The Famous Jamison Hall and the Jammie Steps!
The beauty of Cape Town can easily cause one to forget about being in a third world country, though, as one South African student put it yesterday, Cape Town is the closest to "first world" in South Africa, or in Africa.
Now, for those who are "geographically" challenged, here's a little lesson:
AFRICA is a CONTINENT.
SOUTH AFRICA is a COUNTRY located at the southern most tip of the African Continent.
If you click HERE the link will take you to a website that will show you a map of the continents. The map is interactive, so you can click on the continent of Africa and it will then show you the countries. You will notice that South Africa is located at the very bottom (South!) and it will also show you Cape Town, where I'm located.
Cape Town itself is pretty cosmoplitan, compared to what you might think of when you think of Africa.
However, I am learning that just because they have many of the items we do, and life seems to move at a pretty fast pace ("hectic" is the term that is used a lot here), that I am to assume nothing.
Having worked many years in higher education, and having been a college student for even more years, I can say I have a lot of experience with higher education processes and procedures.........here's where the lesson in patience comes in!
And I do hope that students are reading this so as to appreciate a bit more what you do have when you register for your classes :)
Last week was orientation and pre-registration for International students, which went along without a hitch for me, surprisingly. So, I go in early to campus Monday morning to collect necessary papers so that I may register.
And so the process began
1. Go to the Graduate School of Humanities (GSH) and collect papers to take to the Faculties (Department) for signatures. I gathered my papers and headed to the Oppenhiemer building where the Center for African Studies (CAS) is located.
2. Go to the Reception desk at the CAS, explain that I'm a Post Grad student who needs to register and needs to have my registration papers signed, and ask who I need to see. They want to send me back to GSH. I tell them GSH already gave me the papers needed and sent me to CAS. I was then told to speak to Prof. Garuba, but he was over at Jammie Hall doing registration. I ask if I should make an appt., but the suggestion was made that I try to speak to him at Jammie Hall. So I gather directions to Jammie Hall. (That's Jammie as in "toast and jam)
3. I proceed to Jammie Hall to track down Prof. Garuba. I see from the signs that it is Undergrad Registration. Not where I'm supposed to be, but I'm bound and determined to track down Prof. Garuba. I ask the young lady at the information desk and she doesn't know who he is, so I ask some of the other professors, and they say he is not there he must of already left for lunch.
4. I go back to CAS, since I believe I've missed Prof. Garuba at Jammie Hall. I get to the Receptionist and when I tell her I missed him, she points across the Lobby and says there he is, as he turns and goes into his office and closes his door. I knock on his door, quickly tell him what I need and he asks me to make an appointment as he is preparing to go to Jammie Hall!
5. I go back to the receptionist to make an appointment and he doesn't have anything until Wednesday. So, I make the appointment for Wednesday (today). I did manage to ask her about the times for the classes and where I might find them, and she was able to tell me what they were for the 2 CAS classes I was interested in taking. For any of the other courses I would need to go the website of the Faculty and look...I'm still looking!
REGISTRATION Part 2
6. I arrive at CAS at my scheduled time, 11:30 Wednesday morning to speak with the Convenor, Prof. Garuba. When I arrive the Receptionist looks at me with this expression that told me I was not in for good news. She told me that Prof. Garuba was not there yet and asked if I had anything else I could do, and I said no, but I could go chill out for a while and she could call my cell. Then the director came to get me, but when she found out what my program was said I really needed to speak with the other guy. So, away I went.
7. It was a lovely day for a walk, and so I visited the many different societys and clubs that had set up tables and tents along the Jammie steps and walkway.
8. Approximately 20 minutes later my cell rings. Lucinda, the receptionist, (we're on a first name basis now!) called to let me know he was back. I told here I would be right there.
9. I meet with Prof. Garuba and explain what I want to do, show him the classes I have picked out and I was all ready for him to sign my papers so I could run around campus and have all the other departments, excuse me faculties, sign my paper....but, SCREEEEECH!!!
10. The program I was in was not designed to take graduate courses, I would have to take undergraduate courses----been there, done that. And he couldn't approve me to take the courses I had picked for the program I was in, even though, I had been given the graduate courses handbook and materials for this program, and it looked as if I could take graduate courses I could not.
11. I had to make a choice. Stay in the program and take undergrad courses. Or ask to switch to the honors program, take the grad classes that I wanted. Which would mean a delay in registration and I would have to write a request to the facutly and GSH.
12 I made an appointment for Friday at 9:30 AM to see Dr. Garuba about registering for the Honors program.
13. Classes start Monday.
In case you're wondering, I started my process a LONG time ago, and asked many, many questions before I arrived.
