Perdeby Tuks se amptelike studentekoerant / Official Tuks student newspaper / Kuranta ya baithuti ya semmušo ya Tuks
05August2013
year75issue16
The evolution of an icon
Oppikoppi ticket winners
Nomadic Orchestra review
Application form
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P9
P13
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Be not bewildered by the beast HEIN PAPENFUS This year Oppikoppi has been dubbed Bewilderbeast. There is, however, no reason to fear this dusty animal that skulks shyly in the shadows for a whole year until August when it pounces and drags you to its tequila-laced lair. Armed with Perdeby’s survival tips, you will not be harmed, but serenaded by sweet melodies and invited to drink the tasty alcoholic nectar which makes everything better again. First things first: you have to realise that you are going to a dirty, dusty place and that you are going to get dirty and dusty. Plan for this by packing a cleaning kit, like wet wipes and waterless hand sanitiser. There are showers available but more often than not they are cold and overcrowded. Karel Erasmus, a first-year hospitality student, suggests showering under the water truck as it passes by. “It’s quick, easy and everyone enjoys the show,” he says. Although sleeping will mostly be done in a drunken stupor, it is important to get the set-up right. Oppikoppi veterans will tell you that the ideal placement of your tent is far enough away from the main stages to avoid the majority of the dust but close enough to find your tent in the early hours of the morning. Also, make sure that your tent is pitched and ready before the party starts. “We started drinking on arrival and I ended up sleeping under my car the first night. Unpleasant and freezing,” says Nic Stead, a former LLB student. When it comes to the food you take with you, don’t overdo it. The food stalls at the stages are so tempting that you end up buying most of your food there and anything you bring with is wasted. Take food that is easy to eat and helps with hangovers, like chip rolls and boerie rolls. Although the science behind it is still shaky, the best hangover breakfast is apparently an Ultra Mel custard box. The same principle applies to booze. Making cocktails on the first night will be fun, but by day three, all you want is an effective thirst quencher. Take a cooler box full of ice between a few friends. That way you will have enough for the whole weekend. Whether you’re there to party hard or just to listen to the music, Oppikoppi is all about the entire student population squeezed into one place and the stories that result from it.
Illustration: Simon-Kai Garvie