One of the most thrilling parts of learning about social justice issues is getting to put the theory of the classroom into action in real life. Such an opportunity arose for me with the 7N National March Against Male Chauvinistic Violence that occurred on November 7, 2015 in Madrid. Discriminative violence of all kinds seems to be all too common in our current world-- acts of terrorism, racial and gendered violence, these aren't new problems. In the past year alone, 54 women have been killed in Spain as a result of male chauvinistic violence (a term the Spanish Feminist Movement has adopted to refer to what we may call in the US "domestic violence" as it reflects the severity of intimate partner violence that is often normalized). As a way to bring attention to this problem, the Spanish Feminist Movement organized a nation-wide march, the first of its kind, to bring together allies from all parts of Spain.
Obviously, as a group of feminist studying gender studies in Spain, my GEMMA colleagues and I were very interested in participating in the march. The commute to Madrid is quite easy from Granada, being only a 5 hour bus ride away, but what was so incredible was that the local feminist organization, Asamblea Feminista Unitaria de Granada, coordinated an effort that provided free transportation for any University of Granada student who wanted to attend the march. So seven of us GEMMA girls got ourselves up and to the bus by 6 AM on the morning of November 7th, with our matching tshirts and home-made banner (translates to: "chauvinistic terrorism is a matter of the state"), ready to take the streets! The air was positively electric that day in Madrid. The capital's most busy streets were completely blocked off from traffic, staffed with police officers, and full of people chanting, carrying their own banners of protest. According to news sources, estimates are that over 200,000 people were in attendance that day. And what was incredible was that there really was representation for all types of people--men, women, young, old, Spanish, and foreign. All were allies together, marching against a type of violence that had touched almost all those who were present personally. It was during one of the group chants that the reality of this situation really struck home for me. Standing there, chanting, "if you touch one, you touch all of us", I realized that while the sentiment of the cheer was one of solidarity, the reality doesn't add up. There are so many women who are living with this reality of violence and some whose lives are stolen from them as a result of that violence. They are the ones being touched, not me. I cannot fathom the fear they must feel. This line of study that I have chosen to gone into is not easy; but it's not easy because it matters, because it deals with painful realities, because it makes you look at the world and think about what you can do, should do, and will do to make a difference. Unfortunately, since the 7th, there has already been four more femicides in Spain. This issue of gendered violence is obviously not unique to Spain and should be addressed as widely as possible. But there is a movement happening, right now, in Spain, on the national level, demanding change. And I feel honored and privileged to be able to stand up and be a part of that movement in this moment. For more detailed information about the ideas behind the 7N event, you can read my blog post on the European Young Feminists' blog site here. Or check out the March's official website here. OK, now that I've had some closure from the emotional turmoil that characterized the end of last month, I can see with fresh eyes how stressful that whole situation really was and I feel validated in sheer and intense panic I was feeling at that time. BUT, the good news is that things have significantly improved since then!
In terms of school, due to bizarre realities of the pragmatics of my schedule this month, I barely have any classes. And while that may seem to insinuate a break of some sorts, I have actually have a great deal to read, write and research but now I have the leisure of doing it on my own time. I can actually take advantage of the library! It's a miracle! This newly acquired freedom also means that I can now do basic daily tasks without feeling anxious for how much time I'm "wasting" not studying. I never thought I'd be so happy to wash my dishes or scrub a toilet! It is amazing how rejuvenating it feels to just be able to perform daily tasks without having to account for every minute spent and how that is going to impact the rest of your day. Additionally, one of the few classes I do have this month is a second year seminar on the history of the socialization of the body. Not only is the topic of this class something I am very interested in, which makes attendance so much more enjoyable, but the smaller class size has also made such a difference! Even in the States, I've always felt much more comfortable participating in more intimate courses (which characterized basically all my courses since there were 3 women's studies majors and ~7 anthropology majors in my year at IWU) and that has especially proven to be the case when speaking Spanish! It has been such a frustrating experience feeling like I couldn't contribute in a meaningful way to the course based on language barriers in my earlier courses here but the intimate nature of the smaller seminars have really helped me feel comfortable and happy to participate during class. I feel like in addition to playing a more active role in my education I am also building a more meaningful relationship with my instructor, which means so much to me. We even got to the point where she recommended her hairdresser to me! (Now THAT is intimacy!) On a practical level, I can also tell that my Spanish has dramatically improved. After being inundated with hours of lectures in Spanish, I was feeling discouraged because there was still so much I wasn't understanding but after a few days off of lecture it seems like my brain had the opportunity to actually reset and absorb! I am still a far way from fluency, but communicating has become much less taxing for me. There have