Posted on by Itumeleng · 2 Comments

Over the rainbow

Knee-high in snow and clinging to memories of how the African sun warmed my skin and heart, I reflect on my journey from the rainbow nation to francophone Canada. This is a tale like no other; it is neither “rags to riches” nor “tragedy”, but a simple quest for scientific excellence mixed with adventures of a travelling South African.

My undergraduate studies were rather uneventful. If I’m honest, like many of my peers, it was time of experimentation and self-discovery. Throughout my journey of self-discovery it became clearer to me what I wanted to do for a job and career. Similar to many of my peers, I was being thrust forward into an Honours degree, and when I was a young 20-something graduate, it dawned on me that the dream I had had was not bold enough.

Post-graduate realisation[1] hit me hard and I did what most graduates would not dream of – I took a gap year. It was during this self-imposed ‘sabbatical’ that my yearning for traveling the globe grew even out of hand. I remember thinking, “ a BSc in Ecology and Zoology is not what it used to be…” Of course, I wasn’t sure what a BSc in Ecology and Zoology should be, but I knew it wasn’t It anymore. Nonetheless, I was determined to make something of myself and pursue my dream of becoming a world-renowned ecologist.

Then I got the chance to visit a friend who was teaching English in Seoul, South Korea, and the food, the people, the culture all conspired to draw me to east Asia. But I wasn’t just playing around, there is a certain bravado and courage that we South African posses that sets us apart from the rest of the world. And, I had the guts to approach the leading professor in soil ecology at Korea’s top university (Seoul National University). I boasted about South Africa’s gorgeous, unique Fynbos. Immediately, I was the new shiny toy in the box. The beauty and complexity of the Fynbos is the envy of many ecologists, and I managed to start a project with one foot in Asia and one still in Africa. That was just the beginning of my postgraduate adventures, almost all of it built on the back of people skills and love of Fynbos. Who knew ecologists had to be such good psychologists?

Graduation at Seoul National University
Graduation at Seoul National University

Upon graduation, I began to pack up my life once more and prepare to move to Canada where I would start my Ph.D. I must admit, I love everything about travelling: the airport, new cultures to explore, and — most important — the chance to make new friends. But, I have always said, “I came here with 1 bag and will leave here with 1 bag”. In principle, this rule would serve you well, but when you have lived in a new country for 2 years, you will accumulate stuff. Packing up your life into a 20kg bag arouses feelings of catharsis and reinforces the feeling of excitement about moving to a new place (out with the old, in with the new kinda feeling). Little did I know that moving to a ‘western’ country after being immersed in Asian culture would come with its own challenges, but that’s a story for another blog.

 

 

 

[1] The realisation that a bachelors degree will not suffice and guarantee the kind of job or future that you were day dreaming about during first-year.

Posted on by siphomabusela · 1 Comment

Love yourz!

“The two most important days in your life is the day you are born and the day you discover why” Mark Twain.two-most-important-days

The moment you discover why you were born, for me, is the moment you attain ultimate purpose and subsequent happiness.

We live in a society that is materialistic in nature, one that attaches a lot of those materialistic things to success and happiness. The success of a man is measured by the car he drives, the house he lives in or the clothes he wears.

…but should it?
Think about the time your parents encouraged you to become a Lawyer, Accountant or a Doctor. In hindsight, you’ll find that it’s not that they were selfish parents that wanted to live their lives vicariously through you. The truth is that they believed that the only way to be successful and happy was to work in those high profile jobs and get paid handsomely.
I too was once a victim of this line of thinking; my brother wanted me to do something more “meaningful” with my brain, something like pursuing a degree in Engineering or Medicine. However, I was always set on following a career path that had something to do with animals and agriculture.

I guess I was always set on doing what made me happy and not what everyone thought would make me happy. I just never knew that love for animals and agriculture would manifest itself in the form of Poultry Nutrition Research.
Whilst I was preparing this blog post, I read a blog titled “Society’s view of success isn’t always satisfying”. In the blog, the author references a verse from Ecclesiastes. The passage reads as follows, “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.” (5:10).
The unfortunate part is that although this is the case but people often correlate happiness to the amount of success/money that one attains throughout their lifetime. They forget that like most things, happiness and success are both relative and not dependent on the possessions that you have. Ultimately, people who think like this will be doomed to live life without any organic happiness or joy because their happiness is based on the need to attain more than what they have, instead of enjoying what they have.
A number of us have at some point looked at our neighbours and started to glow with envy and desire even though the tenth commandment tells us not to. I img_20161116_140324tweeted a few weeks back that “often we look at other people in society and use them as a benchmark of our own success, forgetting that we have different destinies”. J-Cole, an American hip-hop artist, says in one of his songs that “there’s no such thing as a life that’s better than yours”. He further explains that one can never be happy until they learn to love themselves, what they have, as well as the situation that they find themselves in.
This means that if your destiny isn’t to drive expensive cars, to live in Sandton or be a Medical Doctor then it is important to identify that and adjust your life and expectations accordingly. Sometimes being that Poultry Nutrition Researcher, who gets paid a minimum – wage salary, drives a VW Polo Vivo but contributes immensely towards developing the South African Poultry Industry through research is enough; as long as that makes you happy.bible-verses-to-overcome-jealousy

A friend of mine, Xolisa Wiseman Malgas, wrote a beautiful song- he says that “we can never control the fate that we get from God, but instead our job is to accept what he gives us and move on”. Make the most with what you have. I concur and echo the very same sentiments. Perhaps embracing your situation and making a conscious decision to do something about it will be the beginning of a beautiful life. Perhaps holding on to less materialistic things, like family, friends, a smile from a stranger or even helping an old lady cross the road will bring you long lasting happiness than having to worry about what the next person has that you don’t.
I’m not saying that money is not important; I’m simply saying that the lack of materialistic things in your bucket list could potentially help you cope with your current undesired situation; at least till you realise your full potential. After all, “every chick has its day”.
There will always be someone who has more money than you, has published more articles or appears to be happier than you. Just always remember to appreciate and “love yourz”.