The GoGirls

It has been a long time

thegogirls — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:23:40 +0000

Well I am back to blogging. (it sorta kinda has turned into a personal diary). Anyways I am back in school and it is going ok. I am taking this class the sociology of family and it is pretty good. So far it seems like the obvious stuff (stereotypical stuff) but I took this class for a way for not just me but my classmates and maybe teacher to challenge the traditional more nuclear ways of finding a mate and creating a family. Because alot more people find the more modern ways more favourble. I would say I am alot more traditional with my views on the family and sometimes people may find that narrow minded or oldschool. But families are a very personal institute of society and i want to stay traditional I feel it is more stable (personally). The class will be interesting hopefully there will be alot of back and forth dialogue.

Hawa! Don’t think i forgot you. How is Uganda? The place, the food, the people espeacially the youth. I wanna know. keep me posted.
I am also challenging the rest of the gogirls to start their blogging by next year. I am giving you women alot of time so better get to it.

Posted by Sabs

The art of being unseen

thegogirls — Wed, 14 May 2008 18:55:55 +0000

On my quest of finding a space for myself and my sister to reside I hit upon an interesting predicament. The “white voice” I’ve perfected over the telephone only seems to go so far before the color of my skin and gender begins to raise some pertinent questions to the owner of the house interested in leasing or renting the bottom half of their suites. And therein lies the problem. The search for a place is much more difficult because the glass ceiling that says I should still be living in Surrey exists. Its an unfriendly existence. I throw jagged rocks at it and persist in trying to decimate it with my ineffectual fists. The results are lengthy exaggerated attempts to belittle me and question me about my job, my volunteering and my life. I can guarantee rent every month, so why is there a problem? There seems to be little cooperation in that regard and all those preppy Yale towners who are “settling” for Main irritate my soul. They look as if they can afford it, but then again so do I. But the subtle stereotyping of the color of my skin belies any actual information. Because I exist as a black female (despite my professional sounding job title and persistent community involvement, which on a side note is as disgraceful as I am, noting the racialized and aboriginal girls it caters to) Might I add that the preppy yale towners who I should notably refer to as the white girls, think they are in the minority despite the fact that they overwhelming reside in the places where if wishes were reality I would be living. Not because of any preconceived notion that is the glass ceiling I should be reaching but because of its damned convenience to the places I work! So. Despite higher than average working environments, workaholic behavior patterns a sweet demeanour and friendliness towards neighbours, I am not a suitable candidate for a place that looks to be above my financial constrictions.

Life is a beautiful wondrous, extremely frusturating thing.

On a lighter note, a weekend away from the city. How great!

Posted by Hawa

Old man is snoring

thegogirls — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:57:48 +0000

The weather is driving me crazy. I am so sick i bearly slept last night and i’m really really tired. When is the SUN coming out?

Well i dont really have anything else to rant about.

O new episodes of Gossip Girls is coming back. Hawa I don’t know if you are going to watch it but i surely will be deconstructing every scene. It will be filled with stereotypes and gender distinctions and stratification. Get your Bitch Cap on. LOL

Love Ya All

XOXO

Posted by Sabs

My Space

thegogirls — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 12:58:40 +0000

I really need someone right now. I just went through the most embarrassing moment of my life. It’s not the usual stupid funny embarrassing i mean i am scared for life embarrassing. We were having a debate in my sociology class and my group nominated me to speak. And i told them so many times that i don’t want to do it and they made me because no one else was volunteering. So i went up right wen i got up there my stomach was turning, i felt like barfing, i was sweating like it’s 40 degrees out, i was shaking and i could not think straight. I was so scared and so nervous. I said one line and i just stared at the class. I couldn’t do it i just couldn’t. I just went back to my seat and another girl from my group went up. I feel so stupid. I let my group down and most importantly myself. I couldn’t bare staying till the end of class. I felt like I was no in a safe place. And now I finally came to the conclusion of why i didn’t like the atmosphere of that class. IT WAS NOT A SAFE SPACE. I never felt fully confident in that class. My weakness of the English language got in the way. Everyone in class uses such strong, intellectual language i felt inferior. I always felt little because i couldn’t get my points/views across because of language. Today i truly felt racialized. Today i truly felt dumb. Today i truly felt ashamed. Today I truly realize how important a safe space is.

I just really need the GGs right now.

Posted by Sabs

In Brands We Trust

thegogirls — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 05:01:49 +0000

In my sociology class of pop culture we have been talking about ideologies being imposed on consumers through various systems (commercials, print ads, books, movies…) . It is like where ever we go we are being manipulated into believing or even not believing into something. And it is so bizarre that we put so much meaning into something as simple as an ambiguous symbol. Or is it that the producers are implanting the meaning in us? This whole concept is so confusing. So what really are brands? Is it a simple product, a symbol, or a solution to our problems, the little push we need to raise our confidence, the dreams we want to reach. Are they a symbol or a manipulative message? Is there a way of escaping any form of branding? Because if we do try to escape branding we are still being affected and influenced by it.

