So my phone reminds me that today is the 5th of September, which is the birthday of a woman who is very very special to me. That woman is Catherine Addison. What is funny is that I do not really know how to say happy birtday to her because I feel that simply saying Happy birthday is not really enough, and saying I wish you all the best, although it is true, because I do wish her all the best - it is also not enough. I think what makes this so hard for me is to wish her a happy birthday is that i have so much admiration for her, that my vocabulary does not have words that would adequately put me in a position which I can send a birthday wish that is fitting for such a great woman. Just some background info on those who dont know: Catherine Addison was my lecturer at the University of Zululand who just from being a lecturer, became a mentor, friend and to a certain extent, in more ways than one, became my mother away from home. Amidst all the stress that comes with being a student, she always encouraged me to do better than what I could do because she felt that I had the potential to do great things. This, as crazy as it may sound, often annoyed me because I realised that she believed more in me than I believed in myself. At the start of my second year, I remember how annoyed I was when some of my friends and classmates discovered that Catherine had given Sphelele Dludla and I some extra reading material for the previous December holidays and then they accused us of selling out the team and becoming teachers pets. Later that year, both of us became student tutors under her mentorship and that is when I discovered that, contrary to what most stundents of the University of Zululand think and believe, Prof Addison is (actually) human lol. She is in fact, I discovered, A great human being who would be worried if she doesnt see me in class and would then call me to find out if I was okay. I remember one day when she drove down to my residence to give me some Asprin because she heard that I wasnt feeling well and was quite sick with a fever, terrible headache and I was continously vomitting. I also remember when she gave me food to eat because I was hungry after attending back-toback lectures and had had nothing to eat the whole day. Then during my Poetry classes in my Honours year, she would pack extra sandwiches and make coffee so that we descuss the poetry over lunch lol. Okay I know I have said a lot but I think I need to point out is that the thing I love about her he most is the way that her mind works. Being very intelligent, extremely opinionated, I learnt a lot from her, so much to even mention. Her-straight-talk, frank, no-holds-barred attitude, which many students disliked about her so much, was is what I love about her so much. Her teaching methods are so effective that I find myself remembering things that she taught me years back and I dont think I could possibly forget those things. It is always interesting to talk to her and be captured by her opinions and her different but very interesting worldviews. She is an inspiration and I wish her only the best. Happy birthday Catherine -stay amazing. P.S. If there are any grammatical errors in this post and the errors annoy you, just know that you are responsible for that. You taught me after all lol! Happy birthday
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 11:12:57 +0000
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