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I was 10 years old and it was the day of my mother's funeral. I was very upset, so I thought that the bleeding was because of how sad I was.
So I went about my business and pretended like nothing was happening. A few days later, my aunt figured out that I got my period and properly explained it to me.
My very first reaction to my period was rather bizarre. How could blood get out of my body whilst making me feel uncomfortable but not killing me?! How could I be alive knowing I lost liters of blood but I'm still moving about my day? Also how the hell did the pads soak blood but not urine?"
My first period story depicts the confusion and curiosities we feel about this process and the questions that never end! TBH, after having periods for years, I still find a new occurrence in my body that I have no idea about. I always turn to Google amma (mother/guider) because it's always here for me.
I was always a curious child. When my older sister used to go to the bathroom and act all secretive on her period days, I used to pester her to tell me what is going on or what is she hiding or why is she being so shy. She always used to ignore me and shut the door on my face. So when I got my first period a few months later, I was explaining it to my mother and she told me if I ever got my period in school, I should only approach my female teachers for help and not male teachers. I asked her why. She said because a female teacher will understand my situation better and a male teacher won't be able to understand because he does not get any. My young over-working mind replied to her "Mum, males must also get something like periods that we just don't know about." She questioned my logic. I simply explained to her, "See, just like we don't go to male teachers to talk about our periods, the boys may have kept it a secret from the female teachers as well and the female teachers would never know."
My mother and sister laughed their asses off that day and I was completely confused about what was going on.
So my first experience of periods wasn't very surprising as I knew about it already but it was more laughable. For a few days, I kept thinking about the process and the silence of people that even though it is the women who bleed and bear the pain for 5 days of every month but still they are supposed to be quiet and even expected to not even mention the hardships which they go through just to let this patriarchal society maintain its norms and beliefs. Btw who is the creator of these norms? Is there any specific period rule book which others have read and I missed?
After reading all these stories, connecting with so many people, and living my personal experience, it has made me realise that the 'silence on period' is not the matter of choice but more the matter of priority. We have been fighting for ourselves and our rights and we still are being expected to fight for what we want. Life is not easy and I do not want to sexify it but sometimes with all the expectations from people, women make it harder on themselves as compared to the other genders.
