Introducing "Em-Dog"

“Whoof whoof yo!” says a bouncy Emily Adendorff as she enters the room unannounced. The 18 year old BCom student is filled with insightful ideas and overwhelmingly interesting tales of late nights, indulgent drinking, diligent academics and social ambiguities. Like any other first year student, Emily has been through trials and tribulations but unlike some she has gotten past these obstacles without a hitch.

“Damn, this has been one hell of a year”, says Emily as she makes herself comfortable on a rather small bed and helps herself to a few gum balls placed neatly on the table, “I really don’t know how we do it sometimes”. Originally from Durban, Emily and her family moved to Grahamstown when she was just 13 years old due to her father obtaining the position of Head of Department of English Language and Linguistics and her mum being given a teaching position at Kingswood College. “It was a bit of an adjustment moving from a big city into a little town but the transition was bearable”, explains Emily as she moves the stray blonde strands of hair from her face. “I’m quite a sociable person so starting in a new school was not that bad”.

This is a skill that assisted Emily when she arrived at Jameson House, her home for the next three years of her varsity life. Her first low point however, was the day she received the results of her Accounting test. A concerned Emily said, “It was the first test I had failed! There was nothing I could do except take it all in”. A tear here and there, a comforting chat with her mum and a welcoming bed calmed her down. It was when she sat down with the paper the next day did she realise her mistakes. “I simply misjudged the test and didn’t even look at a major part of the syllabus which really pissed me off!” Earning straight A’s since then is the result of dedication, hard work and perseverance by this dedicated student.

Not only is she dedicated to her academics but her social life takes priority too. Having to deal with a break up is not an easy task for any student especially during such a critical time in one’s academic career. Emily was unfortunate to have to go through this. “Distance is what broke our relationship. It just was not fulfilling after six months.” Whilst stirring a hot mug of Rooibos tea she explained, “I guess it hurt me because this was my first proper “let’s date” relationship. Even our relationship statuses on Facebook said that we were an item”. She had developed a strategy to forget about the incident and did this by not visiting his Facebook profile which helped a great deal in the long run. Emily confidently said, “I don’t really regret what happened because my academics are improving, it gave me more compassion and this experience helps me guide other friends who are going through the same emotions and difficulties even if it took me a long time to realise what had happened”.

A low point that doesn’t seem to have had the best ending was a squabble between Emily and her best friend, something that many students can relate to especially after a long vacation away from the hustle and bustle of varsity life. “My friend, Ann, became so pretentious and wouldn’t talk”. It was the break-up between Emily’s best friend and her boyfriend that started an awkward relationship between the friends. “I can’t do awkward,” exclaimed a wide eyed Emily, “There’s a point where I’m like ‘WHAT EVER’”. Despite the truce, Emily says that their friendship won’t be the same and that for now they are on polite terms.

Don’t let this intellectual student and friend fool you. Not only does she have her priorities in the right order, she is also a master “party animal”. Twirling the abundance of beads around her neck she giggled, “I’ve had my fair share of intoxicated nights, who hasn’t?” One night in particular was too unique to ignore. The night began innocently enough but little did Emily know she was about to embark on the most eventful morning in res. “I was drunk out of my mind,” chuckling as she reminisces, “Seriously distraught with Vin Coco.” Starving, after her trip to and from Friar Tucks, Emily decided to make microwavable popcorn, TNT popcorn to be exact. The bag was placed in the microwave but disorientated Em-Dog had forgotten to remove the plastic packet that enclosed the bag. “Yes...pretty crazy,” she confessed. Soon Jameson House was filled with the wonderful aroma of burnt popcorn and plastic. She toddled to her room and the rest is history. The only evidence of that night was the remains of a once very satisfying midnight snack. “When I woke up and saw the black stuff in my basin I wondered why the hell I brought tar home.” “Heaven hell, I really hope I didn’t eat it!”

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