BRUTUS June Edition 2020

BRUTUS NERINA RESIDENCE

respect | integrity | ubuntu | potential development

JUNE 2020

lockdown edition

Our Story

C O N T E N T Letter from the Editor BLACK LIVES MATTER: Educational Resources A message from Pancakes

LIFESTYLE

Nerina’s name comes from the indigenous South African flower, Nerine Filifolia. This delicate, yet enduring pink flower brings colour to the open grasslands and humid areas in the Eastern Cape, Transkei, Swaziland, Mpumalanga and the Free State.

It takes three years for this bulbous to bloom for the first time during autumn – and likewise most Nerinas are rooted here at our home in Stellenbosch for about three years before they need to exit into the world and start blooming in their separate careers.

1. Lockdown with Louise Nerina hosted our first residents in 1968.

The residence was only completed in 1972 and for the first four years the residents had to use the back entrance next to the bicycle stands, as the front door was not yet complete. Mrs Rabie was Nerina’s first residence head. Her dog, Brutus, was a beloved resident of the house and unfortunately passed a tragic death. He is layed to rest in Nerina’s soil where he still lies in peace in the purple shade of our beautiful Jacaranda with our resident owls reminiscing over his memory.

2. Sarah's Re(s)cipes

PERSONALITIES 3. Nerinas who stayed at res 4. Copy + Paste (Look-a-like version) 5. Nerinas of the Month

HAPPENINGS 6. Lockdown Entertainment

Mrs. Kritzinger joined Nerina as residential head in 1995 and had to bid us farewell when she got married in 1999. Tannie Annette du Plessis has been deeply planted in our hearts as residential head and House Mother since July 1999. Although greeting Aunty A. IN 2019 was a difficult and heartfelt goodbye, we are overjoyed to welcome our new residence head, Joy Petersen. Her name is true to her joy-filled spirit and within the first few weeks she managed to capture our hearts.

STUFF THAT MATTERS 7. Charity in a time of Corona 8. The phenomenon of the online classroom (with tips for writing ONLINE EXAMS)

STUFF THAT MATTERS 9. Nerina Nostalgia

Today Nerina’s heart blooms with pride for our residence – a progressive and innovative home-away-from-home in the beautiful town of Stellenbosch.

We stand for respect, integrity, Ubuntu and potential development.

10 The first day back

LOCKDOWN CREATIVITY: poems | sketches | photographs | recipes

In this house, true to the roots of

LOCKDOWN DIARIES

our name, Nerinas prosper and flourish.

Crossword Puzzle

THANK YOU TO THE WHOLE BRUTUS 2020 EDITORIAL TEAM: m e r a k i d é - m a r i l e h a n i

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L E T T E R 2019/2020

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F R O M

EMBETH

DU

T H E

E D I T O R

TOIT

Dear Nerina, When I last wrote to you, I was on a plane back to Pretoria after the university had closed. Panic and uncertainty had consumed us all when Covid-19 knocked on our country’s door (no, sorry, that is put too gently – it was more like a disruptive kicking in of the door!). Although we should all keep being conscientious about social distancing and hygiene in this fragile time, we cannot allow the coronavirus to cast a shadow over other pressing issues that need our attention too.

This lockdown has exposed the broken social foundations of our country. It has made me more aware of my privilege than I’ve ever been before.

SKETCH BY MIA MEYER (@MIAMOOI_HANDMADE)

I cannot ignore the hungry faces on the streets. I cannot shy away from acknowledging that this lockdown has impacted our unequal society very differently – and that I, due to no actions of my own, got the better end of this raw deal.

Ignoring these fundamental facts about our divided society would be a betrayal of my personal values, the values that our constitution stands on and the values that we chant while holding hands in the quad: “Respect. Integrity. Ubuntu. Potential Development.” [And I always say “Love” in my heart.]

I don’t understand what it feels like to go hungry and not know where my next meal will come from. I don’t understand the struggles of students who do not have access to internet during this time. I also can’t understand the challenges that people of colour in South Africa (and abroad) face. I understand that I will never completely understand. However, I stand. I will stand for justice, equality and freedom. I will stand for South Africa and all her beautiful people who deserve better than this.

One blessing (and there are a few) that this lockdown brought, is time. Time to think, reflect, and learn. Time to educate ourselves on the things that matter. Time to dig deep into our souls and rediscover the value of life, the beauty thereof and everything that we can be thankful for.

"I understand that I will never completely I am thankful for my family who raised me to be inquisitive, to

understand. However, I stand."

love my neighbours and to always believe that I can change

the world If I’d like to (but not alone). I am thankful for my friends who checked up on me during lockdown – and I’m thankful for the friends who couldn’t reach out but whose mere presence in my life enriches it. I am thankful for Stellenbosch University and the privilege of studying. I am thankful for technology that made it possible to keep in touch, informed and active. I am thankful for my health and for every essential worker.

I am thankful for Nerina and for what she has taught me: When I miss my family the walls say,

"Home is not a place but a gathering of loved ones."

Roommate chats tell me, "We are not meant to go through our days alone."

The sections I've stayed in taught me, "People are different but só lovely."

Nerina has shown me that though life can be tough, it is worth living.

MAY

All my love

YOU

LIVE

YOURS!

H

E

R

E

A

R

E

S

O

M

E

R

E

S

O

U

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C

E

S

WITH INTERACTIVE LINKS!

ORGANISATIONS TO FOLLOW:

PODCASTS TO LISTEN TO:

Antiracist Research & Policy Centre Black Women's Blueprint Color of Change Equal Justice Initiative Showing Up For Racial Justice (SURJ) SisterSong United We Dream

About Raace 1916 The diversity Gap Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast Pod For The Cause

FILMS AND SHOWS TO WATCH:

BOOKS TO READ:

NETFLIX: 13th - Ava Duvernay Dear White People - Justin Simien See You Yesterday - Stefon Bristol When They See Us - Ava Duvernay OTHER: Black Power MixTape: 1967-1975 Selma The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution The Hate You Give Hidden Figures

Black Feminist Thought - Patricia Hill Collins How to be an Antiracist - Ibram X. Kendi I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou So You Want To Talk About Race - Ijeoma Oluo The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison The Fire Next Time - James Baldwin White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism - Robin DiAngelo, PhD The Color of Law - Richard Rothstein

FOR MORE ANTIRACISM RESOURCES:

https://www.goodgoodgood.co/anti-racism-resources THIS YOUTUBE VIDEO ALLOWS YOU TO DONATE THROUGH AD REVENUE (IT COSTS YOU NOTHING!)

https://youtu.be/bCgLa25fDHM FOLLOW THIS LINK TO AN EMAIL TEMPLATE FOR JUSTICE FOR Collins Khosa:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-CNwdGN-1JDQxeg7wBuIN2bCfWf4lG0sjbLJgFcUy2g/mobilebasic

A

M E S S A G E

F R O M

s e k a c n a P

Dear Nerina, Needless to say, I am not the coronavirus' biggest fan at the moment - it took all of you away from me. Luckily, a few Nerinas stayed at res along with Joy and myself but we are all experiencing your absence immensely. I do hope, however, that you are all safe and healthy at home (well, your other home).

I'm alright, thank you for asking - just a bit of a stuffy nose from the dust in the Argief.

SKETCH BY MIA MEYER (@MIAMOOI_HANDMADE)

At the start of lockdown the social media team asked me a few questions...

MY FAVOURITE NERINA MEMORY: "My favourite memories are all when I have been saved from my captors - usually Pieke or Dagbreek - by each year's Newcomers! And the time I spent with Suzy (Shihara's penguin) during Welcoming 2019 is also a favourite of mine - but shhh... don't tell her I said that!"

WHAT I MISS MOST DURING LOCKDOWN: "I miss my Nerina friends and visiting in their rooms. I miss the hugs and the songs of laughter that surround me. I miss the beautiful piano playing from the Argief and I miss the NCC dancing on the tables. I miss you, Nerinas!"

I was so excited when the government announced that some of you will be returning shortly.

That was the best news of the day - including the tea from the owls!

This lockdown made me realise that YOU are Nerina - without you it's merely a house in Stellenbosch with a green (yes, you read that correctly) quad in desperate need of some love and a trim!

Good luck with your online exams coming up and enjoy your June-July break. It's almost time for you to return to your home-away-from-home and then life will be good again.

I cannot wait to see you all again!

L I F E S T Y L E

LOCKDOWN w i t h

l o u i s e

p o s t - l o c k d o w n

l i f e

t i p s

Dearest Nerina I anticipate that Lockdown will mean many different things to many

different

(hopefully

only)

Nerinas. five

Some

weeks

as

will a

experience

chance

to

these

relax

and

recharge at last, while other will be bored and frustrated

P H O T O

B Y

H E I K E

E D E L I N G

beyond bounds.I do however believe that within these different experiences, lie common lessons that all of us can learn (regardless of your emotions towards lockdown).

