The first week of teaching has flown by and what a week it was.....I gave my first class on the female anatomy and it turned out to be more than I expected. The girls was so interested in learning more about their bodies and so willing to ask questions. Great emphasis was placed on the importance of respecting their bodies and being the sole decision maker on what intimacy to allow for themselves. We all giggled alot especially when I called their breasts "the girls". One girl ask me about which bra was good to wear and I spoke about a sports bra because it had no underwires. When they didn't understand what that was saying I simply lifted my shirt to show them. Well, that caused complete hysteria and I even got some applause! I guess they understood what I was talking about after that!!!!! I ended the lecture with Amy Carol Webb's song "I Come From Women" and had the girls dancing in the aisles of the classroom. It was such fun and hopefully they walked away understanding that as women we are all alike with the same parts, desires and needs.
The creative labs we did during the week focused on the words kindness, optimistic, brave, confident and persistent. These words were selected from an assignment where they had to think about a women in their life who had a leadership quality that they admired and use one word to describe them. We discussed the reason why they made these choices.For many girls it was their grandmother or mother that made a difference to them. The stories were numerous and many were touching to our hearts. One girl spoke of her mother and the struggle she had with an abusive father. Her mother left her father and went to live in a one room apt. She said her mother worked "all day" and at age ten she had to care for her brothers and sisters. Despite all this adversity what she saw and learned from her mother with strength and optimism that her mother had for"she never gave up" and "kept moving forward". Another student spoke about "not being liked" because she was a girl. "My parents didn't want me" her loving grandmother raise her and "always told me I was a good person and that I was loved". These girls are amazing to be with and what teachers they are to me. I am in awe of there determination and gentleness that each girl has. i am definitely in love.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
A blog post from my teaching partner
Girls Becoming Women by Susan Brooks
There is a precious quality, a fragile vulnerability that gently flows from my students here at Sias International University...a quality that, I confess, I rarely see in our American teenagers. Their freshness, their eagerness to learn, their serving and giving natures and generous spirit awaken a protective feeling in me...my wanting to shield them from the dangers and violations that statistics verify as reality: domestic violence, suicide (China is #1 for women IN THE WORLD), sexual abuse, and on and on. These are young girls that ooze innocence and trust...young girls that come from farms nearby, families that have pooled their every dollar/yuan to send their daughters to school...parents that tell their daughters what to study and what to become as they grow up.
Yet, here I am to guide them, to expose them to perspective, choice, and possibility.These girls were chosen to be in The World Academy for the Future of Women, and they made the choice to be in this program...quite a commitment to their already extensive schedules. Our forums (interactive labs, lectures, coaching sessions) are quite different than what they've known before. The content focuses on leadership, starting with their own world of introspection and exploration: who am I? what are my values and priorities? where will I be in 5 years? how can I serve this world/my world? what is my passion? what are my choices and consequences for these choices? These are not 'fill in the blank' questions for anyone, but for my girls, they receive these questions so seriously and genuiniely as they translate perhaps their first feelings and opinions on these questions, not only into their Chinese words, but into English! I watch them process...I watch them grapple with language and concept...I watch them transform right before my eyes.
They are proud and strong. Yin and yang shine through them. There is a power to their determination, to their persistence in doing good...yet, their confidence is fragile and so new. They respect each other...and me, so completely. This makes me humble and grateful to stand before them, and by their side...leaving many of my fingerprints on their back, holding them, pushing them gently forward as our women leaders for tomorrow.
As young girls, I watch them walk, arm in arm throughout the campus. They talk at once, they laugh and giggle, completely unaware of how beautiful they are. I try to remember when I felt that free, so un-self-conscious...I realize that now these students of mine are my teachers, how I can learn from their celebration of simply being alive...simply BEING.
I want to stop time...freeze frame my days and moments here...memorizing their faces, their serious eyes and glowing smiles...hoping that just a fraction of their essence can spill over to me...girls becoming women...and me remembering to be a girl. Yes.
Life in China continues to be a blast!
Life in China continues to be a blast! My only frustration is the technology part of this experience. My lecture powerpoint was put on my Apple computer and they only have PC's at the school. I was told that they did have Mac's but they don't. Interesting the reason is because they are too expensive to purchase so I feel as though I brought a Mercedes to a place that only has Ford's. Lessons, lessons........I am dancing around the techno part!
I have started my lectures on Female Health and they are being well received. The girls have an incredible sweetness, innocence and curiosity about them that is so refreshing. I want to take them all home with me.
The program is so exceptional for the girls have a whole schedule of classes along with the Academy work and are still actively involved in being present for our lectures and creative labs. Interesting, we start each session with a meditation and centering, and they love participating in the experience. They do something really good here in encouraging the students to become entrepreneurs. There are several shops on campus that are called Box Stores.
