When work comes around the corner and slaps you in the face.

Most people asume that first year is a breeze and consists mainly of parties, alcohol and free time to chill with your friends. I think many first years get a huge shock towards the middle and the end of the year. Sure first term is fun and seems somewhat tedious with easy assignments which are most likely to keep you up until 4 in the morning but at least you'll still be able to go out on Wednesday and Friday night. But when second term comes around and the whole university goes into exam mode and Grahamstown becomes like a ghost town out of a movie, you begin to feel the pressure of university. Some manage to breeze through exams, others just barely make it, and a few don't make it at all and still you come back third term ready to party without being phased of the consequences of the first terms partying. And boy do you party in third term, I mean it is almost unavoidable, you have Hall Balls and Tri-Varsity and boat races and tons of specials at all the local places we all love to hate.

Third term was quite a "kiff jol" to put it in simpler Rhodent terms. However the work load seemed to be getting larger and I wouldn't say harder but rather more tedious. But then again I suppose having Drama and journalism as your majors doesn't help you spare the little precious time you have to just relax or party. For me the fourth term has been the worst by far. The work just piles up and never ends. I even found myself spending splendid Wednesday evenings at home attempting to work , but even that was to difficult because all I felt the whole day is a blanket of exhaustion cast over me. I literally would day dream about my bed and how awesome it is to sleep. I mean with Drama rehearsals lasting up to 3 hours at times and until insane hours of the night such as 23:00 and lets not forget the work for all your other subjects.

The transission of the amount of work was so abrupt and unexpected that it literally came out of nowhere and smacked me across the chest more then the face as I kinda feel like the wind has been taken out of me. This week alone I find myself rehearsing for three drama pieces, (two of which are exams), and trying to write a 2000 word essay for History. The pressure is large and the only thing that gets me threw the busy days is the thought of how amazingly epic and awesome Friday night is going to be. . . After this week we have a few simple assignments but most of the long hours spent at the drama department will be over. I almost feel like I should have set up a sleeping bag in the theatre because I feel like I have been living there for the past two weeks. My other subjects have also been very needy this term but at least they can be done the night before they are due, well ,most of the time :P The most positive result of all this hard work (except of course the fact that i'm one step closer to my degree)is that it has taught me how to manage my time well and how to work well under pressure. I just hope that as the years drag by I don't totally lose my love for the party just because i'm to tired to dance.