Remember the value of rest Some people would have experienced the soothing effect of having nothing to do and all the time in the world to do it in. Cherish this feeling and remember to allow some time to do nothing when ‘normal life’ starts again.

Others maybe longed for recharging/resting by socializing or exercising outside. Let this serve as a reminder to make more time for these things when life resumes.

Continue practising your new skills I will use myself as an example for this tip. My mom taught me how to knit during Lockdown, I discovered Deon Meyer’s books for the first time and I tried to use YouTube videos to learn how to make some plaits (and failed spectacularly!).

I’m challenging myself to continue knitting, reading and (trying to) make plaits when I get back to uni and would encourage you to do the same!

Remember what you longed for in Lockdown I can’t even count the amount of times I’ve wished for normality in the past few weeks. I long for classes to continue, a Terbodore cappuccino at Pulp, having normal study sessions in the SS and eating way too many of Eamonn’s cookies again. Let’s not get so caught up in work when we get back to Nerina that we do not fully appreciate the value of these precious moments!

L E T ' S

W O R K T H E

Lots of love, Louise

T O

B E

B E T T E R

T R A N S F O R M E D B Y

L O C K D O W N !

F O R

L I F E S T Y L E

SARAH'S RE(S)CIPES Sarah FouchĂŠ " 'Stressed' is 'desserts' spelt backwards " To say that we are living in unprecedented times is an understatement. Restaurants, schools, universities and all non-essential businesses are closed, the staff and students have been sent home and nearly every corner of the globe is being lathered with hand sanitizer.

Isolation plays a lot with one’s psyche and I find myself going through waves of gratitude, anger, sadness and "...my feelings frustration – towards the world, news organizations, my “isolation buddies� (aka my family), and even the (and yours) virus itself. The number of times I’ve wanted to just SCREAM – at nothing, at everything – is innumerable. The biggest reason for this is not because I am confined to the four walls of my home, but are valid..." the thought of all the valuable time, moments and memories to be made which I am now missing out on, followed by not knowing when I will be able to return to Life. Yes, this can be seen as selfish – people are dying, others working 24/7 to try to save them, whilst unsung heroes put their lives at risk to ensure that we can buy milk from the shop. I get that, I applaud that and I am SO grateful to not fall into any of those categories. But, the above being said, my feelings (and yours) are valid, I am allowed to be angry that I am missing out on things which I should not be – irreplaceable teaching time, proper student life (already only limited to four years of one’s life), dances (#firstworldproblems) and friendships.

It took time for me to somewhat overcome these feelings and to make peace with the fact that there really is NOTHING I can do to make it all go away (and anyone who knows me will know that doing nothing i.e. not “fixing the problemâ€? isn’t something I am able to do easily). However, what got me through this – which I would argue to be the most mentally challenging time of my life thus far - was what always gets me through life: making lists. Lists of things I wished to accomplish "...making lists.." each day. Before you think I’m some psycho who spent the month of lockdown smashing out daily workouts, followed by completing all my university projects due for the next year, thoroughly learning term one work and studying ahead term two’s syllabus as well as cleaning my whole bedroom from top to bottom, the answer is NO, NOT THAT TYPE OF LIST. My lists included watching however many episodes of “How To Get Away With Murderâ€? I wanted, painting pictures, doing @Sarah’sDay 8-week fitness program, sleeping, making wedding Pinterest boards (disclaimer: do not ask me why I found this to be so satisfying considering I do not even have a boyfriend‌ applications are open though, so if you have a nice brother tell him to hmu đ&#x;˜‰ ) and last but probably most importantly, baking! The amount of biscuits, banana bread, chocolate cake, profiter roles, lemon meringue pie and rusks I made and consumed over four weeks was probably a tad exorbitant, but none-the-less delicious, needed and fulfilling (metaphorically and physically).

One easy treat (makeable in res or at home) which literally occupies the first page of my recipe book and which my mom made for every childhood birthday party of mine, is Coconut Chocolate Balls. They are stupidly simple to make, and highly addictive so don’t even attempt to play the “I’ll only have one�-card.

COCONUT CHOCOLATE B A L L S INGREDIENTS:

1 Tin of Condensed milk 2 TBS Cocoa powder ž cup coconut 1 packet crushed Marie biscuits 1 tsp vanilla essence DIRECTIONS:

Mix all the above ingredients together Roll into golf-ball sized balls and refrigerate Enjoy!!!

P E R S O N A L I T I E S NERINAS WHO STAYED AT RES DURING

lockdown

Mari de Lange

This lockdown has started with a bang and none of us saw it coming or were even prepared for it continuing indefinitely. During this period, we learned to adapt with many things and maybe even discovered a few new things about ourselves.But some of our Nerinas expereinced all this in the hallways of our beloved residence.

Natalie found the online learning as a drastic change from class learning, but also feels it is more flexible time-wise. On a typical day during lockdown, she gets up at seven and start her online learning at 8 o’clock. She is enjoying her tea and biscuits on the balcony in between all the classes and learning. She mentions that a few things she took for granted was something simple as being outside and spontaneously deciding to do something. She longs for relaxing, with a good book, on the front grass of Nerina.

Hellen’s typical day consist of waking up at 09:00, taking a shower and meditating. While cooking her dinner, she enjoys watching “Skeem Saam”. She also exercises in res by doing squat jumps on the stairs and home workouts in her room. When she is feeling a bit down, video calls and texts from her family instantly helps to cheer her up again.

Something, she adds, that the rest of us can look forward to seeing when we return to res, is a green quad who urgently needs a “barber”.

Jay is enjoying the online learning overall as she finds it easier to do things in her own time and space. Something new in Nerina, she adds, is the new shelves in our showers. She misses spending time with her friends and seeing familiar faces she can be comfortable around. She also keeps herself busy with painting and drawing, something she didn’t have time for in the past. One of the things she believes she took for granted is her freedom.

She is very thankful for the company of the other Nerina’s also staying in res.

Jessica has learned a few new skills: cooking has become her new favourite activity and she has also learnt a whole lot more about make-up. Online learning, as she describes it, is “hectic”! She misses DCM, seeing people and also having coffee-shop hot chocolate dates with herself, if not with close friends. One thing she took for granted is the noisy Nerinas on the balconies, staircases and also in the bathrooms at odd hours

- wihtout the voices, the house seems very empty.

Zandile finds the online learning a bit challenging, but with determination and great self-discipline, she is handling it well. She misses seeing other Nerinas, going to class and spending time with her friends. Things she took for granted includes internet access and living in a comfortable area. Her typical day includes working throughout the day and enjoying her study breaks in the quad, soaking up the last bit of summer sun.

All and all, these five girls have developed a great bond between them and have learned so much about themselves and also each other. During lockdown, they were able to socialize, had countless movie nights and came together when Joy wanted to see them all over a nice cup of tea.

These five beautiful Nerinas are the reason we can be excited to return back to res and we thank them immensely for taking such good care of Nerina - our home away from home.

Zandile

Hellen

Jessica

Jay

Natalie

P E R S O N A L I T I E S

COPY + PASTE (LOOK-A-LIKE VERSION) Louise Buhrmann They say a picture speaks a thousand words, so in this article I have decided to keep the writing to a minimum and let the photos speak for themselves.

Attached are a couple of photos of Nerinas who look extremely alike (if you look VERY closely you’ll see that they are not two photos of the same person, but indeed two different people!)

Nerina's Celebrity L O O K - A - L I K E

ELL ITCH Y M SHA

SH IHA RA

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P E R S O N A L I T I E S

RESPECT

INTEGRITY

UBUNTU

POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT

Nonkosi Mkabela

Eamonn Scholtz

Tamryn Micketts

Kira Courtaillac

Caitlin Laing

Jaina Lalla

Talyah Greyling

march

april

T h e S o c i a l M e d i a T e a m Embeth Marguerite Heike Du Toit Wieland Edeling

may

Quinnlyn van der Merwe

Rozaan Müller

H A EP V P EE N NI N T GS S

LOCKDOWN ENTERTAINMENT A

W H O L E

N E W

M E A N I N G

T O

" L I V E "

P E R F O R M I N G

Ané Havenga

I didn’t expect this virus. Let’s be honest – nobody did. I know by this time (we’ve been doing this for 3 months now) it is a bit of a cliché to say we did not expect it but I want to reiterate this since it changed all our lives a fair amount some way or another. The one thing that makes this struggle against the coronavirus so unique is that we are all being affected. It is not just you as an individual… or even just us as a country. The whole world is trying to fight this! I am quite scared about what is going on but two things that are very cool for me are 1. how people still try to make a change; and 2. how people have again realised we are all in this together.

