I apologize for this being a little late, I was tasked with blogging about Wednesday but I've been too exhausted every night to right my post. So here it is! My name is Jen Mallinoff and I am a sophomore at UMD. I am studying Environmental Science and Policy and Spanish Linguistics and Culture. My academic studies do not relate to Domestic Violence however I have a personal interest in recognizing and addressing the issue.
Wednesday was our fourth day here, our third day of service. We had an exciting start with a self defense class at the University of TN in downtown Knoxville. Although we had some trouble navigating our way around the huge campus, we eventually found the University Center where we were taking the class. Two campus police officers led the class and taught basic self defense to the girls in our group. We learned how to escape choke holds, being held by your wrists, and being pinned to the ground. We were easily able to escape each others' grasps but I was skeptical about escaping a strong man's grip. But to my surprise, the male cop teaching the class grabbed my wrists and I was even able to release myself from him.
After the class, we drove to the YWCA Phyllis Wheatley Center. The center holds after-school programs for middle school students that live in the community. We helped with various spring cleaning tasks while we were there. I helped clean out their trailer to prepare it for use as a classroom. Other students spent time with several students that were there or helped clean and organize other classrooms.
After volunteering, we went back to the church where we are sleeping and had a giant breakfast for dinner with the congregation. We had eggs, bacon, hash browns, biscuits, and gravy. Everything was delicious and the people in the community were extremely welcoming and friendly. Southern hospitality truly does exist.
As the final event of the night, I was extremely fortunate to go back to the Phyllis Wheatley Center to attend a group session for Latina women that are victims of domestic abuse. I participated in the session with two other members of our group, Mariela and Alex. The theme of the session involved personal limits and boundaries in relationships that we each have in our lives. While the women began by discussing their weeks and various issues with their significant others, the topic quickly developed into a discussion of other relationships that we have, with our parents, coworkers, and friends for example. The women discussed what types of limits they have in each of these types of relationships. Maria, the leader of the session, explained that while it is important to have varying degrees of boundaries with people in our lives, we must remember to put ourselves and our well-being above everything else. In addition, Maria encouraged the women to become empowered in other ways, such as learning English and driving, in order to feel self-worth and strong. The final message of the session was lead a healthy lifestyle by having boundaries in some form with everyone in your life so that you have the ability to still be an individual with your own goals. I felt extremely empowered by the session and was proud of myself for understanding everything that was spoken since it was in Spanish!
So that was another long and exciting day for our trip! Only one more left.
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