Category Archives: Wellness

What if everyone at UBC took part in an Anti-Oppression Workshop?

Posted on January 17, 2012 by miriam| Leave a comment

What if milk chocolate had the nutritional benefits of broccoli? What if Harry Potter died as a child instead, and Voldemort took over the world*?  Posing such questions can be an amusing pastime, and as you may have guessed by now, purely imaginative.  Indeed, I think compulsory attendance at an anti-oppression workshop would prove disastrous.  But I think these workshops are worth thinking about, so I’ll share my experience and reflections.

What is it?

This weekend I participated an anti-oppression workshop as part of the Sexual Assault Support Centre’s volunteer training.  I’ve actually taken part in two similar ones before, but each one is different.  I’m writing here with an after-the-fact, reflective, and detached edge. In other words, a reflective-judgemental one, a viewpoint that I wouldn’t dare bring into the safe space we created in the workshop.

These workshops help us understand particular acts of domination through the broader perspective of oppressive power systems.  For instance, it helps us  locate particular acts of domination like sexist remarks demeaning the rational capacity of women or ableist architecture designed without adequate support to get around comfortably, under general institutional and societal frameworks of oppression.  Not only that, but we often look at the intersectionality of oppressive systems (i.e. where the oppressive systems meet at their joints); how being both white and poor can mean living through different experiences than being white but not poor, or poor but not white.

Of course, in such a short timespan, you can’t exactly go Foucault on the power relations at play, or critique it up Marx-style (that’s what my theoretical philosophy courses are for!)  before you dive right into and engage with the manifest realities of dominating power structures.  We often participate in components like “Flower Power”: an exercise where you locate yourself in relation to the dominant power structures in areas such as ethnicity, culture, social class, sex, sexuality, etc.  You get to know what invisible unearned powers you have (otherwise known as privileges), and what unearned penalties you have.  We sometimes participate in components like “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”: an exercise where you step forwards or backwards depending on how much privilege you have.  Some examples are:

0“ If you ever attended a private school or summer camp take one step forward.” (Source).
0“If you generally think of the police as people that you can call on for help in times of emergency take one step forward.” (Source).
0″If you were ever embarrassed or ashamed of your clothes, your house or your family car when growing up take one step backward.” (Source).
0“ [If you]…can swear, or dress in second hand clothes, or not answer letters, without having people attribute these choices to the bad morals, the poverty or the illiteracy of [your] race [take one step forward].” (Source).
0“ [If you] can take a job with an affirmative action employer without having [your] co-workers on the job suspect that [you] got it because of [your] race [take one step forward]. “(Source).

Experience and Reflections

I find that in all of my experiences, I go through similar strains of thoughts–which means I need to get them out of my system so I can stop thinking about them and start thinking fresh ideas!

First and foremost, I find it truly eye-opening (and you can imagine the first time I did this!) how other people suffer the little thing in ways I’ve never even had to think about.  For example,  never would I have thought that constantly shut down elevators could be more than just a mere  ”inconvenience” but an actual roadblock for people who cannot go up stairs.  (I remember visiting Paris this summer and lamenting over how there are so few elevators in antique buildings!)  If you’re not in that position where you have to think about it, you simply don’t.  And that lack of awareness actually reinforces the problems for those who do.

I know a lot of people feel really guilty going through this portion of the experience.  I think this is where my optimistic side kicks in, and I start thinking about ways in which I can help make my community more safe, more accessible, less oppressive.

Second, I notice the ways in which I have felt the effects of oppressive systems.  I feel somehow…relieved.  I know, at least, that it’s okay to be frustrated about the “little things,” and that I shouldn’t blame myself for picking them out previously.

I also think of how awesome the people in the room are, and how safe a space this feels, and “why can’t there be more community spaces where we can feel like this?”  Our classrooms would be less tense, our social spaces less hurtful, UBC actually awesome.

Then kick in my detached thoughts.

What does “oppression” mean, then?  It’s typically used to describe the dominating force of power on a group’s “negative liberties”/”freedom from external constraints”.  Is it fair to apply the term oppression to (some of those experiences) better explained in terms of “positive liberties”/”freedom from internal constraints”? The language of oppression (and of liberty, for that matter) directs our thoughts in certain directions, and if this is “oppression,” then there could be a great deal of implications…

And how do I explain the second thoughts I have after the feeling of being relieved, second thoughts like, “deal with it, it’s not that bad”?  Do they have to do with my own internalization of “oppression”? Or are they legitimate critiques of a (and I would never judge others like this, but as master of my own experiences and as a self-critical, maybe even self-blaming, judge)…self-affirming, excuse?

