Julie's Deaf Call

Friday night I went with my friend Julie, and her friend Aya to talk to a deaf man Aya had met.  Thai sign language is 50% ASL so many Thai can more-or-less understand someone signing ASL

 

I sat there, with Aya --Japanese-- on my left.  She was signing things in Japanese and Thai sign the best she could, while occationally having me translate Thai words into English for Julie (who speaks English and ASL --not Thai.)   It was quite an hour. 

 

Across the table, Julie is signing to him, while asking me to ask Aya something in Thai about what he's saying.  No wonder we were such a spectacle in the restaurant!  ;)  A Thai man, a Japanese girl, and two Americans, signing (all except for me.)

 

I watched as Julie, Aya and this man drew pictures with their hands and silently created scenes.  I actually understood many parts of the explanations and found it fascinating. 

 

I never really cared for sign-language before.  I think I almost found it irritating.  For me, it was frustrating because me ears craved sound, and the ease of an explanation with words.  I always felt so useless around deaf people. 

 

However, after sitting there for a long time in the quiet, intensely watching, seeing this man's eyes pour out expression, I forgot to think about sound, and foucused on the hand guestures.  Aya is such an actress as well.  Watching her is like watching a play.  Her face changes so quickly.  It was all remarkably expressive.

 

I started to think about this man's world.  How, of all the people around, he'd only ever really communicate with so few of them.  How small his world really is.  He was so interesting, able to read and write Chinese, Japanese, and Thai.  He's also able to sign in Thai sign and Japanese sign.  No one would really know that though.  He was so thrilled to be able to communicate with people, and talking about his beliefs in the religion and the universe, he had so many thoughts.  He kept asking my why I didn't know how to sign, and I really wished I did.