The Open Journal. First Day: WHRI: One of the biggest birthday's gifts in my life

Alda Facio

One day after my birthday, I still receive fantastic gifts.  Today, I just meet a very beautiful group of extraordinary and potent women that have been working in women’s rights and feminism.

So therefore, I want to share a little bit about my experience today. 

First thing I have to say is I meet again Alda Facio, who is a very important woman that have been expending, as she said,  “about 40 years”, working in women’s rights issues.  She is a lawyer from Costa Rica, and is one of our mentors, here at the Women’s Human Right Education Institute at the Toronto University in Canada.   Alda was the one who told us to write a “journal” during all the course.  That is also why I wanted to start with her. 

Sometimes, especially when you are working in human right issues, you know some untouchable people.  You can not even approximate some women that are smaller and thiner that their big egos, but Alda Facio, even being a very important activist that has contributed historically to women’s rights, is a very warm person who you can approximate not only to talk about all her experience but her particular likes. 

Definitely I was very surprise after all our presentation among the group, when Alda, with a very short summary, just analyzed what we were talking about.

Some of her conclusions were, for example,  the price you have to pay when you are a human right’s defender, compared with the increase danger when you also talk from the feminist perspective;  She also talked about how big can affect women’s rights in armed conflict contexts, without meaning that exclusion, discrimination, and violence against women are not the common issue everywhere; and how important is to take care about us as activist, and she talked also about selfcare “word she does not like in English”, but is “autocuidado” in Spanish. 

At the end of all her intervention, She, Alda, and also Angela said that we have to write a journal, and that is why I am doing this right now.

I think is a big challenge also for me to write this in English, but I am very exited about sharing this experience not only with the marvelous group we are attending the Women’s Human Rights Education Institute, but for some of you, that can probably get some motivation for participating next years, and especially,  for keep fighting. 

So after this, I must write, day by day, about our feelings and experiences regarding the program, then, I decided to have a “secret journal” and also an “open journal”.  The “secret” one, off course will be only mine, but here in my blog, I want but also hope, to share during the next 45 days, some of my learning, thoughts and positions, regarding the issues we will study and discuss.

Unfortunately “my English is not very good looking”  but also I will try to improve myself in this language by practicing this interesting exercise.

Personal Lifes

We did an exchange among more than 20 participants, just to learn more about each of us.  So here are the first three short’s talks I shared with three exceptional women.

Natalie Marini Nyamungu

From Congo DRC

Natali Marini Nyamungu

Congo was divides in two countries during the colonialism.  They had face an internal war.  1997 was the official date of stopping war  and the country was divided in three groups:  one, the capital city; one in the North and one in the East.  Each one had their own administration and interests and people must to move within the inside country with a special passport. 

The situation of women there after during and even after the war still being the first topic in terms of human right’s violations.  Women are the most affected population.

Before to come to the WHRI she was booking her accommodation without getting the visa knowing the risk of losing the money she paid for the application of it.  Finally she got it on time and is extremely happy been here. 

Natalie works at the United Nations keep Peace Mission for Stabilization of Congo.

Abha Shrestha

Abha Shrestha

Was born in Katmandu, Nepal, but actually she came to Canada in 2004 for studying Gerontology at the Humber College.  Her worries are all focus in the way of analyzing aging from the perspective of gender, topic she wants to implement once she will be back to Nepal, where the situation of senior people, especially regarding women is absolutely inconceivable.

Chocolate cake, plastic rings and Canadian elections

The birthday's cake.  Notice the
colorful flowers... Those are the rings

At the main time when all women in the room where talking about the elections that happened yesterday in Canada, a big chocolate cake with only sixteen candles, was bring for “Angelita” (who I will probably to talk about in coming days), for singing the happy birthday and celebrate my more than three thousand rains.

Why more than three thousand rains?  Well, for Wayuu people we don’t count time with watches, well, not exactelly now, because I think almost any Wayuu have in modern times watches for messuring the time with clockwise and numbers, but in wayuunaiki, which is the traditional language of Wayuu people, we don’t have the word for messuring the time with this magic machines. In wayuunaiki, we don’t ask, for example, “how old are you”, but, “jerra Juya pia” that means “how many rains you have lived”. 

And, I still wearing my pink plastic ring that was part of the decoration of the cake.


About the Canadian elections, well, all people is waiting for the results, full of hoping that conservative parties will not get the majority of the votes.  But I will definitely learn more about the canadian ways of politic, just for understanding better.

My firs TCard

After having lunch with Mexican burritos or “little dunkies” as Alda Facio said, we went for a short tour around the campus of the Toronto University. 

My TCar.
What a hapiness

First stop the was at the Women’s Educational Resources Collection (WERC), an amazing places with bookshelves full of  women’s information from all around the world, I just think I have to sent my book to this place.

Then we were trying to recognize the place around where we are.  We  walked around amazing combination of antique, classic and modern architecture. 

We went finally to the Robarts Library to get the TCard which makes you an official student of the Toronto University.

Some of us discovering the Campus

So many other things to share, so many emotions and feelings, but probably, just for today, I will make a full stop here, but tomorrow I will continue with more experiences regarding this unique experience at the WHRI.

My best wishes for all the fantastic and powerful women that are with me, sharing this opportunity and also inspiring me. 

Toronto Canada, 2nd of May 2011