In my ethnic group , we believe in honoring our ancestors and we recognize that our existence is linked to those who came before us.

In my family we honor them through ceremonies, This can be a ceremony of thanksgiving , or a ceremony of pleasing the ancestors . during this event a traditional beer is created then placed in the right corner of the holy sanctuary, which built separate from our house. On the day of the ceremony the first plate is taken to the sanctuary for the ancestors.

My great grandmother who is the eldest plays a very important role in helping us communicate with our ancestors during a ceremony. Her wisdom, experience and connection to traditional facilitate communication with the spiritual realm is always needed in order for our ceremony to be a success. She has been teaching people who are suppose to take over the duties when she passes on. I am part of those people. 

I was chosen because My family believes that I am an old soul . they believe that the spirit of my late grandmother lives through me. That is how I got the name Tshepiso, they say I look like her of which that I can agree to especially when i look at her pictures it seems like I am seeing an older version of myself.  During family gatherings my name is not used unless if I am called by my great grandmother, i am referred to as granny or (Ausi) which means sister .

when I was young I did not acknowledge the fact that I am seen as an old person, but now that I am old enough to understand that its not that i am old but its based on what my family chooses to follow as a way of acknowledging that our ancestors do come back  as other people, that has made me decide to embrace it even though it is strange  when i tell people  but someone else's strange is my normal.

These beliefs have shaped my worldview by grounding me in a sense of continuity . I appreciate the wisdom and experiences of those who paved the way and I strive to honor their legacy.

A RANDOM DAY

It all began with my eardrum vibrating from the noise coming from the passage sending the following message to my brain” rise and shine Connie.” So, I wake up and check the time only to find out that it is 4 am and I have a class at 13:00 pm. Annoyed me decides to wake up take a cold shower then pray. I can never start my day without thanking my maker. Besides there is something about praying to God in the morning, after prayer I always feel like a winner, I always feel at peace and my faith in God becomes stronger.

It is 6 am, I do not need to check my time because every day at 6 am, my housemate (Kat) knocks on my door. I am already excited because being around him always makes my day. A fascinating conversation we had that lasted for three full hours without being bored, this conversation we had included our deepest secrets, fears, joys, and sorrows. Which led to us sharing a moment of sobbing here and there. After that moment I realized that its now 9 am, it is time to start preparing for class. Since Thursday is hours away from Friday it is one of my favorite days. So, I am feeling very much driven, this pushes me to prepare extra for class, nothing feels better like you knowing that tomorrow its Friday. After preparing for class, I am now left with an hour and I still need to look for an outfit, the worst task of the day. My wardrobe is so messy like my study notes of that specific module. All that excitement is currently covered by defeat, opening the wardrobe always reminds me of all the problems that I have pushed aside to focus on my studies.

It is now 13:00 pm, time for psychology. I am currently on the road trying to hurry up, a heavy breath is what I am getting, sweat is what I’m currently feeling dropping from my forehead to the ground. I am very much exhausted, mind you I have not even arrived at campus, also thinking about my venue drains me.

Class was the best. Nothing feels better than learning something amazing about human behavior each single day. On my way back, I am listening to music deep in my thoughts. This tall dark and handsome stranger approaches me, he tries to greet but sees that I have set my eyes on him. My nose starts sweating, my eyes start twitching, my heartbeat increased, and the cat caught my lounge. That is when I knew that he charmed me. I Got disappointed when he only asked for directions and not my name. I continued with my journey to play flowers by Miley Cyrus. I arrived at home, cooked by force not by choice after cooking I took a shower recapping my day, thinking about what I should have done and should not have done. After taking a shower, I studied for at least an hour then I go to sleep (my place of peace).

That is the cycle of my boring but occupied life.