Amygdala overload...

Dearest Yamapi,

I cannot fathom how life would be knowing all the horrible things that happen to people around the world. Last night I read about FGM for the first time and my heart bleeds for the millions of girls around the world who had to go through with it. I was and still am truly shocked and angry at what happened. I feel like I should do something to oppose such cruelty from ever re-surfacing. How could anyone...anyone allow such atrocity to happen. I am truly sad and angry at this stupid practice. I'm going though a very emotional stage now.....since it only happens every 5 days of the month. Fucking idiots.....whoever have thought of beginning such an outrageous tradition should be damned to stay in hell and tortured for the rest of eternity.

Just in case you all havent heard of FGM. It stands for Female Genitalia Mutilation. The name basically explains everything. It is a tradition practised in countries such as Africa, Egypt, Somalia, etc. Where girls at around the age of puberty or even younger are forced unknowingly to go through a procedure of having their clitoris cut off by a razor, scissors or knife and then, their legs are tied together for 40 days to let the wounds heal. During this time, food and water are scarcely given so as to prevent them having to go to the loo. In some cases, these range from a symbolic pricking or piercing of the clitoris or labia, to cauterization of the clitoris, cutting into the vagina to widen it (gishiri cutting), and introducing corrosive substances to tighten it.^([3], Wikipedia) Just think for a moment at the things that I have just written down...how can such a thing even be practised...even if it was practised on a cow it would still be too cruel....to think that women were nothing more than....than...cows or pigs. Girls who had this performed on them were to please their future husbands and to offer the security of their wives not 'sleeping around'. But may I ask has we, women, ever thought of doing such a thing to men to prevent them from 'sleeping around'? NO. This practise often results in women having major problems in child birth, recurrent bladder and urinary tract infections, cysts, infertility and not to mention the physiological and psychological pain and suffering that they have to go through for the rest of their lives.

Today is the start of a long weekend for Thanksgiving Day. Everywhere around Canada and the states, family are gathering and laughing and joking, catching up on how their loved ones (or not) are doing. Cutting into turkeys and playing with children......whatever they do..Coz I never celebrated Thanksgving before back home. My mom said we did when we lived in Canada, but that was such a long time ago..... Today, the lecture halls are half empty as people have olredi boarded buses or trains to go back home to see their parents, friends, family and dog for a joyeus reunion. Its on these days that I terribly miss my family too. Eventhough I've never celebrated it,but I would like to as well. I hate this feeling. A feeling of being left behind. I wanted to study but hey, see where I ended up at? Writing this 'love letter' to you Yamapi? Why did you decide to leave NEWS?? I'm truly sad. Very SAd and lonely. ='(