This is the seventh blog-post from Nicolin Mamuya, the first ESOMAR Foundation scholarship in South Africa.
Congratulations Nicolin from all of us at the ESOMAR Foundation!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! It is such a blessing to make it to another year. I wish everyone a joyful and prosperous year.

I haven’t made any resolutions for 2017 because a) I never stick to them and b) there’s so much uncertainty this year. I pray for a good year. I’m still waiting for a response from school about my honours application. I’ll probably get something this week and I received all my results mid-December and I am happy to announce that I am a Marketing graduate. I am truly proud of myself. Everyone keeps asking when the graduation ceremony is but, I’m not even sure of the dates myself. It would be great to have most of my family here however, I am not good at playing the host, a position that my mom would have played if she was still around. I would honestly prefer to just have my mother and one of my aunts but, I would never reject anyone who wishes to attend.

I ended up going to Tanzania on the 21^st of December. It was, according to my cousin, imperative that I go to Tanzania this particular December. I would be lying if I said I enjoyed my stay there. The aunt responsible for my mom expressed that she was under great pressure and that I should relocate to Tanzania to care for my mom soon after I complete my honours degree. I tried suggesting other alternatives such as having someone take care of my mom while I work and send money back home however; there is always the concern of what would happen if the helper wanted to visit her family. Who would remain with my mother? It’s too much for a 20 year old to handle but, I guess this is the cross I have to carry. Hopefully a solution will come up as the year progresses.

The scholarship awarded to Nicolin was sponsored by SSI and in collaboration with SAMRA.

This is the sixth blog-post from Nicolin Mamuya, the first ESOMAR Foundation scholarship in South Africa.
Happy birthday Nicolin from all of us at the ESOMAR Foundation!

I started with my final exams on the 21st of this month. I must admit, I did not enjoy any of them so far. They were all equally challenging. To add to the already existing frustration, I am told that my honours application has been removed from the system, because my academic record does not appear. I have tried so hard to rectify this, but it seems no one is taking my concern seriously. Nonetheless, I will keep trying. I am really afraid of disappointing my mother and the family members that have gone out of their way to ensure I complete my degree.

Unlike , many African homes I am not the first and only one to go to university in my family, which means the standard has already been set and I will be compared to my cousins. However, one thing I love about my family is that we always look out for each other. If someone does not possess the capacity to take their children to school, another family member will step in to assist. The main idea is to create growth within the family and to ensure poverty does not follow us. I appreciate that.

On another note, I celebrated my 20th birthday on the 25th of November. It was definitely memorable. Some friends of mine cooked dinner for me and we spent the whole night laughing and playing in the rain. It was amazing although, they couldn’t get off my back about the fact that I was still the baby in the friendship. We’ll see who has the last laugh when the effects of old age kick in.

I am actually thinking of remaining in South Africa in December. I want to get a job, preferably in retail. I want to gain work experience. In addition to getting a job, I want to wait for my results to come out and sort out any problems with the honours application process. The last thing I want is for a problem to arise and I’m unable to do anything about it because, I am not in the country. Hopefully my next blog post will come with great news. I’m crossing my fingers.

The scholarship awarded to Nicolin was sponsored by SSI and in collaboration with SAMRA.

If you want to support the ESOMAR Foundation and people like Nicolin in having the opportunity to study and pursuing a career in market research…participate the to ESOMAR Foundation charity prize draw today!