Posted on by Lonwabo Makapela

Hello 2023!

I forget how energised and inspired I usually feel at this time of the year following the much-needed family time at home in the Eastern Cape during those one-and-a-half month-long December holidays. This year was very different for me. I had a 2-week long ‘winter break’ where I spent the first week trying to recuperate in bed from exhaustion in frigid Nashville. I spent the second week touring around New York – thankfully during a visit from my partner, who brought a feeling of South African comfort that I desperately needed after five months abroad. Much of my New York adventures were on foot, and so while the experience was incredible, I was exhausted when I arrived back in Nashville. Not the same relaxing family time that I would normally have had over December back home.

One of the hallmarks of being a Fulbright visiting student researcher is the opportunity to engage in invaluable cultural exchange experiences; I am grateful to do that during this time nine months that I am spending in the USA. When I’m not travelling through the USA, and instead have to knuckle down and get some work done, an average day entails a strict morning routine, block times for research throughout the day, and relaxed evenings. This vlog depicts an honest glimpse into a day in my life as a Fulbright researcher living in the USA, my apartment, my morning routine, and the stressful but exciting deadline leading up to my first international article submission.

The schedule on January 5th evolved slightly from its typical; let me explain.

Morning routine

I usually set my alarm for 05:45 in summer and 06:00 in winter and follow a strict routine until around 08:30. I always put my phone on the furthest table away from my bed because it forces me to get out of bed to switch the alarm off. I have a 10–15-minute quiet time first thing in the morning. As a former track and field athlete, I love doing a 30-minute or more home workout while listening to the radio. It’s a great way to energise, inform and prepare me for the day. I then drink my vitamins, shower, and make a straightforward breakfast of oats and coffee, which I eat while listening to a podcast episode. My current go-to is the Goop podcast. Once ready, I head to the library to start my work which is usually divided into set blocks of time. That makes my day significantly more productive.

Afternoons

The first slump of the day is at 12:30, so I usually go back home to eat and take a 40-minute nap. At 14:00, I wake up, drink a final cup of coffee for the day, and proceed to get through more work till 17:00. I prefer doing this work from my apartment, mostly out of habit, but also to maintain my workflow in cases where I have to continue working till later than expected.

Evenings

At 17:00 I usually attend an extramural activity like choir, or a walk at the centennial park. When I’m in South Africa, these extramural activities also include pottery classes. Once I get back, I prepare a light dinner and binge on some YouTube videos, which over the last week has included the ‘day in my life’ vlogs of my fellow SAYAS bloggers. I begin winding down at 21:00 by gratitude journaling and filling out my planner for the following day, and once that is done, I head to bed.

Amongst all this structure, I have had to update my routine to make my transition to the States easier. I anticipate reshuffling and adjusting it once again upon my return to South Africa.

Posted on by lonmak · 1 Comment

‘Education is the one inheritance we wish to leave you with’

These are the resounding words with which my pensioned educator parents, my dad, in particular, have raised my siblings and me. These words are held near to my heart, as they have encompassed the guiding light which has illuminated the processes of my academic journey. I grew up in the rural community of Sterkspruit, situated in former Transkei, which is significantly remote and previously disadvantaged. I later moved to the town of Potchefstroom and the cities of Bloemfontein and Pretoria to pursue my higher education. I am a PhD candidate at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and am currently based in Nashville, TN, USA as a Fulbright Visiting student researcher at Vanderbilt University. My research area is diversity and gender in organisations, specifically the professional identity work of black women concerning their hair. My research stems from my curiosity about how race, gender and social class are constituted with and against each other and how these constructions operate in discourses, societies, institutions and individual lives past and present.

Furthermore, my research explores postcolonial discourse and the intersection of gender, race and social class within local and transnational contexts, all of which are deeply motivated by my experiences of negotiating my identity in each environment I enter. In 2017 I was awarded the North West University (NWU) Commercia Top student award by my alma mater, NWU, and in 2018 I was the B.Com Honours Human Resource Management Top Student. I am a multifaceted individual with a history in track and field, running nationally, and I have past and present involvement in choral music. Currently, my hobbies entail regular pottery classes and afrobeat dancing. As a young researcher, blogging about an array of themes around the postgraduate journey in South Africa means I get to grow through the guided mentorship provided by the editorial team. Furthermore, I get to stretch and enhance my ability to think more critically about pressing issues on diversity, gender and social class in and outside organisations.