I love going to live concerts, sport games (or at least watch it on TV), theatre performances, movie theatres and also travelling. All these things disappeared into thin air when self isolation became the new norm. But I didn’t realise how wrong I could’ve been because through innovation, technology and people who wanted to bring some positivity to the day, all these things continued… although not in the way we are used to.

So far I’ve been having the time of my life (except for the studies that spoiled all the fun). Many artists still performed lived during this time on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. I watched a lot of them and I loved how intimate it was. A few honourable mentions would be Tori Kelly, Grammy award winning artist, who did a different one-hour show everyday for 7 weeks straight. A few South Africans did not stay far behind with Jan Blohm, Bottomless Coffee Band and many more also bringing out live shows. Leah, Nerina Alumni and famous singer, also did a concert part of the Bok Biltong sessions. Then there was the Global Citizen sessions where lots of artists from Coldplay, Shawn Mendes, Niall Horan and plenty more played awesome shows live. They sang all their hits and interacted with fans.

The big showstopper was the 16 hour concert with over 50 artists on TV and all over social media for Global Citizen orchestrated by Lady Gaga. Many artists still brought out CD’s during this time like Lady Gaga (Chromatica) or even some new hits. Jonas Brothers and Drake even found ways to shoot music videos in their own homes. Miley Cyrus even changed her home into a live talk show where she hosted daily talks with numerous other artists. It was an awesome experience to follow.

Sport has been a bit difficult to replace, unfortunately. But DSTV especially did not shy away from broadcasting the classic games! A lot of sport stars also used their time to bring about change. David Beckham phoned and encouraged a little boy who is trying to train at his home. We can keep active with Venus Williams everyday on her IGTV. Sport even became digitalised with e-sport becoming a reality for normal sport stars. A few tennis players put their racquets aside and took up some gaming consoles’ controllers. “Mario-tennis” became the new norm. There were singles matches, doubles with celebrities and tournaments with real prize money which they then donated to a charity. All the games have been streamed.

Many sport stars also did some motivational talks or spilled a few secrets. Some donated their famous sport outfits to charities – people could bid on the items or buy raffle tickets. The infamous 2019 Springbok Rugby World Cup winners have a 44-day campaign where you can buy a raffle for R32.12 (that beauty of a winning score) on Computicket to win some awesome prizes.

Exclusive theatres like West End and Broadway also streamed some of their spectacular and special shows for free. The show that honoured the great Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber was a personal favourite of mine.

Netflix, DSTV and Showmax also brought us the goods – we all binged movies or series non-stop…

You can even stream some travel destinations or download free books. Jägermeister got a lot of famous people together and people could book a session for a tutorial. Who would have thought that I would sit in my room and have a zoom guitar lesson with somebody from a famous band for free?

These aren’t easy times. But this is not the end, social media and technology brought us closer to the things and people we love.

Thanks to all the artists and sport stars who gave some of their time to make us happier. It really made the lockdown so much better than I could’ve even imagined.

S T U F F

CHARITY I N

A

T I M E

T H A T O F

M A T T E R S

C O R O N A V I R U S

Zoë McCathie

The coronavirus crisis has affected the lives of everyone in the world in one way or another, but in a time when we are all struggling it is important that we don’t forget those in society who are struggling the most. Just because we can’t physically take part in charity work, this does not mean that we cannot help those around us who are struggling more in this current situation than we are. As a community at Stellenbosch University it is heartwarming to see a continued focus on social impact and connecting students to charities through the social media of the university’s residences.

Their Instagram pages have been filled with news of different charity drives and projects that we can help during this time. Below we take a look at a few of these charities who have been continuing to provide essential support to those in need.

Helping Hand SA: Helping Hand SA is a charity platform started by third- and fourth-year students at Stellenbosch University which aims to publicize local charities and encourage giving to them. During lockdown the charity has organized two campaigns to carry out this purpose. The first, the Give Ten Campaign, was launched in April and encouraged people to donate 10 per cent of their savings to any charity they believe would use it best. Additionally, they asked people to share their giving through Instagram stories with the hashtag #giveten and tag three friends to do the same, increasing the spread of the campaign. The challenge was a great success with hundreds of people donating, many of whom were university students, and the total amount raised to date coming to a massive R30 000.

The charities campaign for the month of May, #anotherchance, aims to collect second-hand clothing in the Stellenbosch area to donate to those in the community who are most in need of it, you can find the donation drop zones and more information on their Instagram - @helpinghand.sa.

The Solidarity Fund: Over lockdown you may have seen videos or images on the Instagram pages of many of the residences at our university of students holding their hands out by their sides to symbolize the act of joining together while we are in reality so far apart. These videos form part of a challenge that spread through campus residences to donate to The Solidarity Fund and show, as a res community, our support for this charity. The Solidarity Fund was started by our government to assist South Africa in recovering from the economic downfall that has come from the pause of economic activity that lockdown caused. Our president and his cabinet all gave a third of their monthly salaries for April, May and June to the fund, and through this and other donations it has managed to raise R2.55 billion to help with the prevention of the virus and provide care and support for those affected by it.

Food for the Future: Before lockdown, Nerina’s cluster, Rubix, along with UNASA had been making weekly visits to Pieter Langeveldt Primary School in Stellenbosch to help improve the literacy levels of the children there. During this time of crisis, a desire to continue to help these children who are now facing further challenges, led to the release of the Food for the Future campaign. The aim of this campaign is to raise R10 000 before the end of June to help supply these children with food in a time in which this necessity has become less affordable to them. Their current total is R7600 and their challenge is for everyone aware of the campaign to give just R5 to the fund. Through all these donations together a big difference can be made. In order to donate you can visit the website: gogetfunding.com/foodforthefuture.

Stellenbosch Unite: The social impact team at Nerina have been placing a spotlight on one charity a week on Nerina’s Instagram page, and the third charity promoted was Stellenbosch Unite. This is a charity that was started through a collaboration between Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch Municipality, and three organizations: Visit Stellenbosch, SCAN and the Greater Stellenbosch Development Trust, as a means to gather aid to support the Stellenbosch community over this time, mainly through the distribution of food packages. Through donations from private donors the organization has managed to raise R2 060 000 which has allowed them to send 12 639 packages into the community.

The aim of highlighting charities and aid drives on the residences Instagram pages is to remind us of how we can give back to the community around us and show our support in a time when it is most needed. We may not be able to help in the ways we are used to, but that is not a good enough reason for our giving to stop. As Jana Stanfield once said, “I cannot do all the good that the world needs. But the world needs all the good that I can do.” Whatever you can give, give it, it won’t change the world but it might just change the life of one person.

S T U F F

THE

T H A T

M A T T E R S

phenomenon

OF THE ONLINE CLASSROOM

Carnia Adams

Learning during a pandemic?

Before we could even say the word LOCKDOWN, Covid-19 entered all of our lives and many of us had to pack up and leave for home. Lectures are now available from the comfort of our mint green duvet sets; just a click away from changing the window over from SunLearn to Stranger Things or You. Work at a desk? What do you mean? I could have lunch and complete my assignment without ever having to change my pajamas. The shift from interaction in class to only seeing familiar faces through a screen is a big change and it affects us all. We are meme generation, so it becomes our coping mechanism but it’s a big shift and that’s okay.

Online learning has been a taboo subject matter even in the age of digitalisation. We have this perception that if you do not physically go to varsity then somehow the validity of the learning is compromised and now that everyone is in the same boat, there is no other choice but to join the online classroom. It becomes an important part of sustaining some semblance of normalcy. Although there it is a strange and unexpected shift for many of us, participating in the online classroom has its benefits. Firstly the big one; working online allows the freedom of time. You can decide when to work and how to work, leaving a larger portion of the day free for enjoying hobbies or developing other skills because there is reduced amount of time spent on travel. You can essentially complete that assignment you started the night before in the car, at your friend’s house or in bed. For obvious reasons, we do not really get to experience that benefit, alas, quarantine but it is one that exists. After all, online learning was there before university courses were forced to transfer online themselves.

Contrastingly, with every good thing comes a bad one and there are quite a few. The most obvious one that affects all of us, is the lack of human interaction. This can easily affect one’s mental health and learning motivation, especially when the experience is heightened by no actual human interaction other than family, during this time of Covid-19. I’m sure we all miss Meraki and student night. Another disadvantage in the context of Corona, is that because it was not a choice for any of us, not all students will be able to receive the amount of access that others do; directly affecting the opportunity for learning. We know that Stellenbosch has attempted to put in place policies for housing and internet access so that students in need of assistance receive the same level of experience as more privileged students; however there will always be better ways to handle situations such as this. Equalised access is integral in what a university should represent, so embarking on that goal so that it can seep into the experience of the online classroom, is something worth celebrating.

