It was also very interesting what happened with the teacher, because on the first day she came she seemed a little rigid, I would say even suspicious. But by the time the class finished, she was smiling. This was day 2. Sexual anatomy, sex and consent day 🙂 As any of the girls didn’t actually share anything on the circle after the stories, the teacher said something like: “Girls, no one has ever come here to the school to talk about this. I’ve been in this school for many years and I know the struggles of the girls regarding this matter, in this town. Let’s listen deeply. Let’s take these lessons with us and think seriously about it. We can change things. You can! This is very valuable.” The girls said “yes” with their heads and looked at each other. It was a deep moment without words. Then we sang, and thats when all their voices were raised. The teacher sang too. Later she told me she will teach this song to every girl she could. It made me shiver!
So the teacher became the most enthusiastic singer, and she also participated a lot during the class on the next day. I kept looking at her in the eyes and commenting to her so she could feel confident enough to share her thoughts at any time, and so she did. It was day 3, menstrual cycle day; a joyous experience teaching this in such a favorable atmosphere. The class was 2:30 hours without any breaks, and so amazing. I blended the menstrual cycle map exercise with the cycle-altar that explains the physiology of the cycle and fertility awareness learnings. It was a complete success. After the class and the girls had gone, the teacher stayed with me and while helping me pick up everything, she shared many of her reflections about the class. She said it was so eye-opening for her, and she felt like most of us women feel when we learn all this: why didn’t I know this before? What are we going to do to teach this to everyone else? It was an amazing conversation that ended up in the very strong possibility that we do a Fluye cups in Poncitlan that she will organize with community leaders and her daughters.