Women's Day

Judy. Okay, this will sound strange coming from a feminist, but, while I’m aware of International Women’s Day, the only place I recall seeing much about it is from my (mostly) feminist friends on Facebook. So on Friday in La Serena, I was pleasantly surprised to see how much women were celebrated!

Thursday evening a concert was held in the central plaza and women from all walks of life were honored. There were pilots, EMT’s, farmers, fisherwomen, firefighters, businesswomen, and many others, brought onstage while a huge video screen named them and their accomplishments. Each woman received a trophy and a bouquet. After that, one of Chile’s star singers, Maria Jose Quintanilla, performed for over an hour. The joy for me, though, was watching little girls singing along, and grandmas dancing. The park was packed, and we felt pretty darned special.

Celebrating women in La Serena

On Friday we met up with our friends Sylvie and Gilles and spent the day walking the city. When we stopped for a coffee, Sylvie and I were each given a chocolate and wished a happy Women’s Day. At lunch, our waiter greeted us with “Happy Women’s Day!” I don’t remember that happening before.

That evening, from our hotel room, I heard drums and went outside to see a huge parade of women marching through the streets. I walked with them for a bit—there were thousands of women. As you’d expect, there were all sorts of banners, from freedom to walk at night without fear, to anti-domestic violence, to need for more education, to photos of women who have disappeared, to lesbian rights, to signs proclaiming “FEMINISTA”. There was even a group of local communists carrying flags, and a few Indigenous women carrying their flag. And here’s the thing: It was absolutely joyous. No one was angry; they were all proudly supporting their causes as women.

In honor of the "disappeared" women of La Serena

 That night I thought about all the remarkable women in my life, in particular, those I’ve encountered in this past year.

Of course, there are my daughter Leslie, and my belle fille Sarah, two excellent mothers who also use their professions to help others, and both of whom I’ve seen hold up other women when needed, including me. They always inspire me, as do my nieces, Kelly, Jenny, Cindy, and Becky, who've welcomed us into their homes, and shown us strong women who manage to balance work and home life.

In Spain, there’s Inmita, who, despite her busy work schedule and her job as wife and mother, finds time to make Ted and me feel like family. In France, and here in Chile, the women in my Bible study group have welcomed me, and shown me the deep love they have for each other as they share their joys and concerns. Sandri, from our intercambio group in the Canary Islands, emails periodically to see how we’re doing. Michaela, our Swedish friend with whom we’ve met up everywhere but Sweden, introduced us to her parents who invited us to their home in Nice, and later flew to London to spend a few days with us. Anya in Poland bravely invited me to her Bollywood dance class, where the women welcomed my funky attempts—without laughing. Sam, our hostess in Morocco, who made sure we were safe and still checks on us, and Linda, our Peace Corps friend who met us in Morocco to share adventures before she returned to the States, opened my eyes to deeper understanding of ancient cultures. Dilyana, our niece in Budapest has an infectious love of life and great business sense, which makes her online German classes fun and effective, and time with her an absolute delight. Mary Jo and husband met us in a restaurant in Nova Scotia, invited us and our friends to spend the night, then met us later in Croatia.

Kay and Susan always offer their guesthouse to us when we return to Georgia, and feed us at least one meal. Carolyn, a friend for years, carves out time for margaritas and girl talk. Sally and her husband back home always have us over, and even met us in Canada for a road trip. Karen in Atlanta catches me up on what’s happening in the theatre, and Roberta has become a friend as well as our incredible financial advisor. Emma, a former neighbor, makes sure we know about cultural events when we’re in Atlanta, and shares her dreams of living in Barcelona. Anne and her husband welcome us every year to their home in Florida, and this year, three other friends from high school, Anne, Linda, and Kathy, came down for a reunion. And dear Sylvie, whom we met on our repositioning cruise, makes me laugh and find the joy in all things.

My Facebook friends keep me engaged with love, encouragement, and laughter.

This year, I lost one of my dearest friends, Karen M. I’ve seldom known a more loving and unselfish person in my life. I miss her joyful outlook, her love for her husband, family, and pups, and her encouragement. When I get back to Georgia, I’ll wrap myself in the afghan she made for me and feel her love and strength.

Of course, I have more women friends—I tried to keep this post about women I’ve spent time with during the past year. If I've missed you, please know that I know more fantastic women than I can begin to name. And I celebrate you all. Thank you for being there for me. May I always be there for you. Belated Happy International Women's Day!