Hello from Washington DC!!

Hello everyone! My parents and I successfully drove the 6 hour trip from our house to Gallaudet University on Friday. Thankfully we had a Garmin GPS to help us navigate the long drive and tell us exactly where to turn. (My sense of direction is lacking, so a GPS is a very good tool!) We stayed at the Kellogg Conference Center on campus on Friday night. It is a very great place to stay and very close to my dorm. We ventured out into DC only once to grab dinner at Union Station. What a busy, chaotic metro station! (Schools and Universities are moving students in this weekend)



We moved into Carlin Hall (my dorm) on Saturday morning and met up with my new roommate. Her name is Desiree and she is VERY nice. I think our personalities will fit together nicely. She is from Nevada and has many degrees already. She is here at Gallaudet University (henceforth known as GU) to attain two more degrees in Deaf Education. She has worked as an interpreter for a while, which I find to be very helpful since I still do not feel comfortable with my signing level.
My parents did not have much time to hang out and enjoy the campus on Saturday because of the long drive back to North Carolina. It was very emotional for my mom (and I think my dad, too. He hides it better.). We had a lot of fun together and they made it home safely after stopping in for dinner with my brother in Raleigh on the way home.

Her parents took us to Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Staples once my parents had left. We stocked up on all the little things that she and I could not fit into our luggage. She only had a few suitcases since she and her parents flew here (the suitcase laws inhibit bringing too much for school). Her parents are staying in DC until Tuesday morning to tour around and see the hot spots.

Walking around on campus is still a bit unsettling considering I do not speak the language here very well. I have also noticed that I tend to freeze up when someone signs to me. I need to learn to just sign a few things to them to make them slow down and help me out. I will get plenty of practice living on campus. I'm excited to learn such a beautiful language, I just wish I could download the language into my brain for faster results!!

I said bye to several of my friends this week which made it seem much more real. It was hard saying bye to my boyfriend and other friends in Chapel Hill and realize that they are starting classes back at UNC and I will not be there. I will always be a Tar Heel at heart.

I found out my mailing address! It is a box on campus, but I'm not sure yet where it is. I hope they will tell me Monday when Graduate School Orientation begins.

Melissa Perryman
Gallaudet University
#358
800 Florida Ave NE
Washington, DC 20002-3695

Just copy that exact address to anything you need to send me!

I will begin Graduate School Orientation Monday morning. It will last all week long with classes starting the following week. I'm really excited to begin such a challenging adventure. I know my family is a bit worried that I will not fit in (I'm a minority here and do not speak the language yet) but I'm strong enough to survive. These first few months will be daunting, but I learn quickly so I know I can adapt and have fun too!

Also, I'm pretty sure I have one of the best views of Washington DC from my window! I am so thrilled to be living in a big city! I can see the National Cathedral, Washington Monument, GU football field, GU baseball fields, several major buildings of GU, Robert F. Kennedy Stadium (where the Redskins played until 1997 and now the Washington Nationals and DC United teams play!), and the beautiful landscape of surrounding DC.