The Ramona community share stories of their first periods // illustrations by Xia Jing
Despite the fact that I was nearly 14 when I got my first period, I forgot to have any supplies on hand in my schoolbag. Many of my friends had already started their periods, and I was eager for mine to arrive—not out of some romanticised notion of womanhood (my joy and connection to my womanhood through periods came later), but simply to get that first period over with. I was a really anxious kid and teenager (and am still an anxious adult) and I really didn’t like the anticipation. My period arrived at school during lunchtime, quietly—just a single wipe instead of a flood—and I knew immediately it had come. Heading back to my friends, I casually announced that my period had started, though I had nothing with me. Kristina, who was still waiting for her own period, kindly offered me a pad from her lovingly packed zip up pouch and I gratefully accepted, taking the pad and feeling a sense of relief that I was finally here.
– Freya
When I was 11, playing at school, a teacher approached me and remarked on how dirty my pants were. I was wearing my white primary school uniform, and when I looked down, I saw dark-red spots on my pants. I assumed it was from playing with my friends on the schoolyard, but panic set in. I feared that if my parents saw this, they would scold me for dirtying my uniform. When I got home, I secretly tossed my pants and underwear into the family trashcan, burying them under banana peels, hoping no one would notice.
To my surprise, my mother found the pants. Rather than scolding me, she calmly explained that girls would begin to bleed at a certain age, and that it was a natural monthly process called a “period.” She showed me how to clean the blood off and even brought me some pads.
Looking back, I remember her telling me to keep my period hidden, as though it were something shameful. But now, as an adult, I realize that it’s not something to be ashamed of—just a natural part of life, albeit an inconvenient one at times.
– Nimuel
My first period was at school, I knew what it was the moment I felt my underwear soak in my math class. I ran out of the room to the bathroom and started to cry. The blood had soaked through my school skirt and the pain started immediately. My tears lasted until I got home and my nan soaked my clothes in the sink and held me close. She told me I’d be okay and that this was just the beginning of a long journey ahead of me.
– Haylee
I don’t remember much about the day I got my first period. It wasn’t a big moment for me because I had already been taught what to expect long before it happened. My family, especially my mom and sister, were really open about the whole thing, so when it finally came, it was treated as just another part of growing up. No one made a big deal out of it, and in turn, I didn’t either.
That being said, I remember being curious about what it would feel like before it happened. Since both my mom and sister had already gone through it, I would sometimes wonder how it would be for me and if I’d feel different. But when it did happen, I realized it was more of a quiet, almost unremarkable transition for me—maybe because I had been so well-prepared by the women in my family.
– Angie
