Bongiwe From Swaziland

When I first met Bongiwe, she seemed shy.  I saw her on a daily basis, but it seemed like I had to really ask a lot of questions in order to get her talking.  Once we became closer, I realized, that once she starts talking, you are in for a treat!  Bongiwe never fails in having a story to tell!  She grew up in Swaziland, which I am unfamiliar with.  I love listening to her when she tells me about the culture she grew up with, and listen to her as she speaks SiSwati, French, and Zulu on the phone with her family and friends.  She was raised in Swazi and ever since she can remember, her role model has been Nelson Mandella.  She explains to me how he liberated South Africa, which is close to Swaziland.  She says that, "I grew up being told stories of him and how he was such a hero. He spent many years in jail, and he was innocent the whole time.  He did nothing but good."  When she talks about her childhood, any one can see how she lights up, remembering all of her family and friends that are so far away right now.  When she started school, she had mostly male friends and just a few female friends.  However, society tended to look down on this, as male and female relationships were not encouraged. She laughs as she tells me the story about what she and her friends used to do.  At school, they would always have to pray in the morning, before recess, and before they went home at the end of the day.  There were 70 students in the small classroom.  Bongiwe says that this made it easy to get away with a lot.  At the end of the day, she and her friends would sneak out of the window to head home during the last prayer.  She thought that she would always get away with it, but one day her sister picked her up early, and Bongiwe was no where to be found.  It caused quite a bit of commotion, and her Dad punished her.  Bongiwe said, "That's the last time I ever snuck out of the window!"  Another time she remembers getting in trouble is when she walked with her helper to the bus stop.  They left around one, but Bongiwe did not come back until 6 that night.  Her mother grabbed a stick and punished her severely.  Still to this day, Bongiwe sticks to her story that she was with her helper the entire time! When I read this line back to her, she corrects me.  "No, not my story, but the truth."  Even though Bongiwe did have her rebellious times, she still has all her priorities in the right place.  She is excited to earn her college degree from Westminster, and expresses how much her education means to her.  Even though Bongiwe and I have had different experiences with different environments, we still have developed a close bond in the past semester because what is new for her is not always new for me; however, it works both ways.

Since this blog is about ways to meet new people, I thought that this 
was an interesting article from Forbes magazine that many of you would like to read!

5 New Ways to Network

By: Patty Seawall

If you want to groan every time you hear the word “networking,” well, 
I don’t exactly blame you. The word conjures images of uncomfortable 
schmooze-fests, where suit-clad business executives work the room, wine 
glass in hand, feigned interest at the ready. Who would enjoy that?

But guess what? Networking doesn’t have to be that bad—in fact, it shouldn’t

 be. The goal is to meet new people and expand your professional network, 

and there’s no reason those activities have to be confined to conferences and 

industry happy hours.  All it takes is a little imagination, and networking 

might even be kind of fun. 

1. Reinvent the Meet-and-Mingle

Is there an activity you’ve been wanting to try, 

or a new skill you’d like to learn? Pick an activity

—like taking up golf, learning to make your own

wine, joining a book club, or anything else that

other stressed-out professionals might do to 

unwind—and try it out! (Groupon is a great place 

to look for new ideas.) People in a relaxed, 

social setting are usually more open to conversation,

 which makes this the perfect opportunity to open

 up, ask questions, and build new relationships.

2. Be In With the In Crowd

In nearly every big city, there are at least a few

 restaurants where the politicos, the PR people, 

or the state workers like to go to mingle with their 

own. Even professional chefs have their favorite 

after-hours haunts. And a little legwork or friendly 

conversation with a knowledgeable bartender will 

give you some ideas of the hot spots in your industry.

 So, pick your place, grab a friend, cozy up to the 

bar, and strike up a conversation with the person next

 to you. Putting yourself (literally) next to other

 people in your field will increase your chances of 

networking success.

3. Take Up a Cause

Consider volunteering your time where your 

heart is. Pick a local church, animal sanctuary, 

or non-profit where you can put in a few hours after 

work or on a weekend alongside other people in your

 area. Or, lend your professional expertise to a neighborhood

 school: Put together a presentation (complete with

 handouts) about your field for career night, when 

parents (read: new contacts) are also in attendance.

