Vlog #1
notes:
What to do better?
Today I gave our latest presentation in class. The prompt was "So where is Waldo, really?" It was a really vague prompt so coming up with an idea to talk about for a solid 3-4 minutes was difficult. So I talked about how I was not a huge fan of the Where's Waldo books when I was a kid. I could never really find Waldo and I would always get super frustrated, especially when everyone else could find him with ease. I connected my distain towards Waldo to instant gratification that our generation has grown up with and has ingrained in our minds. It was kind of a stretch but it was good practice getting up in front of an audience and having to practice talking about something for 4 minutes when you don't know what else to say.
As I am working towards my tangible, I have to register to be a Days for Girls team. However, I have realized that I need to begin fundraising! There is a $25 registration fee to cover insurance for any event that I would hold. Then I would have to start asking for donation of washcloths, girls underwear, hotel-sized bars of soaps, and Ziploc bags to put in the kits. I would also have to get monetary donations in order to purchase fabrics for the kits. It is kind of overwhelming! Ms. D'Alise recommended for me to talk to Mr. Chinosi about fundraising! I think that this is my next task.
Capstone is supposedly a somewhat "high profile" program in our community. Luckily, that means that we get a lot of great opportunities to talk about CAPS, Global, and our projects with adults. Last week, during an H-block, me and a few others from the cohort talked to a couple who were supporters of the program, explaining to them how CAPS and Global work as well as each of our topics. It was a good experience talking about my research in front of adults as that is what I will have to do during the review of lit. panels. Then today, I was able to be on a panel to speak to principals from around Massachusetts. This was an even greater experience. It was more formal and although I was not speaking up there alone, I became more comfortable talking. I was able to talk about my experience in Global and my journey to where I am now. I feel like this was good practice for even the Ted Talk style presentation I will be giving in May. It made me think about the why I am doing what I am doing and really reflect on my experience as a Global Caps scholar. I hope to continue taking advantage of all these opportunities!
Longtime no blog! After getting back from winter break, I have finished my review of literature and started working on my primary research. So far with my primary, I have begun to compile a list of potential contacts. I have also just sent two emails: one to the Public Health Museum in Tewksbury, asking if they have any potential contacts who know about menstruation in India as well. The second email I sent was to Days for Girls, the organization I am considering fundraising/doing a sew-a-thon with for my tangible project. I need to see how feasible it would be to set up a sew-a-thon in around 2 to 3 months. Hopefully I will get a response soon with some useful information! I will update here once I do!.
As we head into primary research, I am very excited! It's finally time to start conducting my own research and connect with people who are experts in the field. I am currently compiling a running list of people that I will reach out to:
Overall, the CAPs writing workshop day was very helpful! Prior to today, I was quite concerned about how I would begin writing my review of literature. It seemed really like a really daunting task. After debriefing and asking Ms. D'Alise a lot of questions, I feel like I am on the right track and somewhat know what I am doing. I am really glad that we are going to peer edit after break. The peer editing today of our Part I for the research paper was super helpful in polishing it up. Also, I really like the freedom we were given today, with spreading out and writing on our own and then also having periods of free time to relax and clear our minds.
In terms of the review of lit., I have decided to break it up into each of my major topics. I have 7 of those (I know!): Origins of the Taboo, Empowerment and the Gender Gap, Organizations/Movements, Effects of physical health, Effects on education, Perceptions, and Access to sanitary products. Breaking up the review into these sections really makes the whole process more manageable. The review of lit is a lot more formulaic than I originally thought which I like! The introduction is a little difficult to get right, but it'll get there. Hopefully everything goes smoothly over break!
Long time, no blog! It has been a crazy few weeks of school, work, and extracurriculars! Plus Christmas is in less than a week! December has really flown by. Best of all, I have finally heard back from some of my colleges! So here are my acceptances so far:
Tomorrow is our field trip to the CYC to start writing out review of lit. I cannot wait until break! Along with working on my review of literature, I am finishing up my final supplements over break. I can't wait until the new year!
