Make up your own mind

As Fall semester draws to a close, I'm wondering where 2008 has rushed off to. January 15, 2008, the day i landed in Bismarck is still as fresh in my mind now as the new snow. I'm shell shocked really, to actually be at the end of my Freshman year and come January 2009 I'll be a Sophomore?

Have i learnt much? Am i still the same? Who are we now and where are we going? To be honest i don't know what the full picture is, but it's coming together bit by bit. I've definitely learnt that even though i started out a stranger amongst strangers here at Umary, differences lasted as long as i chose to see them. My friends and University Community as a whole, Bismarck Community as a whole have become my family. This place has become home. True i still miss Zimbabwe, but the reason it was home was because there were things there that were familiar and comfortable. In this year here in Bismarck I've made new connections and though the culture is different, there are a lot of things that have become familiar and comfortable. Walking around campus in sweatpants, bundling up to face a snowy day, eating in the cafeteria as a big loud group. Staying up till 3am talking and eating Hershey's chocolates. Going on random drives, complaining about homework. All the little things that you would usually take for granted are the very things that have given each day meaning and make it special.
So i think college has changed me. The independence has taught me responsibility. Btu the independence has taught me co-dependence. That does not mean that i am a leech and can't do things for myself, i can. But the point is that none of us lives in a vacuum and the only way life's fulfilling is if we are sharing it with others. come good or bad for there is a beauty in ugliness too. My best friend Jason said something i think i am starting to understand. "We all fall apart sometime. It doesn't mean you are weak. It means you are human. We need each other to keep us going."
So, I am so excited to see what 2009 will bring. I know i could not have made it through homesickness, loneliness and uncertainty without the patience, love and genuine concern of my friends. They say that if you have lied through one North Dakotan Winter, you can live through anything. That's so true. There was a winter in my heart, but I've made it through and ready for anything. Now we are off to celebrate Christmas and for the first time i am looking forward to it (partly because i am not the one stuck in the kitchen:) My Dad's voice has been resonating in my head of late too. He always told us at this time not to forget the Birthday Boy. It's Jesus birthday and that's the whole reason for the season. I used to think that was corny, but the truth of it has stayed with me. So Merry Christmas everyone and have a Happy New Year.

Battle against self

Nelson Mandela is one of the greatest inspirations of the 20th Century. This 1994 Nobel Peace Prize recipient has surmounted great odds such as slander, poverty, illiteracy, violence, racism and blatant hate. His rise to prominence was through his active participation in the political party known as the ANC (African National Council). This organization took the lead in ridding South Africa from the centennial struggle against the injustice of Apartheid. His light shines out of Africa to prove that there is hope for her despite her being labeled “The Dark Continent.”

I'm not trying to advocate for politics here. There's a deeper principle. Well, it's been a trying year if i am to be honest. The culmination of it being Wednesday December 10, 2008. I've known for a long time that things in Zimbabwe have been deteriorating, i lived through a lot of it. But to watch CNN that morning and see so many people dying from starvation and cholera outbreaks. To know that people are educated enough and have teh resources to do something yet can't because of one person's selfishness and tyrannical hold on power is devastating. The hardest part about being an International Student has become that with such danger and uncertainty, going home is more dangerous than being in a foreign place. When did the nest ever become more dangerous than the outside world?

The relevance then, is that South Africa too has seen really trying times full of evil, uncertainty and pain but despite that, beacons of hope like Nelson Mandela shone and still shine meaning change must come, Change is coming and we are it's very catalysts. His mentor Oliver Thambo put it best,“Now we are dealing with reality. We will in our lifetime realize our dreams because we are fighting an enemy that stands to eradicate all of us. Or that ensures that we destroy him.” The main point relates to everyone. Our struggle may not necesarily be against a physical person, but it may be with our circumstances or ourselves. So, i choose to hold on to hope and keep going and since College years are the ones that will pretty much make or break us it's important to set a goal and choose a path to it.

What's study abroad anyway?

So what’s studying abroad anyway? Going to a different country for 4weeks or less does not count. You have to live in the country, go to the local shops and do as they do, learn the language and get in on the food music and trends. Studying abroad has several advantages. These include increased self confidence, lasting impact on world view, skills that influenced career path and influences interactions with people from different cultures. According to www.nafsa.org people who have studied abroad are in demand for jobs. They have a better standing because they are more versatile and can adapt to new situations more easily than those who have not had the experience. The types of jobs are international business, communications, international diplomacy, advertising, marketing and the list goes. Like I said, they are versatile.
What I gained from being on exchange in Argentina were strangers who became family. We literally have a life long bond. So maybe you should give it a try.