Students can rent a small space like cubby-size to set up their merchandise in. One of the senior students in the program wants to be a business woman and has a set up of jewelry and perfume. She pays to rent the space and says she is making a small profit and covering her rental expenses. There must be atleast 20-30 boxes at the store all holding merchandise from jewelry to cosmetics to stuffed animals. There is alot to be said for the way the Chinese culture handles the respect for education.
On a personal note, the weather is staying really cold and damp so that layering is a must! I am enjoying the food, trying to get some exercise and taking my vitamins that are life-savers! Wish you all were here with me!
I have started my lectures on Female Health and they are being well received. The girls have an incredible sweetness, innocence and curiosity about them that is so refreshing. I want to take them all home with me.
The program is so exceptional for the girls have a whole schedule of classes along with the Academy work and are still actively involved in being present for our lectures and creative labs. Interesting, we start each session with a meditation and centering, and they love participating in the experience. They do something really good here in encouraging the students to become entrepreneurs. There are several shops on campus that are called Box Stores.
Students can rent a small space like cubby-size to set up their merchandise in. One of the senior students in the program wants to be a business woman and has a set up of jewelry and perfume. She pays to rent the space and says she is making a small profit and covering her rental expenses. There must be atleast 20-30 boxes at the store all holding merchandise from jewelry to cosmetics to stuffed animals. There is alot to be said for the way the Chinese culture handles the respect for education.
On a personal note, the weather is staying really cold and damp so that layering is a must! I am enjoying the food, trying to get some exercise and taking my vitamins that are life-savers! Wish you all were here with me!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Sipping Jasmine Tea on Day Two
Hello everyone on blog central. It's Tuesday morning and I am up bright and early sipping on a cup of Jasmine tea that is delicious. Yesterday classes officially started . Susan and I did a creative lab on characteristics of a leader. We asked the girls to think about one characteristic of a women in their life that influenced them in a positive way and had leadership qualities. What came up was persistence, optimism, bravery and kindness. They broke into groups and further elaborated on the meaning of these words and how it would influence them as leaders. The girls are wonderful and so eager to please. It was really interesting yesterday morning as I was sitting in front of the computer I heard a buzz of people outside my dorm window. When I looked outside there seemed to be hundreds of students all bunched together on their way to class. The numbers were overwhelming. Within minutes it all quieted down as everyone had settled into their classes.
Today another creative lab and lecture as we get to know the girls a little better. They all choose an american name and I'm not sure how they make that decision. There are names such as Apple,Clover,Anna, Carmen, Bonnie, Grace, etc. We are trying hard to learn their names and hopefully will get a better track on how to do this. The weather remains chilly and grey but it in no way dampens my spirit about being here. Still pinching myself when I wake up each morning not really believing that I am here.
Today another creative lab and lecture as we get to know the girls a little better. They all choose an american name and I'm not sure how they make that decision. There are names such as Apple,Clover,Anna, Carmen, Bonnie, Grace, etc. We are trying hard to learn their names and hopefully will get a better track on how to do this. The weather remains chilly and grey but it in no way dampens my spirit about being here. Still pinching myself when I wake up each morning not really believing that I am here.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Getting Settled...
My apologies for not making an entry sooner to my blog but most blogs are blocked in China so I found another way to make entries. To start my journey the trip to Shanghai was a bit long and because I was in the coach section of the plane and we were really packed in tightly. The stay in Shanghai was wonderful. It is a big city but the people are friendly and as helpful as they can be considering I didn’t speak the language except to say thank-you and hello. I am traveling with my dear sister/friend Susan who is teaching with me. She is not in the medical field but is a motivational speaker in leadership and we will be team teaching. I am doing the mind body and Susan is doing passion and purpose. To get back to Shanghai….
Susan many months ago hosted a woman from Shanghai who was in Phoenix with a women’s delegation. Her name is Madam Gu and she in turn hosted us in Shanghai during our stay. We were treated like royalty while there and taken to see parts of the city that were fabulous. We shopped and had an interpreter that spoke English so that bargaining was done for us. We ate in the best spots in town and loved the food there. One day we visited the Shanghai Women’s Federation which is an arm of the government that works with issues relating to women’s issues.
It was so interesting how the needs of women are universal. The only difference is the resources that are available to meet these needs. Yesterday we arrived in Zhongzhou where SIAS University is located. The campus is expansive and has amazing resources within its walls. The students are just returning from a winter break from their Chinese New Year holiday. They will be starting their second semester classes tomorrow so that there is a lot of activity at this moment. Today we meet the girls in the World Academy for orientation and it was heartwarming.
They are all working hard to develop their skills as women leaders and very enthusiastic about the program. We will start our lectures and activities tomorrow.
I am loving the life in the teacher’s dormitory. I have met some of the nicest people from the USA and we all share a common lust for new experiences.