been three instances in the past week where I have really recognized that this is truly the case. Example 1: I was even able to call my Spanish bank's helpline and speak with a representative without any problems! I can't even articulate how proud I was of that accomplishment, as silly as it sounds. Example 2: I enrolled myself in a pilates class (because I had been seriously neglecting my body during the stressful month of October and I had finally received my stipend so I was trying to treat myself right) and I was able to participate in the course without any trouble. Now, that may seem simple, but by the nature of exercise classes you don't have the option to get physical cues on what the person is saying. That is to say, when I am facedown doing whatever stretch I can't be looking at the instructor for context clues of what they are talking about. This is especially difficult in classes like pilates or yoga, in which the instructor is talking about breathing out of places that are not conventionally associated with breath -- you better make sure you know your vocabulary ahead of time! I do think the class will also be super helpful for my body-related vocabulary so that is an added bonus. Example 3: I finally went and got my haircut. I am VERY particular about my hair and in the States I've been going to the same salon and seeing the same hairdresser for years (shout to you, Tina!) so the idea of seeing anyone new is disconcerting. I was especially nervous given my previous hair cutting experience here in Granada. Now, for those of you who remember my last Spanish haircut, it was a MAJOR disaster. Seriously, I left looking like a middle-aged soccer mom. It was horrendous. But my roots were out of control and I had to face my fears. I had looked up all the pertinent vocabulary ahead of time ("bangs", "highlights", "curls", "slight bob", etc.) and my fears were immediately quelled after my hairdresser used the word "texture". He got it. This was going to be fine. And 3.5 hours later, I was blonder, happier, and lighter! It's amazing how much brighter your outlook on life can be when you are rocking a good 'do! Well, the life of leisure is officially over! Classes have begun and now I am getting into the full swing of things in this next phase of my life as a graduate school in Europe. In terms of pragmatics, there are
22 people total in my program (all female, surprise surprise!). Of those 22, 18 are first year students like me and the other 4 are in their second year, doing their mobility year here at UGR. The master's program is broken down by semester: first semester is obligatory courses in feminist history, theory and methodology; second semester is electives at your home institution; third semester is electives at your mobility institution; and fourth is working on your master's thesis. So, that means that all 18 of us have all our classes together this first semester. However, in addition to our compulsory classes, us first years have been invited to take additional courses with the second years since there are so few of them. In classic Nora over-achieving manner, I am intending to take two extra courses (ideally taking one as an audit, don't worry). All the classes are in Spanish and most of my cohort peers are native Spanish speakers, except for myself, a student from Canada (who is a native French speaker as she is from Quebec), and a student from Scotland. In terms of schedule, there doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason to when I have class. It's not as a simple as having class at a certain time on a certain day -- it really truly is random. Most weeks I have class every afternoon Monday - Thursday, but there are also stretches of days at a time where I have no classes at all. To add to the exoticness of this schedule, each class is four hours long and even coming from someone who LOVES listening to lectures on feminist theory that is a LONG time to be engaged, especially when the theory is in Spanish. Yikes. I came into this program claiming that it was my "dream program" and if it is at all possible I think that even my wildly optimistic expectations have been exceeded! And yes, I fully recognize and admit that this program is going to be a challenge, as it is bound to be in any situation when you aren't a native speaker. However, I have no doubt that the experience of this program is going to vale la pena. During our orientation yesterday morning, the room was electric with excitement-- everyone from the students to the faculty to the staff members was genuinely so excited to be there. Smiles were practically contagious. And if you juxtapose this entry to the last one, you'll see how much I NEEDED to feel that energy, to be reinvigorated by the passion of my peers. I am now joining a network of people from around the world who share my drive, my passion, and are excited to see where this new adventure takes them. And I could not be more thrilled (but I'm not going to lie-- I have never been so mentally drained in my entire life as I was after that first four hour course on feminist theory). Now for all of you who think that this whole international masters program thing is sounding intriguing, might I recommend checking out the full list of ERASMUS MUNDUS masters programs: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus_mundus/results_compendia/selected_projects_action_1_master_courses_en.php There is quite a variety in the programs available and not to brag but it can be a pretty sweet situation. Just an idea ;) *Addendum: YES, the classes are difficult. YES, I feel like I am missing information because I am not a native speaker. YES, it takes me an extra long time to do homework (for example, I spent 5 hours reading this morning to prepare for my second day of class). YES, it is frustrating but it can only get better with more and more practice. |
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Meet the Author:Graduate student of GEMMA Eramus Mundus Master's Degree in Women's and Gender Studies. Currently living in Budapest, Hungary. Originally from the American midwest. Archives
October 2016
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