by: ananda gumede
International students. Very little is known about this large minority at Rhodes. Roughly 1 400 students have travelled incredible distances to study at a little town in South Africa known as Makhanda. How do they cope with being so far from home? What support systems does the university provide for international students so that they can adjust to living in South Africa?
In order to find how international students cope with being in South Africa, we question why they came to South Africa - Makhanda specifically. There are a multitude of reasons, which relate to where the students come from. The general answer is that Rhodes is a good institution for the degree they want to pursue. Some students, predominantly from Africa, have commented that South African universities offer internationally recognised degrees that can be used outside of the continent, whereas in their home country the degrees offered are restricted to their specific country, like Ghana and Malawi for example.
So how do they cope when they arrive in South Africa? Well, there is a general sense “of being prepared for anything” as South Africa has a different societal zeitgeist from home. Mwewa Thandiwe, a first year Economics student from Zambia, says that one of her biggest struggles while in South Africa is seeing so many openly gay people around.
“It’s illegal in my country. People get arrested,” she says. She also feels like she has to be more open minded here, which is something that didn’t seem feasible in Zambia. “When I talk to my family back home, we sometimes argue because some of my views are different from theirs.” It appears the vast diversity South Africa offers can be quite overwhelming for some international students. Perhaps they have never interacted with groups in South African society as they were either repressed or weren’t a large enough group to be recognised.
With the new environment being quite overwhelming at times, what kind of support do these students get? A question like this has multiple sides; but a narrative from Stephanie Gusain, a student from Canada, argues that Rhodes is significantly lacking in terms of help for exchange students. This conclusion is drawn from her time being at Rhodes as well as information she has gathered from her friends who have been on exchange to other universities. It appears Rhodes leaves internationals “high and dry”. The main source of support they get is from each other. Stephanie supports this by saying “I’ve found the best support from the other students I’ve befriended in my time here.” Although her circle of friends come from a variety of backgrounds, they agree that it’s nice to talk to someone who understands what it’s like to be here, and shares similar experiences. “I think these friendships have been instrumental to the enjoyment I have had here. It’s nice to share the amazing experiences we could not have dreamt of in our home countries,” Stephanie adds fondly. It seems as if the international students have formed a sort of a community within Rhodes. This has provided a solidarity for when things go wrong (unfortunate, but a reality) and also where they learn to be resilient and flexible with the ever-changing climate of South Africa (in every sense of the word).
A different narrative comes from David Wilima, a post-graduate assistant at the International Office: “In terms of fostering a sense of community, we have a lot of events lined up for International Week, with an International Parade on the 18th of May.” - where internationals will carry their home flag during the day with a summit the following day in Eden Grove Red. The main focus of this summit is the integration of students from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. “It is very important that we consider students from the SADC region as it is where the highest number of international students at Rhodes are from”, explains Wilima. There will be conversation and cuisine from all over Africa with general festivities and an Africa Ball, where students can dress up in their traditional attire.
There will also be an International Fair and Carousel, where there will be dialogue between internationals and South Africans as well as an exchange of phrases in their respective languages for people to learn common phrases in a new language. Further reinforcing Stephanie’s point of community are the presence of regional societies, such as the Zambian Society, which Mwewa is a part of.
The International Office also works diligently on more critical issues like visas or immigration issues to ensure that the transition to South Africa is as smooth as possible. This is more in reference to Zimbabwean students, as there is an immigration issue at the border. David concludes saying, “If anyone has any issues, they can just pop by and see these friendly faces. We have a dedicated team that is willing to listen.”
The story surrounding international students is quite layered as there are many students, each one with their own perspective. As South Africans, we need to be more aware of our fellow human and do our best to help them adjust to living in our nation as they expand our diversity.
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