Thursday 13 February 2014

Auslan Is Fun

I think I mentioned before that K and I had signed up for an Auslan course.  Well last week was our first lesson and, to say I drove home feeling more than a little over whelmed would be a total understatement !  I wondered how I would manage to remember anything she had signed.

That night we had an interpreter which was great - he was fantastic (I know, it's his job, he should be good at it) but it was amazing to watch the interaction between the two of them as they were signing and he was telling us what Diana was signing.  It was quite a technical night in terms of explaining how signing came about, Diana's story (she was born deaf, her parent's are both deaf and her siblings are all deaf but none of her grandparents were deaf), sentence structure (or lack of) and where we can go online for help during the week if we need it / get stuck.  And then he told us that he was only there for one night and there was a massive "What ?" from everyone.  "How are we going to manage ?" - and he just laughed and said we would be fine.

Well, last night was the second lesson, and the first lesson with no interpreter, and it was amazing.  It was so much fun and there was so much laughing - not at people because they got things wrong - but because of what the sign actually meant when they made the wrong sign !!!  We had been shown 'light' and then a little later she asked us what we thought 'photocopier' was - we all had some funny action with a camera and a light - but no, it was paper with the light underneath it.  Later on during the class we were going over all the words written on the white board and she got to 'photocopier' except, we couldn't quite remember it, and if you have the light the wrong way i.e. facing up instead of down, that's the sign for 'fart'.  There were huge shrieks of laughter as she told us what some of us had been signing.

On our way home I said to K that we are definitely going to have to put aside time every day to practise because, like any language, you can't expect to be proficient in it if you don't practise.

I am joining in with Rhianna over at The Parenting Life for Thankful Thursday because I am very thankful that I have this opportunity to learn another language which may open doors for a future career move for me (apparently interpreters are highly sought after and there is a very limited supply to meet the need).

Have the best Thursday !

What are you thankful for today ?

TFTD : When people undermine your dreams, predict your doom or criticise you, remember, they're telling you their story, not yours.

12 comments:

  1. Go you for trying something new. What a wonderful experience and how nice for you and K to be doing it together. Good luck with it all. Sending fairy wishes and butterfly kisses your way and thanks for joining in with #thankfulthursday

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    1. Thanks Rhianna - it's great to have someone to practise on who makes me up my game to keep up with her !!!
      Thanks for hosting TT - a great linky !
      Have the best day.
      Me

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  2. What a great thing to do. I would love to learn another language although I am fairly proficient in baby babble and toddler talk!! Keep us posted on yourr progress!!

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    1. Will do Ann - I think we all get proficient in baby babble and toddler talk - even if no other person can understand what they are saying, Moms do !!!
      Have a great day !
      Me

      Delete
  3. Awesome, I have always wanted to learn sign, but a few years ago, the government stopped night school classes, where they taught it, so no longer unless you do it in a degree or live in places like Auckland :)

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    1. It is so much fun - maybe when you move to the Coast you can do it ????
      Have a great week !
      Me

      Delete
  4. What an awesome thing to learn! I've contemplated it a few times as Mercedes' hearing has deteriorated but fortunately because she has managed to develop such good language, it has been a 'want' rather than a 'need' and I'm time poor :( But it's definitely on my bucket list!

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    Replies
    1. It's not surprising that you are time poor with 5 little angels to look after - I'm sure you will get to do it sometime in the future.
      Have a great day and I hope that Mercedes is recovering well.
      Me

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  5. What a great idea to do together as a mother-daughter thing. And I hope you do get a gig as an interpreter. Did you see Adam hills with one recently. He kept seeing her doing a funny action so he kept saying the word that made her do it. That playing around was funnier than his material...

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    1. That would be so cool if I could get to be good enough to become an interpreter - and, I think, heaps of fun. This certainly has opened up an avenue for me that I had never considered.
      Some of the actions are quite funny - K and I were signing this morning and I was saying "Never" quite emphatically - we were killing ourselves laughing !!!
      Have the best day !
      Me

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  6. Man, I just left a long comment and it disappeared. The gist of it was, I would love to learn Auslan, and my Mum and sisters and brother learnt it a couple of years ago. It's helped my sister in her childcare work, and they have taught Punky a few signs which is great, except they didn't teach me too!

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    1. Don't you hate it when that happens !!!!! LOL at your family teaching Punky but not you - that would make for some interesting times.
      Have the best day !
      Me

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Have the best day.

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