Silly things like that in silly sentences like that, which no one can follow.

As you can tell, I find that anti-oppression workshops are really effective and fascinating exercises and I would recommend anyone who has a genuine interest in caring to check it out.

*By the way, if any Harry Potter fans can explain to me what the whole deal was with “love” saving Harry as a little boy (and how the hell he got a horcrux inside him as opposed to death), I will owe you one.  I think I may have figured this out at one point but every time I come up with a theory again, I end up refuting it.
Edit Jan 24th, 2012: Nevermind, I found out the answer.  So not satisfying. 

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Posted in Involvement / Leadership, Wellness

Finding peace of mind in the branches, soil, and leaves

Posted on October 5, 2011 by miriam| 2 Comments

When I read Anne Frank’s diary last summer, I smiled sadly at this passage. It was written just months before she was found and sent to the concentration camps.

“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God… As long as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.”
-Anne Frank, February 23, 1944.

I find emotional solace encountering nature, the organic, the wild. UBC is bountiful in this respect; take a stroll in Nitobe garden, head down to Tower Beach, or visit UBC Farm. Unplug from the noise, from the routine, from the confines of society—go back to where you came from.

[This blogpost was written for the Blog to Thrive Challenge with Thrive UBC.  150 words max.]

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Posted in Spirituality, Wellness

Dear First Years (a letter you should read)

Posted on September 4, 2011 by miriam| 11 Comments

Dear First Years,

You’ve probably heard it a million times.

“Your university years are going to be the best time of your life!”

Let’s be clear now: I’m not exactly here to shatter that dream. It certainly has been the best time of my life so far.  I have met and even made friends with incredibly interesting, intelligent, and kind people.  I have enamoured myself with academic passions, and have found means to satiate my lust for learning.  I have loved and (I hope) been loved.  In a way, university makes me feel like a happy little atomic particle freely moving around in open space.

But.

But that doesn’t mean you should put unrealistic expectations on yourself or your experience.  Here at the Blog Squad, we tend to highlight the ups of university, not the downs.  Oh, we may mention the downs but rarely do we  truly explore them.  We’re sort of like the complete opposite of the journalism industry in that way.

There are downs.  Maybe you take long commutes and are having difficulty making any lasting friends.  Maybe you live in residence and you feel like you don’t belong there on Friday nights.  Maybe you have serious troubles paying rent and tuition at the same time and it affects everything else in your life.  Maybe you or a friend are assaulted at a party and the perpetrator gets away with it.  Maybe you develop an eating disorder, depression, or other illness. Maybe you try your best and your marks never go up and you feel like a failure.  Maybe your professor is not treating you with respect or using unfairly leveraging their power over you.  Maybe you’re stressed out thin and feel like it will never end.  Maybe you’re going through problems I can’t even think of.  Or maybe you pretend everything is going perfectly well—heck, maybe everything is, and yet you’re still feeling down.

It’s not like university is some weird phase in one’s life where –poof- all life’s sufferings disappear.  Don’t  trust the photos in the university brochures for the whole picture because they never photograph any of the above circumstances.

All I want to say—to first years, and anyone else who might be reading this, is that:

1) Expecting too much is unhealthy.  Be realistic about your goals and work towards them with your best effort.  Realize, truly (not just theoretically), that there are both ups and downs.

2)  That there are resources on campus (and off campus) provided by both peers and professionals that are here to help you help yourself.  And no, you don’t have to be going through really traumatic events in order to use these services. 

3) That you can still have great, fantastic times at university even if you experience circumstances like the ones given above.  Ups and downs, remember—not just ups but not just downs either. 

So take it easy, my dears.

Sincerely,
With love,
A third year student.

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Posted in Academics, AMS, Commuting, Residence Life, Spirituality, Wellness

Justice for Rumana Monzur

Posted on July 13, 2011 by miriam| 4 Comments

[Originally written for the World Bank Youthink! blog, visible here. I speak only for myself.]

The Silent Global Epidemic: Domestic Violence Against Women

A glance at the world’s news headlines will tell you all about today’s military wars, terrorist attacks, and territorial disputes. But there is an oft forgotten war occurring everywhere in the world and at all times; the war in our homes.

To paraphrase a worker at Vancouver’s Rape Relief & Women’s Shelter: no country in the world, developed or developing, is exempt from the otherwise ordinary men who beat their wives or lovers. I recently attended a discussion panel consisting of professors and women’s activists at my university addressing this very issue.