Susan many months ago hosted a woman from Shanghai who was in Phoenix with a women’s delegation. Her name is Madam Gu and she in turn hosted us in Shanghai during our stay. We were treated like royalty while there and taken to see parts of the city that were fabulous. We shopped and had an interpreter that spoke English so that bargaining was done for us. We ate in the best spots in town and loved the food there. One day we visited the Shanghai Women’s Federation which is an arm of the government that works with issues relating to women’s issues.
It was so interesting how the needs of women are universal. The only difference is the resources that are available to meet these needs. Yesterday we arrived in Zhongzhou where SIAS University is located. The campus is expansive and has amazing resources within its walls. The students are just returning from a winter break from their Chinese New Year holiday. They will be starting their second semester classes tomorrow so that there is a lot of activity at this moment. Today we meet the girls in the World Academy for orientation and it was heartwarming.
They are all working hard to develop their skills as women leaders and very enthusiastic about the program. We will start our lectures and activities tomorrow.
I am loving the life in the teacher’s dormitory. I have met some of the nicest people from the USA and we all share a common lust for new experiences.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
I have written my draft for the introduction assembly that will be held when Susan and I arrive on campus and I wanted to share with you.........
As a Family Nurse Practitioner, I work with women daily, and one of my first questions to each woman
I see is, "What are you passionate about?" Typically, the question takes them by surprise. While they understand that they are seeking help for feeling vaguely-or specifically-"out of balance", they are typically unaware that their true search is for their innate female power, for the wisdom and energy to trust their instincts-and their bodies-and to move through the world with confidence.
Let me start by giving you some history of who I am.........Like many other women of my generation, I spent my early years in awe of my father and his wonderful capacity to think and act clearly and approach life in a rational way. My father was a particularly charismatic speaker and very involved in the business world. I looked at him as the ultimate example of how to live. My mother, a quiet woman, deferred to my father in his directives and his wishes and I recognized early on that her model was not one I wanted to emulate.
From observing my father, I believed that power and self-worth were the result of one's capacity to set goals and to move forward through life proactively. I only felt good about myself and life when I had accomplished every single thing on my "to do" list. (Talk about an exercise in futility)!!!!!! It certainly never entered my mind that the experience of simply being might have value in and of itself.
We have all been raised in cultures immersed in the patriarchal values of hierarchy, linearity, logic, quantification, judgement, measurement, intellectualism and criticism. The "female" qualities of nurture, cultivation, nourishment, conscious surrender, collaboration, sensuality, beauty and playfulness have, for tens of thousands of years, been relegated to diminished and degraded regard. Is it any wonder then, that I daily hear women complain of stiff backs, tight muscles and pain in their shoulders. These women have typically lost the ability to play and to be spontaneous, to laugh and enjoy life's ridiculousness.
Decades ago, after recognizing how I was allowing myself to be subjugated by the limits of my own
patriarchal beliefs, I began on a committed exploration of my unconscious limitations. I worked with therapists, did bodywork and attended experiential work-shops that allowed me to observe my traumas and pain without judgement, and thereby heal. Even though this work is, of course, ongoing, it has nevertheless permanently expanded what I call my "perceptual lens". As a result, I've grown ever more willing to trust myself and take risks.
In essence, what I begun to do was trust the feminine face of power-my instincts and my embracing
nature. The female aspect of power recognizes the bonds, the connections among all things-emotional and physical, cosmic and material, creative and enduring. It regards surrender to a higher power as an act of strength NOT something you do at the end of a war you engaged in.
I understand today that my long history of personal and professional work has prepared me for what I am doing at this moment as I stand before you. Being present at SIAS University and facilitating for the World Academy For the Future of Women is no accident. I understand that I am here as part of my own mission of self fulfillment as much as my desire to be of service to my sisters around the globe. I recognize that this is where I am supposed to be.
In nuring school I especially loved the experience of learning to guide women through childbirth. While I never went into obstetrics, per se, I feel that each day in my work I am acting as a midwife in helping women to give birth to what already lives within them-their innate power and wisdom. Often, women may not be ready to deliver themselves into their full being, and I then recognize that my place is to patiently wait as they go through their labor called LIFE.
I consider all of us here today to be midwives, assisting the planet to give birth to its new evolution based not on acquisition, domination and judgement, but on creativity, nurturance and shared passion. In this process lies the basic question asked by each of us, each and every day....HOW DO WE BEST ARE FOR OURSELVES while contributing to our families, our community and our world? Although I don't stand here today and have the answers, what might be more relevant at this time are the questions that we
need to ask and dialogue about. Some of these questions are.....
*What is our significance as women?
*How can we awaken to the fullness of our authentic power and become active, engaged agents of change?
*Where should we give our energy and attention in order to make the greatest contribution to humanity?
*How can we as women work together and support each other to shape the future of the world?
