Repeating a school year can be anxiety-provoking. Retraining one’s mind to think positively, though it may be hard, may be the key to survive
Author Archives: blaqandgoldblog
Exams again – my journey through medicine
Exams are remarkably stressful. Having to retake them, all the more so. In this post I detail the anxieties AND VICTORIES of retaking exams.
A letter to me – my journey through medicine
To survive repeating final year, I knew I had to be kind to myself. I could not afford to beat myself up and be self-hating in 2018. I had to tell myself that I was capable, that I could move any mountain I set my eyes on. So, I wrote myself letters. Letters of admirationContinue reading “A letter to me – my journey through medicine”
Hey so uhm, I failed – my journey through medicine
Revealing that I failed was gut-wrenching. I thought I could control it – when, how and to whom I told my story. I was wrong. It happened here and there, now and then. It was unplanned, erratic, haphazard. It was not in my control. I first told Khutso*. It was not hard at all becauseContinue reading “Hey so uhm, I failed – my journey through medicine”
Failed the year – my journey through medicine
“Black students form the majority of the students who failed IPC. We have to believe there is an inherent weakness in either how they study or how they take exams.”
27 things I now know at 27…happy birthday to me!!!
Today is my birthday. I have been alive for 27 years. This means my knowledge of the world should be enough to fill archives on archives of storage files (it does not). I shan’t go on a defeatist rampage about how I had planned my 27th birthday at the start of the year (read: longContinue reading “27 things I now know at 27…happy birthday to me!!!”
If I were a boy (child)
patriarchal princesses perpetuate the idea that men, by virtue of being born with penises, are worthy of a respect unattainable by non-men
T*W Whose agency is it anyway? On rape and silence (part 2)
Was I just, was I just violated?Nah, don’t be silly man. He did not rape you. If he had, you’d be traumatized. You’d be having flashbacks and you’d be bruised, torn. Face – disheveled. Legs – unmovable. Vagina – dismembered. Hotel – Trivago. Isn’t that what we had been taught on TV, in movies, thatContinue reading “T*W Whose agency is it anyway? On rape and silence (part 2)”
T*W. Whose agency is it anyway? On rape and silence (part 1)
I let him hug me goodbye in the middle of a public road and giggled when he tried to kiss meI stood frozen as I watched him walk away, a shy smile on my lips, not anticipating the tears that would soon betray my face. I stood frozen and watched him walk awayWhen his silhouetteContinue reading “T*W. Whose agency is it anyway? On rape and silence (part 1)”
To be wanted fully, loudly and unapologetically
I met Zulu just before varsity closed for the semester break. It was during one of the parties my friends and I regularly hosted after exams. He did not particularly stand out at the party. In fact, I only came to learn of his name when the gathering ended and we all parted ways. AsContinue reading “To be wanted fully, loudly and unapologetically”
