FIRST DAY AT NWSD - By first year student Felicia Tshego Mosiane
Felicia Tshego Mosiane shares the typical
anticipations of a first year student attending the first day at fashion
college.
January 28th arrived with slightly gloomier
weather patterns than Klerksdorp is used to but as I arrived uncomfortably
early (7:30 am-ish) at the North West School of Design I was greeted with
welcoming smiles that each had a warmth that could only compare to the sunrise
on the first day of a new journey.
As cheesy as that sounds, it was so fitting
because today wasn't a first day of school like any before. I wasn’t about to enter a learning
institution that would be teaching me modules that I saw no real life
application opportunities in like Calculus or to meet people who I had nothing
else in common with than the fact that we all wear an extremely unflattering
uniform in joint silent internal discomfort.
No, this first day is literally the first day in the journey towards
becoming who I want to be in an industry I want to be in. But no pressure,
right?
Being the first to arrive gave me a unique
opportunity to observe how the rest of my new fellow classmates kind of
interacted when we first made contact.
There were the friends that already knew each other so they sat together.
The extremely talkative and friendly crew, a couple with what seemed to have a
permanent scowl across their face and of course the wallflowers: Your regular
group of individuals just trying to make this notoriously awkward day as
non-awkward for themselves as possible but still unwillingly creating more
awkwardness.
Then the day’s orientation formalities
began. We met the experienced staff who seem cool but in a ‘don’t test me’ sort
of way and the energetic second and
third years which I thought was a refreshing approach instead of keeping us all
separated and therefore causing us to be intimidated by the stylish, outspoken
bunch. We later got to actually talk to
them and pick their brains a bit. Each inspiring and motivating us in their own
way, probably without even noticing it.
Thereafter we went through the detailed
induction manual which included every bit of information we could have asked
for and also basically telling us upfront that we have to stay focused on why
we came here.
Drill in that motivation from day one, why
don’t you.
It is clear why this place produces such
highly skilled graduates because from the looks of it we’re going to eat,
sleep, breathe and sweat fashion. No
lacklustre cruise-mode learning here.
From there the dreaded socialising section
of the new school process had to begin. It obviously is never a ‘Kumbaya’
around the campfire situation on the first day but we still faced this
challenge head on and basic pleasantries were exchanged followed by sharing
background stories and course selections and with that you could see us slowly
beginning to lower our guards and maybe open up to the possibility of making
new friends.
As far as first days at tertiary
institutions go, this was the least possibly excruciating and that’s probably
because at the end of the day, nothing was more evident than the fact the staff
and students at NWSD really do see each other as a family. If not like their immediate relatives, then
definitely like those favourite cousins you love from a distance but a family
nonetheless.
This overall sense of comradery and support
as well their emphasis on their commitment to make sure graduates leave their
campus fully equipped to face the fashion industry head on, is the reason why
(above any personal reservations one may or may not have had) tell that me that
my fellow first years shared my excitement not only to grow as a person and
learn as much a possible but to also really become a part of this fashion
school family.
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