Posted by Sabs

So shocked I can’t speak

thegogirls — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:02:30 +0000

Hey Hawa

Something like that did happen to me. Well I was on my break at work and this older woman was telling this younger guy that she is going to go to an islamic wedding. The older woman says that it’ll be interesting because she has never been to one. The younger guy replys by saying they don’t drink alcohal so what kind of a wedding is that going to be. And he said it in a way like he was superior or something. And I just sat there. I didn’t know if i should reply or not. And then later on in my head im like i should have said this or that but obviously the moment had passed. But you would think that anyone would just stand up but then when the moment comes you’re just so stunned that people would say such racial comments and blank.

And i think you should post some of your poem on the blog i would love to read them

Posted by Sabs

Hey Sabs!!

thegogirls — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:03:30 +0000

Heyy Sabs I’m riggght here!

I haven’t had anything to talk about for a while and laziness over the weekend probably contributed to that a little. I’m stoked. I feel like my life has gone up and down in the last couple of weeks and finally finally I’m some kind of a path. (More details Saturday). I’ve been in this period of transition and thinking about relationships as well, healthy ones and not so healthy ones, ending some then regretting it, and cultivating others. See what I mean about being everywhere?

I’ve been writing more, just poetry, finishing chapters of my book so at least I’m getting something from all this confusion.

So why am I here? Well… here’s the thing… Someone said something at work the other day that made me upset and I completely clammed up, I couldn’t respond and if that situation had been anywhere else I would have.

We were talking about that recent debactle down in Abbotsford and how that teenage boy got run down (on purpose) by another driver. And she said something along the lines of “Well if ‘they’ can’t behave in our country we should just kick them out, and send our guys to prison.”

Yeah… I stopped talking to her for the rest of the day just because I didn’t know how to deal with it, and I just saw it as an elephant in the room. I’m sure she had no idea (or maybe she did…) why I was suddenly so cold.

My question: what would you have said or done, or how would you have reacted? I guess I just want to hear what you think. Was it even that offensive?

OH and sabs!

I forgot to write after I read your entry about the courier! I read it so many times, it was touching and it made me really appreciate (really appreciate not just saying that) my role within GoGirls and all of you. I don’t know what life would have been like without GoGirls. And Breakfast TV was great! I’ll share more with everyone on Saturday… can’t wait!

Posted by Hawa

???

thegogirls — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:04:16 +0000

Where is everyone?!? I am guessing lost in the demanding world of school and work. I suggest for all y’all to relax, take a chill pill. Well, I went skiing for the very first time on Friday. I came home with really bad bruises. Besides all the blue it was sooooo much fun. I think it is something we all shoud do together. It really tests your patience. Well I better get back to my demanding world. Hope to hear from someone soon.

Posted by Sabs

Importance

thegogirls — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:05:59 +0000

well, all of you know that i gave an interview for the Courier newspaper. I sounded like a child but besides that it allowed me to really sink in the many amazing things I have done with the GoGirls: the photo exhibit, the awesome research on Intersectionality and having such a big role as co-researchers, having our own session at the Urban Youth Forum and recently the Feminist Happy Hour. So that rakes in so many achievements that in some way has contirbuted to the community. There is absolutely nothing I could be more proud of. I have a diary and in it I have wrote all the things i want to do atleast once in my life and in comparison to what i have actually done all those things seem so stupid (you guys don’t want to know). I never imagined any of the things that I have done and don’t think I can imagine the things still left to do. Andrea always told us that we are “a big deal” that we are known and want to be known. I guess we don’t realize the affect we have. In a way I think we take GoGirls for granted and don’t realize what it has done for every single one of us.
So when the interviewer asked me where I would be if I didn’t have the GGs. I seriously didn’t know how to answer that. I wouldn’t be the open minded person I am today, I wouldn’t be the critical thinker I am today, I wouldn’t be the self-fulfilled person I am today. Simply, I wouldn’t be me. I would be lost. So when the reporter asked me that, I was speechless. It’s like asking a mother what she would do if she didn’t have her children. There is no way of answering.

I LOVE being a GoGirl and I will ALWAYS be a GoGirl!

Another thing I would like to add to my list of achievments is to be an Andrea to another girl like Sabiha.

Besides all that, Hawa I don’t think making peace with people before you leave for your journey is selling yourself out. I think it is actually a good idea. It just means that you want to come to even grounds with people you other wise are not. That doesn’t mean you have to change your position of where you stand or take back what you have said. It just simply means to make peace. I think that making peace with people, situations and even yourself is a movment to self satisfaction. To be happy with who and what you are.

now, now don’t shower me with praise i know I am wise. LOL!

Posted by Sabs

O YAH

thegogirls — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 05:06:49 +0000

O YAH!!! “[SAB] IS BACK. BACK AGAIN. [SAB] IS BACK TELL A FRIEND.” IN THE WISE AND SIMPLE WORDS OF SLIM SHADY. LOL. I DON’T EVEN LIKE HIM. But anyways nothing is really on my mind, so now that im bak it won’t be too long before i blog again.

Posted by Sabs