But, I'm certainly having to learn patience from the standpoint of being a student, and from being a university employee that works in the environment daily.
It's one thing to recognize that you are in another country. It's another to recognize the different ways that things are done in another country.
Traffic moves quickly here, but other things do not.
There's a long list of sayings that I will incorporate into my blogs when appropriate. And one I will use now is the saying "Just Now", which doesn't mean just now or right now or immediately. It might mean 10-15 minutes or so.
So, for someone like me who doesn't like to have people wait on me, and who prefers to be early or on time, I'm doing a lot of waiting on others. So, I need to get with this program quickly, or I'm going to stress myself out.
The other thing that I have learned through this process, is that registration is not streamlined. So, students must still go through several different steps in order to finalize their registration. For example, a student that wants to take a psychology course, a math course, a science course and a music course, must get signatures for each course from the respective faculties (departments). And the University of Cape Town (UCT) campus is not a small campus. It is big, strung out and steep!
So, there is no hopping on the Internet and looking at all the courses to see what time they are offered and having 15-10 sections of one course and signing up online. That doesn't happen.
But one thing that I thought was outstanding was the number of social organizations and clubs that was out on the Jammie Plaza this week for students to join. UCT encourages students to get involved in service, social and sport organizations. There are all kinds to choose from, like the Hip Hop Society--thought about that one, but figured an injury was definitely in my future--Mountain & Ski, Wine & Culture, Photography, Ballroom Dancing, Habitat for Humanity, and SHAWCO (http://www.shawco.org/) to name a few.
Actually, check out SHAWCO, http://www.shawco.org/, as it is an organization that allows you to volunteer to go to the townships and help tutor or mentor children and adults. A program I've heard a lot about and hope to get involved with if my schedule will allow.
Now, for those who are "geographically" challenged, here's a little lesson:
AFRICA is a CONTINENT.
SOUTH AFRICA is a COUNTRY located at the southern most tip of the African Continent.
If you click HERE the link will take you to a website that will show you a map of the continents. The map is interactive, so you can click on the continent of Africa and it will then show you the countries. You will notice that South Africa is located at the very bottom (South!) and it will also show you Cape Town, where I'm located.
Cape Town itself is pretty cosmoplitan, compared to what you might think of when you think of Africa.
However, I am learning that just because they have many of the items we do, and life seems to move at a pretty fast pace ("hectic" is the term that is used a lot here), that I am to assume nothing.
Having worked many years in higher education, and having been a college student for even more years, I can say I have a lot of experience with higher education processes and procedures.........here's where the lesson in patience comes in!
And I do hope that students are reading this so as to appreciate a bit more what you do have when you register for your classes :)
Last week was orientation and pre-registration for International students, which went along without a hitch for me, surprisingly. So, I go in early to campus Monday morning to collect necessary papers so that I may register.
And so the process began
1. Go to the Graduate School of Humanities (GSH) and collect papers to take to the Faculties (Department) for signatures. I gathered my papers and headed to the Oppenhiemer building where the Center for African Studies (CAS) is located.
2. Go to the Reception desk at the CAS, explain that I'm a Post Grad student who needs to register and needs to have my registration papers signed, and ask who I need to see. They want to send me back to GSH. I tell them GSH already gave me the papers needed and sent me to CAS. I was then told to speak to Prof. Garuba, but he was over at Jammie Hall doing registration. I ask if I should make an appt., but the suggestion was made that I try to speak to him at Jammie Hall. So I gather directions to Jammie Hall. (That's Jammie as in "toast and jam)
3. I proceed to Jammie Hall to track down Prof. Garuba. I see from the signs that it is Undergrad Registration. Not where I'm supposed to be, but I'm bound and determined to track down Prof. Garuba. I ask the young lady at the information desk and she doesn't know who he is, so I ask some of the other professors, and they say he is not there he must of already left for lunch.
4. I go back to CAS, since I believe I've missed Prof. Garuba at Jammie Hall. I get to the Receptionist and when I tell her I missed him, she points across the Lobby and says there he is, as he turns and goes into his office and closes his door. I knock on his door, quickly tell him what I need and he asks me to make an appointment as he is preparing to go to Jammie Hall!
5. I go back to the receptionist to make an appointment and he doesn't have anything until Wednesday. So, I make the appointment for Wednesday (today). I did manage to ask her about the times for the classes and where I might find them, and she was able to tell me what they were for the 2 CAS classes I was interested in taking. For any of the other courses I would need to go the website of the Faculty and look...I'm still looking!
