Jasadi (جسدي) is an intimate podcast about our bodies by the Kerning Cultures Network. In each episode, guests discuss an aspect of their relationship with their own bodies. There are stories of self-acceptance, of struggles with mental health and addiction, stories of sexuality, and much more.

The initial episode of the show, لما نكب (When We Grow Up), captures honestly the difficult experience of growing up and the societal expectations that come with it. Nour shares the shame he felt about his strength and physical imperfections during puberty. Rawand discusses her confusion about periods and pressure she experienced to change her behavior. As a teenager, Rawand’s family expected her to stop playing outside, riding her bike, and other “childish” activities. Rawand also talks about the bullying she witnessed at school and how she learned to appreciate her own body through portrait painting.

Jasadi features a mix of dialects from the MENA region. This episode contains both the Egyptian (Nour) and Lebanese (Rawand) dialects.

Vocabulary / مفردات

0:00
جسدي / جسمي
“My body” in colloquial Arabic / Fusha

0:51
فترة البلوغ والمراهقة
The stages of puberty and adolescence

1:11
غير كل الغموض والارتباك
Except for all the ambiguity and confusion

1:20
لحسيس بالعار بالشبهة عدم الرضى عن الجسم
To feel shame and doubt, instead of satisfaction with [one’s] body

3:29
البلوغ بيجي معه نزيف
Puberty brings with it bleeding [periods]

4:52
اللاعب اشي عالشجر، ركوب البسكلات، نطنط الخط هاي كله مش مفروض أعمله
Playing games in trees, riding a bike, and jumping rope were all things I wasn’t allowed to do

7:39
كل شيء إله علي الجنس هو شيء وسخ
[She thought that] ِeverything having to do with sex was something dirty

8:19
انا كنت طفلة برية وبلعب وكذا
I was a wild child and used to play [games] and such

10:27
والناس بشوفني بشكل بشع
And people saw me as ugly

10:39
وما بدي ألبس صدرية وتياب بنات مثلا
And I didn’t want to wear a bra or girls’ clothes, for example

12:16
فهم بلش تعرض عالتنور
So they started bullying [students]

13:48
وفي شكوك كثيرة
And there were a lot of doubts

16:02
هو ناعم الى هو مكور
Who’s soft (or supple) and who’s rounded

17:19
كتبت نص متعلق بجسمي
I wrote an article/story about my body