Monday 6 July 2015

Let’s talk ...Period!



Day 19 of Ramadan, Day 5 of period

Yes my period, you know that time of the month when women bleed from their vaginas and sometimes have red spots in the back of their skirts (not me)…of course these are not the only symptoms or consequences of this monthly torment but that was already covered, remember?

I find myself increasingly eager to talk about my period to anyone willing to listen or not, something so overwhelmingly natural, half the earth's population endures from the ages of 12 (sometimes even 9) and reluctantly until menopause yet we are not supposed to discuss it openly and without shame and men refuse to acknowledge it unless it brings relief, because the wife or girlfriend is not pregnant or bad news because it means no sex (unless he's into that sort of thing) because the flow came to town (I love this expression haha)!

I like to talk about my period, I just blurt it out nonchalantly like discussing the weather, I say things like I am in pain, I have my period, I am a woman, can I have a box of tampons please?, What’s your strongest period pain drugs?, I am due any minute now I can feel it, I think we’re synched now, I say things like “urgh get over yourself, it’s just a period, we all know it happens”.

Men get squeamish and twitchy and pull faces like you just said Bogie sandwich, some women get a bit timid, most get horrified with shame, others only discuss it in whispers and euphemisms, whilst others just laugh and add on a layer of much needed girly complicity, I personally just like to put in on the table! Yes I HAVE MY PERIOD, I BLEED FROM MY VAGINA and I have several hormones playing havoc with my body! The sooner you deal with it, the sooner you’ll grow up.

And no I am not one of those vulgar girls who likes to talk biology and anatomy in unscientific words, I am not a rebel, I am not a “feminist”, I am just a woman who recognises that a period is something very very natural she’ll experience about a thousand times in her life and would like the world to stop behaving like it’s witchcraft and get “au fait” about it, would like for people to stop behaving like bleeding women are the devil and that menstrual blood is bad, and stop thinking that vaginas are evil, because they don’t seem to mind them when they’re not bleeding.

And now it’s Ramadan, so really I am not supposed to talk about Vaginas or women in general because a woman is really just a vagina.  I am certainly not supposed to eat in public when menstruating because it’ll mean that I have my period and that is shameful; to whom exactly it’s still unclear to me! I certainly don’t want people to start having mental pictures of what’s going on in my knickers but I will not hide my period, or the pain it causes me or that my reproductive system is functional, because really, that’s all it means, if anything it should be welcomed news!

I do not need to be brave, courageous or have a big mouth to discuss my period, my moon cup or which tablets work the best, it’s a natural biological process of the female body, I am proud of my body, when it runs a mile, when it lifts 80Kg, when it withstands 9 months of pregnancy, when it fasts 19 days in a row or when it bleeds for 5 days!

Dz-Chick…You’re Welcome.

25 comments:

  1. HA HA HA thank you!

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  2. DzChick, your readers are mostly male...don't think they'll be commenting on this one! hahaha

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  3. Does it mean you're not fasting for all this period?? in that case absahtek and wish you long one and less painful ! ;)
    Happy Tuesday
    Ciao bella
    M

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  4. She You're very welcome ;)

    Anonymous Yes they will...look M has now..

    M first man to comment (I think) well done to you :)
    Since there are no taboos around the topic, I will answer your question, Yes I didnt fast the 5 days and no the pain is so much better when from the fasting as your body is dectoxed and healthy that's what I think anyway/ I resumed fasting today.
    Happy Tuesday to you too and vivement la fin!!

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    1. Thanks dz bella hope more men will comment on this post otherwise I'll be called (Moh na na) for being the only man commented in female affair !! ;) LOL
      aya saha ftourkoum ya bnate bladi!
      M

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  5. Beginning of Ramadan, i was buying fruits in Brixton market, saw some beautiful cherries, and as i have bad manners decided to try one before buying. Good for me as they were tasteless. The trader asked me where i was from, and i replied from Algeria (he was from Afghanistan). He then asked me why I was not fasting and I replied, you can't ask a woman this type of question…don't you know.

    Yesterday same stall, I tried an apricot…and he looked at me. Is it still the same time of the month? It lasts forever…I feel sorry for you.
    Don't know why I didn't say that I was simply not fasting.

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  6. Hahahaha poor man! so naive

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  7. I am doing a child´s fast this year in solidarity to my algerian husband (still drink water and start eating at around 5ish depends on the day...). The first day I thought I would die, now I kind of got used to it (we will see what happens when I am actually in Algeria next week and not in London....).

