Hey, what’s poppin’?

I just moved into a new apartment and I am still trying to figure out if I am excited about it or not, hmm!

And yes, moving out was such a strenuous experience. I am literally sitting on my desk chair with the laptop uncomfortably positioned on my lap while surrounded by a bunch of suitcases and boxes. But as the kids say these days; IT IS WHAT IT IS!! Haha!

First things first, let’s get the name right, okay!

“Vuyiswa Mngometulu, how do you even pronounce that?’’

I do not know how many times my name has been butchered since I have been in the US. It used to irk me at first, but I guess I just got used to it. I do not even know if it is the ignorance of it all because I have seen that when it comes to names that sound even a tiny bit exotic in the US, people act a little funny. I have seen it in the movies and unfortunately, I am now also a statistic, haha. I quite don’t understand because my first name is so easy to enunciate, I mean, it literally has no click sounds which actually are quite hard to pronounce for most non-Southern Africans.

But friends, I will not even waste my time or YOUR time by teaching you how to say my last name. I used to do that with my friends and professors fall quarter and after trying “10 million times” to break it down to the simplest possible level, I’d just be like  “there you have it”  when obviously they DID NOT HAVE IT. It would become so annoying to me and also to the person because it just wouldn’t come out right. The task of teaching people how to pronounce my surname is now designated to Vuyiswa from another dimension because this one ain’t doing it no more. Sis is tired!

With regards to my first name, I came out with an easier way to simulate the sounds that come out from each syllable. Here goes nothing:

Vu –  “ vo͞o”

Yi –  “yee”

Swa – “swä ” (not sway!!)

Vuyiswa = Vo͞oyeeswä. Just in case you want to know, my name has Xhosa origins and in English, it translates to JOY.

“So who you is?”

I am not going to lie; I do not think I am a very interesting person, but I do live an interesting life though.

I am the kid from next door that would always stay in the house partly because her parents would not let her go play with other kids but also because she was not a big fan of playing with other kids, outside. I would only leave the house for important reasons, buuut I would occasionally get on my bike and cycle to the store when I got tired of staying indoors. That happened years ago but it literally shaped me into the person I am today. It is why I consider myself an extroverted introvert because I am quite a talker when I am with my pals but put me in a room with people I do not know… awwwwwkward.

 “A conversation starter?” That is not me at all!!  I am the person who is constantly on her phone when she is at an event or club somewhere to avoid small talk and/or having to dance. But with that being said, I do actually like going out with my friends and I am not entirely a buzz kill when I am with the right people in a comfortable setting.

I was blessed with two precious gifts on this earth. My two younger brothers mean the most to me and I would literally take a (paintball) bullet for those two little rascals. However, that does not mean that I like being the first born because I really wish I had an older brother. For all those who have older brothers and have great relationships with them, how does it feel being God’s favorites?

I do however love that I am the only girl child in the family. You all have to forgive me for this, but I am extremely happy that I do not have a sister. I just feel like I would have not liked it, whether they’d be younger or older than me. I know that one of the less important but most annoying reasons is because the parents, aunties and uncles would probably compare my sister and I, like they do in most African households and that’d be really frustrating!

I am currently a rising sophomore at Northwestern University doing Environmental Engineering, which I am genuinely enjoying! I applied to Northwestern and I got in, all the way from a very small country in Southern Africa called the Kingdom of Swaziland. With picturesque mountains standing tall right in front of your eyes, planes and velds covered in green and amazing local people, I swear every place in Swaziland would be considered tourist-y.

I have been living in Evanston, Illinois for almost a year now and I love the fact that the town is pretty chilled, and it is very close to Chicago. If I remember correctly, I did hint on that fact when I was writing my ‘Why Northwestern’ essay! Going down memory lane now, aren’t we?

“Let’s talk about your interests.”

I do not know why I am starting off with this, but it is probably because I have been glued on my screen all summer, just watching STUFF.

I am very much into horror, comedy, and animated movies/series. Supernatural, Brooklyn Nine-9, Rick and Morty – those three shows are at the top of my list. I bet one would call this a strange combination because they are very different, and I would totally agree!! My interest radar is very much confusing to say the least, and it would probably fall into the “weird list” for most people! And please miss me with that romantic BS such as ‘The Notebook’. My disdain for romantic movies is out of this world; they are certainly not my cup of tea at all and I would never pay money to go watch a romantic movie. “I said what I said!” Haha.

Interestingly enough, I have also started watching anime and I think I really like it! I am lowkey pissed at myself that I once considered anime a waste of my time and brain power. I am currently on Season 1 of Naruto and I vibe with Sasuke’s energy, he do be cool! I am for sure in it for the long haul.

With the whole pandemic situation, I also had to find new ways to spend my time other than Netflix and sleeping. It all started in April when I subscribed to the No White Saviors podcast and that unlocked a whole treasure box I never thought I needed. Whenever I take my afternoons walks by the lakefront, if I am not playing some Don Toliver or SAINt JHN, I listen to a bunch of podcasts I find interesting.

“Lastly, what is this site about?”

I wanted to create a space where I can share my thoughts and anything that I feel worthwhile to me and other humans that may find themselves going through the same weird phase in their lives –  the distasteful early 20s. I am planning on covering a range of topics ranging from lifestyle to college experience to pop culture through my writing. I will also create a page when I will put some shorts stories that I have written over the years. Please do not be alarmed by the fact that this site is not centered around one topic. I feel like that would make this blog mundane and knowing myself, I’d probably get bored with the whole thing and just quit. Moreover, there is a lot that affect people on a daily basis, and I am hoping to tap into the interests of various people through tackling different topics.

School is starting soon, and I know that if I want to keep this site going, I will have to learn how to manage my time properly. At my big age, I terribly suck at time management. If you have tips, please help your girl out because I have watched numerous motivational YouTube videos and after a week, I’d be back to thy old disorganized self! I usually tell myself, “Go with the flow Vuyiswa, what could go wrong?” A lot, a lot could and have gone wrong! Help!

With that being said, I am planning on publishing material every two weeks. And I believe this could help me manage my school load and other non-school activities on my plate, such as this blog, successfully. It will also help my readers be updated on what I post without feeling bombarded by too much content in a short period of time.

Thank you for (accidentally) stumbling into Vuyiswa Writes! I hope this blog and this goofball (me, of course) will give you all the good vibes and positive energy we are all in need of.