REGISTRATION Part 2
6. I arrive at CAS at my scheduled time, 11:30 Wednesday morning to speak with the Convenor, Prof. Garuba. When I arrive the Receptionist looks at me with this expression that told me I was not in for good news. She told me that Prof. Garuba was not there yet and asked if I had anything else I could do, and I said no, but I could go chill out for a while and she could call my cell. Then the director came to get me, but when she found out what my program was said I really needed to speak with the other guy. So, away I went.
7. It was a lovely day for a walk, and so I visited the many different societys and clubs that had set up tables and tents along the Jammie steps and walkway.
8. Approximately 20 minutes later my cell rings. Lucinda, the receptionist, (we're on a first name basis now!) called to let me know he was back. I told here I would be right there.
9. I meet with Prof. Garuba and explain what I want to do, show him the classes I have picked out and I was all ready for him to sign my papers so I could run around campus and have all the other departments, excuse me faculties, sign my paper....but, SCREEEEECH!!!
10. The program I was in was not designed to take graduate courses, I would have to take undergraduate courses----been there, done that. And he couldn't approve me to take the courses I had picked for the program I was in, even though, I had been given the graduate courses handbook and materials for this program, and it looked as if I could take graduate courses I could not.
11. I had to make a choice. Stay in the program and take undergrad courses. Or ask to switch to the honors program, take the grad classes that I wanted. Which would mean a delay in registration and I would have to write a request to the facutly and GSH.
12 I made an appointment for Friday at 9:30 AM to see Dr. Garuba about registering for the Honors program.
13. Classes start Monday.
In case you're wondering, I started my process a LONG time ago, and asked many, many questions before I arrived.
But, I'm certainly having to learn patience from the standpoint of being a student, and from being a university employee that works in the environment daily.
It's one thing to recognize that you are in another country. It's another to recognize the different ways that things are done in another country.
Traffic moves quickly here, but other things do not.
There's a long list of sayings that I will incorporate into my blogs when appropriate. And one I will use now is the saying "Just Now", which doesn't mean just now or right now or immediately. It might mean 10-15 minutes or so.
So, for someone like me who doesn't like to have people wait on me, and who prefers to be early or on time, I'm doing a lot of waiting on others. So, I need to get with this program quickly, or I'm going to stress myself out.
The other thing that I have learned through this process, is that registration is not streamlined. So, students must still go through several different steps in order to finalize their registration. For example, a student that wants to take a psychology course, a math course, a science course and a music course, must get signatures for each course from the respective faculties (departments). And the University of Cape Town (UCT) campus is not a small campus. It is big, strung out and steep!
So, there is no hopping on the Internet and looking at all the courses to see what time they are offered and having 15-10 sections of one course and signing up online. That doesn't happen.
But one thing that I thought was outstanding was the number of social organizations and clubs that was out on the Jammie Plaza this week for students to join. UCT encourages students to get involved in service, social and sport organizations. There are all kinds to choose from, like the Hip Hop Society--thought about that one, but figured an injury was definitely in my future--Mountain & Ski, Wine & Culture, Photography, Ballroom Dancing, Habitat for Humanity, and SHAWCO (http://www.shawco.org/) to name a few.
Actually, check out SHAWCO, http://www.shawco.org/, as it is an organization that allows you to volunteer to go to the townships and help tutor or mentor children and adults. A program I've heard a lot about and hope to get involved with if my schedule will allow.
So, as I practice patience, I am also reminding myself that though the buildings of a higher educational institution may look the same on the outside, I must not be so ignorant to think that everything works the same....which I KNOW it doesn't, as that's true even in the states. I think that sometimes we (I) am walking among these beautiful, achitectural structures of academia, and I make assumptions...and it is in making assumptions that danger and ignorance collide!
View from Rugby Field, looking toward Upper Campus
So, just as we are told not to judge a book by it's cover, or to judge a person by there appearance, I am not to judge or make assumptions based on what I see...because what I see does not tell the full story of what truly is....a country where electricity is sparse and rolling blackouts are scheduled, internet is on a limited, not unlimited, basis. It is not that this country does not have what we have, but they do not necessarily enjoy it limitlessly like we do, or for the cost we do.
I open my eyes a little wider, I breathe a little deeper, I feel a little better.
L
3 comments:
La Shona!!! Oh how I miss you...but it sounds like you are on the adventure of a lifetime. I can't wait to read more. Love always, your one and only...salad shooter
La Shona!!! Oh how I miss you...but it sounds like you are on the adventure of a lifetime. I can't wait to read more. Love always, your one and only...salad shooter
It is great fun to hear from you this way. As I am helping a student negotiate some SOGS issues here and work with Registrar's, I feel like referring her to your comments to make her feel better!
Susan
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