My experience at the Cape Point Nature Reserve

My experience at the Cape Point Nature Reserve

On the 27^th of September the 1^st year students went on a field trip to the Cape Point Nature Reserve. 

I have never been to the Cape Point Nature Reserve before and found it to be an interesting experience.

I learnt lots of new things about the history of the lighthouses as well as the indigenous plants that reside within the reserve. I really hated the weather as it was very cold and wet at times. I found it really strange that at Cape Point, the wind was extremely strong compared to other areas, especially on higher grounds. I did not know that Cape Point Nature Reserve was actually such a widespread area. 

I enjoy being surrounded by nature and I would not mind studying in a nature reserve, lol. I couldn’t really identify any kinds of smells in the nature reserve, however the sea let off a nasty smell at certain areas in the park (I still wonder why, because sea water supposed to have a “fresh” odour). 

I hoped to see more animals though; all I saw were a few baboons, an ostrich and one or two birds. The walk up to the lighthouse was torture! It is amazing to see how unfit we are as first year students at such a young age. I was out of breath by the time I reached halfway, but i wanted to get to the top and just kept going.  I also enjoyed going up the trail to the top f the rock ridge. Nobody went up, most people were too tired and just went either halfway or they just stayed at the bottom. I made it to the top and had lunch there. I’m not much a camera type of person but this day was an exception as I went ahead and jus took a bunch of photos. 

I hated the bus ride so much! Firstly, it was long and slow. Secondly, the seats were really uncomfortable as it was too straight up and hurt my back.  And last but not least, there was no music in the bus or some form of entertainment. My mathematics lecturers were quite annoyed to hear that we won’t be there on Friday because we will be missing a mathematics lecture. I wish all or most of our practicals could be in an open area or more “practical“ and not just based in a lab. I observed a lot about the nature reserve and think that the country needs to invest more money on its Nature Reserves. Poaching levels are on the rise and I noticed that there is no sense of security or Park rangers to monitor what people do and to ensure the safety of people, animals and plants is taken care of. Baboons tend to be aggressive at times and I believe that anything can happen with them around and people would not know how to handle the situation correctly.  Overall, I would say that I don’t regret going as it was a fun day for all.

 

My Experience in the ECP program

Life Science has become a totally new experience for me, compared to high school. Previously, I never had experience in a lab as my school did not own one. Life Science practical’s consists of fun filled tasks and the application of knowledge. At first, I did not know how to use a microscope properly as I broke a slide twice in a row, but now I have more experience when it comes to working with a microscope. Being in the ECP program is an opportunity which I feel lucky to have, as most mainstream students complain that they have just been "thrown" into a course that they are not prepared for. I have also made new friends and learnt new skills which might prove to be important for my future. Life science at university and high school are completely different from each other. The work has become more, work is much more detailed, rules have to be followed for assignments and understanding certain work takes time. I also had to adapt to many new parts in life science which I did not do in school. Now that I am at university, I have to write reports that are marked using strict guidelines such as citations and references. Previously, I simply referenced www.wikipedia.com, for example as a reference. This year however, referencing has to be done according a certain style. I also feel very blessed as a student to be able to work in the Life Science building which features state of the art lab equipment, as it is a new building and older students did not get the chance to experience that. At high school, teachers constantly discourage us by giving us the idea that lecturers at university are evil and do not care about anyone. However, lecturers like Maryke and Mozart have proven them wrong as these lecturers are nice people and tend to care for us as first year students. These lecturers make us feel welcome and comfortable to be in their classes.   

I find that ISC 153 is most annoying and monotonous module that the ECP program consists of. Even though it is annoying, ISC 153 has taught me many new skills and lessons. My ability to work with other people and show tolerance towards others has somewhat improved. Sometimes working in a team can be tough as we might not always agree with each other, thus leading to disagreements or arguments. ISC has equipped me with the skill of organising my work and how important it is to work consistently. My computer skills with MS word and Excel have also improved as I did not know what it means to “hyperlink” work or use Google drive and because I never showed any interest in finding out what it is. Living and Learning is the only part of ISC that I enjoy. Verushka Daniels is a very caring person and she interacts with us as if she is a friend and not a facilitator, thus we feel comfortable being around her.