Barcelona
Menstruación en Movimiento
Barcelona
Barcelona Story 1, Age 40:
Catalan Version
He experimentat un mateixa situació repetidament (des de quan anava a l'institut fins ara), les vegades que se m'ha avançat el cicle mentres em movia per la ciutat on visc, de manera que no portava materials menstruals a sobre, o bé, un cop aconseguits, ja era massa tard i m'havia tacat.
Aquest imprevist i la falta de recursos, facilitats o espais preparats, m'ha acabat alterant l'ordre del dia (assistència a classes o a la feina; assistències de vegades molt importants) per haver d'anar fins a casa a resoldre-ho i, en alguns casos, he hagut d'ajornar o anul·lar plans i obligacions.
En tots els casos sempre he sentit falta de comprensió, estrès i vergonya.
Pel que fa als lavabos públics, mai ha sigut una alternativa per ser inexistents o desconeguts; sempre he anat a bars de llocs privats que, per sort, rares vegades m'han prohibit el pas.
El meu consell és el d'habilitar espais públics per a evitar qualsevol incomoditat o exclusió en relació a la menstruació.
English Translation:
I have experienced the same situation many times (from my high school days until now): times when my cycle started unexpectedly while I was moving around the city where I live, leaving me without any menstrual supplies, or when I found some, it was already too late and I had spotted myself.
This unforeseen event, along with the lack of resources, facilities or prepared spaces, has disrupted my day (missing classes or work, sometimes very important commitments) because I had to go home to solve it. In some cases, I even had to postpone or cancel plans and commitments.
In all of these situations, I have always felt a lack of understanding, stress, and embarrassment.
As for public toilets, they have never been an option due to their absence or lack of knowledge of their locations; instead, I have always resorted to private facilities such as bars, which, fortunately, have rarely denied me access.
My advice is to make public spaces accessible in order to avoid any discomfort or marginalization associated with menstruation.
Barcelona Story 2, Age 53:
Catalan Version
Durant un temps vaig estar treballant en obres de reformes de pisos de una constructora amb 25 homes al meu càrrec. Mai hi habia bany disponible. Els homes bixaben a un bar a esmorzar i a dinar, i intentaven que el inodor fos el ultim a treure i el primer a posar. I no es comptaba amb intimitat. Jo com que em movia per les obres vaig tenir que anar buscant llocs amb banys publics a on no hagués de consumir (pel temps). Alguns dies era bastant complicat. Treballar en festius un drama (tots tancats)
En molts llocs no hi ha ni paperera, has de portar bosetes.
La copa no me la he pogut plantejar fins que no he tornat a tenir una feina de oficina.
De l'experiència em queda que sempre vaig amb un neceser ben gran i ben equipat. Incloses calces de recanvi, tovalloletes humides i bossa per residus.
Això tambe passa si t'agrada caminar per la muntanya o per exemple pel camí de ronda de la costa.
Ara que ja estic entrant a la menopausa, em sap greu que les tècniques i coneixements que he adquirit per sobreviure a les necessitats de la regla no els hagues adquirit al principi. M'hagues estalviat moltíssimes pors, vergonyes i hagues fet mes coses interessants.
Ah, quelcom més interessant. Quan les meves tietes em van explicar que anaven amb unes tovalloles de mans petites, se'm van possar els pels de punta. Impossible treballar al camp de la construcció sense els tampons o similar. Com hem evolucionat!
English Translation:
For a while, I worked on apartment renovation projects for a construction company, managing 25 men. There was never a bathroom available. So, the guys would head down to a nearby bar for breakfast and lunch. They also made a point to make sure the last thing they removed and the first thing they installed was the toilet. I'll tell you, privacy was not guaranteed. Since I was moving between worksites, I had to look for public bathrooms where I wouldn't need to buy anything (to save time). Some days, that was a bit of a challenge. Working on holidays was a total nightmare since everything was closed. A lot of places also don't have waste bins, so you gotta carry your bags with you. I didn't even consider using a menstrual cup until I was back working in an office. From this experience, I've learned to always carry a large toiletry bag with me, including spare underwear, wet wipes, and a waste disposal bag. The same goes if you like hiking in the mountains or along the beach. Now that I'm going through menopause, I really wish I had learned how to manage menstruation when I was younger. It would've saved me so much fear and embarrassment, and allowed me to do more interesting things. And I'll never forget when my aunts told me they used small hand towels for their periods — that really shocked me. It's hard to imagine working in construction without tampons or similar products. It's wild how far we've come!
Barcelona Story 3, Age 50:
Spanish Version
En Barcelona no hay baños públicos. Hay que ir a un bar y pedir alguna cosa para poder ir al baño. Los baños de bares y restaurantes son muy pequeños en general si llevas chaqueta y bolso. No hay donde colgar nada, y los suelos estan mojados y suxios muchas veces. Yo uso copa menstrual y nunca puedo limpiarla porque el lavabo está fuera del recinto del wc y por eso acostumbro a intentar acceder a baños para personas con movilidad reducida, porque tienen wc y pica y tienen una medida que permiten cambiar la copa menstrual con comodidad.
El papel higiénico es otra cosa que acostumbra a faltar. Nunca he encontrado un baño donde se tuviera acceso a compresas o tampones de urgencia. Las personas que tenemos la regla irregular és un gran problema.
Rough Translation:
In Barcelona there are no public toilets. You have to go to a bar and ask for something to go to the bathroom. The toilets in bars and restaurants are very small in general if you have a jacket and a bag. There is nowhere to hang anything, and the floors are wet and dirty. I use a menstrual cup and I can never clean it because the sink is outside the wc enclosure and that is why I usually try to access toilets for people with reduced mobility, because they have wc and sink and they have a measure that allow to change the menstrual cup comfortably.
Toilet paper is another thing that is usually missing. I have never found a bathroom where there was access to emergency pads or tampons. For those of us who have irregular periods, this is a big problem.
Barcelona Story 4, Age 15:
Catalan Version
La primera vegada que em va venir la regla tenia 14 anys i ja feia temps que l'esperava, el que no sabia és que em vindria en un lloc públic! El meu pare em va portar a veure un partit de futbol d'un equip de segona. Vaig sentir com una sensació estranya i quan va acabar el partit li vaig dir que havia d'anar corrents al bany. Em va voler acompanyar. La sorpresa va ser que només hi havia un bany en tot el camp que funcionés! i tot i que vaig arribar la primera, darrera nostre es va fer una cua de molts homes grans. La porta no tancava bé ni tenia candau. El meu pare es va quedar aguantant-la. Per sort portava una compresa a la bossa, però tothom estava en silenci i al obrir la compresa feia tant soroll! Vaig passar molta vergonya. Vaig guardar els paperets a la bossa perquè no hi havia paperera i vaig sortir. Sempre recordaré aquest inici!
English Translation:
The first time I got my period, I was 14 years old and had been expecting it for a while, but I didn't know it would happen in a public place! My dad had taken me to watch a football match of a second-division team. I felt a strange sensation, and when the match ended, I told him I needed to run to the bathroom. He wanted to accompany me.
The surprise was that there was only one working bathroom in the entire stadium! Even though I was the first to get there, a queue of many older men formed behind us. The door didn’t close properly and didn’t have a lock. My dad stayed holding it shut. Luckily, I had a pad in my bag, but everyone was silent, and opening the pad made so much noise! I felt very embarrassed. I kept the wrappers in my bag because there was no bin, and I left. I will always remember this beginning!