*How can we lead in ways that express our feminine values?
*How do we best care for ourselves while making a contribution to our families, our community and our world?
In our classes at the Academy, I will be addressing issues of our bodies that relate no only to our physical well being but to our psychological, social and creative well being. We will examine the BALANCE
necessary for healthy relationships and sexuality, for defining our roles in family and for allowing ourselves full expression of our spiritual being.
Health is the operative word in my world of nursing and in my personal life. My purpose here at this beautiful event, I believe, is to share with you an expanded notion of HEALTH, one that expresses our innate ability to lead each other toward insight and embrace a healthy balance in life.
As a Family Nurse Practitioner, I work with women daily, and one of my first questions to each woman
I see is, "What are you passionate about?" Typically, the question takes them by surprise. While they understand that they are seeking help for feeling vaguely-or specifically-"out of balance", they are typically unaware that their true search is for their innate female power, for the wisdom and energy to trust their instincts-and their bodies-and to move through the world with confidence.
Let me start by giving you some history of who I am.........Like many other women of my generation, I spent my early years in awe of my father and his wonderful capacity to think and act clearly and approach life in a rational way. My father was a particularly charismatic speaker and very involved in the business world. I looked at him as the ultimate example of how to live. My mother, a quiet woman, deferred to my father in his directives and his wishes and I recognized early on that her model was not one I wanted to emulate.
From observing my father, I believed that power and self-worth were the result of one's capacity to set goals and to move forward through life proactively. I only felt good about myself and life when I had accomplished every single thing on my "to do" list. (Talk about an exercise in futility)!!!!!! It certainly never entered my mind that the experience of simply being might have value in and of itself.
We have all been raised in cultures immersed in the patriarchal values of hierarchy, linearity, logic, quantification, judgement, measurement, intellectualism and criticism. The "female" qualities of nurture, cultivation, nourishment, conscious surrender, collaboration, sensuality, beauty and playfulness have, for tens of thousands of years, been relegated to diminished and degraded regard. Is it any wonder then, that I daily hear women complain of stiff backs, tight muscles and pain in their shoulders. These women have typically lost the ability to play and to be spontaneous, to laugh and enjoy life's ridiculousness.
Decades ago, after recognizing how I was allowing myself to be subjugated by the limits of my own
patriarchal beliefs, I began on a committed exploration of my unconscious limitations. I worked with therapists, did bodywork and attended experiential work-shops that allowed me to observe my traumas and pain without judgement, and thereby heal. Even though this work is, of course, ongoing, it has nevertheless permanently expanded what I call my "perceptual lens". As a result, I've grown ever more willing to trust myself and take risks.
In essence, what I begun to do was trust the feminine face of power-my instincts and my embracing
nature. The female aspect of power recognizes the bonds, the connections among all things-emotional and physical, cosmic and material, creative and enduring. It regards surrender to a higher power as an act of strength NOT something you do at the end of a war you engaged in.
I understand today that my long history of personal and professional work has prepared me for what I am doing at this moment as I stand before you. Being present at SIAS University and facilitating for the World Academy For the Future of Women is no accident. I understand that I am here as part of my own mission of self fulfillment as much as my desire to be of service to my sisters around the globe. I recognize that this is where I am supposed to be.
In nuring school I especially loved the experience of learning to guide women through childbirth. While I never went into obstetrics, per se, I feel that each day in my work I am acting as a midwife in helping women to give birth to what already lives within them-their innate power and wisdom. Often, women may not be ready to deliver themselves into their full being, and I then recognize that my place is to patiently wait as they go through their labor called LIFE.
I consider all of us here today to be midwives, assisting the planet to give birth to its new evolution based not on acquisition, domination and judgement, but on creativity, nurturance and shared passion. In this process lies the basic question asked by each of us, each and every day....HOW DO WE BEST ARE FOR OURSELVES while contributing to our families, our community and our world? Although I don't stand here today and have the answers, what might be more relevant at this time are the questions that we
need to ask and dialogue about. Some of these questions are.....
*What is our significance as women?
*How can we awaken to the fullness of our authentic power and become active, engaged agents of change?
*Where should we give our energy and attention in order to make the greatest contribution to humanity?
*How can we as women work together and support each other to shape the future of the world?
*How can we lead in ways that express our feminine values?
*How do we best care for ourselves while making a contribution to our families, our community and our world?
In our classes at the Academy, I will be addressing issues of our bodies that relate no only to our physical well being but to our psychological, social and creative well being. We will examine the BALANCE
necessary for healthy relationships and sexuality, for defining our roles in family and for allowing ourselves full expression of our spiritual being.
Health is the operative word in my world of nursing and in my personal life. My purpose here at this beautiful event, I believe, is to share with you an expanded notion of HEALTH, one that expresses our innate ability to lead each other toward insight and embrace a healthy balance in life.
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