The Final Week

The week is entitled "Private Victory" and so it is!  We are wrapping up our module teachings this week and thinking about our trip back with a four day stop over in Beijing.  The adventure continues daily as does our heart's presence with the young women in the Academy.  I gave my lecture last night on Domestic Violence and Sexual Harassment. The women were quite receptive to the information and spoke about their experience with friends who were in abusive relationships. Only one brave soul spoke about her abusive father and her mother's bravery in taking the children and leaving. She spoke about her mother's determination and struggle to help the family stay together.  In China "saving face" is important no matter what the cost.   The resources in China are quite limited for women who are abused but hopefully this information will allow the  women to identify the abuse cycle in their own lives and allow themselves to be proactive about their choices. They may also use this need to work on creating resources in the future for domestic violence. On the subject of bravery, these women never fail to leave me in a heart space that explodes with wonderment about all they have been through and still persist in their belief that there is HOPE for themselves, their family and our world.  
After class another adventure of visiting one of the faculty members at SIAS who has his PhD in Chinese history.  We spent almost an hour looking at some of the artifacts he has collected-some of which were over 2-3,000 years old.  His knowledge was amazing and so informative.  One of the things about China is the people's pride in their history and the deep rooted meaning it holds for them.