pussies unite!

the vagina monologues
were
AMAZING!

i cried when it was over. during the second show, after i had performed my monologue, i stayed back with carol and some other lovely ladies and watched the rest of the show sidestage. i think we were all having a hard time accepting that 1) we had actually been a part of such an incredible performance and 2) that it was soon to be over. so many talented women. so many new friends. so many memories...

aside from their talent, however, i feel honored to have known so many women who went into the monologues hoping to affect change. so much of what we do in college is self-indulging, and though this was an amazing theatrical performance, it also had a strong message. i like to think that i was a part of something bigger than myself - a campaign to end violence against women and even a chance for people to understand womanhood better.

some old professors and GSIs attended, in addition to some of my current students. friends and family were there, and even as i write today, a whole week after the show, i am still receiving personal emails from strangers about how much they enjoyed the performance. apparently, one of my old high school teachers was there: "i was shocked and amazed at how talented a cast you were... i laughed and cried and was left in awe. your performance, avani, was astonishly powerful and thought-provoking... you can guarantee i'll be there next year." i saved that email; i still get teary-eyed every time i read it.

my only disappointment was in realizing that many of my friends would and did not come. this was certainly important to me, but moreso, i think it was the kind of show that goes beyond performance - it creates awareness, something everyone could use a little more of. regardless of this fact, the vagina monologues was a production that i am happy to have been a part of; one that will and has immensely affected me. i think everyone that was involved in it should feel proud, accomplished, and gifted. in words of my father, "you are all going places." no one could ever be more right.

i love you, vaginas.