A few months later, in January 1966, having been awarded both a government scholarship and a government bursary and having also achieved good results in my final examinations, I was preparing to attend the University College of Rhodesia. This was a small, multiracial, external college of the University of London, England, where all Arts and Science examination papers were marked. I was thrilled to be starting a new phase of my life.
Since the university was mixed race and British, to boot, most White high school students had no wish to attend our local seat of learning, despite its very high standard of education. White high school students far preferred heading south to one of the many huge “Whites Only” universities in South Africa, where a wide selection of courses was offered, and a myriad of fun activities could be guaranteed. Furthermore, to qualify for entrance, high school students heading south could finish their high school studies a year earlier than me. Matriculation M-Level examinations for entry into a South African establishment were not as demanding as the Advanced A-Level examinations required for a British university, which, per se, included its external college in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia.
I had no choice but to attend the local university. French was not offered in South Africa.
With only 350 students, the buildings at the University College of Rhodesia (UCR) were modern, with bright residences, separated according to gender and very strictly monitored for appropriate behaviour. Students were allowed two late passes a week, one requiring return by 10:30pm, and the other by 12:30am. All students had to sign in and out. Males who visited the female residences had to leave by 10:30pm. The same was true of females visiting the male residences. Penalties for infringements could be severe, including removal of all privileges. I cannot imagine what would happen if the universities of today, here in Canada, for instance, were to impose such rules.
I wanted to study French, not opting for the simpler course of taking a General Degree towards a Bachelor of Arts, with French as just one of the three subjects pursued. No, I wanted to take the more difficult French Honours Degree, a three-year intensive course in French, but which included a chosen subsidiary subject. This latter amounted to pursuing a General Degree in five terms, as against in the usual three years. I had decided I would take as my subsidiary subject, Latin, for which I had always achieved stellar marks. I recall attending my first lecture, where I was told that, since I was the only student who had chosen to study Latin for my subsidiary subject, I would be joining the third-year students who were preparing for their final examinations in their Bachelor of Arts General degree. So, there I was, 18 years of age, straight out of high school, sitting in a class of students, all aged 20, who had pursued two more years of university Latin studies than me. How was I ever going to cope? The first assignment handed out by the professor, I well recall, was entitled “Proses for Finals Drilling”. What?! He had to be kidding! I hadn’t even done one day of my university course, and I was now expected to tackle an assignment meant to prepare students for their final examinations, taken after three long years of study?! I was aghast. Having spent six years at high school translating sentences which usually involved something along the lines of “Caesar, having laid waste the lands, and having conquered the enemy, proceeded to march with his soldiers towards the camp…..”, it came as a huge shock to be given an assignment requiring me to translate into Latin a letter written by an Indian schoolboy describing the game of cricket to a pen pal overseas!
I had chosen a challenging course of study, but I knew that hard work and determination could lead to success. So, I studied endlessly and somehow made it, successfully completing my Latin examinations after my five terms.
