A Little Closer to Freedom
I’m one step closer to freedom.
Today was my last English exam for, potentially, a damn long while. At the moment I’m still recovering from the mental exhaustion- writing 2 essays non-stop for 4 hours totally throws you. The physical sensation is something like a head cold layered over severe eye strain. This said, writing English exams at a Post-grad level is somewhat different to Undergrad. For one thing, our exams are open-book, they are conducted in the English Department instead of one of those overwhelming, impersonal hall venues, you can walk around if you want and the lecturers even come to serve you tea.
As for the 2 essay I had to write, I don’t think my first one, on Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Mariama Ba’s So Long a Letter was particularly good. I got caught up in the Achebe part of the question when I should have tackled it briefly, and didn’t plan the Ba section properly so I tended to waffle. I only had an hour and a half for the other essay on Frankenstein, but although I was a bit rushed, I think overall the essay was more focused on the topic.
So now my remaining university work is to finish my big Media projects on Online Forum use by Companies in terms of Corporate Communication / Public Relations. Much to my delight I was phoned last week and told that the essay is now due on 23 November, as opposed to the 28th, as we were originally told. The lecturer apparently forgot that the essays need to be externally moderated. Oh, and we have to present on our projects to a panel of lecturers on 29-30 November.
Frankly, I haven’t learnt anything from this course. It’s going on my CV but in terms of Public Relations and managing a Company’s Communications, I own and have skimmed through a text book. That’s it. In terms of my experiences with the Media, Culture and Communication Department at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal’s Durban campus, I haven’t been impressed, neither by the lecturers or my fellow students. If anyone wants to study Media and Communication, I suggest the department on the Maritzburg campus where I completed my degree.
In terms of other news, Paul is looking at going to the UK for a two week holiday in January. I don’t think I would mind as much if he had actually extended the invite to me. He didn’t. Apparently he’s going to meeting with up with Robin, who’ll be over there with his family, and staying with his friend Scott- kind of a boy’s-only trip.
The thing is, I don’t know if I have a right to be unhappy about it. It’s not like Paul and I are engaged or anything. We don’t lead an interlocked existence. But you’d think after 2 years and 3 months, you wouldn’t make a decision like that without consulting the other person in the relationship. Especially if it possibly means missing your partner’s birthday. And it’s not even like it’s a business trip separation which is something that just happens, and is unavoidable.
Granted, although I do have the money to go, chances are I wouldn’t. If I was going to the UK, I’d more likely go for a month to make the travelling expense of the trip worthwhile. And besides, I need to preserve my financial cushion. I don’t want to rush into the workplace out of desperation for money. I really want to find something that I find rewarding. I should be thinking about my career. And that means denying myself things that I want, like overseas vacations and laptops, despite having the savings to afford them.
Oh, totally unrelated, but I bought my first Christmas present today- an Old Mutual cricket annual for my father, splitting the cost with my sister. I’ve also got to come up in the next week weeks with present ideas for Ashley and G. If anyone has any ideas, and wants to contribute towards a nice group gift, please contact me.
Today was my last English exam for, potentially, a damn long while. At the moment I’m still recovering from the mental exhaustion- writing 2 essays non-stop for 4 hours totally throws you. The physical sensation is something like a head cold layered over severe eye strain. This said, writing English exams at a Post-grad level is somewhat different to Undergrad. For one thing, our exams are open-book, they are conducted in the English Department instead of one of those overwhelming, impersonal hall venues, you can walk around if you want and the lecturers even come to serve you tea.
As for the 2 essay I had to write, I don’t think my first one, on Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Mariama Ba’s So Long a Letter was particularly good. I got caught up in the Achebe part of the question when I should have tackled it briefly, and didn’t plan the Ba section properly so I tended to waffle. I only had an hour and a half for the other essay on Frankenstein, but although I was a bit rushed, I think overall the essay was more focused on the topic.
So now my remaining university work is to finish my big Media projects on Online Forum use by Companies in terms of Corporate Communication / Public Relations. Much to my delight I was phoned last week and told that the essay is now due on 23 November, as opposed to the 28th, as we were originally told. The lecturer apparently forgot that the essays need to be externally moderated. Oh, and we have to present on our projects to a panel of lecturers on 29-30 November.
Frankly, I haven’t learnt anything from this course. It’s going on my CV but in terms of Public Relations and managing a Company’s Communications, I own and have skimmed through a text book. That’s it. In terms of my experiences with the Media, Culture and Communication Department at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal’s Durban campus, I haven’t been impressed, neither by the lecturers or my fellow students. If anyone wants to study Media and Communication, I suggest the department on the Maritzburg campus where I completed my degree.
In terms of other news, Paul is looking at going to the UK for a two week holiday in January. I don’t think I would mind as much if he had actually extended the invite to me. He didn’t. Apparently he’s going to meeting with up with Robin, who’ll be over there with his family, and staying with his friend Scott- kind of a boy’s-only trip.
The thing is, I don’t know if I have a right to be unhappy about it. It’s not like Paul and I are engaged or anything. We don’t lead an interlocked existence. But you’d think after 2 years and 3 months, you wouldn’t make a decision like that without consulting the other person in the relationship. Especially if it possibly means missing your partner’s birthday. And it’s not even like it’s a business trip separation which is something that just happens, and is unavoidable.
Granted, although I do have the money to go, chances are I wouldn’t. If I was going to the UK, I’d more likely go for a month to make the travelling expense of the trip worthwhile. And besides, I need to preserve my financial cushion. I don’t want to rush into the workplace out of desperation for money. I really want to find something that I find rewarding. I should be thinking about my career. And that means denying myself things that I want, like overseas vacations and laptops, despite having the savings to afford them.
Oh, totally unrelated, but I bought my first Christmas present today- an Old Mutual cricket annual for my father, splitting the cost with my sister. I’ve also got to come up in the next week weeks with present ideas for Ashley and G. If anyone has any ideas, and wants to contribute towards a nice group gift, please contact me.
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