The panel was set up in response to a case of domestic violence against one of our international graduate students, Rumana Monzur. In a visit back to her home in Bangladesh, her husband brutally attacked her in front of her daughter; she was left hospitalized and hurt in many heartbreaking ways. Rumana Monzur, by publicly seeking justice, has garnered much international media attention for the unheard victims of domestic violence.

The panel was quick to dispel any myths that domestic violence is contained to developing countries like Bangladesh. In my own country of Canada, where we pride ourselves in gender equality, violence and sexual violence against women is prevalent and largely goes unreported.

The problem is of course exacerbated in many developing nations.

There is a common notion that lack of economic development causes domestic violence, as insinuated on one of the World Bank’s own webpages: “An increase in poverty, unemployment, stress, and frustration among men leads to a rise in marital disagreements and domestic violence.”

While this is likely true, the panel decided it was wrong to view economic development issues as causes of domestic violence. Domestic violence is a reflection of attitudes engrained in all cultural systems of the world that view women as lesser human beings. This is why rich men, and men in developed countries, still beat their wives and lovers. Therefore, developmental efforts to reduce domestic violence should not focus on alleviating men’s frustrations, but on empowering women.

Rumana Monzur came to Canada to advance her education, and her right to education was challenged by her husband through violence. The global epidemic of domestic violence will not end until societies proactively support women in their life endeavours.

Edit (Jul 13, 2011): Please see Lilliene’s point in her comment below as well!

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Posted in Politics, Wellness

The F word. “Feminism. A Second Thought” Conference.

Posted on March 4, 2011 by miriam| 2 Comments

If you have ever declared yourself a feminist in front of anyone, you know that it’s like dropping the F-bomb in front of a bunch of prudes.  Forget the stupidity of the internet and Youtube comments–the reactions coming from our closest friends, families, and well-educated acquaintances can sting.  They range from:

The extreme…
“So you’re a bra-burning, butch, psychopath who hates men?”
“So you believe in women taking over the world?”
“There’s a reason why women aren’t getting elected/hired/payed more!   It’s because they only know how to cook and clean.”
“MAKE ME A SAMMICH!”

The ignorant…
“Feminism doesn’t recognize the differences between men and women”
“Feminism has made the world worse for innocent men.”
“There are more important issues in the world to deal with.  Feminism only focuses on women.”
“Feminism forces women who don’t want to work to go to work.”

The naive…
“Feminism has done a lot of good things but we don’t need it anymore because we’re all equal now.”
“I know women were oppressed, but when will we stop paying for the past?  It’s not fair that women get hiring advantages for government jobs. “

And so forth.

Typically, these kinds of reactions incite different responses from different women.  I don’t mean to boil people down to these categories, but just for the sake of getting a point across, accept my caricatures:

The “fierce feminist” woman: The one who sticks to her feminist values and isn’t afraid to say it.  (Or at least doesn’t appear to be afraid.)
The “I’m not a feminist, but…” woman: The one who not only agrees but sticks up for feminist values under a hesitant title, afraid of being persecuted as an extremist.
The “Now’s my chance to be confirmed by men”  woman: The one who probably agrees with feminist values but decides to abandon them in the effort to be “funny” and accepted by sexists.  For example, the one on my Facebook feed who puts up a profile picture of herself in the kitchen (with a supposedly funny caption), and receives 50+ comments from some men within a couple of hours.

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

Last  night I went to the “Feminist. A Second Thought.” Conference at the Global Lounge, put on by a group of UBC students.  The purpose of this conference was “to shed light on the term feminist, and allow young people to redefine feminism to encapsulate their own experience with gender inequality, and not necessarily female domination”  (their website). I have been to a lot of student-led conferences and events my two years here, and I have to admit that it was the best one I have been to so far.

Two student speakers with some background in women’s/gender studies shared their experiences of being woman and feminist in today’s world.  We looked at how feminism has roots in anti-racism work, and how Canada’s policy of multiculturalism might actually be harmful to anti-racism work.  I’m personally a little wary of this kind of academic critique of multiculturalism policy.  This is partly  because it’s taken advantage of by racists, and partly because I like to focus on the positive effects the adoption multiculturalism has made.  But it was an interesting and heartfelt presentation nonetheless.  We then listened to a story about one student’s multiple identities, who reminded us all that there is always more than one story and always more than one kind of feminist.  I think this one really hit home for all of “on the edge” people who don’t fit into one category or another (be it culturally, ethnically, religiously, politically, economically  etc.)

The feature presentation was a panel of four UBC professors who generously shared their research and experience with us.  For example, one professor studied the impact on and role of youth during the earlier feminist movements…which is way more interesting than I make it sound.   We also got insight into multicultural critical theory, African literatures (with an ‘s’ for plurality!), and philosophy of education specifically in relation to homophobic institutions.  The question-answer period was perhaps the best part though.  Seriously.  I didn’t have time for dinner between a midterm and the conference, but there was so much food for thought, my stomach totally forgot it was hungry.

