Well, maybe not – but I’ll never forget hearing that yelled by somebody running stark naked through the main library. Yes dear readers, as we get closer and closer to the dreaded exam period you will notice the library begin to fill up with students trying their hardest to fit as much knowledge into their little brains as possible, with the direct consequence that the place which once was a refuge for peace and quiet turns into something else altogether.
It seems that while we all leave our rooms and homes, and make the trek to the library in search of that elusive ‘studying atmosphere’ . once we get there, the intimidating silence just begs to be broken. Oh yes, libraries often provide such drama as you would only expect to find in a Shakespearean tragedy.
Take for instance, the aforementioned incident. There you are, buried deep in thought trying to understand what exactly you’ve scribbled down in your notes . when suddenly, in bursts someone completely naked save for a cape, and runs around shouting. Would you honestly expect that at a library? A football match yes, but a library? Perhaps the anonymous person realized that by bursting that precious bubble of silence, his performance would be that much more effective. This assumption proved to be correct if the stunned applause was anything to go by.
More often than not though, one of the biggest hazards at the library during this time of the year is the gossip girls (and boys). Yes, those people who make you wonder why they came to the library in the first place. Upon arrival, you find one of them there, and an unsuspecting victim, you sit down next to them . unaware of the terror that is about to be unleashed on you. Because before you know it, here comes the rest of the pack ready to wreck havoc on all your attempts to study. From now on, all you will be able to do is try and block out the sound of them whispering loudly over your head about what they did last night, who they met, where they are going tonight, what they want to do this weekend and more inane babble than one could possible be expected to survive.
For five blissful minutes (as they furiously text something on their phone), there is silence and you think that you might be able to concentrate again, but oh no, there they go again! By this time, you’re seething with rage, and ready to unleash on them your best librarian-esque stare and ask if they know that they are in fact in a library and may perhaps want to consider continuing their conversation elsewhere . when lo and behold, they read your mind and do just that. You rejoice at your apparent mind-bending skills, and quickly start studying again, but your superpowers are evidently not as powerful as you thought, because all too soon they’re back, and the whole cycle starts again. And all you can think is: ‘Why are they here? Sure they have books and pens, but no one is actually doing any studying! So why are they here disturbing (my) the peace?!’
Meanwhile, another level of hell has been created specially for those who a) do not switch off their mobile phones, or at least put them on silent mode and b) then don’t even have the common courtesy to go outside when their phone does ring, but instead choose to inflict on us their loud and often completely unnecessary conversation.
However the soundtrack to your studying can also come from various other sources. Every so often you come across a ‘mumbler’, which can be fairly distracting as you keep wondering whom they are talking to. Similarly, those who start tapping unconsciously can often slowly drive you mad. Or the ‘fashionistas’, who show up at the library, dressed to impress, engulfed in earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings, which, while very pretty, could also double as a rattle for all the noise they make every time the person moves.
But it should be noted that all of the above is based on the premise that you actually managed to find somewhere to sit in the library. While ordinarily one can walk in and take their pick of any spot that suits their fancy, during exam period, most libraries resemble a crowded zoo rather than a learning institution. The hunt for a desk can take on mammoth proportions, with stealth and timing are of utmost importance. One might question whether it’s worth it, but surely, nothing can beat the thrill of the hunt, and the sweet taste of success when after all that, you come out of the exam room knowing you aced that exam.
Lucia Wamiti, from Kenya, is a BSc student studying Aerospace Engineering. ‘Maandiko’ is a Swahili word meaning ‘what is written’.
Well, maybe not – but I’ll never forget hearing that yelled by somebody running stark naked through the main library. Yes dear readers, as we get closer and closer to the dreaded exam period you will notice the library begin to fill up with students trying their hardest to fit as much knowledge into their little brains as possible, with the direct consequence that the place which once was a refuge for peace and quiet turns into something else altogether. It seems that while we all leave our rooms and homes, and make the trek to the library in search of that elusive ‘studying atmosphere’ . once we get there, the intimidating silence just begs to be broken. Oh yes, libraries often provide such drama as you would only expect to find in a Shakespearean tragedy.
Take for instance, the aforementioned incident. There you are, buried deep in thought trying to understand what exactly you’ve scribbled down in your notes . when suddenly, in bursts someone completely naked save for a cape, and runs around shouting. Would you honestly expect that at a library? A football match yes, but a library? Perhaps the anonymous person realized that by bursting that precious bubble of silence, his performance would be that much more effective. This assumption proved to be correct if the stunned applause was anything to go by.
More often than not though, one of the biggest hazards at the library during this time of the year is the gossip girls (and boys). Yes, those people who make you wonder why they came to the library in the first place. Upon arrival, you find one of them there, and an unsuspecting victim, you sit down next to them . unaware of the terror that is about to be unleashed on you. Because before you know it, here comes the rest of the pack ready to wreck havoc on all your attempts to study. From now on, all you will be able to do is try and block out the sound of them whispering loudly over your head about what they did last night, who they met, where they are going tonight, what they want to do this weekend and more inane babble than one could possible be expected to survive.
For five blissful minutes (as they furiously text something on their phone), there is silence and you think that you might be able to concentrate again, but oh no, there they go again! By this time, you’re seething with rage, and ready to unleash on them your best librarian-esque stare and ask if they know that they are in fact in a library and may perhaps want to consider continuing their conversation elsewhere . when lo and behold, they read your mind and do just that. You rejoice at your apparent mind-bending skills, and quickly start studying again, but your superpowers are evidently not as powerful as you thought, because all too soon they’re back, and the whole cycle starts again. And all you can think is: ‘Why are they here? Sure they have books and pens, but no one is actually doing any studying! So why are they here disturbing (my) the peace?!’
Meanwhile, another level of hell has been created specially for those who a) do not switch off their mobile phones, or at least put them on silent mode and b) then don’t even have the common courtesy to go outside when their phone does ring, but instead choose to inflict on us their loud and often completely unnecessary conversation.
However the soundtrack to your studying can also come from various other sources. Every so often you come across a ‘mumbler’, which can be fairly distracting as you keep wondering whom they are talking to. Similarly, those who start tapping unconsciously can often slowly drive you mad. Or the ‘fashionistas’, who show up at the library, dressed to impress, engulfed in earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings, which, while very pretty, could also double as a rattle for all the noise they make every time the person moves.
But it should be noted that all of the above is based on the premise that you actually managed to find somewhere to sit in the library. While ordinarily one can walk in and take their pick of any spot that suits their fancy, during exam period, most libraries resemble a crowded zoo rather than a learning institution. The hunt for a desk can take on mammoth proportions, with stealth and timing are of utmost importance. One might question whether it’s worth it, but surely, nothing can beat the thrill of the hunt, and the sweet taste of success when after all that, you come out of the exam room knowing you aced that exam.
Lucia Wamiti, from Kenya, is a BSc student studying Aerospace Engineering. ‘Maandiko’ is a Swahili word meaning ‘what is written’.
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