Last winter semester I started receiving e-mails from Rebekah about the possibility of creating an ASL House. A desire to learn ASL has been growing in me since I was 11, having learned basic phrases during an Achievement Day activity. I was excited at this new opportunity, and a correspondence began that resulted in the apartment I live in today.
As the end of summer approached my nervousness grew. I knew communicating in only ASL would be just as hard as communicating in Spanish when I first moved into the Spanish House had been. When I met Darci for the first time, I asked her if she was scared or excited to start using ASL all the time. Her response--"I'm terrified!" I had to laugh; it mirrored my feelings exactly.
But what an amazing experience it has been so far!! My vocabulary has grown, my grammar is slowly starting to improve (very slowly), and my eyes are being opened more and more to the beauty of Deaf Culture.
There are six of us living together, all pretty basic ASL students except for Destiny who has been studying to become an ASL interpreter most of her life.
Oftentimes when people seem a little uncomfortable when they meet someone who is hard of hearing. They're not sure how to act, who to look at, etc....At first it kind of annoyed me. Then it saddened me. Then I realized that I had been just like them a few years ago. Even a few months ago to be honest. It's always uncomfortable to not understand what is happening and not know how to communicate with someone. That's why I love learning languages. I love removing that barrier.
All in all, I am so excited for this semester! The frustrations of not being able to fully express ourselves or completely understand each other as roommates will be far outweighed by the appreciation for and understanding of Deaf Culture and ASL that we will gain, the experiences that we will have, and the love that we are developing for each other through this experience. Already I feel like we are a family.
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