Tag: language

The Subjects That Shaped Me..

What was your favorite subject in school?

From Afrikaans to Biology, from Criminology to Psychology, every subject I loved became a stepping-stone into another version of myself.

When people ask, “What was your favourite subject in school?” they expect a simple answer, a single word, a quick drop-and-go. But for me, the answer has never been that small. My favourite subjects were not just classes on a timetable, they were chapters of my becoming. Each one arrived at the exact moment I needed it, shaping my mind, sharpening my instincts, and carving out pieces of who I would grow into.

In pre-primary and through my early school years, Afrikaans (A South African Language) and Biology were the first two subjects that captured me. Afrikaans was not just a language to learn, it was rhythm, structure, and expression. Something about its solid rules and unexpected softness made it feel like a safe space, predictable enough to master, but expressive enough to play with. Biology, on the other hand, opened the world in a different way. It showed me that life is not random. There is order, detail, connection, and meaning behind every cell, every function, every heartbeat. It was my first taste of understanding how things work, and more importantly, why they work the way they do.

Then came high school, where curiosity grew teeth. Where subjects stopped being subjects and started becoming possibilities. As I moved into campus years, that curiosity evolved into something sharper.. Criminology and Forensics. The human mind, the shadows people hide, the reasons behind what people do, that entire world fascinated me. I loved it deeply, fiercely, almost instinctively. Forensics felt like the ultimate combination of science and story, logic and instinct. But life, being life, reminded me that passion is sometimes bigger than the body that carries it. A weak stomach *giggles* can shut the door on a path you love, and mine did.

But here is the thing about purpose, when one door closes, it often leads you to the one you are actually meant to open.

So I branched into Psychology and Criminology, two subjects I ended up loving just as much, if not more. Psychology gave me the language for emotions, behavior, healing, and human complexity. Criminology gave me the framework for understanding the darker corners of the world, the hidden motives, the patterns that shape society and individuals alike. Together, they formed a lens, a way of seeing people not just for what they do, but for the story behind what shaped them.

My favourite subjects were not random selections, they were stepping-stones. Afrikaans taught me expression. Biology taught me order. Criminology taught me curiosity. Psychology taught me understanding. And together, they built the way I think, the way I feel, the way I interpret the world and the people in it.

So when asked what my favourite subject was… the truth is simple..

It was every subject that matched a different version of me.

Every subject that helped me grow into myself.

Every subject that whispered..

“This is another piece of who you are becoming.”

What Alternative Career Paths Have I Considered or Am I Interested In?

What alternative career paths have you considered or are interested in?

Maybe my purpose was never meant to stay in one place, maybe it was meant to evolve with me.

I have always been the type of person who naturally leans toward helping people, the kind who listens, feels deeply, and somehow carries the weight of others without being asked. For a long time, I thought that was my calling, to be there for others, to guide, to counsel, to offer clarity in the chaos. It felt right… until life started testing the very strength I was using to hold everyone else together.

When anxiety, depression, and eventually a diagnosis of BPD, then Kahlers disease and the creeping up of that sly old cervical cancer, came into the picture, the path I once envisioned started to blur. You cannot pour from an empty cup, and at some point, I had to face that truth. I realized that to help others, I first needed to heal myself. You cannot be a lighthouse when your own light keeps flickering.

There is a humility in admitting that your dream version of helping others needs to shift shape. It is hard, because part of me still aches for that version of myself, the one who could listen endlessly, who had advice ready for every storm. But the older I get, the more I understand that sometimes the best advice you can give the world is to show what healing actually looks like. To model rest, self-awareness, and the courage to change direction when something no longer serves your peace.

But here is the thing about purpose, it evolves. Just because one road closes does not mean your story ends, sometimes it is just a divine redirection. Lately, I have found myself drawn to something completely new, teaching abroad. English has always been my comfort zone, my safe space, my first love, and maybe it is time I use that gift to step into a whole new world. The thought of teaching, traveling, and seeing life from a different corner of the globe excites me. It is unfamiliar, yes. It is intimidating, definitely. But it also feels like growth knocking on my door.

And maybe that is what I have been craving all along, growth that does not just look good on paper, but feels right in my soul. The idea of standing in a classroom somewhere far from home, sharing language, laughter, and lessons with students who see the world through completely different eyes, that thought lights a spark in me I have not felt in a long time.

Getting out of my shell and comfort zone will not be easy, I know that. I have lived in my own head long enough to know that fear does not vanish, it just becomes something you learn to move with. But maybe the most beautiful transformations come from doing the things that scare us the most. Maybe this new chapter is not about abandoning who I was, but about discovering who I could still become.

I am a starting to believe that purpose is not a fixed destination, it is a conversation between who you were and who you are still becoming. And right now, my heart is whispering, “Go. See. Try. Teach. Live.”