A few days ago, Ms. D'Alise and I were talking about my tangible/primary research and where I could go with it. One idea she had was finding out the appropriate language/common language used when referring to menstruation during regular life. I thought this was super interesting! I could reach out to the health teachers, interview them, as well as survey the health classes or all females in the school, polling what everyone calls menstruation. I could look at menstruation and the taboo more on a local scale, such as investigating why we still have this stigma in the U.S. and why things such as the pink tax exist. And then I could continue with my global outlook. I think this is something that I am definitely going to consider doing as we move into primary research!
I have FINALLY completed 50 annotations! It feels so good to be done with most of my secondary research. After physically laying out all 50 annotations and separating them into topics, I have realized the biggest gap in my research: effects on education. This topic is critical to answering my essential question. I do need to research at least 3 more sources to fill this gap, however I am glad we caught this deficit now instead of after writing my review of lit!
Last weekend, I went to a family friends birthday party. All of a sudden, his mom pulled out these beautifully made, sustainable menstruation kits. I was shocked! What was she doing with these? These are amazing! It turns out that she is going to Haiti for a week in January with the Agape Global Health organization and Days for Girls.
The kits were made by the organization Days for Girls. They make menstrual kits that last up to 3 years. The kits consist of 2 waterproof shields, 8 absorbent liners, 2 pairs of panties, a bar of soap, and two Ziploc bags for washing and storing. The kits are made with vibrant and colorful designs, purposefully used to a) camouflage any stains from menstruation and b) be cute enough for girls to be confident enough taking it around. Days for Girls kits are often assembled by teams and chapters. After talking with this family friend, I thought that it might be interesting to see if I could somehow create one of these teams and start a campaign here in Andover to help make these menstrual kits. While I cannot sew, I am confident that others in the community would be willing to step up and support.
Wow, I can't believe it is already November 27th. This month has gone by so incredibly fast. I've realized that there is a whole lot that I need to get done this week. I thought that I'd set this blog up as a to do list to keep myself on task and organize all the thoughts swirling around my mind at the moment! Here it goes:
1. finish and submit UCAS essay (DONE)
2. finish and submit UofR application (DONE)
3. 10 more annotations (DONE)
4. study for Calculus test on Thursday (DONE)
5. start working on last 2 supplements
6. finish Latin project for Friday (DONE)
7. talk to the student from Edinburgh (DONE)
I'm sure I am missing something, but I will keep updating this list!
As of right now, my tangible could go in a number of different directions. I am considering creating a handbook to help women and young girls in India navigate their menstruation, whether it is through ways to attain sanitary napkins, to avoid infections, or to understand the why women get periods. As women are very unaware of menstruation before menarche or don't know how to teach their daughters about menstruation, I think a handbook could be useful in this situation. I am also considering writing a children's book that is both age appropriate and culturally sensitive to help young girls in particular, about their periods and where to find help.
Another path that I have been considering is fundraising for a foundation such as the Myna Mahila Foundation in order to support the empowerment of women in these urban slums. I may design a t-shirt or some sort of merchandise to sell.
All in all, it is somewhat up in the air, but I think as I continue to research, I will find the path and specific problem that I want to try and fix with my tangible.
As a young Indian girl, I always noticed a slight twinge in my grandmothers face whenever I mentioned periods. It was startling to me. Living here in the US, my family is very open with both mental and physical health. When I first got my period, my mom sat me down and talked about it as it was prior to educational "talk" we have in the 5th grade. I was never hindered by my period. I was never taught to feel ashamed about it. However, whenever we went to England, I was told to keep things like that very hush hush. I did not understand why until I noticed that my grandmother doesn’t allow any female members of the family to participate in poojas, our religious ceremonies, or go to weddings. To her, periods are “dirty.” It’s what she was raised to believe growing up in India. I thought this was crazy and didn't understand why she was taught to think like this. I was confused, but most of all angry. As I have grown up, I have noticed the patriarchal views and customs that are in Indian culture. I later started to wonder, if there are restrictions here with my grandma in the UK who has lived in a western country for over 40 years, what it is like for girls in actually in India.
Then in May 2018, I came across the Myna Mahila Foundation, which works to empower and employ women in urban slums of India. After a lot of research about the foundation and menstrual taboos, everything sort of clicked: my interest in public health, my connection to menstrual taboos in India, and my interest in resolving the stigma.
