Enlightment

I find it beautiful when you have been struggling with something and out of nowhere everything becomes so clear. The answer was there all along, you just had to think a bit deeper. Today opened up a path for me to begin doing great things in my community along side my peers.

Today everyone woke up late, including me. The people that were down before me waited for me to come down. At breakfast we were all a bit tired but excited about class. For the first half of class we did a gallery walk. We had images, articles and comics that in some ways supported women and in some discouraged them. A article that was ridiculous was supposed to be about  a congress woman that got shot. However the article did not have one single complete sentence about her. The article mentioned her and then went on to say that her husband was a astronaut. This makes me think that whoever wrote it had this idea that women amount to what their male partners are. 

During lunch, we went to get some drinks and snacks from Starbucks. After we went back to the building and discussed various topics, mostly within the supernatural realm. It was very interesting how everyone's background played a role in what type of stories their families passed down to them. My culture has an immense archive of legends and anecdotes from way back in history.

During the second half of class, we as a class participated in a silent activity. We got in a big circle and the facilitator would read a statement and if it applied to you, you would step in the circle. For me it was easy because I wasn't required to explain my answer. No one knew the specifics that sometimes are hard to talk about. It also made me realize how privileged I am in some areas. From now on I will be more appreciative of my privileges.

Some time between lunch and the second part of class, Esme and I started talking. We had very similar ideas of what we wanted to know for our Action Plans so we decided to team up since we are both in the same school. We are going to support and push each other to work hard on the project we are planning and make it something that will educate our community about gender equality. 

After class, I attended a workshop on diversity, gender and sexuality. I learned that gender and sexuality are a spectrum and   not a binary like society conditions us to think. Gender is a socially constructed term and it can be different for everyone. Some people might identify as cisgender, others might identify as a totally different  gender and it is important to respect that. 

Esme and Wendy at the lounge

After my very interesting workshop, I came to the dorms. I put my cloths to wash and actually had to go back to the Ratty to get more Bear Bucks for the drying machines. I managed to get all my cloths in, in two loads. I didn't want to have to deal with more than that. While laundry was following its course, I did my homework and blogged a bit. Soon after my cloths were ready and I started to articulate my collaborative Action Plan. I hope to finish by tonight or latest tomorrow after noon. Wish me luck!