Happy December Everyone!

Hello faithful friends and family!!
I am not sure that I can catch you up on everything that has happened here since my last post on here. Here’s a few pictures to show you!

The view of the pretty autumn leaves from my window

My boyfriend, Zack, here in DC with me in the autumn

My classmate, Jackie, and I working on a research project using a nasometer

My friends and I watching CNN on Election Night! We all had too much work to do so we did not venture out into DC towards the White House (sadly)

Several of my fellow Speech Girls and I having a Thanksgiving Dinner together before we went home for the real dinner!

My friends Charlene, Allie, and Wyatte on a typical Friday night in the dorms (watching a movie)

I also went home to Southern Pines for Thanksgiving. I took an Amtrak train (about 8.5 hours home and 7 hours back) and jumped off the train into my parent’s arms! I had a great time relaxing and just being with my family at home. It is so nice and I’m so appreciative that I have such a great place to go home to.

So this week is FINAL EXAM WEEK! Yikes! As you can tell, I am procrastinating studying and writing reports by posting on my blog. It is much more fun to answer your questions than answer questions about the respiratory system or spirometers. Here are some answers to more questions that I received!

The major adjustments you have had to make 'in your head' about being a minority on campus. Are there those that treat you differently because you can hear? Do you feel a need to keep that fact to yourself? If so - why?
It has been interesting being a minority on campus (because I am hearing). There are certainly people that may treat me differently because I am hearing, but for the most part, they understand and know that I am here to learn and be a part of the culture. I get asked a lot by deaf people why I am in the speech program here and what I want to do with it. I explain that I think speech is interesting and that I want to work with deaf people. They ask, sometimes with a strained look on their face, whether I want to teach all deaf kids to speak English. I tell them that I will help people if they want to learn, but I also encourage people to learn sign language. I am not here to take away anyone’s culture or language. I obviously support sign language or I would not be here!! They seem to appreciate me more and have a better understand of what I’m doing here at Gallaudet.
I know that many of us hearing students do fake being deaf. We will hear loud sounds or people screaming and not turn around. I’m not quite sure if we’re doing it to hide the fact that we’re hearing, or if we’re just lazy and know that people do not expect you to turn around when there is a loud sound. My roommate and I have been playing a game that we made up here called Who’s Hearing? We will hear loud sounds and look around to see who else looked. It is always interesting to see who turns because you know that they are either hearing, hard of hearing, or wearing good hearing aids!

When groups of hearing and non-hearing students are sitting together, as in the cafeteria, how do you communicate?
This is an easy one to answer: American Sign Language. Always.

Is the cafeteria noisy or quiet?
The cafeteria varies. People tend to think that a deaf school would be quiet. I think the only noisy thing that differs between a mainstream school and a deaf school is people walking around on cell phones. Deaf people can be loud. They make sound (whether they can hear it or not) when they talk, eat, walk, etc just like everyone else. They can be quiet, but they can be loud too. It depends on their personality and mood. I think the cafeteria can be quiet noisy. We also have TVs in there that make it louder!
I know that your mom has mentioned that you shouldn't talk on your cell out in the open campus. I want to know more about things that you have to do at school or make a point of not doing that you didn't have to worry about before and you do it that way at Gallaudet.
So I was told not to walk around on my cell phone here on campus. I understand the reasoning, other peope may find this offensive. They come to a deaf school knowing that they are in their element with people of similar cultures. Walking around on your cell phone just isn’t appropriate most of the time. I have good friends here now that I don’t feel weird around when I answer my phone. They know I’m hearing and know that I need to talk to my parents, boyfriend, friends, etc. I rarely answer my phone in the cafeteria or in the Student Academic Center. It just isn’t appropriate. Other things that I make a point to remember are signing at all times (except when just in my room or something private), wearing gloves instead of mittens (it is very difficult to sign in mittens!! you need your fingers!), and being able to see everyone’s faces and hands when sitting at a table. I'm sure there are other things but I can't think of them off the top of my head.

What is it like to hear at Gallaudet? Your parents told me that it is unusually loud there. Do you wear earplugs sometimes to get away from the noise?
I just got noise reduction ear molds about a month ago. I get them at a reduced price because I work in the Hearing and Speech department; one of my friends who is here for Audiology helped me get the molds and mail them off. I love them because I can block out sounds when studying or sleeping. The weekends tend to be noisy times because the students go out and party to enjoy the time off from class; there are many loud parties that occur in the undergraduate dorm that is adjacent to my room. Remember that the music must be turned up much higher for some people to hear it! I love my ear plugs!

I will be finished with my school work on Thursday (as long as everything goes according to plan!). I will be heading to Chapel Hill for a few days to see my friends and celebrate the end of the semester! I will be heading home to Southern Pines after that to spend most of the rest of my Winter Break. I am so fortunate to have a LONG Winter Break! I do not start school again until the day after Inauguration Day! I cannot wait to spend time with my family and friends and NOT do schoolwork!