Listening to my cohort's presentations on their topics is so interesting. I knew everyone is passionate about something but seeing them in action was great. There is such a different level of enthusiasm from our other IRT's to these ones! One that stuck with me was about Number Sense. The presenter talked about a different way to learn how to do math. Instead of multiplying 245x345 on paper, number sense involves breaking it all down into different part. I was amazed at how fast this presenter could do this problem. It makes sense, having learned math in Andover, most peopled dread it. It is often difficult to understand, but if you have number sense it is much easier. Another presentation that I found really interesting was about
Today was the first time that I presented my topic to a group of people! I presented at the Global Engagement meeting this afternoon, in front of both other students in the cohort as well as the panel of Global advisors. Initially, I was really nervous about talking about menstruation in front of a bunch of people and I was thrown off when I realized so many adults were there. However, once I presented, I felt pretty confident in talking about menstruation. I noticed that I started to ramble once I got started talking about the research I have done as there was so much information in my head. I enjoyed presenting about something that I am truly passionate about and interested in.
Although we didn't get to hear feedback right after my presentation, I am excited to receive feedback from Ms. D'Alise and get the evaluation sheets from the panel next CAPS class.
While continuing research, there are several terms that I have come across that I have needed to define. I've realized that I need to refine own vocabulary when talking about my topic. It seems simple and kind of futile, but I think it is pretty vital. Words such as menarche and dysmenorrhea have come up over and over again. I may make a terms list at the bottom of my annotations to make all terms clear. I definitely need to become more mindful about everything regarding my topic.
As a young Indian girl, I always noticed a slight twinge in my grandmothers face whenever I mentioned periods. It was startling to me. Living here in the US, my family is very open, but whenever we go to England, it is always very hush hush. My grandmother doesn’t allow any female members of the family to participate in poojas, our religious ceremonies, or go to weddings. To her, periods are “dirty.” It’s what she was raised to believe growing up in India. I thought this was crazy and didn't understand why she was taught to think like this. I started to wonder, if there are restrictions here with my grandma in the UK, what it is like for girls in actually in India.
Then last May, I came across the Myna Mahila Foundation, a foundation created to empower and employ women in urban slums of India, as it was one of the seven charities supported by donations to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding. At the time, I was thinking about potential topics for my CAPStone and global research project. Everything kind of connected: my interest in public health and my connection to menstrual taboos.
My research has allowed me to uncover so many different viewpoints and new understandings of this menstrual taboos. Something I have questioned is why has the taboos against menstruation has persisted while many women's rights issues have been brought up and won. I have started to look into religious texts such as the Vedas, which is claimed to be a source of these taboos. Another major things that I have looked into is menstruation and temples. Most temples in India explicitly tell women to not enter if they are menstruating. It is ironic how even temples which praise reproduction and fertility, bar women from entering when menstruating. These menstrual taboos have dangerous effects on women health wise. So few women use sanitary napkins because they are inaccessible. First with a huge price tag, which many cannot simply afford. If they can afford them, pads are only sold at medical supply stores, run by men. According to a Ted Talk I watched, asking for them is like buying weed.It is shameful for both the customer and the seller. They wrap the pads in layers and layers of newspaper. So what do they use instead? They use any absorbent material they can find. Hay, ash, and most commonly dirty cloth. Women are at such a high risk to get infections. Girls are often absent from school for the duration of their period for fear of leaking and because of a lack of facilities like toilets and water at their schools. Often, they end up dropping out of school. Sometimes, girls are not allowed to eat from the same plates, sleep in the same bed, or drink from the same water that men do, when they are menstruating.
So, where do I see this going? My tangible is still in the works. I am considering writing a children's book of sort, which is both culturally sensitive and yet informative. I am also considering ways to fundraise for one of the many women empowerment groups that I have come across in my research. My ultimate end goal is to end up going to India, which I have never to be before, and see how my project can impact even a few young girls.
Personally, I love watching Ted Talks in my free time. They are on some of the most interesting and sometimes most random topics. From seemingly odd subjects such as "This is what happens when you respond to spam email" to more academically based talks like "Why do we sleep?" and to poetry from authors like Rupi Kaur in her talk titled "I'm Taking My Body Back." It's amazing her hear peoples personal experiences or research presented in such a way. As we have gotten more into Capstone and our IRT presentations, I have really noticed how the presenters have such amazing presentation skills- everything just flows. My favorite Ted Talk so far has been "I grew up in a cult. It was heaven -- and hell." This talk was amazing. It was so interesting hearing abut a sort of taboo topic and hear about life in a cult from someone who has experienced both inside a cult and outside.