OK, I lied, there was also real food (and some mighty delicious vegan brownies from Sprouts.)

To top it all off, there were some amazing performances by UBC students.  I thoroughly enjoyed the slam poetry, the violin pieces, the santour performance (I play that instrument!), art displays, and belly dancing.  I was super impressed with the students behind this conference, and really hope to see these kinds of conferences attracting a wider (and not solely eager-beaver-feminist) audience in the future.

P.S. If anyone actually holds some of the views I was ridiculing above, drop me a line and I’ll happily explain why I disagree with them.

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Posted in Events, Wellness

Private Journals, Lecture Binging, and Egypt

Posted on February 19, 2011 by miriam| 3 Comments

Private Journals

There is something in the process of writing words down.  OK, so you’re sitting at the edge of the ocean and you’re thinking journal worthy things.  But writing them down, mind to hand to pen to paper, is different.  Narrow blue lines of ink, the physical manifestation of pure thoughts, stare back up at you.  With a private journal, your audience is not a living, breathing, interactive human being.  It is not a social experience.  It is a moment purely with the self.

End of rambly intro.

I keep a private journal for a million different reasons—sure, it lets me vent, it never judges, it helps set goals, etc. etc.  But if there’s one that I think everyone can benefit from it’s this:

Comprehensiveness.

One day you have a passing thought on the 99 bus.  The next, you enjoy a conversation with a friend.  The next, a comment in tutorial from a classmate triggers a thought.  At most, you will have these stored in your memory.   Unless you write them down, however, you will never get to pick which ones are important.  You will never get to organize them.  You will never get to connect them. (Well, never say never.  It’s just a lot easier with a private journal, I find.)

So what?

So you get to see the big picture.
Pieces of memory and thought add up; You connect them together into a web of wisdom.
You get to see yourself and the world around you a little clearer.

*       *      *       *      *       *       *

Lecture Binging

I had the intention of writing blog posts on all the free lectures I’ve been going to this year…unfortunately, they always seem to happen during my busiest weeks.  But just for a taste, I’ve binged on:

-Gwynn Dyer on the last decade’s politics (had to sneak back into my old High School’s assembly to see that one)
-Dr. Nancy Olivieri on the relationship between doctors/researchers and pharmaceutical companies (way to freak me out!)
-Gage Averill on his awesomeness (Dean of Arts, totally counts as a lecture!)
-Student Leadership Conference lecures
-Jaclyn Friedman on how sexual assault is rooted in the idea that sex is a commodity
-and more amazing lectures.

Now that I think about it, these lectures have, in large part, done a lot more to affect my thinking than most of the lectures I pay for at school.  I wish I could have been available for more.

*       *      *       *      *       *       *

Egypt.

A while ago, I was going to write about how paranoid everyone was about the Muslim Brotherhood, and how unfair it was to the Egyptian people to tell them not to protest for democracy because of the possibility of their election.

But then the press took a 180 degree turn, and now everyone’s fine with it.  Cool.

Congrats Egypt, you have a lot to teach us Canadians about democracy.

Learn about other recent uprisings through this interactive map.

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Posted in Events, Spirituality, Wellness

What’s your game plan, boys?

Posted on November 19, 2010 by miriam| 2 Comments

I have never been to a Thunderbird’s athletic game before, like most UBC students.
But now’s the chance!

Come on out to the Thunderbird’s basketball game this Thursday, Nov.25th @ 8pm (men’s game) and @ 6pm (women’s game).

The Canadian Cancer Society will be giving out swag and info about their men’s health campaign to prevent testicular, prostate, and colorectal cancer at the game.

Lots of complimentary tickets will be given out by yours truly.  Or you could pay $2 with valid student I.D at the door.

It’s going to be fun.  50% of cancers can be prevented.  Let’s celebrate!

Also, the men’s health campaign website is really creative!

http://cancergameplan.ca/

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Posted in Events, Recreation, Wellness

student health services: say what?

Posted on September 20, 2010 by miriam| 7 Comments

I’m on the phone with Student Health Services right now, listening to what I believe is Beethoven, for the second time today.

Last year, I didn’t even know a clinic existed on campus.  I kept my family doctor back home, so appointments were a hassle and frustrating.  This year is different: I have a fear that my health may interfere with classes (and therefore require a doctor who knows what’s up); I just turned 19 and haven’t had a general check up in a decade; and I am better at diagnosing myself than my last doctor/s.  So I sought out Student Health Services.
This is my pre-appointment experience:

(If you’re still wondering, I’m off the phone now.)

