#MotivationalMonday - Learning Self Defense!

Hey y'all! Only 3 days here and we have already adopted a Southern drawl! We have also grown really close as a team and were excited to embark on another adventure together - this time, in matching Alternative Breaks shirts! The gang showed up to the University of Tennessee in these shirts to participate in the highly anticipated self defense class offered by the school. The class was led by two University officers who spoke to us about the different scenarios during which self defense would be required. We also got the opportunity to physically practice some defense tactics. We paired up and one person acted as the attacker while the other attempted to defend themselves using the moves taught to us by the two officers. Most of these moves involved the use of our hands and arms but we also discussed hypothetical situations that might incorporate the use of other body movements. This class was particularly unique and enlightening as it involved both an educational aspect and a fun physical portion following our newfound expertise.

Here are some action-packed pictures from the day:

Despite the rain that welcomed us to UT, our fun didn't stop there. We headed to Blaze Pizza for a $3.14 pizza in celebration of Pi Day! It was extremely delicious. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to fully explore the UT campus but we hope to return again on Wednesday and compare and contrast the campus to the lovely place we call home back at UMD. We experienced a pretty short day today so we had some downtime upon returning from Blaze, during which some of us took naps, did homework, explored the church, or just hung around. Because of our filling meal at Blaze, we ended up having a lighter dinner consisting of some salad and garlic bread.

Last but not least, we had a reflection. Reflection is definitely one of our favorite parts of the day and always a great way to end the night. We did several activities, most of which were centered around learning more about relationship violence as well as how we identify with ourselves. We discussed the Power and Control wheel of abusive relationships, which includes the different dimensions of relationship violence. Mostly, we talked about victim and abuser responses within the cycle of abuse and ways for a victim to escape the cycle. Following this activity, we discussed the role of a member of society, volunteer, conscientious citizen, and active citizen in social justice movements (both generally and in regards to domestic violence). We learned more about where we ourselves stand as members of society, where we expect to stand in the future, and where we would like to stand in the future. It was very enlightening and helped us learn more about our passion and devotion to social justice.

Tomorrow, we are going to start our day a lot earlier because we have many more activities planned. We are planning on attending a lecture about the psychological side of domestic violence, taking a tour of a homeless shelter and then volunteering there. We are excited to continue to progress into active citizens of society!

Thanks for reading!
- Kamini and Trisha