It's so crazy to think that in May, I will be giving my own Ted Talk style presentation!
I just submitted by applications for Clark and Northeastern! I am so glad that I have two done. It is such a relief. I have been so busy with college apps and just thinking about college that I realized that I've got kind of behind in some of my classes. My goals for this weekend are to catch up on my AP Physics homework, finish my 35 annotations for Capstone, and study for my AP Environmental test. I also have to submit my UMass Amherst application on Saturday. It's going to be a busy one!
Wow, college applications are in full force! I honestly don't really know what I am doing. My EA applications are almost done, thank goodness, I just have to write one more short supplement and finish editing my common app essay. I was hoping to send in my applications this weekend, but I don't think I am there yet. It's crazy how it's already time for me to be applying to university! Since I am apply to schools in the UK as well, I have to write a whole other essay about the course that I want to do, which will be kind of hard, considering our education in the US is not really focused on a few things but instead is really broad. My top in the UK is the University of Edinburgh, which I am really excited about. Still, I am kind of apprehensive about studying in the UK since it will be such a change of pace and scene from here.
Over the past couple of weeks, I have watched and critiqued my peers IRT presentations. I feel like I have learnt a lot from actively watching and reflecting on my own presentation skills. While watching one presentation, I liked how one of the presenters really commanded the space and used it to her advantage. A few presentations did really well in asking the audience questions and letting us answer out loud. I thought this worked to their advantage, adding to their presentation. I think I will try to use that tactic in my next presentation. I also noticed how much positioning and spacing of presenters matter and how much it can affect the presentation as a whole. When there was awkward spacing, it ended up being distracting and I often couldn't see the slides. Both presenting and watching have been invaluable and have helped me improve on my own skills.
This past weekend, while doing some research, I have been sharing my findings and discussing my topic with my family. My mom suggested watching a Bollywood movie she found on Netflix called Pad Man, you know, for research purposes. At first, I didn't really have high expectations. Bollywood movies are often hit or miss, and since this one was centered around periods, I honestly did not think it would be that good. Boy was I wrong. I wanted to briefly reflect on the movie. I thought that it was really interesting to see how women in India act when they are on their periods. The overwhelming amounts of shame, the dirty cloths and ash they use in place of pads, the alarming prince of sanitary pads, and the dangers of sleeping outside. The movie really explored how the shame these women feel puts them in so much harm. A statement that really struck me was when the women would say "I would rather die of disease than deal with the shame." This was repeated many times throughout the movie. Whenever a girl would see a pad, they would shriek and run away, heads down and embarrassed. I would honestly recommend this movie to anyone wanting to learn about the taboo's around menstrual cycles in India. Even if you don't know Hindi and have to read the subtitles like I do!
As I have continued to research and add to my annotated bibliography, I have come across a solid few organizations that work to educate and empower women in India.The first one I had heard of was the Myna Mahila Foundation. This foundation has three main pillars: improving menstrual hygiene affordability, generating female employment in slums, and building women's networks. It was also one of the seven charity's supported by the donations from Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle's wedding in May 2018. Another organization I came across was Women Deliver. After the maternal mortality rate reached a high in 2007, the Women Deliver conference was held in London as a chance for world leaders to make some noise and rally behind women. Now, the organization plays a large role in advocating for gender equality and the health, rights, and wellbeing of women and girls. During my research, I also learned more about SEWA (Self Employed Women's Association) which helps to organize women workers to achieve their potential and goals. Some SEWA members create low cost sanitary pads for their slums.
With my Capstone project being about women's and girl's health in developing countries, focusing in on breaking the taboo around menstrual cycles, I have realized talking about the topic with others can be kind of uncomfortable. When discussing the topic with my female peers, it is easy and free-flowing: we are empowered, excited to make change. On the flip side, when adults ask me about it, I find myself hesitant, wary of what I am saying. I think it is interesting how even here in the US, where women's health is more talked about, it can still be awkward.
