Alicia Simoni, Community Manager and Staff Writer

Commentary by Alicia Simoni
Community Manager and Staff Writer

I’m convinced that my receiving the French Award in middle school was either a mistake on my teacher’s part or a fleeting moment of genius on mine. The reality is that I’m not very good at new languages. After several additional years of French class, I can still only exchange simple pleasantries or politely ask if you would like to sleep with me (“voulez-vous coucher avec moi?). I promise, it is not for lack of trying. I would love to be able to converse in any number of languages other than my own, even if the conversation is marked by an American accent or punctuated by strain to remember a particular word or conjugation.

My embarrassingly poor foreign language skills, thankfully, have not prevented me from traveling to many parts of the world where English – my native language – is barely spoken. I’ve relied on gracious friends (or strangers) to translate and inevitably I’ve made my fair share of blunders, like saying “thank you for your bowels” when I wanted to say “thank you for the bread.”

Whether in a rural village of Afghanistan, a bustling bakery in Paris, or a ramshackle bus in Uganda, a sense of joy always descends when – to everyone’s surprise including my own – I manage to utter something resembling a greeting, a cultural idiom, or even a truncated sentence. I love watching people’s faces light up as they realize that I know some tiny bit of their language. I garner equally as much delight from the sudden realization that I’m not as tongue-tied as I feared. I can express myself, even if only minimally. I have access to words – a bridge between me and the people around me.

Recently I’ve been learning another new language – that of computers and the internet. This includes everything from basic html to how to build an online network, from the ins and outs of website analytics to how to skillfully blog and re-blog. For a newbie like me, typing {img src=”example”} and watching an image appear in the exact place that I intended inspires a giddy sense of excitement. It is akin to wanting to say “thank you for the bread” and actually saying “thank you for the bread.” In this case – at my desk in Washington, DC rather than amongst a circle of women in Rwanda – it is my face that lights up in astonishment as I realize that I have successful command over a tiny aspect of a new language.

I have to admit that as Facebook, Twitter and other forms of internet technology have gradually permeated every sphere of my life I’ve offered them a hesitant welcome. At times I’ve questioned if meaningful friendships are being sacrificed for easy online connections. I’ve wondered if too much of a good thing is in fact too much – that is, does the plethora of blogs dilute the impact of particularly good ones? In short, I’ve been resistant to fully embracing online communication. And yet, it’s increasingly apparent that I am becoming – as feminists would say – complicit in my own oppression. Technology is here to stay and so is communicating through the internet. So I have decided to take a more empowered stance. Rather than resistance that was fueled in part by discomfort with the unknown I’m nurturing a sense of curiosity. I have after all traveled to many foreign countries without speaking the language and experienced great joy in learning new ways to communicate.

Interested in seeing the result of my newfound skills? With the assistance of minds and hands which are far more knowledgeable than my own, we’ve created a new online network. It’s called the Peace X Peace Community. Click here to see it!

Don’t worry, you don’t need to know html or even to really understand social networks to join and participate. In fact, all you need is your interest in connecting with individuals from around the world and a desire to share perspectives on women and their power to build peace. It is easy, I promise.

The Peace X Peace Community is an interactive place where you can communicate with each other and challenge points made in Week X Week and PeaceTimes, ask questions, and suggest topics for upcoming publications. It is a bridge connecting us to each other and to our creative perspectives and solutions for peace. It is a way to explore new paths to peace and multiply the impact of our individual experiences and expertise.

I look forward to connecting with all of you in the Community. Together, let’s seize the potential of online communication to raise women’s voices!

About the Author

Editor and Community Manager alicia@peacexpeace.org