Day Nine

Some of you might know, some of you might not. I have profound hearing loss and communicate primarily using sign language. The keepers have been great about learning basic sign language to communicate with me.

One of my most ardent students is a keeper called Megan. I only see her on Mondays, and I really enjoy working with her. While all the keepers are great about picking up sign and using that as a method to ask me to do tasks, Megan actually tries to communicate. At one point, Megan suddenly turns to me and asks (in sign) whether I had heard about a news story involving a little boy named Hunter whose name sign looked like a gun. It was really nice getting to sign with someone at the facility about a topic other than the animals.

I have to give massive props to each keeper and intern. They have worked so hard to make sure that I understand what is going on, and pick up some sign in the meantime.

Sign language is cool, right?

I am so impressed by the keepers, who make sure that they look at me directly so I can read their lips and don't try to get my attention while my back is turned (as far as I know). Some keepers have taken sign language classes in the past and get by on what they can remember. Others are potentially looking up signs as we go. Yet others will come up, say "What?" and make a gesture, then tell me the word. In other words - they're asking me what the sign is for a particular word. One day, while in with the genets and teaching the interns the sign for "poop," I looked up to see Carolyn making a sign for a vulgar word meaning bovine manure. While hilariously inappropriate, I greatly enjoyed the fact that she was making an effort with what she knew.

I like to think I'm infinitely patient (hahaha yeah right...) and I really enjoy teaching the keepers and interns new signs.

A couple of the interns already had prior knowledge - one has a deaf sister in Costa Rica, another knew fingerspelling and some basic signs, and a third had a mother who is an ASL teacher. The intern house apparently has a book with illustrations of signs, and according to one intern, everyone pores over the book nightly.

That makes me happy. I think that was what I was most nervous about before starting this internship. I was worried I would be lumped with a group of interns who were going to leave me out of everything and basically ignore me except when necessary.

This group of interns... do they do that? Not even close. The only time I have a hard time keeping up with conversation is at lunch but I'm such a slow eater anyway that it doesn't really matter.

With each day that passes, I feel like I'm getting to know the interns better, and I really enjoy interacting with them. When this internship ends next month I think I'm going to have a really hard time saying goodbye.