As we know, with freedom comes responsibility, so it can be easy to just not do anything at all as how time is spent is now our own choice but here are some tips that might help when we get a little too attached for our beds and loathe online class: 1. It’s okay to have an unproductive day, don’t beat yourself up for it. Enjoy that day and then do what you need to the next 2. If you can attempt to build a study plan, so that you don’t find yourself wasting more time than you intended. On campus we had a schedule, so it was easier to keep up with multiple facets of life, but a study plan can help keep some of that structure even if you’re at home.

3. Check SunLearn.

4. Check SunLearn as often as you can. Even if it’s a pain and won’t load.

5. Check. SunLearn.

6. Take a break. We’ll all be wearing glasses by the end of this we if we just sit and work in front of our laptops the whole day. So if you can go outside in your garden for a little bit; make the break as long as you need it.

7. Accessible snacks can make any situation more enjoyable, so if you’re going at it, having a chocolate nearby has intense potential to make your day better.

8. See it for what it is and try to utilise your time so that the experience of learning doesn’t feel robbed from you.

ONLINE EXAM TIPS: FOLLOW THIS LINK!

https://blog.cengage.com/tips-taking-online-exams/

N E R I N A

N A R R A T I V E

nostalgia

Karmen Wiid

I am sure we can all agree that being away from Nerina for so long is not fun. We all miss the corridors filled with laughter, the coffee on the balcony and our beautiful Jacaranda tree. However, this is something that all Nerinas before us have had to experience. Sadly, there comes a time when we have to say goodbye to the house that became a home for us. That is when nostalgia truly hits. So, since we are away from Nerina, I thought we might as well share in some of our predecessors’ memories.

Our wonderful social media team has recently launched a Nerina Nostalgia series on Instagram. One of the sentimental moments they shared was of Nerina touchies in 1984. I for one had no clue that Nerina had a touchies field where men’s residences would come play while the girls cheered from their bedroom windows.

Another surprising Nerina tradition of the 80s was the “Hennedinee” (now known as Garden Party) where each section had to dress up in a specific theme for this year-end celebration. The Nerina Nostalgia series also shows jubilant and youthful Leah (Leanie van Niekerk) enjoying her university days in our residence. She is an iconic woman in the Afrikaans entertainment industry today and we are so proud to her them as part of our alumni along with the striking Natasha Palesa Mothapo, one of the first black ladies to live at Nerina.

Listening to the memories of previous Nerinas only proves how special our little home on Claassen street really is. But, like I said previously, we are also away from Nerina at the moment and missing our home. So, I thought it would be heart-warming to also share some memories of current Nerinas. This compilation of moments come from various conversations during the past couple of months.

“My roommate and I eating nothing but Ouma rusks for an entire weekend because we were too lazy to leave our room.”

“Rescuing Pancakes from Pieke after a long day of Vensters practice.”

“The Newcomers concert that ensured much laughter and new bonds.”

“Coming back to my room and finding my roommate had already made us popcorn.”

“The mountains outside my window when the sunset colours everything pink.”

“Schnitzel Wednesdays and tea with the neighbours.”

“The adrenaline rush of Vensters and finding myself thinking that the world lay at my feet.”

“Late night study sessions in the Rec Hall, knowing that I don’t have an early class the next day.”

“The Newcomers of 2020 breaking into Dagbreek to get our bike back and Zahn acting like we were on a spy mission.”

“Having to move everything back into your room in the second semester like it was the first day of the year.”

“Roommate double dates on the front grass and dancing our hearts out at the House Fund Dance.”

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“Mentor sessions on the balcony, talking about everything and anything accept what we were supposed to.”

“Coming home to a room filled with ten girls all excitedly talking over each other.” m e m o r i e s ; t o

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N E R I N A -

THE

N A R R A T I V E FIRST

DAY

BACK

-

Jess Holing

Everyday voices.

Who knew that every day voices passing me by could sound so sweet. Catching snippets of different conversations, my ears tuned in to the joy in every sound I heard - everyday voices have not been a reality for so long. Even the trees seemed to be celebrating with us. The leaves fluttered and twirled around me, glistening every now and again when the shafts of sunlight melting through the trees hit them at just the right angle. Victoria Street has never been so beautiful.

The feeling is overwhelming - all my senses have been taught, for almost three months now, to soak in the things they previously let slide over them unknowingly - the breeze on my skin, a little chilly, the crunch of my winter shoes over the golden leaf runway leading me to class, the smell of fresh rain and early mornings. My senses knew, somehow, that these little things are big things to me now. And they let me feel it all - all the things I missed swept over me again in a single moment. I couldn’t believe it was happening. We were back.

I let out a deep breath, feeling the air heat up the inside of my mask. It was difficult to breathe properly in the crisp morning air, but the excitement in my heart distracted me from the fact that we may as well have been living in an apocalypse movie. Everyone around me, masked, eyes darting all over the place in search of the Stellenbosch we once knew. But behind our masks, we all knew that things were going to be different. There was a certain sadness to the song of the wind blowing through my hair. She told stories of rain that had fallen on silent ground instead of on umbrellas and files used as shields, wind that had blown through empty passageways with no bouts of laughter to interrupt it, moments of sunshine that no one had soaked up and fallen leaves that no one had danced in. “Where did you go?” she asked the students, “and will you stay this time?”.

Winter had come and gone, and no one had even seen her. Little did she know, I sat in my room every night longing for the feeling of rain on my skin on the way to class, longing for the sound of slippers scuffling down the passageway to the bathrooms on a cold night, longing for… everyday voices.

A voice behind me and the sound of feet running turned my head around - a fellow Nerina ran up to me, breathing heavily. “I wanted to catch you and walk to class together,” she panted. I laughed. She smiled. We walked - a metre between us. Our words formed a channel of overflowing connection that overcame any distance we had to keep between us.Healing was happening. All around us. Healing - in the leaves, in the streets, in the people.

In the everyday voices.

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Tears spring to my eyes as they flit over the letters that form the words, that form the sentences, that describe her magnificent beauty.

A RECIPE BY LEHANI SKEIN

SUGAR FREE BROWNIES If you are trying to cut the sugar but you have a sweet tooth (like me – I can’t go a day without something sweet) these brownies are for you!

A discordance of sound that cannot be heard anywhere else.

That evokes emotions within me that cannot be described by prose in any language

Ingredients: 2 Cups of tightly packed fresh dates (measured after pitting) ¼ cup of warm water ½ cup of salted peanut butter 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil 1/3 (a third) Cup of cocoa powder or unsweetened cacao powder

It is the time between dusk and nightfall that create colours on her skin, that mesmerize me into a state of calm so that I am content in every drop of my being.

Only one that shares this same love as I can imagine what my words describe, For my love and I are one A mixture of salt water and air Moving between turbulence and tranquility.

creat A

P O E M

B Y

S T E F A N I E

Optional ingredients : 1/3(a third) cup of dairy-free dark chocolate chips 1/3(a third) cup of walnuts

Step 1: Preheat oven at 176 degrees and line a standard loaf pan (20cm by 20cm works well) with parchment paper (I used spray and cook instead).

Step 2: Add dates (after they have been cut into small pieces) to the food processor (I used a normal blender) as well as the hot water and blend well.

Step 3: Add peanut butter, vegetable oil, and cacao powder and pulse into sticky batter forms. Scrape down sides as needed.

Step 4: Add Chocolate chips and walnuts (optional) and pulse to incorporate.

Step 5: Transfer batter to lined loaf pan and spread into a even layer. Use a flat-bottomed object (like a drinking glass) to press into an even layer.

Step 6: Bake on the centre rack for 15 minutes.

Step 7: Remove from oven and let it cool. The longer they cool the firmer they will be.

V I V I E R S

Enjoy warm or cooled. Store leftovers covered at room temperature up to 3 days, in the refrigerator 5-6 days and in the freezer one month.

Note : These brownies have a funky texture because of the sticky dates and the fact that no flour is used. But they're delicious ;)

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To my daughter

A

P O E M

B Y

K A R M E N

W I I D

i want you to know, before I begin, that you are enough, your strength comes from within.

Perhaps you are all of this –

also, my girl, always guard your heart

The silk sunlight stretching over the wheat fields

for that’s what is with you from the very start. don’t fall in love with the first man you see,

And the chorus of the wind in the trees

prince charming is coming, just you wait and see.

