Women

I am feeling very grateful to be a woman in the time and place that I am.  Being an American woman has undeniable privilege attached to it, even if there are things in our culture I don't like.  Some of the only times I come close to losing my patience here are when a man is being pushy with me or dismissive and I can tell it is because I'm a woman.

I was at a health training and was talking to some women and they said they do not get to decide their physical relationships, if protection is used, or how many children they will have.  These are all men's decisions.  In a world of HIV/AIDs not being able to use protection is frightening.  In another case, I heard about a group of women saying that men will rape and then tell the women if they drink an Orange Fanta they will not get HIV.  Not sure where to start on that one.  One other sad case was a teacher saying that when she discussed the concept of love with her class of girls it was universally accepted that if he loves you, he will beat you.

It's very hard for me, as an outsider, to fully understand another culture.  I can't help but look through an American woman's eyes and I know I miss nuances and complexities and I feel a bit silly trying to interpret what's going on here at all when I've only been here a few months.  But when I see these wonderful women I want them to be able to say no when they want to, decide if and when they will marry, when they are ready to have children and how many they would like to have, and enjoy educational and work opportunities.