All 12 First Year Speech-Language Pathology students here at Gallaudet University
(these girls are my family here in DC!)
Back row L-R: Caryn, Melissa, Erica, Heather, Rachel, Nada, Jill
Front row L-R: Cheryl, Carolyn, Jackie, Meredith, Erin

Update: it was pointed out to me that I neglected to put any photos up of the National Christmas Tree Lighting that I attended last week on the Ellipse in front of the White House. It was a grand ole affair with the President of the United States (not Obama, yes Bush) and his wife. There were several singers there including a chorus group from Enterprise, Alabama. There was also a little4 year old girl that was on America's Got Talent that sang (name: Kaitlyn Maher). It was all quite exciting, especially when Santa showed up and Mrs. Bush lit the Christmas tree. It is HUGE! I read in the pamphlet that it is almost 42 feet tall and is a living tree that spends most of it's days in Pennsylvania. This is the 30th year that this exact tree has been lit in front of the White House. Here are some photos from that wonderful adventure!

The President of the US watching and listening to the chorus in his glass box
The National Christmas Tree!

A few answers to your questions!!

I’ve gotten a lot of questions and loved getting emails from people! I will attempt to answer all of the questions, but will have to divvy them up so I don’t end up with the longest message ever! I have put them all in categories to make them flow together as best as possible.

Where are your classmates from?

There are 23 girls total in the Speech-Language Pathology program. 11 Second-year girls and 12 first-years (I am a first-year). Our hometowns span the world, yes, the world! I am the only one from North Carolina, but other girls are from the following places: Connecticut, New Jersey, Saudi Arabia, Caribbean, New Hampshire, Virginia, California, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, West Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Maryland.

Here are several girls in my program all gathered together!

Other people in graduate school here are from all over. I've met a LOT of people from New York and California, but there are many places represented here.

How much interaction is there between grad students and undergrads?

There is some interaction between grads and undergrads. I definitely know a LOT more grad students, but know a few undergrads as well. We all intermingle in the cafeteria, football games, and other campus events. I’d imagine it’s pretty similar on most other campuses.

Do you have undergrads on your dorm floor?

Sort of related to the last question…I do not know of any undergraduate students on my floor. The way my dorm is set up there are 8 floors total (I live on the top! 8^th floor!). The floors are split into 2 parts, North & South, with the elevators and stairs in between the parts. The 6^th, 7^th and 8^th floors are designed to be graduate students with the 1^st-5^th being mainly undergrads. I do have a good friend who lives on the 2^nd floor, but she’s a minority grad student on her floor.

Here is how the halls are organized. The 7th and 8th floor South comes together!

Are you living with hearing or deaf suitemates?

My suitemates are all hearing. We might be one of the only all-hearing suites though. My roommate is Nicole and she's from California. My suitemates are Desiree (my former roommate) and Kristina. Desiree is from Nevada and Kristina is from Scotland! The floors are co-ed, both guys and girls living on the same floor, but in separate suites. There are deaf people that live on my hall.

Are all undergrads and K-12 students deaf or hearing deprived?

This is a good question, though the term “hearing deprived” isn’t the technical term. Hard of Hearing and Deaf are the official terms used for students here. In order to go to school here, you have to have a certain hearing loss. I’m not sure what the exact numbers in decibel levels are, but I think they have gotten slightly lower throughout the years. I do know that if you are a deaf adult with a hearing child, your child may not attend school here. I also know that there are some Hearing Undergraduates (called HUGs). I don’t know the exact specifications, but they must be fluent in American Sign Language because all of their classes will be sign only (no interpreters).

Are many students training to work with children?

It depends on the program/major that they are in. In the Speech-Language Pathology program, you will work with all ages. I currently have a 3-year old hearing client and a deaf adult client. I know other girls have elderly people as well. Many in the other programs do not have clients yet, but many want to work with children, like me. My roommate is in the Deaf Education program here, with her speciality being Family Centered Early Education. She wants to work with families that have hearing parents with deaf children, and planning the best way to raise their child.

Are you picturing yourself in a career yet or too busy in the learning aspects?

I like this question! If you had asked me this during the first 2 weeks of school here, I would have said that I’m too busy learning to see myself as a Speech-Language Pathologist. Since week 3, I would say that I definitely picture myself in a career. We started with clients our 3^rd week here at school. Yes, I am taking 7 classes, but I also have 2 regular clients and 1 client that changes every other week. I see my 2 regular clients twice a week each, for 50 minutes each. They are very different but a lot of fun. My “other client” I work with in a team. This is someone that comes in for diagnostic testing. They come in and my team and I have looked over their file and determine what we need to test and observe. After we assess their skills and interview them (or their parents) we determine what they need, whether it be speech therapy, a stimulation group, or just more access to a good speech and language model. I will not lie to you and say this is the best semester of my life, because it has not been. I have never been this overwhelmed and stressed in my whole life. I don’t feel like I have a lot of time to chill and hang out, but as the semester progresses, I feel better. I like doing therapy more. I like classes more. I’m enjoying myself more because I have better learned how to manage graduate school as different from undergrad school. It is very different!!! I love it here and love what I’m doing so far, it’s just very hard!