My 1st semester experience at a global pedestal [North Cyprus University] by Keith Kanombirira | PART 1

My name is Keith Kanombirira, 19 years old, all the way from Southern Africa, Zimbabwe, Currently doing my bachelors in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Near East University.

My life is Cyprus has been filled with highs and lows from meeting new people, a new culture above all being soaked in a place that offers a new twist to life, when I first reached Ercan the airport it looked small and they was little activity as compared to the other airports that is Dubai international airport which is one of the world busiest airports we walked around the port went in into the different stores just to mention a few, the second port was Ataturk airport in Istanbul Turkey.

When we boarded the flight to the island of Cyprus it was a much smaller plane the facilities in that plane where different from the Emirates airplane speaking from a perspective of a person who had used Air Zimbabwe back in 2010, the plane was called Atlas jet, it was filled with students who were dreaded and drunk with sleep because of the two days of flight that we had been going through, regardless of that high hopes had already been instilled in us when we left the mother land Africa-Zimbabwe.

Mr. Keith Kanombirira

When the airplane touched down, we were escorted by the immigration officers as they guarded us into the processes that perspire at the airport. After finishing all the ones and twos at the airport it was time for us to head to the school, they were a lot of buses to pick us up at the airport. The street lights were lit, and that feeling of excitement that finally we have arrived in Cyprus kept tingling in my mind thereby raising my adrenaline thinking of everything I am going to do.

Upon arrival at the school we were received by warm hands since it was a batch of international students who knew nothing but just that we are at Near East University. We were assigned to our temporary rooms for the night until we settle, I got my place at the top a bunk bed which to me was comfortable, to my surprise when I went to use the bathroom, the tap water was salty, this itself heavily hit on me thinking maybe it was a current water problem not knowing that it was a permanent state that I had to adjust to, one of the good thing is we came in during a religious holiday so it was a four day break for everyone, this gave us time to rest after two days of flight, amongst the bad is that the school, did not provide meals for us during the stay in the guest house.

The following day I and my Zimbabwean roommates went on to the market to get some food stuffs, we could hear people speaking in Turkish, but didn’t know the impact it came along with to the foreign students. When we went to the till, I asked “ how much is it?” holding a bottle of 100% orange juice and the ayrani (a turkish yogurt blended with water and salt) which has presently became one my favourites, she then replied in Turkish which at that time it sounded loud ,funny and fast, thinking she would at this time use English I went on to ask again but she then replied in her language, my friends burst in laughter thinking that she is doing it intentionally but she was not, actually she didn’t understand the queen’s language at all, which we as Africans view English as an international language.

We went on to a certain place called Chicken house which sells fast food burgers, fries and all that, we ordered beef burgers but the taste itself was different from the original beef we knew, but after a moment we then read it’s a type of beef they eat as an alternative to the original one which then left unanswered questions in our minds as no one could answer them because of the language barrier.

It is said every new day brings its own twist to life, days passed by while we took shelter in our temporary dorms waiting for registration. The day finally arrived when we were supposed to register, in my mind I thought it was easy as ABC, but I faced a lot of challenges, to break them down, I woke up went to the shower with my soap my mother had packed for me, little did I know when I turned on the shower the salty water did not react well with the soap to produce lather but it made the mixture to clot, scientifically the salts, the ions in the salty water could not react with the soap, since no one had shared such information with us from the start I continued with my bath but facing problem indeed there was a “problem var” as the Turkish would say, I then applied my lotion and put on amongst my best outfits since it was a new day that I was going to different offices.

Before I went out of our temporary room, on that same fateful day the guard came and gave us a notice that we should be fixing our accommodation papers and vacate since these rooms you are using are reserved for other people who had booked them in advance so they might need to move in anytime as soon as they reach the university. This actually sent shockwaves around my whole body, asking myself what am I going to do? I do not even know any single person here, what if they kick us out, what if the owners of the room suddenly come tonight? I then went out of the dormitory with a confident posture, along the way I met a Turkish guy and with a bright face so as to ask directions on where I can find the international office, before he even finished hearing my question, waving both of his arms he went on to say no English.

I looked left and right trying to find any of my African brothers and sisters I couldn’t find one since the school had not started still on the last semester break, now with a confused face that the next person I might ask again might say the same thing, luckily I then met a Nigerian a guy called Emedu, at first we did not understand each so well since it was my first time speaking to someone from West of the Africa with a totally different tone , he then walked me to the office pointing out the need to learn Turkish language and at the same time telling me the names of the building, assuring me that with time I will get the grip of the new school, the walk seemed long, and it was so hot, the kind of weather which makes one feel drained and deeply thirsty for a liquid.

Upon arrival at the office I then discovered there was a long line, new students also awaiting to register and senior students with those fancy hairstyles that you see on the television. People were just displacing after they asked the last person their number so that, I quickly hold onto a number, not yet satisfied of the number I got and the authenticity of the whole process of getting a number from someone, I went into the office and when I was about to get to the table where a certain Nigerian lady who works in the international office was sitting she then asked with a loud voice have you taken your number, I assume the loud voice was because she got frustrated by being asked the same thing over and over, and the level of disorganization that had filled the place. I politely asked her what I was supposed to do and she responded to me nicely and in a moment I got a grip of what was supposed to be done, I waited for a form where I had to fill in my details and surrender my certificates.

At that moment I was told there are some certain fees that i didn’t pay that included health insurance, social activity so I had to go to the Near east bank, did I know where it was, I did not! I then asked a Zimbabwean who was near and she did not know the place she was new, I looked around asked a senior student, another brother from the west and he properly directed me. It was now time to walk to the place when I stepped down the stairs, the thirst intensified and what it need was to be quenched, I thought to myself where am I going to get the water in the middle of the school like this, walking down the i then saw a cafeteria, went in put out my 100 United States dollar and the lady responded in some Turkish words which I cannot remember but I knew it meant a no because of her body language.

At that point in time, I started feeling a bit dizzy because of the strong heat blaze, I found my way to the bank, the bank was organized as in one just doesn’t sit and wait in line as I had previously did back in Zimbabwe when I was making my bank account, but one had to first take a number from a number generating machine. My number was way above hundreds and they were a lot of people, I thought to myself is this what happens in European banks, the level of activity, suddenly my number popped up on the screens since I only wanted to make a payment into the school’s account.

Finally he then changed my USD dollar notes to Turkish liras and life wholly became normal at that moment since it now gave me flexibility. It was now time to register for my dormitory resident for the semester, with some peeps that I had came with preferring to go stay off campus which my mother had denounced and I was in the same boat with her considering the fact that being a new student, still a new place, coming from the so called dark continent to the white people infested area. The queues where energy draining moving slow, it was now time for my turn, greeting the lady behind the counter with a high energetic tone, and then she bombarded me with some Turkish words which at that time felt like a blast to my face, looking at her other work mate, she replied in something that I did not understand, remained still, with my shoulders and head raised, she went mute.

CLICK TO READ PART 2 of 'MY STORY' by Keith Kanombirira

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Written by Keith Kanombirira (NEU)

Contact me on:
FACEBOOK ---- www.facebook.com/keith.kanos
INSTAGRAM---- www.instagram.com/keithworldwide
TWITTER— twitter.com/keithworldwide
EMAIL---- keithtawanda@gmail.com
PHONE MUMBER----- 05338845839

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