Everything Else

Kristie is a rising junior interning at Legal Momentum this summer.

It’s been a while since I have left home and slept in my bed for more than two meager weeks at a time. I have spent the last six years in a dormitory, four of which have been with all girls during my time at a New Hampshire boarding school. All of this time spent with girls have prompted many questions about the importance of womanhood, the feminist movement and has brought to light the still patriarchal system we live in. A couple days ago in Seoul, during a night out with some of my close girlfriends, I explained my upcoming summer opportunity at the nonprofit Legal Momentum. I got some raised eyebrows and with a slight smirk, two girls next to me noted how uncomfortable it is going against the patriarchal system (in many ways, its much more blatant in Korea). This inevitably raised some thoughts: the role of women in holding back their own progress, my own views in light of my background as a Korean and an American and whether the question of “having it all” is invalid.

ques cityWith such thoughts, I can’t help but wonder that I couldn’t have chosen a better city to battle these ideas. I am fascinated by the city: its glamor and skyscrapers never fail to amaze me. I have a new sense of fascination, however, as my flight to New York approaches. This summer in the city will hopefully expose some answers to questions I have been dealing with during my time at Duke as well as unearth some new questions, many of which are personal.

I identified some of the obstacles I’ll have to face as I begin working at Legal Momentum (it’s my first 9-5 gig). But I’m sure there will be many that will be unexpected as I begin to explore the city, hang out with the other girls in the Moxie Project, interact with my co-workers and confront some uncomfortable situations. I’m excited to write about many of these upcoming conflicts and piece through them in the Moxie blog.

As I glimpsed through my Instagram feed the other day (yes, I’m an utter Instagram junkie), one little saying has keep running through my mind: “It only ends once. Everything else is just progress.” I’m not sure I’ll solidify my own thoughts and stance on the current feminist movement or even if I’ll accomplish my humble goals I’ve set for the summer. However, I am excited to begin this progress. Keep tuned.

3 thoughts on “Everything Else

  1. Hi Kristie, I’m one of your Duke Readers this summer. I was curious, you said you have identified some of your obstacles. What are they? What are your opportunities? I look forward to reading more…

    Nancy White T80 and Womens Studies Supporter

    • Hi Nancy: Thank you for taking the time to read my post and comment. I have a bullet list of some of my obstacles in a little pad I have been taking with me everywhere in the city. They range from the little ones, like being able to navigate the subway and streets, to the bigger barriers, including confronting friends and family (who are more on the conservative side) and piecing together a convincing argument for supporting feminism and being pro-choice. I hope to expand more in my future posts. My opportunities undoubtedly are being in such a fertile and productive environment such as Moxie and Legal Momentum that are conducive to helping me confront and overcome the aforesaid obstacles! I look forward to any other comments/questions you have 🙂

  2. Kristie, if you can advance the practice about how we talk about these things across the conservative/liberal spectrum, you will be doing IMPORTANT WORK! I sense that we lose a lot when people fall into default camps and continue to operate on habit and assumptions. Keep writing!!

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