Returning from the spring break trip, school started. However, shortly after, protests began. It was quite strange, school would be canceled, but if you walked up to the university, there were only a handful of protesters. In the beginning, it was nice to have an extra day or two off. However, I quickly got out of the school mode and knew that it would be harder to get into the zone in preparation for my upcoming exams. On WhatsApp (an app that most of the world uses to communicate with one another instead of regular texting), I had an international students group chat with all the internationals. It was quite practical. If classes were canceled or if there was an event or anything coming up, someone would usually post it. If someone was hosting a braai (barbecue), they would send a message in the international group chat inviting people.
Anyways, the protests were strange. Things started mildly. There was the occasional burning of a tire or something on the road. Some international students were fine with the protests. Some were angry and complained about being off and having nothing to do, but then complained when school was said to resume. Some students wanted to leave. Some students were bored out of their mind. Some were done with South Africa in general. Me? It was just a event occurring in the present moment. It was interesting being directly affected by something major happening in another country versus just watching on television, but I did not have a strong opinion. If classes restarted, okay, I would go to classes. If classes did not restart, okay, I am still in another country with a ton of South Africans and other internationals. To me, there was plenty to do, to see, to learn. Even if I was not necessarily learning in an academic setting (which I still had classwork and etc. online from professors), I was still learning. I would never have an opportunity like that in my life, and just because things were not going as expected or according to plan, it did not mean that it would take away from he experience. In all honesty, it added to the experience. These protests were the longest in the history of NMMU, and I got to witness first handed what was happening.
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