However I will not let this uncomfortableness hinder me from pursuing this topic.Breaking this taboo is the a large part of my project, so it is something that I too have to work on.
We presented our second IRT today and I think it went very well! As this round of presentations was more so centered on our presentation skills and style, Kassie, Carrie, and I really focused on improving on the feedback we got last time. We wanted to improve our eye contact with the audience, not be as "awkward," have better body language, project our voices well, and have a clear and strong conclusion. Together, we practiced our presentation so that we all got familiar with the pace and flow of things. While of course, my nerves were high going into the presentation, I felt more confident about our knowledge and ability of relaying of the information in an effective and engaging way.
The feedback we received was very helpful. I noticed that I do my fair amount of up-talking, especially when I am nervous. Because we presented in the classroom, the presentation space was really constricted and was awkward for a group of three, but we tried to make it work. I also noticed that when Carrie or Kassie was talking, I found myself looking at them rather than the audience. On the positive side, I think our flow was really good and there wasn't any major awkward moments between transitions. We also were able to make a lot of good connections and make the presentation relatable using examples such as the iPhones and the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
I think as we present more and more often, I will become further confident in being in front of people and giving a presentation. Hopefully these presentation skills become ingrained in my mind that it become habit!
As we head into our first round of annotated bibliographies and actual research, I wanted to briefly reflect on the difficulty of research. Coming into this cohort, I knew I would hit rough patches constantly, however I thought that I would hit the ground running. Looking back, I was a touch too optimistic. After a month of trying to formulate a concrete topic and direction, I honestly still do not know what I am going to do for my tangible or what is going to be the more specific focus of my Capstone.
Going into annotations without a specific topic is difficult. I am looking at such a wide range of research from empowering developing countries and their economics to the menstrual cycles of girls. It is a hard thing to navigate as I am not really sure what I am looking for exactly.
I am optimistic that through this general research, that I will be able to thoroughly narrowing down my topic and that it will help me come up with an idea for my tangible.
For our first IRT presentation, my partners and I found fairly thorough research and had a strong essential/driving question. I felt prepared and confident about what I had to present. Unfortunately, I was unable to present as I became sick before our turn.
If I were to redo do this, I would change how I prepared. I definitely should have been confident on the whole topic and not just my own segment. Based on the feedback we received from our peers, there were multiple improvements we should aim to make in our next IRT presentation. For one. our slide deck seemed a bit cluttered sometimes, not really with words, but rather odd placement of pictures. Next time, we will put only one or two pictures per slide to support our information rather than distracting from it. As a group, we also need to ensure that our essential/driving question is more explicit throughout the presentation and not buried. Another goal we are aiming to hit next IRT presentation is to not present the information with a bias. I think going this presentation about an influential woman, our group as a whole felt firm in our own personal views, which showed in the information we presented.
The more you think about Twain and Miller's observations, the more you realize how true they are. With such a breadth of knowledge out there, which is also so accessible, it is easy to be influenced and inspired by others ideas and innovations. Every new creation is built off a pre-existing one. As a society, we are constantly improving upon things that already exist to make our lives better and easier. For example, a stove is a mundane, everyday appliance. However, it wasn't always like it is today. Someone took the idea of cooking over a fire and contained it to fit safely in a home. The stove has evolved because of people's ideas revolving around the thought of "how can we make this better."
Ideas that I am considering "stealing," vary depending on what I will eventually do my CAPStone on. One thing I will borrow for sure, is research to build my CAPStone. I am sure there is research out there regarding women's health and the stigma that surrounds it. I have also come across multiple organizations and non-profits who help make sanitary products readily available such as the Myna Mahila Foundation. I may borrow some of their ideas about empowering women in a county such as India. I may also choose to steal and compile different curriculums and community outreach programs to see what works and what doesn't. I am sure as my CAPStone project topic become more solid, I will collect more ideas to "steal" that will be the foundation of my project.
My guiding principles have helped shape me as a person as I experience life. They have led me to persevere and push through what ever hardships I face with group projects or studying for tests, in order to really produce great work. I try my best not to focus on the little failures I experience, whether it be failing a small quiz or answering a question wrong, and instead learn and grow from them.