Waking me in soft waves of autumn. if you spill on my tablecloth, tell me right then, i just want your honesty, no need to pretend

It is dusk

to be good and be perfect, for that’s not what i see

And the setting sun is framing your figure,

i see pieces of you mixed with pieces of me and I want us to laugh, make jokes every day

Burning around your edges,

be young and adventurous and keep time to play

I can only describe you as roaring –

write letters to people who make your heart smile

A scarlet soul that feeds on fire.

and don’t be afraid to just ‘be’ for a while.

love freely and deeply, and live just the same be the fairest of players in this crazy game keep life in perspective, and don’t overthink that way you’ll understand when you make the link

tivity between now and forever, for what lies ahead

and i hope when you cry, with every tear you shed,

that those tears would wet your garden, and help you to grow and when curtains close at the end of the show that you realise applause will never define you only the heart that has built up inside you

one day when you read this, i hope that you’ll see that no-one could love you just as much as me because one day in English class, I wrote you a poem

and I hope that you’ll keep it till the day you go Home - mom

Jess Holing

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made

these

T R I N K E T

trinket

trays

out

of

T R A Y S

air-dry

clay

in

this

lockdown period. I imprinted them with some leaves and flowers while the clay was still wet and painted it once it dried :)

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L O C K D O W N

D I A R I E S

THE BRUTUS TEAM SHARES THEIR LOCKDOWN EXPERIENCES

Ané I

- I like Lockdown

u n d e r e s t i m a t e d

i t . I t

f e e l s

u n r e a l .

This “it” is not Pennywise although it could have been because this “it” – the Coronavirus, sick people, a virus spreading like wildfire, death and even just lockdown – is a horror.

I followed this virus closely for a while, but it always felt so far away. Then it came into South Africa. We were all aware of it, but I did not change the way I acted, I thought my life would still go on as normal. Suddenly Sunday night at church one of my grade 10 students became way too excited about burning a candle in a service… until I found out he just got a message on his phone that Mr. Cyril is closing the schools for the next four weeks.

I only then realized what was going on. I have hand sanitizer in my bag for probably two years because my mom got a free one once. I’ve never used it and even though I knew the virus was already then all around me I never used it until someone made that decision for me.

The horror of tbis pandemic not being stuck at at home. It is a horror because millions of people all across the world have been infected and thousands of people has died. So, I want to honour those who do not only think of “me, myself and I”. Thanks to all the essential workers working extremely hard in these difficult times. Thanks to retired healthcare professions who decided to go back to work. Thanks to doctors who haven’t seen their families in months and moved out of the house so that their families can be save.

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I love lockdown. Yes, I must say I do miss people and the tennis court.

(Thanks to my friends who randomly messaged me to ask if I am surviving without tennis – it is difficult, and I appreciate your concern). I also never imagined being at home with no sport on TV. I basically watch sport 24/7 and now it’s all gone… But getting those things out of the way I still say that I love lockdown I enjoy grabbing a book or a magazine that I haven’t had time for in ages. I loved the Tom Cruise pop up channel on DSTV. I’m not the best baker ever but like almost everyone I’ve also baked a few things for the family and there is nothing better than licking out the bowl afterwards. Now that I can’t spend 3-4 hours a day on the sport field, I also got time for my other big loves: music and poetry. I have been catching up on some guitar and piano skills. I’ve finally written some new music and poetry as well.

I have a passion for music, and I love it that artists try to still give back to the fans to lift their spirits. I have watched hundreds (I am not exaggerating) of Instagram, Facebook and YouTube lives. From Tori Kelly, who has changed my live these last few weeks to Miley Cyrus’ Bright Minded series, Cody Simpson reading poetry, the Global Citizen At Home Concerts , Niall Horan, Jessie J, fitness videos with Venus Williams, Jeremy Loops and Matthew Mole’s Sunday sessions, Jan Blohm and Bottomless Coffee. I love it that you can find numerous famous people, different churches and people sharing testimonies, services and God’s word.

I love that even though my mom still has to work during lockdown that she can come home a bit earlier and we can spend some time together. Also, the Wednesday Zoom sessions where our family of seven get together is a highlight of the week.

it is a strange world we are living in at the moment.

Yes – I am scared.

Yes – I wish the virus and death rate can stop.

Yes – I am extremely sad that I can’t see my friends, play sports or visit London in (a lifelong Serena Williams-type of dream I had).

Yes – the university work is freaking me out and I am stressing like crazy.

H o w e v e r , I ’ v e t i m e a n d m y

t r u l y b e e n h a p p y d u r i n g t h i s w i s h t o y o u i s t h a t y o u m a y a l s o b e h a p p y .

L O C K D O W N

D I A R I E S

Carnia's Lockdown Shenanigans At first it felt and sounded a little bit too much like an extra-long break.

Lockdown out of the context of Covid-19 almost felt like that pause that everyone longs for subconsciously. It felt like an opportunity to gain some traction on the goals I followed slowly behind on. Being home when I didn’t expect to be and not too far, from when I was actually supposed to be (mid-term break), was destabilising, shocking and exciting all at once.

I do not feel desensitised or ‘out of touch’ when it comes to the effects of the corona virus or the changed lives of those in less privileged positions than I, but when lockdown was declared, I knew it felt necessary, for the health of this nation but also deciding that I was going to use compulsory solitary to my advantage… Yes, summer body, fine I’ll admit it, but also a lot more than that. My mental health, catching up with varsity work and refocusing on what is truly important in the world I find myself immersed in. I was only at Nerina for technically three months, but coming home felt strange. At Nerina I missed home and at home I missed Nerina. I missed Stellenbosch and the ability to walk almost everywhere and constantly having something to do. I did bring a bit of Nerina back though. My parents are now officially trained in the art of making fluffy scrambled eggs in the microwave (and if I’m feeling fancy, a fried one too). Having a microwave as your be all and end all for 3 months, really teaches you how to be lazy. I PROMISE YOU, one of these days, a fellow Nerina is going to give me a microwavable cake recipe and I’ll be ready for the day.

But overall, I think lockdown has really forced everyone to shift their focus and their life in some way; minutely or massively.

I did not, and still do not feel in the position to complain. Lockdown affects all of us but some people do not have the privilege to be safe and in the comfort of their home with their loved ones during this time.

This is why my first instinct, after hearing Ramaphosa’s address, was to do the best that I could. I’ve always felt guilty if I didn’t use the opportunities awarded to me solely based on family resources, which is why I decided to just take advantage of every moment during this time. Learning new recipes, started reading for leisure again, got back into my art and piano and appreciating some sun every morning with a cup of coffee. I definitely fell into the trap of watching YouTube videos on my phone until 3 a.m in the morning at some point but hey… I’m only human and I’ll never apologise for enjoying meme review. 3 a.m. abruptly stopped when my eyes couldn’t take it anymore. Did you know that Netflix has a chatroom? You can watch the same movie with your friends on Netflix party and chat while you are watching the same movie at the same time. Took a whole national lockdown to find out that exists; but did it with a couple of friends and was really fun!

Besides all the fun moments focusing on my studies has definitely been keeping me going. If I had nothing to do in the day, I think I would go insane, so even though due dates are a shlep and stressful most times; they have actually kept me motivated towards a goal. Meditation and exercise has also ensured that I can carry on. The news is overwhelming and this feeling of hopelessness always seems to come over me when I feel like I need to be doing more to help the community but unsure how, and so, keeping myself in an active mental state of awareness has really made the emotional aspect of lockdown better. Even though being at home for so long has made Nerina a little blurry, all the fun social media activities on Instagram has really kept it alive. Seeing everyone post about Nerina and their memories, can’t not make me feel extra nostalgic and sentimental.

I really am lucky enough to know that, in these times I have a home, and when I go back to Stellenbosch, I have a home too. A home waiting for me when all of this is over.

L O C K D O W N

D I A R I E S

As a small girl my mom always told me that I had ants in my pants since I could never get myself to sit still or waste any time. When I am not spending my time effectively, I tend to get very frustrated with myself. Therefore I knew that this lockdown was going to be a challenge for me.

Lockdown – an eight letter word that we all feared, even though we had no idea what it would entail. The uncertainty of what to expect, how to behave and what would be allowed was certainly there. We were stepping into a time that none of us have ever been through, meaning that there is simply no memo to follow.

Every single person in this beautiful country was entering this strange and unforeseen situation - united in uncertainty and determination.

Mari

I realised early in this lockdown that a positive mindset is very important. One would not achieve anything by being negative or complaining every chance you get. I force myself to have positive and prosperous thoughts, looking forward to the excitement of the unknown in this upcoming period.

At the beginning of lockdown I wanted to draw up a bucket list for myself, listing all the things I wanted to do during this period. I soon realised that was not going to realise, so I decided to take it day by day, removing any extra pressure I might put on myself.

My daily routine was as follow – I would usually get up early, spend some religious time and exercise thereafter. I love being active. I enjoy going for walks or a jog in the beautiful streets of my hometown Paarl. Nothing is more beautiful than the purple flowers on the Jacaranda trees in the Main street of Paarl.

Now, with the unique situation we found ourselves in, I was not allowed to go for a jog or even walk our little Maltese poodle around the block. Luckily the internet is full of workouts and trainers sharing their tips on staying in shape.

