The Homework Hurricane

Hi All!

Whew! I finally dug myself out of a virtual homework hurricane so that I could pause to blog a bit!

On Tuesday I went back to my ASL class and found myself in the midst of a homework hurricane - there was a BUNCH of homework which needed to be done by Thursday and little time to do it! Needless to say, that freaked me out a bit and I spent my blogging time yesterday feverishly working.

I got almost all of my homework done Wednesday morning but I had to go to an activity or place to interact with Deaf people in order to write a paper about it. So . . . I jumped in my car and headed to the Deaf Action Center. This is sort of like a senior citizen's center for the Deaf. The center does other things as well but the part I was concerned with provided low cost meals and activities for Deaf seniors.

These dear people are nice enough to allow ASL students to come to the center to interact with them and to practice their sign language. They are patient and kind and just a bit mischievous at times. I had visited the center several times during the last semester and so many of the seniors recognized me (this despite my shorn locks!). It was fun talking to them and teasing them as they teased me.

I have been in a real funk lately but, while I was at the DAC, I found myself really having a good time. I guess I have found the secret to getting out of my funk!

Now, if I can keep my positive thoughts through lab and class today. On Tuesday, I went to the lab (the ASL language lab where you practice signing with the aides who are all Deaf) and, of course, had a lot to make up because I was behind by a week due to going to visit my folks. I got right to work and was making my way through one of the two lessons I needed to make up. I was doing pretty well despite many brain blips caused by not practicing for a week. Then . . . SHE came and sat next to me.

SHE is a woman in my ASL II class. She is older and always looks sad and bored. I could never figure out why but she was just not the friendliest person in the bunch. I found out her story on Tuesday in the lab.

SHE sat next to me and proceeded to tell me that the signs I was doing were wrong! SHE always had something to say about whatever I was doing. This unnerved me and I was soon making more and more mistakes. Great! The ASL department head, Henry, came in and began talking to HER in a flurry of ASL. I didn't understand but, during this break, when SHE was paying attention to someone else, the lab aide I was working with told me that SHE was repeating ASL II so I shouldn't mind her. Apparently, SHE is a church interpreter and knows a LOT of signs. However, SHE knows ENGLISH signs and not ASL signs (there really is a big difference!) and was repeating ASL II because HER receptive sign language wasn't good enough for ASL III. That means that while SHE can sign up a storm, SHE doesn't do too well understanding what people say to HER. That made me feel a little better.

It also made me feel better when I realized during my homework mania that one assignment SHE did (and I saw) had been done incorrectly! Conjunctions in ASL are totally different from conjunctions in English and we were to write sentences using conjunctions. SHE used English conjunctions instead of ASL conjunctions.

Is it wrong for me to gloat a bit . . . just to myself?

Trisha

Voice Update: A large part of my funk is that I just don't want to talk. Period. I haven't done my exercises this week (bring on the wet noodles!) but I have done some massage. My whole neck seems to still be really tight from my bout of stiff neck last week. I actually had my "thumper" massager out last night working on my shoulders and neck and plan to do it again today before heading to class.