Campus Life

10 THINGS MATIES MISS ABOUT STELLIES DURING THE HOLIDAYS

Stellenbosch town

 

Holidays seem great – food and drink is free, there’s always clean underwear and your parents faff over you like you’ve been missing for a year. If you live in another city, you get to see all of your all friends that didn’t come to Stellies. But these joys may be short-lived for any true Matie, as the Eikestad’s call starts droning at the back of your mind. Some of the things you might start missing a few weeks into your holiday are…

  1. Saving on petrol by walking everywhere. If it’s on campus, it’s within walking distance. And Bohemia happens to be 5 metres from the HB Thom.
  2. The Eikebome on Victoria. It’s easy to think you’re in a European town off the coast of Nice in France if you squint.
  3. The lack of judgement in relation to your diet. So what if you gain a few kilos? At least no one is glaring over your shoulder whenever you don’t eat your veggies – or when you get up at 02:00 to make a midnight snack.
  4. No elderly people. Being surrounded by young people 24/7 makes you feel young – even if you’re in 5th year. When the oldest people you see on a regular basis are your lecturers, it’s weird seeing them in bars again.
  5. Not worrying about waking up family members when you come home. Flatmates are one thing – you can buy them off with booze. But a grumpy dad in the throes of a mid-life crisis is not something you want to see when you stumble home at 5 AM.
  6. The Somali shops. Always willing to shave R1 or R2 off your pack of Winston Blue, with a never-ending supply of greasy samoosas at R5 a pop and open until late, these guys know how to do business with young people. And they’re super nice to boot.
  7. Never being alone. Res might get a bit much for some, but it’s never long before you start wondering why everything is so quiet around you.
  8. The bib steps. It just feels right to smoke a ciggie there in between study sessions.
  9. Maties Wi-Fi (when it actually works). Crazy fast download speeds can be attained if you know how and where. Just ask your engineering friends about it.
  10. The Bohemia Local pizza special. If you don’t know what it is, you must be from UCT.

By Karl Kemp