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.

music makes the people come together

there is something magical about being in the presence of individuals who can create beautiful music with their voices. i have to admit, nothing is more impressive than a truly remarkable voice... art and dance are both amazing forms of expression, but there is something unique in having the ability to experience sound - in knowing that you can close your eyes and sit still, yet feel as though you are moving. there is nothing i would rather do than be in the company of someone who could make me feel that way.

i often forget how talented my friends are, especially the greenies. we sing and sing and yet, i feel as though i rarely hear all of their voices - you join the group, you become part of the whole. that's the way teams and clubs and groups work. even with solos, i never feel satisfied in thinking i know any of their voices.

i was in bed not feeling my best last night when they came back from pizza house and congregated in my room. somehow, sometime into the night, the lights in my room went off, the sex lights went on, and the pack of regular kids in my room turned into the most talented people i've had the opportunity to know. one by one, each greenie took his/her turn singing a song of choice, and i can't even begin to explain how impressed i was, sitting there with the most talented group of people on campus hands down.

i can't believe i am a part of this family. i love my greenies.