Don't be Scared to Fly Alone

I went to Hasnaa's house yesterday. She's been irritated with me for coming over so little. I try to explain, "sometimes I think about America and just want to stay in MY house." But most people don't really buy my excuses for, um, not wanting to spend time with them. But I AM really busy these days...

Hasnaa is oppressed. She used to come to the dar chebab all the time until her uncles told her she had to stop because people would talk about her. I asked her, well, what power do they have over you? Do they give you money? Is this their house? She said, no...just, mom says because they say.

She's really good at yoga. She did two sessions of it at a Peace Corps camp a couple years ago, and has a couple of DVD's that she's mastered. I told her I want her to teach it to other girls. She says, but my uncles say people should have to pay me if I do that, there's no notion of "volunteering". I said, what if you said it was a group of friends? She says, they say, no friends! Also, the girls, if they're going to like yoga, they have to know YOU, Annie, and Emme. The problem here is the people, they're so close-minded.

I gave her a speech that I more or less stole from Aziz. Firstly, I said, I don't accept that you're the only girl in our town who would be crazy about yoga, I just think the other girls haven't been shown it yet. And you're far better than I am at it. Secondly, look at history. Throughout all of history, there have been close-minded people and communities. But, there are always individuals who go against those communities, and that's necessary. What power do they have over you? They aren't going to throw rocks at you. Their words shouldn't have an effect on your life.

...then I taught her the phrase, "easier said than done." I'm gonna burn her a CD with this song, which I listen to while I run.

On another note. I had a meeting with a Community Member I Trust yesterday. He was drunk. Sigh. Nonetheless, we discussed a lot of local politics and I think it was productive. Also, Hasnaa later assured me that you can drink during the day and still be good at your job, and well-respected. Okay then! My life is weird.