I am working on learning American Sign Language for my major in highschool. For some reason it stuck my fancy and now the person who has always been the first to step out of the limelight to hide in the crowd is now learning the skills required to be at the front of the room interpretting for anyone who may need the service. How does that even happen?

I guess some where along the line I decided that I didn't want to always be afraid of people. I didn't want to constantly hide myself and keep quiet any longer. Somewhere down the line I decided that I was important enough for people to have to pay attention to. Yet I didn't want to use my voice. I guess it makes sense that I decided to learn American Sign Language and use my hands to speak for me, that way my voice doesn't break, and my nerves can't jumble up my words as easily... Perhaps it is fitting that someone who has never really been heard before learns the language of the Deaf, after all no one ever cared cared to pat attention to them either. Maybe the Deaf Community will see me in a way that the hearing world never has... In a world where only the loud people are noticed, it may just be invigorating to know that everone is noticed in the Deaf Community... Sure I'll just be the outsider looking in, a hearing indiidual in the Deaf world, but maybe just maybe I could relate to how they feel.

I have decided that as much as I like learning ASL, I do not like practicing it. It is exceedingly difficult to learn a language when not a single one of your friends know that language. Even more so if you are also the only one in your group of friends who has decided to take the language. I have been put into a classroom unfamiliar by every stretch of imagination and I am to learn this beautiful language that sometimes leaves me wanting to run away screaming, demanding for something that I know! The entire class is completely silent, no voices are allowed... What's worse is the people in the back row of the class actually are using their voices and translating the words outloud when everything is supposed to be silent... Here I am, trying to put images to the words, numbers, and letters I am learning and these people keep using English... Makes for remembering things the proper way very difficult.

"Why doesn't the teacher stop them?" you ask. Well, because she is hard of hearing and does not know they are speaking!

It is well past the time I should have retired to bed and gone to sleep, I do after all have class again tomorrow. Maybe the next little blurb of a blog will be about Tai Chi... I am super excited to learn the whole flow of Tai Chi Yang style...