Small town syndrome is a phenomena experienced by those living in a small town and as a result of it a person may experience a claustrophobic feeling and the need to get out. This is the phenomena which has troubled Kelly Styane for the majority of her first year experience. Kelly is the ´it´ girl; she has style, she has the figure and she has the grades to live a happy and successful life, and until a couple of months ago Rhodes was the place which would help her to the top of the business world. Born in Johannesburg, Kelly has lived her whole life in the city.
When it came to making the decision about a university, it seemed like the furthest thing from home was the answer and it was her acceptance to Rhodes which began a life changing process for this big city girl. Rhodes had it all; the great Bcomm degree and the distance which would change her life as she knew it. She had separated herself from her family, she had taken a step outside of her older sisters footsteps and left a boyfriend of two years to begin her tertiary education in a small town she had never been to before. When thinking back on her first night away from home she described it as ¨daunting¨, although she has a nostalgic feeling when thinking back on the beginning of her journey, and then goes on to note that the best part of first year is remembering introducing yourself to so many new people and then watching as ¨a handshake turns into a lifelong friendship¨. It was only later that Kelly discovered her feelings towards her situation had changed.
Kelly began to take strain from the small town and the lack of variety which Grahamstown offered. ¨There´s nothing else to do but to go out and get drunk¨, says Kelly who admits that she is not a big drinker and feels that Rhodes does not offer any alternatives for those who don´t enjoy drinking all the time. This, however, is not the only reason she has decided to leave. She enjoys the social scene but found that in a town like Grahamstown you have to learn how to entertain yourself and live up to social expectations on a regular occasion. Kelly feels she can only really live up to her full potential and enjoy the most out of her university career in the city of Cape Town which had been her first choice from the beginning, although she had gone against the idea because her sister was already there.
The next obstacle for Kelly is that of telling her friends and family that Rhodes and Grahamstown did not work out as planned and that she needs to change before it is too late. She must now courageously make the change and explain to all those that she cares about that she has decided to leave Grahamstown. This was the hardest thing to do because the people in Kelly´s life had believed that Rhodes was the right place for her and that it had been a good decision. But this is Kelly´s life and she cant explain any longer that this is not the place she wants to be and must in turn follow her heart.
The journey at Rhodes has been a troubled one for this first year survivor. Fortunately she leaves with no regrets. Rhodes has been a journey of self exploration and through the hardships of first year Kelly has realised where her heart and her potential belong. First year is not an easy experience and Kelly´s advice would be to ¨come here knowing that its not going to be easy¨. Kelly has had to learn to support her own decisions and truly become an individual, and above all that, she has survived and learnt a great deal about the person she is.
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2 comments:
Your profile on Kelly is good but I could not help but notice your mistakes. First of all, you immersed yourself, telling people waht you think of Kelly. Another mistake you made is failing to use quotes. This means we don't get to hear her speak but we are attacked by your own words.
As I've said earlier, your profile is good. What I find attractive is the I find attractive is that you chose a different hero, rather than using the clichéd “successful first-year". A hero who looked at her situation and decided to make the bold move of leaving G'town.
Kelly's story shows the significance of making the right choices. The fact that there was no hero to save your princess(Kelly) shows that not everyone must expect a saviour in their first-year. Your princess became the hero by choosing to leave Rhodes. Overall your profile on Kelly is on point!!
This profile is quite successfully linking Kelly’s experiences with those that are likely to be faced by first years in the coming years. This is especially because most of the students are more accustomed to life in large cities and towns. Grahamstown will therefore be a change of scenery. The quietness and unavailability of activities to engage the student make it difficult to bear the small town life.
The profile also highlights on the importance of decision making by focusing on the chosen hero’s experience. Even though Kelly decided to take other people `s advice and come to Rhodes, she has now realised the importance of her own decision which was initially to go to Cape Town. The hero has achieved heroism by realising how important her decision is even though her life at Rhodes is almost perfect.
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