Just the working life...

Today was a little busier than Monday. The lunch was chicken chow mein, rice, and mixed vegetables; I don't know if it's a particularly popular lunch, because not everyone was very happy with it (too salty, apparently), but things were hopping nonetheless. I met Blake, another volunteer; he's Deaf, but pretty oral, and Suany kept telling him to turn off his voice and sign with me so I can learn more. We were talking about sign names. I don't have one yet, but I really want one, because not only would it make me feel accepted in the Deaf community, but I also love how sign names are given. Unlike English names, they aren't just an arbitrary combination of letters your parents stick on you at birth for the purposes of identification; sign names comment on a characteristic, and someone needs to know you a little before giving you one. Blake was saying that he never uses his, because the action that goes along with it resembles throwing up (he wasn't too happy about that!). He was also trying out a couple possibilities for me and asking if I liked them - which I appreciated, because if my sign name were anything like his, I'd never use it either! I'm excited to get to know him better.

I also met Joseph, who's Deaf-Blind. It took me a little while to get accustomed to tactile sign and being identified by having my face, head, and arm touched. Joseph's aide, Chandra, had to show me how to get his attention and sign to him, but it was fine once I got the hang of it. After lunch, I gave him his milk, and he handed me a pamphlet asking me to accept Jesus Christ as my personal lord and savior, then walked away before I could even think to respond, let alone figure out a way to tell him 'thank you, but I'm Jewish' without coming across as offensive. I cannot even describe how hilarious I found this incident, but I'm still laughing a little as I write this several hours later.

Lea was the self-appointed director today. Prior to lunch, she pushed the food cart into the kitchen and told me to bring it downstairs, even though the food had already been delivered. When I told her it had already arrived and showed her the containers on the counter, she laughed and sat down. But she continued to act as the representative for everyone, telling me that Evelyn hadn't paid yet and that Al didn't want vegetables and so on. I thought she'd never actually sit down and eat her own lunch! She's pretty funny.

My sign is definitely more rusty than I thought. Blake asked if MMC was a Catholic school, and I tried to explain that we were no longer affiliated, since Hillary Clinton is pro-choice and she spoke at graduation. It took a couple tries and more fingerspelling than I'd have liked to get the idea across, but he was patient and it eventually worked.

Tanya Towers is the sort of place I can leave stress and problems at the door; my tasks are routine, the atmosphere is relaxed, and the residents and staff are so friendly that socializing is completely natural and enjoyable. In a less congenial environment, I could easily imagine conversations being awkward chores, and I'm so glad it's not the case there. The residents keep me on my toes with requests and jokes; I'm getting better at picking up on punchlines, too.

Today, I felt confident and comfortable.