During week three, however, I really started missing to jog. So, I dusted off my running shoes and started to repeatedly jog up and down our driveway. I entered a challenge where one should complete a full marathon (42,2km) in a 21- day period. It was really tough, since I got extremely exhausted with stopping and turning all the time. Nevertheless, I was active and enjoyed the fresh air.

Next up, I would take a nice shower, get dressed and ready for the day. I would clean my room and organise all my academic work for the day. Before lockdown, I set up an academic programme for myself in order to stay motivated to work.

It was challenging not to get lazy since I was under no pressure to study for anything particular, for example a test.

I did, however, manage to get up to date in all my subjects. Enough about exercising and studying, though. During this lockdown I also decided to get a little creative I am really fond of music and musical instruments. My grandmother was a very talented woman. She had a love for music and was able to play any music instrument one could think of. I envied her talent and really miss the sound of music instruments in our home.

I saw this lockdown as the perfect opportunity to learn to play the ukulele. With the help of YouTube, I was able to learn a few chords and play different songs with the few of them Other days I felt the urge to be creative in the kitchen. I really enjoy baking, but the clean-up and washing dishes afterwards is the less fun part. Our whole family is extremely fond of sweet treats. We made nutella brownies, pancakes, vanilla cake and cupcakes, chocolate chip flapjacks, malva pudding and chocolate pudding during this time. Not that any of these items lasted long in a family of six.I also started keeping a journal and getting creative with scrapbooking. Each day of my life I write diary entries, since I would like to read all of them one day when I am older and reminisce about the times I endured, the things that I saw and experienced and how it made me feel.

Not only do we love our sweets, but we are also very fond of braai. We use fire to make almost anything - from bread and meat to pizza and stew. We braaied a minimum of five times a week and some weeks we lit a fire every day. I enjoy sitting at the fire with something to drink in the one hand, while eating some nice crackers and chips with the other. I must also say that I watched Schalk Bezuidenhout’s video’s each day. What laughter it brings!

On some mornings I would get up and just feel lazy. I would stay in bed all day, drink coffee with some rusks and just watch Netflix. On these days I really felt as if I were relaxing and I realised early on that I have to allow myself to have days like these, without feeling guilty. We are all human and we are allowed to feel the emotions we feel.

I really missed being around people and going to the shops, just to escape home. I realised during this time that one should always be grateful for your health. The most important lesson I learned during this lockdown is to never take anything for granted. You only realise how much you worthy something once you’ve lost it.

L O C K D O W N

D I A R I E S

Lisa's Lockdown Add a little bit of Lockdown has been a strange and almost unreal experience for me. Apart from completely changing my daily life and those around me, it has also changed the way I look at each day.

Everyone is joking that there is no difference between weekdays, weekends and holidays in lockdown, but that is closer to the truth than we might have expected. With our strange sleeping patterns and the gloomy weather in Johannesburg, lockdown has really been one fiveweek long day. But it didn’t start this way… text The difference between random news alerts about a virus in a far-away country poking its head through the flooded media of South Africa and a full-blown crisis situation was literally my Statistics 186 lecture.

President Ramaphosa addressed the nation the evening before, but everyone was still unsure about what it meant for Stellenbosch University and the students, and the reality didn’t yet sink in for me.

However, the full weight of the situation hit me as I walked out of the Schumann Annex, heard that all further lectures were suspended, hastily greeted my classmates without knowing exactly how long it would be until I saw them again and rushed home to Nerina only to find many girls already moving out. I felt a pang of anxiety and sadness that night as I stuffed as much as I possibly could into one bag and quickly greeted some friends as I was to leave very early the next morning. My dear roommate and I shared a last little cry, but promised to see each other again soon. At least I can say that I had the time of my life for two short months in Stellenbosch with Nerina.

Returning home to my family for the first time since middle January was a relief, although I must admit that showering without my “stort plakkies” felt a bit strange at first. My cat still recognised me and I newly appreciated my mother’s food. It wasn’t long before my cousin got restless and a group of seven students spontaneously got into a minivan combi and drove all the way down to the small coastal town of Cape st. Francis. While there, we received the news about the coming lockdown (and we were all back home before it started), but those few days at the beach was exactly what we all needed before being isolated from the world and each other for longer than expected.

Since then my lockdown experience was more routined. For the first two and a half weeks I was still motivated and exercised for a short while everyday, and later that turned into an almost two-week long baking spree. The outcomes ranged from various successful cookies to a less successful chocolate foam tart. My family also watched, surprised and fascinated, as I took up sewing again and even taught my dad the basics! One good thing about being restricted to your home – and something I’m sure many other students also felt at least once – was the inspiration of doing some work for lack of anything better to do.

I’ve made the most of every opportunity to get out of the house by joining my parents on their perilous journeys into the public to resupply. The eerie silence and seriousness of people weren’t very reassuring, but having a reason to look presentable and wear shoes once a week was not to go to waste by me. I spent the rest of my time and data on video calls and dreaming up plans for after lockdown with my friends.

Whatever happens, I am still determined to climb every mountain around Stellenbosch and I can’t wait But until then I will keep on dreaming about it! to return to Nerina and resume life at the university.

L I S A ' S

L O C K D O W N

P H O T O G R A P H Y

L O C K D O W N

Zoë

D I A R I E S

- The 7 stages of Lockdown

It had happened. I heard a collective sigh as a stunned, “wow” slipped from someone’s mouth. I glanced up from my book for two seconds, nodded, and settled back down again.

As the country was reeling from the news of the nationwide lockdown I felt very little shock or anxiety. For me, lockdown had begun the moment I stepped off the plane the previous week, still a little confused by the sudden turn of events that had led to me frantically changing my flight the day before. Although I had visited friends once or twice since coming home, the concern for the virus meant staying at home had felt far safer than going out. While I was still apprehensive about the whole experience, I didn’t believe that much would change. I sat there ignoring the slightly unsettled feeling that had recently become quite normal wondering if this was the time I would finally start building some good habits like daily exercising and healthy eating. It wasn’t. In actual fact my daily routine under lockdown changed many times, it went through seven stages.

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6

7

While the lockdown and the nerves surrounding it were still new, there was one thing which seemed to occupy everyone's time more than anything else: checking the news. For the first few days stuck in the house, only a few hours would go by (and sometimes even less) until someone piped up with, “does anyone know if the numbers have changed?” The resulting answer was usually no different than it had been the last three times.

When the confusion of lockdown and what it meant began to clear and life started to settle down, I felt an urge to look at the positives of this situation, realising what a great time this was to catch up on some well-needed rest. So, for the next few days, I settled down to sleep, read, watch Netflix, and simply relax! Simultaneously, it seemed, the rest of the world had decided the same.

As television shows like Tiger King and games like Animal Crossing began trending I felt justified that taking some time for myself was the right decision to have made.

After about 3 days of nothing, however, I began to get bored. This boredom led to me searching the internet and my home for something, anything, to do; and finding all too much. I began with crosswords, which didn’t feel productive enough, then turned to spring cleaning. This activity produced a ball of wool and knitting needles - a long-forgotten gift from an elderly relative stuffed to the back of my cluttered desk drawer - and I took up a new hobby. Bored of that, a stream of interests passed: drawing, playing the ukulele, colouring, scrabble, writing, baking - the latter which left containers full of chocolatey goods to be enjoyed for weeks to come - until eventually, exhausted, I admitted it was time to slow down.

Get me out of here. An inner feeling which I’m sure has passed through each of our minds many times since the start of this period.

After a while being in lockdown can begin to make you feel like a prisoner trying desperately to plan their escape. Luckily, being at home is a little different to being in prison and there are activities you can do to feel more free. I began enjoying walking around my garden (and as far up my driveway as is legal), picnicking on the lawn, visiting my grandparents' cottage - making sure not to spread germs while there, and throwing the ball for my dogs, if I closed my eyes I could almost imagine we were in a park instead of the garden!

When walks with my parents and tea with my grandma stopped satisfying my social needs, I turned to the best thing I could find.

Although actually having coffee with friends was impossible, there was one way we could still spend time together: Zoom! In the second week of lockdown, my house was once again filled with the voices of others (although the noise came only from my laptop) as I joined friends and family for coffee, catch-ups, bible studies, and even exercise routines - all through a video call. Unfortunately, after a while, the bad connection and jumpy audio began to get on my nerves and Zoom, while still keeping me occupied a few times a week, became less of an obsession and more of an occasional pastime.

Sometime during the third week of lockdown I had fully resigned myself to a life of relaxation and taking part in the occasional hobby when it suddenly occurred to me that although I was not at university, I was still a university student who would be starting her second term in less than a week. Reluctantly, I realised I would need to start having a look at the many assignments I had stowed in a bag in the back of my cupboard and pushed to the back of my mind. Slowly but surely work started to creep back into my life until, by the time lectures and homework returned, it was a steady fixture.

