3 days. 1000 memories.

" By seeking and blundering we learn"

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I’m pretty sure I had what has the potential to be the best 3 days of my life in the past week and as I write this post I feel a strong sense of nostalgia as I reflect on the fond memories that occurred within this time.

When I left to Joburg on Tuesday morning I was anxious and fearful of what to expect. I remember waking up at 4am that morning to catch my flight to the airport at 6am and my dad asking me “How are you feeling” to which I replied “I just want it to be over” and now looking back, I wish I could do it all over again.

So I left to Joburg by my lonesome on Tuesday the 10^th of December to participate in the Investec Bursary selection program. When I got to the airport I was really scared to be flying alone but nevertheless it had to be done. The feeling of independence that came with this trip is something that I will never forget.

When I arrived amongst the other 48 candidates I could already tell that this would be an experience that I would never forget.  Sitting in a room with people who are as driven as you, share the same goals as you and are of the same intellect as you are, served to be a highly interesting and refreshing experience. 

I will never forget sitting at news café while having dinner and playing question bomb where the substance of the conversation went about abortion and the current controversial topic of e- tolls. In normal everyday life if you spoke about these things with your regular friends it would be incredibly strange but amongst this group of people it was perfectly fine because everyone was interested and once again was of the same intellect.

On Wednesday 11^th December we had our prepared speeches - and boy was that scary. Before arriving we were given the choice of about 9 topics and we were told that the speech had to be 90 seconds. I chose to do the topic “Do you think that Jacob Zuma should serve another term in his presidency” and it turns out that I was the only person out of 49 candidates who chose this topic. Even though we were told that the speech had to be 90 seconds, everyone kind of harbored the attitude “oh it’ s not like they’re going to stop us” – we were wrong.

This was probably the most stressful thing that occurred in the 3 days that I was in Joburg but I prevailed and luckily my speech was still a success. (Despite me calling Jacob Zuma “Juma”)

3 days is no time at all but I seriously feel like I’ve made lifelong friends, and that’s probably what I’ll miss the most. Waking up at 6am to have breakfast as a group, riding the lifts at ungodly hours as we search for a “ party” to involve ourselves in, sharing the fear of being screamed at for walking too slowly or J walking as we cross the street, laughing at the most inappropriate things, whipping everyone's butt in bowling and just having simple conversations.

Thank you Investec bursary selection 2013.

THANK YOU.