self-image. She was not completely sure about the person she was, and was therefore very concerned about finding people she could relate to. At first, Alex felt a little out of place, as is to be expected when moving into a completely new environment.
Another factor that caused Alex some distress was trying to connect with males, having never studied around them before. As a result, interacting with boys around campus was a bit of a struggle at first. The first boy she really connected with was different to her in every possible way: religiously, culturally and racially. Through him, she learnt how to relate to someone vastly different to herself, and this influenced the way in which she began to associate with other males around her.
With this problem overcome, Alex soon rose above her other problem: her identity. “I thought I was very open-minded when I came here,” she says with a smile. She did not realise that she had created a barrier around herself, because “If you’re closed up, people don’t have the opportunity to hurt you,” she says. She had to learn to be more open with people and their views. In learning to accept herself and learning more about herself, Alex found friends, each of whom has characteristics that she can identify with. She has found her niche at Rhodes and has now learnt to trust people.
Alex is both a hero and a survivor. She has strived hard to triumph over her struggles. This has by no means been an easy task, and there have been many hurdles along the way, hurdles that have both tested and strengthened her. While she is still not completely sure of who she is, Alex has acquired much knowledge in the past eight months. Her perspective is now a much more positive one than the unsure, vulnerable young woman who entered Rhodes University in February.
Unexpectedly, Alex has dreams of being a relief worker for the United Nations, but her mother told her that it is almost impossible to get anywhere in life without a degree. This is when the idea of coming to Rhodes was established. She has always been interested in politics and the “gross display of human rights violations” she sees regularly. Therefore, being a political journalist was an intriguing notion. She still has her heart set on eventually working for the United Nations, because, as she says, “Once I set my mind on something, I want to do it”. Doing community work at a convalescent hospital in Cape Town (where 90 percent of the children are HIV positive) further convinced Alex that this is something she needs to experience.
It is shocking to realise that Alex was not always as self-assured as she is now. “I’ve had to learn to accept myself,” is one of the first statements she makes. Her greatest difficulty when she first came to Rhodes was trying to find herself and her place in such a diverse community. Coming straight out of an all girls school that she had attended for fifteen years, Alex was not content with herself as being around girls for that period of time meant she was constantly judged. “I thought I never fitted in,” she says, a little sadly. This led to her having quite a problem with her self-image. She was not completely sure about the person she was, and was therefore very concerned about finding people she could relate to. At first, Alex felt a little out of place, as is to be expected when moving into a completely new environment.
Another factor that caused Alex some distress was trying to connect with males, having never studied around them before. As a result, interacting with boys around campus was a bit of a struggle at first. The first boy she really connected with was different to her in every possible way: religiously, culturally and racially. Through him, she learnt how to relate to someone vastly different to herself, and this influenced the way in which she began to associate with other males around her.
With this problem overcome, Alex soon rose above her other problem: her identity. “I thought I was very open-minded when I came here,” she says with a smile. She did not realise that she had created a barrier around herself, because “If you’re closed up, people don’t have the opportunity to hurt you,” she says. She had to learn to be more open with people and their views. In learning to accept herself and learning more about herself, Alex found friends, each of whom has characteristics that she can identify with. She has found her niche at Rhodes and has now learnt to trust people.
Alex is both a hero and a survivor. She has strived hard to triumph over her struggles. This has by no means been an easy task, and there have been many hurdles along the way, hurdles that have both tested and strengthened her. While she is still not completely sure of who she is, Alex has acquired much knowledge in the past eight months. Her perspective is now a much more positive one than the unsure, vulnerable young woman who entered Rhodes University in February.
Divania Timmal
2 comments:
sThe focus has been on Alex’s adaptation to Rhodes. The struggle that had to be overcome was the move from a single gendered school to a coeducational university. The writer makes Alex easily identifiable to the reader by the careful description which is used to describe the setting, the surroundings and the character in question. This is effectively used to reflect Alex’s focused nature which is reinforced in the urgency which is put across to convey her desire – that of being a relief worker for the United Nations. Alex is viewed as a hero in her initiative to reach her goal. Not only this, but the writer emphasises her ability to adapt and adjust in having to deal her colleagues who are “religiously, culturally and racially” different. An admiration for Alex is visible through out the assignment. In conclusion a before and after character is presented and an improvement is acknowledged
lol first year was lame
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