Little bit mo', a little bit mo'...

Jan 23
First day at school! I had fun today. I watched Nancy tell the 3 Little Pigs story, then the kids acted it out. They were a little reserved, but it was cool to observe a literacy lesson. It was a great example for me of how great it is for the kids to have a Deaf teacher. I got to participate in another literacy/language fluency lesson, when the kids came and signed a passage with me. It was interesting to see them learning a second language, connecting signs they know with the English words, or learning new signs even. I understand the word-for-sign method for learning new English words; it was just hard for me to hold back from talking about what the paragraph as a whole meant. I’m sure they do that type of activity at other times, so I’d just like to ask Nancy more about the language learning process. It’s always hard for me to see people struggling with another language; clearly learning a 2nd language is not easy! Here were kids I can see sign well and communicate well most of the time (some are newer signers than others), but they struggle to write unguided sentences in their second language (English). I figure it’s a lot like trying to learn to write Mandarin without any mneumonic devices (as in, being able to connect characters to sounds you hear as a way to help you remember the characters), just straight up memorization of characters and sequence. Granted, millions of Deaf people do it every day; my respect for the effort that takes is deep. It was really cute to read some of the cards the kids made for Angelic tho: “I love Angelica. You deaf. I deaf. You friend. I respect.” :)

I interpreted the PTA meeting in the afternoon. I was pretty wiped out really after school all day, and I was hoping for a nap in the afternoon so I’d be more useful, but I hadn’t figured out how to walk home yet (I rode with Nancy in her van to get to school) and I wanted to see some of the town anyway. I did my best, but I definitely struggled some too. It was a bilingual meeting, so at least I got to interpret everything twice, and get better the 2nd time. Nancy was very patient and supportive during and after. I was thinking about how it’s a different kind of relationship to have your mentor and your “client” be the same person. Nancy was giving me some background information or feedback as I was interpreting, which was really helpful as I tried to understand people’s relationships & roles (and accents). I know it’s not “textbook” interpreting, but it seems like a great way to start working on my interpreting skills. How nice to have the person I’m interpreting for be able/willing to critique my interpretation, even tho that means having to split her attention between what I’m saying and how I’m saying it. One of the differences b/t doing my internship in Belize vs. with an agency is going to be about throwing out formal “interpreter role” dynamics, and I’m excited about the broader skills I’ll hopefully get to develop here as a result. I know I’ll have more responsibilities and relationships with the people I’m working with, and I’m excited about that. Nervous sometimes too about not having the skill base people might need/expect me to, but excited. Nancy and I are getting along well, which feels great. It’s always a little nerve-wracking to go into a situation where you’re going to be living & working with someone you don’t know, or in Nancy’s case, inviting a stranger into her home and classroom. I hope I’m putting her more at ease, as she does the same for me. I feel like I have a little ground to make up, or prove myself on, so I’ve been trying to convey my sincere gratitude to her for this opportunity, as well as my desire to be useful here, rather than an added worry. I think this is coming across b/c she has said she seems pleased that I’m easy to feed, don’t stay up super late, like helping out with the kids at school, enjoy visiting Deaf community members, and readily accept the cultural advice she gives. Hopefully her misgivings are dissolving at the same time mine are-- I’ve felt nothing but welcome here. Nancy’s friendly and open with everyone and I think we have a lot in common. I’m looking forward to getting to know her better continuing to develop a comfortable relationship.
p.s. Sulmi’s adorable. I’m really glad she lives here for lots of reasons, one of them being because she reminds Nancy and I to sign instead of falling into talking, and Nancy obviously signs differently to a Deaf child than to me, which is fun for me to see. Did I mention Sulmi’s laugh is one of my favorite things ever?

New vocab:
20. SEAL (V, like a container): flat on on mouth. We need to seal all the containers b/c of ants.
21. TORTILLA: RH presses fingers of Lh p-up B. We’ll have tortillas for dinner. Sulmi’s fav.
22. BRAG/GOT IT DOWN/BEEN THERE DONE THAT: EXPERIENCE, but claw-hs.
23. LUIS: L on heart
24. SAIR: S by ear
25. Hipolito: H-pd flap front of forehead
26. GOAL (n, soccer goal): p-facing 1s. Reading exercise. Kick a soccer goal.
27. GRAY: G on cheek, m=GIRL . Rain comes from gray, black, and white clouds.
28. LUMBER: TREE, marked w/ L. 3 Little Pigs. Man comes carrying lumber.
29. PIG: p-d B taps under chin. 3 Little Pigs
30. COMMIT: p-facing C from pecs out. Parents need to commit to learn sign. It’s hard.
31. ERASER: (from Luis). Look at my eraser? It’s an eyeball.
32. EDGAR: P-in E front of eyes
33. ALEJANDRO: A at temple
34. GINELLI: G signs CURL
35. JP: JP at temple
36. ANGELICA: A, thumb brushes shoulder
37. RHINO: (from JP) p-L I on nose. Pointed to picture in book and signed.
38. MULTIPLY: FIGURE OUT (m=once). Help them do problems. 34 x 12, etc
39. CAYO (district): p-up C, m=snow mobile. South, in Cayo district, there’s no Deaf church
40. MAYA: =KOREA, hands to shoulders tho
41. DOLPHIN: p-d CL-1 make jumping out of water motion. Sentence ideas: go boating and take pictures of dolphins
42. ARREST: 2h, p-d 5, Lh close to pd-S, Rh twist close to p-up S on Lh wrist. If your children are truant, the cops can arrest you
43. PRIZE: #prize
44. RAFFLE: describe or fs
45. GATE: 2h p-in 4s, fingertips touching e/o (ftips not pointing up), Rh m=OPEN
46. TERM (of school): =VIDEOTAPE, Rh=T. School has 3 terms, with exams during 1st and 3rd.
47. LOCK (Belize, per Ava): =CONNECT, 25hs
48. SHOP( Belize, small kiosk-type business): CREDIT CARD. School has little shop now that helps with revenue.
49. FOLD/FAIL/COLLAPSE: Rh // TREE, hs=S, Rh falls on Lh forearm (m=DAY, more abrupt). If the church weren’t here, the school would cease to exist.