a great weekend

i've been away from the blog for a bit because i went to the south island this weekend. a friend and i went to christchurch and dunedin, where she ran some workshops for muslim women. it was a great weekend, and we met some wonderful women.

when i see the depth and capabilities of these women, their warm-heartedness and their courage, it just makes me even more angry that the predominant narratives about them are so negative. this was not a group of down-trodden victims, but a vibrant community.

we visited various women in christchurch on friday night, and of course the main topic of conversation is still the earthquake. it was obviously a terrible experience, but all the stories they told us were so full of humour that we were all laughing out loud. it was great to see their resilience. one woman had just had a knee operation, and now the family are staying with relatives & looking for accommodation because the house can't be lived in. even so, there was not a hint of complaint in her voice as she told us all about it. and yes, we felt one of the aftershocks though it was very gentle.

we drove down to dunedin, because of a mix-up which meant we couldn't get a flight at the right time. it was a nice drive, and i was splashing around at a beach at 8pm - don't ask me where. it was lovely.

so anyway, i'm catching up on things now, and have put up two posts at the hand mirror: one on some wonderful waikato women winning awards (did you like the alliteration there?!); and another about the broadcaster who shall not be named, at least not here on my own blog.