And now I’m here, the seventh stage. Getting back to classes has helped me to settle into a proper routine again. Mainly because getting all the work done leaves me with very little time to do anything else! Yet I still manage to take part in a couple of the activities that I enjoyed the most in my journey through lockdown. The occasional afternoon of baking and exercising sessions with my friends on Zoom helped to re-energize me and clear my brain for a few moments. Life under lockdown isn’t easy, the constant news of a deadly virus spreading around the global can feel overwhelming, but if there is one thing I have learnt over this time it’s this: mankind has an amazing ability to adapt, despite it all, life carries on. It carries on surprisingly well.

L O C K D O W N

D I A R I E S

Jess {lockdown musings}

As I write this, it’s one day short of a month of lockdown. That’s 4 weeks of being in our houses. I remember a day I was in Stellies chatting to a friend about all the corona stories on the news, and us joking about South Africa being the only place it hadn’t seem to affect for once. Little did we know, a few weeks later, everything we knew would be completely put on hold and life as we know it would be paused. Life has been paused and no one can find the remote to press play again.

Pressing play again could cause more damage than we could ever imagine.

Something I’ve really been struggling with is feeling guilty for feeling ‘bleh’. Sometimes I wake up with motivation levels low, unproductivity levels high, and little pockets of anxiety knocking at my heart. But the more I think about it, the more I feel guilty for feeling that way seeing that I have an incredible family, a loving household, a comfy place to sleep, wifi connection etc etc etc. it’s just a messy cycle that makes me angry with myself for being so selfish. But throughout these last few weeks, I’ve been learning to let myself FEEL those things, realise they have a place and avoiding them will just be unhealthy, and then dealing with them and countering negative thoughts with thoughts of gratitude and hope about the future.

It sounds pretty simple, right? But when every day just melts into the next, I’m finding that I have to put in conscious effort to start off each day reminding myself of all the positive things in life and the Hope we still and always will have to fight off those negative voices. It’s not a once off thought, but a continuous decision I have to make to maintain a good mental state, and it’s something I’m still failing at but learning to forgive myself for.

Another thing that’s been playing tug of war in my heart – productivity vs. rest. Where is the line?! (Asking for a friend). The voice that keeps screaming in my ear that “you NEED to do every single thing you’ve ever wanted to do but never had the time to do because now you have the time to and you have no excuse” raises her voice way louder than the soft-spoken voice of “it’s okay to rest and refill your soul, you’ve been on the go for so long.” The loudest voice is not always the right voice, I’ve realised. I have a lot of things on that list of ‘things to do when I have time’, and I genuinely have enjoyed being able to give some of those more time, but I also need to be okay with having some completely guilt free chill days when I get nothing ‘productive’ done (and believe me, I did have those days. Lots of them). I’ve come to the conclusion that no matter how much time you have, somehow you still feel like you don’t have enough time. I haven’t ticked everything off my list that I wanted to do before online classes start, and I had close to 0 other variables that would usually stop me from doing them. Life is like that sometimes.

BUT. There is hope for people like me! There is hope for all of us! This crazy, uncertain time has brought about SO. MUCH. APPRECIATION. Appreciation for things that, I hate to admit, I might not have consciously appreciated in my life without

Giving someone a hug whenever I want to, even if they don’t want it (also happens a lot haha). Having the freedom to leave my house, connecting with people in person, how coffee smells this lockdown. Things like holding someone’s hand.

even more delicious when you drink it with a friend, the sound of wind in the trees down Victoria Street. ‘Real life’ things. The world is in timeout. The point of timeout for a little kid is to give them time to think about what they’ve done, realise it’s wrong and then come back with a different attitude. A parent understands the situation better than they do, and put their child in time out for their own benefit. I feel like that’s God and us at the moment – He knows better, and we need to trust that we’re in timeout to take some time to reflect, change our attitude towards life and come out better people than we were when we came in. And helplessness is a real thing that I’m feeling, seeing health workers working day and night and people with permits to go out and feed people doing such incredible things, but we need to use what we can to make the difference we can, even if that’s just a donation, an encouraging message or giving away things you don’t need.

In this situation, staying at home is the best gift we can give each other.

It’s a tough thing to process. To protect the people I love I need to distance myself from them. But rest assured that this situation has already bonded us as a country, as a worldwide nation, and as a human race. Rest assured that our government is doing all they can to flatten the curve and slow down infections while keeping people going. Rest assured that the fruits of this isolation will taste sweeter than they ever have before.

N A

n

d

w

e

w

i

l

l

e w

r

i

n

a

i

t

a

i f

o

s r

w h

a e

i

♥

r

t

i f

n o

g r

f a

o s

r

u l

o

s n

. g

a

s

i

t

t

a

k

e

s

L O C K D O W N

D I A R I E S

What an interesting year 2020 has been! I would have never guessed when I was watching the dazzling fireworks on New Years that this is what the year would hold. But like they say, a change is a good as a holiday. In this case, this time away from university does feel like a holiday - not quite the same though.

Dé-Mari

Coronavirus was as sudden as a Stellenbosch weather change!

One day all seven of your fans in your room are on full blast and even showering feels like an exercise and then the next day it is pouring rain while you are in your ‘plakkies’ and shorts, totally unprepared for the turn of events. Likewise. It felt like I was abruptly pulled out of reality. Like some 2300 sci-fi movie was realizing.

A wave of anxiety and fear filled the campus. Nothing scares you like the unknown. And just like that I was evacuating my lovely home: My Nerina.

I decided not to take everything in my room, because all of this will be over in two weeks. If I had only knew. Now my teddy is all alone on my bed. With no-one saying goodnight to him or holding him. Saying goodbye to my friends, mentors, NCC. Not knowing when I will see them again.Then our President declared a national disaster. A national disaster?! Aren’t I too young to be living in these times? Lockdown for 3 weeks. Lockdown extended for another 2 weeks. 5 weeks in total. When am I going to see my teddy again? When am I going to see the leaves falling from the beautiful trees in Victoria street? When am I going to experience the mouth-watering popcorn smell from Pulp? I thought it would always be ‘Lente in die oë van die Stellenbosch studente’. I even miss the end-of-the-month-2 min-noodles-crisis. Nobody is there to admire the beautiful tree in the quad. No more chicken schnitzel on Wednesday. The voices screaming “Alles vir die fiets” is only in my memory now. I miss Nerina. I miss home.

In the chaos there lies beauty. This pandemic might not have been something we would have ever guessed would happen. Or expecting to sit at home for 5 weeks. But maybe all of this was needed. Maybe it was mother earth’s cry for us to listen to her, nurture her, repay her for everything she has done for us.

Was the life humanity lived really a sustainable life? Would there have been something left for our future generations? I do not think so Mother Earth is finally healing. In fact, some cities have seen nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels fall by up to 60%.In India the skies in some of the most polluted cities turned beautifully blue as locals were put on lockdown. Lockdown has improved the air quality index to satisfactory levels in nearly 90% of the 103 cities. Venice's famous canals are the clearest they have been in 60 years. With less boats on the canal, the once-murky, grey waters are now crystal clear. This has welcomed swans, fish, and seabirds back to the canals.

This is what we needed. A forced pause. A forced “slow-down” – to listen to ourselves and nature. Always remember that if humans do not want to listen, God has a graceful way of making sure we will. I learned to appreciate the little things in life, to never take anything for granted and take time to realize how blessed I am to spend time with my family with a roof over my head. Realizing that where we are in life is exactly where we were meant to be - guided and protected by something much bigger the human mind can understand.

May we take this time to think of the leaders in South Africa, the health workers, farmers, and the people risking their lives for the safety of ours.

Like our President said, “God seën Suid-Afrika. God bless South Africa. Mudzimu fhatutshedza Afurika. Hosi katekisa Afrika.”

L O C K D O W N

Lehani Without a doubt one of the most unpleasant feelings is when you don’t know what will happen next. This was exactly the position we as South Africans found ourselves in during the pre-lockdown period.

When the first coronavirus cases were confirmed, we did not quite know what was coming or how serious this is. People were uncertain of what the future may hold. All these roller-coaster emotions built up until the evening of Thursday, 26 March when the big bomb was dropped. Families gathered in living rooms around the TV, anxiously waiting to hear what president Ramaphosa’s had to say about the situation.

“The National Coronavirus Command Council has decided to enforce a nationwide lockdown for 21 days…”

These words were greeted with enormous amount of shock and tension – something like this has never happened in South Africa before and it will have a negative impact on every layer of society. The biggest concern was the tremendous affect that lockdown will have on our economy. However, when everything sunk in and everyone took a step back, most people calmed down and realised that president Ramaphosa handled the situation well and did the right thing to protect our beautiful country.

