Actions Speak Louder Than Words ... aka Its a Small, Small World
When I was in grade 11, I took a sign language course that was offered at my high school. It was a small class, and you had to have an interview with the teacher in order to be accepted - a lot of people applied for it! (Myself, I had an 'in' with the teacher ... lol. Her mother & my grandmother are good friends, and she went to elementary school with one of my uncles...but anyways). I really enjoyed the class, and got pretty good at it, probably helped quite a bit by the fact that around the same time I became friends with many of the deaf students at the school and had lots of opportunities to practice. In fact, they invited me (and a few other hearing friends) into their social circle, and we all had a lot of fun.
Sadly, I've lost touch with most of them since then, as well as most of my sign abilities ... I know some random signs still, and I know the fingerspelling alphabet, but thats about it. Although often when I see sign, if I watch I can sometimes pick up a word or two and get the gist of the conversation. But its not something that I think about most days, or very often at all.
So imagine my surprise when I got on the subway to head home yesterday afternoon, and right in front of the doors I enter on, is a woman I met through this circle of friends, Linda, who I haven't seen or spoken to in probably 4 or 5 years. We both recognized each other though (although she couldn't quite remember where she knew me from), and although I am very rusty, I was able to understand her signs/questions to me, and more or less communicate my answers to her. She was with a friend, someone I didn't know (both deaf), but by watching them sign I was able to follow their conversation as well. It was so cool ... its such an expressive way to communicate. I love the randomness of Toronto ... of all the subways, of all the doors I could have gotten on at ... lol.
But it gets better - when I got on the subway again this morning heading to work, again, there was Linda sitting right in the car right where I walked on! Very weird, especially as I'd walked through the PATH from Union up to St. Andrew station. So we chatted a bit more, she had recalled how we knew each other (through a mutual friend, who sadly neither of us has talked to for awhile. I really should remedy that!)
It's amazing how expressive your hands can be ... how you can communicate fully with little to no verbal cues. I should try to find my notes, I know I still have them (somewhere), and see what I can recall. I love learning about and new forms ofcommunication, in all ways. Not to mention running into old friends...
Sadly, I've lost touch with most of them since then, as well as most of my sign abilities ... I know some random signs still, and I know the fingerspelling alphabet, but thats about it. Although often when I see sign, if I watch I can sometimes pick up a word or two and get the gist of the conversation. But its not something that I think about most days, or very often at all.
So imagine my surprise when I got on the subway to head home yesterday afternoon, and right in front of the doors I enter on, is a woman I met through this circle of friends, Linda, who I haven't seen or spoken to in probably 4 or 5 years. We both recognized each other though (although she couldn't quite remember where she knew me from), and although I am very rusty, I was able to understand her signs/questions to me, and more or less communicate my answers to her. She was with a friend, someone I didn't know (both deaf), but by watching them sign I was able to follow their conversation as well. It was so cool ... its such an expressive way to communicate. I love the randomness of Toronto ... of all the subways, of all the doors I could have gotten on at ... lol.
But it gets better - when I got on the subway again this morning heading to work, again, there was Linda sitting right in the car right where I walked on! Very weird, especially as I'd walked through the PATH from Union up to St. Andrew station. So we chatted a bit more, she had recalled how we knew each other (through a mutual friend, who sadly neither of us has talked to for awhile. I really should remedy that!)
It's amazing how expressive your hands can be ... how you can communicate fully with little to no verbal cues. I should try to find my notes, I know I still have them (somewhere), and see what I can recall. I love learning about and new forms ofcommunication, in all ways. Not to mention running into old friends...
posted by C at
9:54 PM
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