Not A Sound by Tatiana

Not A Sound by Tatiana - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

Not a sound. I feel the amazement course through my veins as my eyes take in the new information. Her movements are quick, and I am unable to understand them, but it is captivating. I watch as her brain create the words with her hands. Without saying a word, I watch her tell us what her favorite foods are, and how many family members she has. My fascination increases as her facial expressions help to tell the story of her life. I want to do that; I want to be able to communicate like this. I want to speak sign language.
7:30 am before school, Kindergarten through second grade, sign language class. I started to learn sign language at the age of 5. I am sure I learned a lot, but when the teacher left the school, what I learned slowly slipped out of my brain. I could remember the alphabet and the song, “Yes, Jesus loves me”, but that was about it.
The new girl in my geometry class, had two green hearing aids peeking out from her ears. This new girl was bold, and very determined to create a club that would help people better understand her. Although she was able to speak, she liked signing better. Her name was Sarah. Once club choice day came around, I knew that I would be choosing sign language club. I knew that I wanted to finish what I started. Sarah had an interesting way of teaching sign language club. She taught us popular songs using sign language, which allowed us to pick up interesting words. Because of my background with the alphabet, I was able to help my peers. I loved the idea of being able to communicate with the people around me. It is a tradition for people in the deaf community, to have a shortened version of their name in a sign. They are the only ones that are allowed to present these names to people outside of that community. Sarah honored me with a sign name; my fingers curled into a T, and I switch it into both of my hands. It is the sign for a hamburger with a T, perfect for me.
It is important to notice that everyone is not the same. Communicating with people who are different from you is so essential to being able to effectively change the world. I am excited for the time when I will be able to communicate fluently. I think it is immensely important to learn languages. I believe that language is part of my journey in my attempt to change the world.