Hope you hadn’t forgotten about me

WHAT A MONTH!!! I’m sure if someone had told me how fast-paced and demanding fall semester is I think I would still be in a daze. Partly because the words “Fall Semester” do not mean anything. In Zimbabwe where your main seasons are Summer (Jan through April), winter (May-July) and the rainy-season (Late September-early January), fall hardly exists past the month of August. Secondly, the school year runs completely differently. We have three “Terms” each broken up evenly with three months of school then one month of holiday, starting from January running till December. So “Fall Semester has been a completely new experience, with completely new holidays too such as Halloween.

 Many people ask, “ How do you deal with being so far from home? You can’t just drive across the ocean but it’s almost been a full year since you went back.” All true. And many International kids will tell you it’s hard knowing you have a home somewhere else but you cannot go home at the drop of the hat. So fine, you can’t completely control the situation, but you can control your outlook and how you will react. I choose to soak up all the opportunities and immerse myself in the new culture around me. What’s the point in making yourself miserable hoping for the past when the present holds so many memories? The things that made home familiar were the sights, sounds, foods and comforts. So why not engage the new sights, sounds and foods and make new memories. Sooner than you think the unknown will become familiar and you will call it home J Besides, I know I can’t carry my family around with me, but God is all around and in all things- a joke, a hug, a sunrise. The very fact that I am here, wherever that may be, shows his crazy love for me. He makes me feel all right.

 Jumping into activities is the best thing you can ever do!  But can you take on too much or be intimidated? YES! But it’s all worth it. So in the Greek tragedy, “Antigone”, I played this creepy prophet Teiresius (Tie- ree- see- us) Trust it to be a Black girl, with a British accent playing a man. It doesn’t get any weirder than that. But just in time for Halloween, which rocked! Candy bonus and an excuse to dress up J. As for making this place feel more like home, the Vocal Arts Ensemble held a Lullaby night with songs form around the world. I got to share some authentic stuff from Zimbabwe and it was a great time! You see, people are always so concerned that due to borderlines, cultural and linguistic lines we are too different and disconnected. The truth though is that we are more alike than we know. I mean my music styles may be different, but music is music. I feel as much hunger, loneliness and excitement and joy as the North Dakotans around me or the kids from Montana. I think it’s a matter of being willing to jump in. Are you willing to take the first step?

 You have nothing to lose if you try. You have everything to lose if you never do. (Plus a bag of questions and regrets to carry around and that would just be whack.)

Why Bismarck, NORTH DAKOTA??!

1. “Why Bismarck NORTH DAKOTA!??”(All inclusive of the wide eyed expression, gaping jaw or skeptical frown.) That is the very first question most people have asked me since I arrived in January 2008. It is a good question considering Africa is much sunnier the majority of the time. Well like most 20year old college kids, I am following my thrill for adventure, trying to get out from under my parents and be independent. According to my family, I’ve always been a free-spirited nomadic type or ADHD because I can’t sit still. My main reason would be that I am here for school, but that’s the generic answer so I left it for last.
   
   My name is Tanya Tambo and I am an International Student from Zimbabwe (which by the way is a separate country from South Africa) I’m a Freshman Majoring in Communications and have a double Minor in Theatre and Music. In addition to being Chair of the International club and an RA in an all girls hall. But enough about me, what does this have to do with you? Well, I am really big on people broadening their minds because there is so much more out there than just your comfort zone. So over the next few weeks in a series of about 7blogs, I want to encourage you as a college student wherever you are, to try either a full term or short term study abroad programme. This is not going to be a platform to soapbox. It’s really a sounding board for ideas.
   
   I think this is an excellent idea for a number of reasons
   1. There is more to school than just text books and classes. There are Life Lessons to be learnt. They are the ones that will stay when everything else fades.
   2. You will get first hand experience that no Cosmo or Travel Magazine can give you
   3. We have the time, energy and craziness to do this so we might as well. What else is Youth good for?
   
   I hope you will enjoy this trip with me. So feel free to give your opinions and ask all the questions you like. Here we go!