Deaf Night Out

Calming Image A

Propelled by rage over the news of yet another mass murder, I went for a long walk in the grey rain. I wanted, needed, to chill the fuck out before I went to my first ASL Meet Up. I’d never met any of these folks before (that being scary enough all by itself) and I was nervous about making a good go of convo all in sign language (EEP!). The group’s free form in that the only rule is “no voices.” Fine by me since I wouldn't hear them anyway.

We strive to have a good time and communicate without using voices. If we need to, we draw or write what we don't know how to sign, and if lots of folks show up, we split up into small groups and mix and mingle, so we can actually see one another clearly, face-to-face and get a good conversation going.

When I arrived, the only two people there were both Deaf so I was all set to be embarrassed about my weak-ass signing. Arthur and Rob were great though—very patient and helpful. We talked—OK, I raged—about the latest mass shooting (ALL in ASL!!!).

Calming Image B

An aside—there doesn't seem to be a sign specifically for the word rage. There's angry and mad (same) but I don't see rage. The Signing Savvy site shows rage as just being fingerspelled. That is NOT expressive of the emotion at all—MUCH too pallid. Perhaps the way to do this is to sign angry but make my facial features appropriately explosive.

Karen and Judy joined our little group next. Both have full hearing and are teaching their toddlers (who have hearing) how to sign. Interesting. I hope to see them again so I can ask how they became interested in ASL and what’s the motivation for teaching their kiddles. Interesting.

Now, here’s where things got a bit funny. Turns out Judy’s a music teacher and a singer. Wow! I asked about her voice range (lyric soprano), who were her fav composers and which operas does she fancy (she’s sung Mimi in La Boheme!!!). Nobody’d heard of the Kodo Drummers of Japan which sort of surprised me. They're amazing with hearing or without.

I’m afraid I monopolized the table with music talk. Yet again, Donna is the odd babe out. Deaf and having a house afire music convo…at a deaf event.

The meet up was scheduled to last for 90 minutes. At first I thought UNpossible! I can’t make chit chat IN ASL, with people I’ve just met for an hour and a half! Em, before I knew it the time was up. I’d done OK, learned some new signs, mebbe only came off as slightly foolish/strange and managed to calm down some of my furioso-ness over the latest atrocity.

I'm looking forward to next week's meet up AND maybe I'll even try one of groups in Cambridge too!