Website:
The website is really nice; I found it quite easy to navigate.  I did the Balance Assessment while procrastinating.  Turns out I need to balance my wellbeing in the areas of Work/Financial and Play.  Back on track, they have a variety of interesting toolkits/assessments on everything from suicide to Relationships 101.

MyHealth internet component:  Once you register at the clinic’s front desk, you have the option to set up appointments online, as well as receive lab reports and the like there.  I haven’t really used it yet because I couldn’t find the option I wanted, but it seems like a useful tool.

Clinic:  I believe you can make three different types of medical appointments: individual, group care, and psychiatric. (Counselling services are at a different location) The office is on the mainfloor of the UBC Hospital, on Wesbrook.   They also have reserve space through out the day for emergency appointments.

Phone:  The phone service is busier than you’d think it would be.  But they play classical music, and it’s not a 20 minute walk away from Vanier…

I finally got my question through, and it turns out they don’t do general checkups (temperature, blood pressure, weight, etc.)  Well, they do, but it’s 30 minutes long for $142 (and this is without any female exams.)  Not cool.  I can weigh myself, get my blood pressure checked at Safeway, and ask questions of myself for free.  This is not going to encourage me to seek real medical advice.  It seems so overvalued.  And it just goes to show that preventative medicine is not on the radar, only cures (A.K.A. drugs.)

[Edit: See my final comment below on this.  I maintain that the front desk described it as if there was no way around the fee, but I'm glad there (probably) is.]

Other facts:

Every student pays a $223.45 mandatory fee for medical and dentist costs this year.  You can apply for financial assistance here, though there is quite a bit of paperwork.
This post is not as informative as it could be, so research yourself!  I have so many readings to get to…sorry!

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Posted in Wellness

Why Boobquake is stupid

Posted on April 24, 2010 by miriam| 3 Comments

I’m a woman and an Iranian Canadian so this particularly peaked my interest.

What is Boobquake?

Help fight supernatural thinking and the oppression of women, just by showing your cleavage!
“Many women who do not dress modestly … lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which (consequently) increases earthquakes,” Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi was quoted as saying by Iranian media. Sedighi is Tehran’s acting Friday prayer leader.
I have a modest proposal.
[...]
On Monday, April 26th, I will wear the most cleavage-showing shirt I own. Yes, the one usually reserved for a night on the town. I encourage other female skeptics to join me and embrace the supposed supernatural power of their breasts.

Let me make it clear that I  do not support the regime politically or spiritually.  They are obviously dictatorships in both senses.

But I cannot support this event!

It sounds like a pathetic excuse for women to show off their breasts and bodies.  It sounds like an event that men will eagerly support because they can ogle freely and seem “feminist” while doing so.  It sounds like people who are misusing a human rights issue to benefit their own sexual fantasies.
In other words, it sounds like another one of those internet phenomena that will do NOTHING but satisfy the selfish and sexual desires of North Americans.

So what, you may ask?  It’s an awareness event, and it’s supposed to be fun and creative,  right?

Sure, but it’s not pro-woman at all.
I say let women use their BRAINS, not their BOOBS.
We are more than just objects to be ogled at.  We are more than just sexuality.
We have words, we have ideas.
Why emulate the women being sexually objectified in advertisements and pornography?
Why not emulate the Iranian human right’s activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Shirin Ebadi?
We are lucky enough to have the CHOICE to show off our womanhood the way we want to,  so why do we choose the one that objectifies us?

I say we don’t listen to fools like Sedighi.
I also say we don’t listen to people who think dressing down will help women.  Both ideas are contrary to real equality amongst men and women.

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Posted in Wellness

Chillin’

Posted on April 11, 2010 by miriam| 3 Comments

I took a stroll down to Tower Beach to relax today (trail is across the Chan Centre.)  It is really quite gorgeous and so open and free compared with all the people who congregate at Wreck Beach.  As I walked across, a strong smell of marijuana came under my nose from some guy behind a log.  And I really do have to wonder: why?  When I look at that beach, I can see atomic particles bouncing around in spacetime, every single one, jampacked into the crashing waves and blue sky, with an intense force infinitely more powerful than the gravity pulling down the heavy rocks of the beach to the core of the earth.  Isn’t this high enough?  I really want to know why you’re escaping into the recesses of your own mind, when the whole universe is a mind, and it’s so high by itself?

But anyway.  I pretty much finished my essay on a Saturday.  12/12 Arts One essays completed.  It feels good.

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Posted in Spirituality, Wellness