FGM

I watched a video today in my anthropology class about Masai women and their positive opinions of female genital mutilation. Naturally, they prefer the term circumcision. My professor wanted us to see a different perspective of this practice, and the Masai seemed an ideal alternative. The women view it as a right of passage to adulthood and emphasize that it is not forcibly done. The girl can choose whether to have it done or not.
The documentary focused on one woman in particular named Alice. She spoke enthusiastically about her experience. She was not specific about which level of circumcision was done, but she did show the tool used to perform it. It appeared to be a stone shard. She described how she was brave during the procedure and never once screamed or cried. The documentary followed her 14 year old sister's circumcision day and all the traditions that are practiced before, during and after the procedure. The video was difficult to watch even though Alice's excitement was truly genuine.
The video did not change my opinion of the practice. I think all circumcisions should be shunned by society. The discussion after the movie showed a clear double standard. There was a Jewish girl who disagreed with female circumcision but thought that circumcision performed on male babies was a good time "with wine." Cheers!

Old Friends and Marraige

An old friend of mine from junior high school recently contacted me on Facebook. I suppose there is some use for the site after all. After junior high, we went on to attend different high schools and eventually lost contact. She was a great friend with a wonderful family, and I would always wonder what was going on with her life. Especially when the San Jose Greek Festival occurs. Her Grandparents, immigrants from Greece, would take us there every year and we always had a great time. After high school I took up the tradition myself, dragging my boyfriend year after year, in hopes of running into her or her family. Of course the food is a draw as well.
Anyway, I just viewed her Faceboook profile and found that she is engaged. Finally, one of my friends is about to be married. While I am not into the practice myself, I always hope that my friends will find their husbands soon so that they can have the families they have always wished for. Well, that and the end of their lamentations of "Where is he?". That gets old very quickly.

Graduation

The unfortunate thing about Spring Break is that, when it is over, you realise that half the semester is completed and the remainder will appear to pass twice as quickly. I always get a bit panicky and feel crunched for time. To add to my stress, I graduate this summer and I still have no idea about what to do after that. So, I have decided to go back to junior college! Just writing that makes me feel a little better. That, and the knowledge that participating in the graduation ceremony is optional. I absolutely detest pomp and circumstance, thanks to my traumatic junior high and high school graduations.

I saw a documentary about Harvey Milk today in my anthropology class. It was fascinating. I have not seen "Milk" yet, but the documentary filled in parts of the story that I did not know, including the story behind the Twinky defense.
My grandparents, who had lived in San Francisco since WWII, would always joke about Twinkies when I misbehaved or forgot something. They would ask, "Did you have too many Twinkies today?" For a long time, I thought that they had made up that story of the defense. Of course, they did not tell me the specifics, only that a man had shot someone because he had eaten too much junk food. I figured there was some absurd lesson to be learned there, but I still loved those Twinkies.
I have digressed. The man really used that as a defense and it kind of worked. Amazing. That is a one time only excuse if there ever was one, second only to Mary's claim of immaculate conception.
I really appreciated the footage of Supervisor Milk. He had a lively personality, a great sense of humor, and a passion for equality for all. I wonder where the state of California would be, politically and culturally, had he lived and carried out his excellent work. We certainly would not have that appalling Proposition 8 threatening to enter our law books.

I am looking forward to spring break. I did not realize how soon it is. I was able to get an incredible price on a round trip plane ticket to New York to visit my best friend. She moved there about a year and a half ago. I have not seen her since I visited two Thanksgivings ago when tickets were more affordable. She is one of those fantastically inspirational people who you have a conversation with, and you suddenly feel like you can do anything you aspire to do. Additionally, she tolerates my immature sense of humor. I miss her, and can't wait to see her.

The Weather

I am currently enjoying the lovely weather outside. I am a big fan of rain. My sister loves the rain as well and I suspect she will not return from Oregon, where she graduates college this spring, for that very reason. Hopefully we will have enough rain this year to hold off any mandatory water rationing this summer. I remember the drought we had here in the late 80's and the unpleasantness of it all.

Despite the sunny weather, I had a very dull weekend. I watched an embarrassing amount of television, followed by a rented movie in the evenings. The movie titles included "Swing Vote" and "Vicki Christina Barcelona". "Swing Vote" was a depressant. If that's your thing, I recommend it. I loved "Vicki Christina Barcelona." Penelope Cruz's character was fantastically crazy! It was a great, quirky little movie. I hope the rest of the class had a more interesting weekend than I did.