    One of my colleagues was talking about her 'rest days' during Ramadan and I just wanted to scream 'do you mean your PERIOD???'

    I actually had an argument with hamar-shbeb-husband yesterday about how when I had children they would know about periods and I wouldn´t have to hide in order to eat (hello? hiding because I am eating??in my own house? I don´t think so). He said a 5 year old can´t understand what periods are, I am adamant. Easy vocabulary and sentences, age apprppriate explanations, of course they can.

    Anyway, sorry for the rant Dz Chick. I wish it was Ramadan all year if that means loads of updates from you. But why do you not consider yourself to be a feminist? It makes me sad when women think it´s a bad thing...

    Happy Tuesday <3

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  8. Mutzialagabia I like the hamar-shbeb-husband lol aren't they all!
    Yes I remember when I was younger and my sisters and I had to eat in the kitchen, often trying to hide it from my dad, always failing though and my dad would always point and laugh, I guess making light of the situation, which in hindsight is a really good thing.

    It's very sweet of you "I wish it was Ramadan all year if that means loads of updates from you" I never read any of your comments before, I guess you're one of the silent readers :) I'll try to keep writing.

    As for the feminist comment, if you notice in the post itself I put the word feminist in quotation marks, because I want to say I am not playing the stereotypical feminist who rebels against everything etc...of course I am a feminist, always have been! in fact I am a post-feminist https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postfeminism

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  9. hamar-shbeb-husband
    What does that mean?

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  10. Homo Erectus (the factually fathomable phantom)9 July 2015 at 04:57

    Handsome-stupid-husband.. isn't it ?

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  11. Yep! But I think it's more like: Stupid handsome husband

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  12. Homo Erectus (Hadj Waguef)9 July 2015 at 20:39

    Hadj Moussa Moussa el Hadj

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  13. hahaha @ Hadj Waguef
    Day 23 ...feels like day 72!

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  14. Homo Erectus (hypocrites crusher)11 July 2015 at 17:09

    when Aid will be announced the same hypocrites will claim as usual "déjà ! I wish it was two months of Ramadhan !" Fakou ya bakakou !!!

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  15. Ahh my favourite people! "ahh deja fini, we'll miss Sidna Ramadan"
    SHUT UP!!!! Hypocrites!

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    1. Hi DZ chicka
      I really love your posts and this ones speaks to me :-)
      we'll miss sidna ramadan, except my mom who really means it, the rest are just like you said, all HYPOCRITES :-)))
      Saha aidek and saha aid all your blog readers

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    2. Saha Eidek too, who are you? please sign sign sign so I know who is commenting :)

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  16. I think those "loup garou" really do miss sidna ramdan dz bella.... as they sleep during the day and eat all night like vampire lol
    Saha ftourek
    happy Monday
    M

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  17. dz bella
    Almost a week since we celebrated Eid el Fitr and still no post from you regarding the big event!! was expecting something really good to read and unfortunately nothing "niente" from you :(
    I don't think I will fast againt ;)
    aya saha eidkoum belkel!!
    Ciao
    M

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  18. Sorry M You're right, I had actually written something but forgot to publish it and now it's out of time! I was in Algeria for Eid, will be publishing something on that in the next couple of days - stay tuned :)

    Saha Eidek x

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  19. As a Brit in Algiers I really enjoy your posts, especially the recent ones. Hope you had a good time here. Who knows, our paths might have crossed!
    Saha Aidek

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  20. Hello RCB 2012 and Thank you
    It's nice to see more behind the wall readers come forward with comments :)
    I pumped into one Brit on the plane and 2 whiny americans at the St Georges...so maybe not you!
    You should kick start your blog! let's hear your thoughts on your life in DZ Land.

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    1. Hello DZ Chick, nice to meet you at last. Thank you for those words of encouragement. I'd like to write about the things that amuse me - and the ones that drive me mad, but how to remain anonymous? I think it's easier in London than Algiers. I also worry about offending everybody, which is so easy to do here! I'm a guest in your country, after all....

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  21. Us, Algerians are suckers for compliments about Algeria! Just start to write about the positives and the hilarious and leave the negatives to the comments :) the Algerian will add them themselves anyway!
    I understand you worry you'd offend, I never really wrote negatively about England even though I know the threshold is very high and I am more English than you are Algerian :)

    I look forward to reading your first post :) it'll probably go viral too

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