Seeing that are famous for dealing with difficult situations through humour, the news of Lockdown did not only bring fear but also a lot of laughter. Social media was flooded with memes, jokes and challenges to keep our people smiling through the difficult time. Challenges on Instagram and Facebook got so extreme that people even started swallowing raw eggs. Even though something like swallowing a raw egg or cutting your hair out of boredom is quite ridiculous, it put a smile on my face and made me love South Africa even more. I surely know of no other country that looks a worldwide pandemic in the eye with such ruthless optimism and a little laughter.

One of the beauties of Lockdown is that it forces us to stay positive and when you can’t be, it forces the people around you to pick you up and remind you that this too shall pass. Even though we are not together this difficult time brought us closer to each other, not physically but in our hearts (#socialdistancing). This concept sounds strange, but it is true that in such difficult times we grow closer to each other trough the priceless support we get from our families and friends. No wonder the amount of Zoom and House Party users picked up tremendously. Even though academics has already started, make time to call a friend, to send a loved one a message and help them stay positive. This might help them much more than you could ever imagine, seeing that everyone has different personalities and handles the situation differently.

D I A R I E S

Another bit of positivity that came with Lockdown is that a few “Gordan Ramseys” were born and that the banana market has made its debut because of all the banana bread that has been made! Many people love baking, but unfortunately it takes a lot of time - and in the world before Corona such a thing did not exist. I could not bake an egg without messing it up. But now I've realised I love anything food-related (with eating at the top of that list). Through the few unsuccessful attempts, the little more successful attempts and lots of laughing, beautiful memories were made in the kitchen with my family.

One of the beauties of lockdown includes how it reflects absolute dedication. Exercise and physical health are such important aspects in

life. Unfortunately, Lockdown was a bit of a bump in the road for people who love the or going for a jog. However, this did not stop people from exercising and staying fit and challenges involving fitness became very popular. And of course, many people’s backyards, big or small, turned in to PARK RUN or marathon courses (although the track might get a bit boring after the 20th time passing the same flower or staring at the same view from your balcony). Yes, you heard right there were people who went for their run on a small balcony seeing that it was the only outside space available.

According to The Guardian a man named Elisha Nochomovitz ran 42,2km on his 7-meter-long balcony! This took place at his apartment in Balma, a southern suburb of the French city, Toulouse.

Nochomovitz mentioned that he had been training for a marathon and added, “I needed to assure myself that I could still run 40km”. Corona did not stop anyone, but created a space to test our dedication and created new athletes.

If you did not bake a cake, run 42.2km around your house, did not learn a new skill but you spent most of your time bonding with the couch you also spent your lockdown well.

We do not always have to be super productive – it is just as important for our mental and physical health to sometimes just “be” and not necessarily be something or achieve something. Rest is important and if that is what you did with your lockdown, you made a brilliant choice.

An activity I personally spent a lot of time on was going through all my photos of first year so far, thinking of all the magical memories already made and mostly missing everyone at Nerina.

Even though it sometimes gets hard, I remind myself that after the storm the rainbow will be beautiful and when we are all reunited again,

we will forever realise how precious every moment at Nerina truly is.

L O C K D O W N

Lara's Lockdown visitors

If somebody had asked me four months ago where I would be at this very moment, I would have confidently answered that I would be in Stellenbosch, trying to juggle all the aspects of student life. However, I had no idea how 2020 was going to pan out. Nobody saw this coming. We had no idea that a virus would bring the world as we know it to an absolute standstill. Thus we find ourselves at our respective homes across this vast country, away from our second home in Stellenbosch, Nerina.

Throughout this whole situation, uncertainty seems to be a constant companion. Uncertainty about the duration of the lockdown period, uncertainty about online learning and all the challenges associated with it, uncertainty about our economy, uncertainty about our health and uncertainty about the return to campus. Everyday, the situation changes. One piece of advice I repeatedly hear: “ J u s t

t a k e

i t

d a y

b y

d a y ”

D I A R I E S

Meraki Inside the Other Side England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Inside, Outside, Inside, On. More than 10 years ago my friends and I use to sing this song for hours on end, while we jumped over an elastic at different heights.

(I just realized how old I am.)

Years later I’m a university student grounded for weeks, in my childhood bedroom, by the government! We all are.

The

world

by

a

deadly

pandemic.

And

we

are

on

holiday, or two, or three. I’m physically bound to stay inside our property lines, but my imagination has gone wild. I’ve planned more trips than I’ll ever

be

able

to

go

on.

And

yes,

they

do

include

England,

Ireland,

Scotland, but strangely enough, not Wales.

One of the best parts about dreaming of holidays are the people you

This situation has also given us the quantity that we never seem to get enough of, time. I have used some of this time to reflect on the past and be grateful for the memories I have already made in this year.

want

So I try to take it day by day, to let go of my future expectations, be content in the present while being grateful for the past. All the while, wondering what adventures awaits us when we return to Nerina.

struck

come to realize there is nothing quite like being stuck at home to plan a

want

With gratitude, there also is a sense of longing for life as we know it. I miss unplanned visits in friends’ rooms, the echoing of laughter through the corridors, the bustling around in the mornings and the endless balcony catchup sessions. During this period, I catch myself sometimes thinking about how quiet the corridors in Nerina must be now. Nobody entering through the backdoor with their studentcard, nobody signing in visitors and sparkling clean wash stations waiting to be used. How can it feel like I left a part of my heart at Nerina while it was only an unfamiliar place to me just four months ago? It’s quite simple. It’s the people that make Nerina a second home. People that accept you for exactly who you are, an unexpected smile and surprise gift and endless support for anything you aspire towards.

been

and no certainty about what will happen, or when this will end. I’ve

Isn’t that so frustrating and comforting at the same time? As people, we love to plan for the future and know what lies ahead.

This situation forces us to live in the present day, to enjoy time with family, to do the things you never have time for and to reconnect with those you have forgotten about. We don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow, next week or next month.

When we are separated from the people we love, we finally realise how we take them for granted each day. Gratitude has been a daily visitor in this period. Gratitude for all of the people in our lives, gratitude for their efforts to stay connected, gratitude for our frontline workers and gratitude for everybody that lends a helping hand.

has

lockdown. The whole world is kind of … floating. With no direct answers

to

take

Fortunately,

with.

that

Dreaming

was

still

of

places

possible.

I

to

go

and

planned

things

beach

to

holidays

do. on

Whatsapp video calls, and a trip though Europe on a Zoom call. Will any of it ever happen? I don’t know, but it was fun looking at plane tickets I cannot afford. I did learn, however, that I really want to visit Ireland.

One of the best parts about dreaming of holidays are the people you to

take

Fortunately,

with.

that

Dreaming

was

still

of

places

possible.

I

to

go

and

planned

things

beach

to

holidays

do. on

Whatsapp video calls, and a trip though Europe on a Zoom call. Will any of it ever happen? I don’t know, but it was fun looking at plane tickets I cannot afford. I did learn, however, that I really want to visit Ireland.

One morning I woke up to my dad in ‘n dress shirt and fancy shoes, and my

mom

with

a

matching

pretty

blue

blouse.

I

was

shocked

and

confused, since I’ve been living in comfy sweaters and pink pajama pants. But they made coffee and went to sit behind the computer. (I was still very confused.) Then I heard people speaking. I thought it was the neighbors

(apparently,

if

they

talk

loudly

in

their

backyard

and

our

bathroom window is open, you can pretty much hear everything.) But the speaking stopped very abruptly and then continued, and so on. I then realized they were inside the computer. My mom and dad’s best friends live in England, on the other side of the world. Yet they were having coffee together. How sweet. That’s when I realized that, being apart can bring you together.

During this time, we’ve been challenged to do things differently. We are experiencing things from another side. My perspective on small things, that I never even noticed, has changed. I’ve come to miss things I could never

even

point

out.

And

when

we

get

to

the

other

side

of

this

pandemic the ordinary will be extraordinary, the little things will be important.

If you are lucky enough to have your siblings or friends with you in this time, I encourage you to find an old piece of elastic and play the game.

It’s great exercise and a lot of fun. Jump and laugh with each other while you dream of holidays and sunrays.

LOCKDOWN CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Lisa Nauta

see you soon, Nerina!

CROSSWORDÂ ANSWERS 1. FIVE 2. NEELSIE 3. FYC 4. ENROUTE 5. VAN RIEBEECK 6. COETZENBURG 7. TYGERBERG 8. BICYCLE 9. MASK

10. MKHIZE 11. NERINA AMIGA 12. PIEKE 13. IBN 14. RUBIX 15. HERMAN 16. SUNLEARN 17. HAND SANITIZER 18. COVID19