"Cherish" By Noel

This is a student from Columbia in Chicago that I went to school with at Gallaudet.  Often in ASL Lit class we ask, "can it be literature if a hearing person is signing it?".  We struggle with this question as interpreters, wanting to including ourselves into the Deaf community, hoping to be accepted.  I would call this ASL literature, simply because Noel uses ASL to express her "Cherish" story.  She uses specific handshapes and classifiers to express the message throughout her poem.






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_7E3ai3QKo&feature=related

The Sweet & the Sour

Have you heard?  My life is insane.

Sweet:  I got to go to Chicago last weekend and see a good friend.

Sour:  I couldn't afford it but did it anyway.

Sweet: I got to spend a full day in front of the tv watching some movies with Kate.

Sour:  I didn't pack as a result of the tv, movie watching day and forgot my taxes, dads birthday gift and medicine in my apartment.

Sweet:  I got to go home for the rest of the week!

Sour:  My grandma and my mom live together..... ha, enough said.

Sweet:  My mom, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer, spoke at an event 5 years ago and a woman who was affiliated with Harvest Food Bank heard her story and felt compelled to give my mom a free pass at any time to the food bank.  This past weekend I told my mom how I was barely affording food at my apartment and she decided to take me to the food bank.  I got so much free food!  I felt so blessed that an opportunity and a resource so awesome was available to me and that it has provided for my mom throughout these years.  We are truly blessed.

Sour:  It was exhausting to be overwhelmed with so much great food (which is really not a bad thing at all...)

Sweet:  David is coming home in one month!!

Sour:  David is coming home in one month.... (ha, it seems so far away)

Sweetest Girl

Too busy of a week and I needed a break... maybe next time I'll rehearse a little more next time : )

Enjoy.

Deaf Literature: Assignment 2

Ayisha Knight is a Deaf poet who has performed on Def Poetry; a show created by Most Def. The poem that she performed on this show, she also used to create a video that includes music, pictures, signing and words that tied her thoughts together. It is a very impacting clip and interesting how she takes a visual thought of oppression, not just because she is Deaf but, from many parts of her life.

This clip seems to be focused on not just the ideas of being Deaf but also the many aspects of life, her experiences and the labels that have given to her. I like that she did not just stick to one mode but continued to express herself throughout the clip in many different ways. Because she did not stay consistent with ASL and speaking only of her life as a Deaf person I would consider it Deaf Literature.

     



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3ufVYN3t8M

Deaf Literature: Discovering what it means

Currently I am in a Deaf literature class and we are constantly asking ourselves, "what is it literature?".  This is really a prevalent question within the class because the Deaf community is consistently being challenged that they don't have literature.  Literature comes in so many forms and to restrict it to just text would be boring.

Last week in class Deb assigned us to start searching for material online and bring it to the class, challenging each other with the question, "is this literature?".  This is a poem in ASL that uses both ASL and SEE (signing exact english) so my challenge is, is this still ASL literature?  It uses a different form to express different perspectives in Deaf culture....so my question is, does it have a positive impact with the choice of mode he uses?  My opinion is that this is Deaf Lit but not ASL Lit.  It uses different parts of signing to create a connection between all Deaf people.  Although it may use both SEE and ASL to express its point, it shows that all Deaf people are connected through their heritage no matter how much variety in language there may be.






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0VBvKNd6hE

Yet Another Weekend...

...And my guy isn't here.  Getting over an awful cold, staying busy and sliding my way back into the Goshen culture has a much different feeling to it when my partner in crime isn't around.  My boyfriend, David, has been gone for 13 days now and it feels like 5 months.  How is this possible?  The time that I am spending this semester is going to be one of those soul searching, long awaiting, when will you be back for me kind of semesters.....ok, maybe not that dramatic.  It will have some of that, but it will have more independent, focus on school and discover a different part of life kind of semester too.

I think that so many times people get caught in relationships and forget who they are.  I can't say that I have forgotten but I can say that I'm not sure if I remember how it feels to not have someone around all the time (to either talk to via phone or in person).  Now, really, I don't have either.  I rarely get to talk to him through email and (the obvious) I don't get to see him in person.  So different!  Africa has stolen him away and I am here having my own experience.

Currently I am focusing on my second part of my major: interpreting.  From now on I will be interpreting chapel, classes, a play; learning about what it takes to become certified; taking a deeper look into Deaf culture and Deaf literature and after all this tutoring.  I am beginning to put my heart and soul into this and I suppose, if any semester, this is the best one for my guy to be gone.

I am scared out of my mind to become a supposed "interpreter" but I am also getting excited.  This adventure is one nothing like anything I have experienced and I'm ready to begin putting on my interpreting shoes.  It's weird that I have kept this blog for so long and to see my progress, goals and different ideas throughout college is such a crazy thing to look back on.  I hope that ya'll stay with me!  Interpreting is just going to get that much crazier!

Oh Christmas..

...It came and went and now school is almost here!  Back to Goshen I go:  transition from Deaf to Hearing school.  I think its going to take a moment for me to readjust but I'm definitely excited to get back.

Currently I am working on putting together some footage that I took while I was at Galley, hoping to get Goshen in the game of sending interpreting majors off to Gallaudet for an SST semester.  I want to show the culture that Gallaudet has to offer; the visual buildings, the (most the time) ASL using campus, the people and experiences that I have gained.  It is hard to summarize my full experience, but I hope to convey it and be understood.  I want to pave the way for other students in the future to get the opportunity that I got from being at a Deaf school.  I can't say that I'm totally fluent or have way better skill than everyone else that came back from Jamaica, but I definitely gained understanding, experience and relationship. I would never take back that time.

The last week that I was at Gallaudet I was super lucky not to have any exams.  I hung out, tied up some loose ends and worked on this project.  It was super tough to say goodbye, but I hope that at some point I can take a trip to see a few of my friends again.