4. Work It

Fundraisers usually have no trouble finding people

 who are happy to fork over $200, get dressed up, and 

enjoy the wine and hors d’oeuvres—what they really 

need is extra hands. So call your favorite charity and offer to 

work the registration desk. You’ll get to be there for the entire

 event, you’ll have a built-in chance to meet and talk with the 

(often high-profile) attendees, and you won’t have to pay a dime to do so.

5. Reconnect With Your Past

College and high school reunions or alumni events are the hidden gems of 

the networking world. They offer a room full of people with 

diverse interests and careers who you already know (or at least, who

 you have something to talk about with)! So, after you reminisce with

your former classmates, club-mates, and sorority sisters, strike up a 

conversation about their careers, and talk about yours. Your old friends 

could be (or at least put you in touch with) valuable connections.

Whether you’re looking to leave your dead end job or just want to

 connect with people who may lead you to your next career move,

 face-to-face networking is still one of the best job search tactics 

out there. And if you’re willing to think outside the box, it might

 actually be fun, too.

This is Imanni jumping in Austria.

Imanni Durre

Imanni is one of my best friends that I have met so far at Westminster.  Before coming here, I had no clue who she was, and all through freshman orientation, I just knew that she was the girl from Milwaukee.  However, she is so much more than just a girl from the "414" as she refers to it.  In order to know Imanni, one must know her most treasured items.  That would include Hello Kitty items, her music, her pictures of family and friends, and her necklace that was given to her my her madre.  Imanni has a wide range of culture throughout her family.  She is jamaican, caucasian, african american, and cuban.  One time we were taking a survey together, and Imanni  laughed and said, "They don't have my ethnicity, so I'm just gonna put other!"  Imanni is always saying things that put me in a good mood.  She constantly sings jamaican songs that I have never heard of, and she obsesses over Internet shopping.  One of her favorite items to purchase over the Internet is anything that is Hello Kitty.  This girl has Hello Kitty outfits, earrings, pillow cases, laptop covers, posters, and backpacks.  If it has Hello Kitty's name on it, then it has Imanni's name on it as well.  Another trait about Imanni is her constant love for music.  She has thousands of songs, and her laptop is always playing.  She downloads new songs every day, and teaches me new genres of music on a weekly basis.  She knows all the greatest artists, and if Bob Marley sings it, she knows it.  During the summer, she usually goes to anywhere from 7 to 10 concerts, all with different genres of music.  This diverse, accepting, and hyper girl, is anything but just a girl from Wisconsin.  

This is Tony.

Tony

I knew Tony from basketball, as we both played on the Varsity teams here at Westminster.  This meant that we traveled together, and therefore knew each others names, but that was about it.  I really got to know Tony when he came over to my suite-mate's room to work on a project.  I was painting my nails and Tony came in with all of his papers.  He proceeded to say, "What's good with you all?!" One thing that I learned from the start about Tony is that he is absolutely hilarious.  As we are having a serious conversation about the project, he pulls a Twinkie out of his pocket.  We all laughed, like "Tony! How do you have a twinkie?"  He smiled and pulled out four more.  Tony always is up for a good time, as one can tell by his smile.  In his words, "I can make a party out of no party!"  Although, Tony would not be where he is today without his momma.  He says that his momma is someone that he looks up to, and he wants to raise his kids like his momma raised him.  At first, I did not think that Tony and I had much in common except for the game of basketball, but I later found out that we both share the same favorite NBA players.  This past year I went to Chicago to watch the Chicago Bulls play verse the Phoenix Suns, cheering on both Steve Nash and Derrick Rose.  As it turns out, Tony was doing the same thing.  He told me that, "Those two players are who I want to portray my game after."  Tony is a guy that I can count on whenever I need a laugh or someone to rebound for me in the gym.  Nobody has as big of a heart as Tony, as he proudly proclaims, "I love everybody!"

 

This is Kristi at her sister's wedding.