This semester, I have been taking Beginner A.S.L. (American Sign Language) at UC and have loved every bit of it. The atmosphere of the class is different than all of my other classes, and the structure of it is something I really enjoy. It's my first class Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and I do not get to talk, and I have to pay attention or I get really lost. That's why I like it a lot. I'm a visual learner, so this class and the language itself is something that comes easy.
One of the requirements while taking A.S.L. is to go to a deaf social event for the deaf community previously approved by our professors. Most of my class, as well as other classes and other colleges/universities, went to an event on Friday, November 4. This event was at Kenwood Towne Center and happened to be a dinner, so we could eat and also socialize. We were required to be there for two hours, spending one hour observing and one hour socializing. I ended up socializing more than observing, although since it was a deaf event, we were told some of the people attending might not have been as open to talking with us as others. However, we found two teenagers which made it easier. They used some signs we had never been taught, whether because it was something for a later class or level or because it might be deemed "inappropriate" to some professors. It was cool though to see a bunch of people in one area communicating through a visual language.
It took a while for my classmates and I to get comfortable. But once we got around to where the event was happening, we had to just sign, no speaking. It was interesting, and we didn't really know who was a student there for class or someone there who normally went. It was really cool to see and interesting to be around. It was a time for the deaf community to socialize with their friends just as I normally would, while enjoying food. Even though I couldn't speak, something I am known to do a lot, I got to know some of the people. One lady was from California and had 11 siblings, while the boy we met was 17 or 18 and well into a very hard college degree.
If taking A.S.L. or learning more about the deaf community interests you, I highly recommend taking a class. It's something that is not too difficult to learn, but can be very beneficial. To the deaf community there are two worlds, the hearing world and their world. It's something that can be hard to grasp until you get into the class and get to look at different aspects. I hope I can continue taking more classes to broaden my knowledge of the Deaf community and to learn more A.S.L. Seeing the event last night made it clear to me that this is a very special, unique language everyone should get to experience
