The fall semester has wrapped up. The days of exams, final papers, projects and presentations are over- at least for now. The days after exams, the Bison server is overwhelmed by students flocking to check their final grades and to see their GPAs. Once again, the holidays are upon us. Kick back, relax, enjoy yourselves, your families, and your friend because before you know it you'll right back to college life. For graduating seniors like myself, just knowing there is one more semester to go pushes us ahead at full throttle. :)

Yes, research is a lot of work, but there is never a dull moment. There is always a discrepancy in data. Papers disappear and reappear and disappear. The computers decide that it will be fun to stop working or work slower than normal. Finally, research tends to prove us wrong. How often do you receive an assignment that looks and sounds so easy that you could do it in your sleep? I remember the first time I underestimated the amount of work that I thought it would be to feed data into an SPSS file. After all, I had done this in Research Methods in Psychology so many times. It should be a piece of cake, right? WRONG!!! I spent a good hour and 17 minutes trying to figure out where to start and how I was going to start. Ten minutes after finding my place, I was done. Looks are deceiving.

If you dare to seek us out, the Cave is on the second floor of the HMB, conveniently located in between the English department offices. Don’t feel like walking to the Cave? Check out the website, http://vl2.gallaudet.edu/. It may sound dark and hidden, but it's quite cozy and the staff is friendly! :)

There is so much to see and do at Hersheypark! The rides, the games (especially the arcade!), Waterworld, the Hershey band, and even a mini-feature in the theater. In the theater, I watched the "Hershey High" musical. A lot of acting and dancing, so not boring for deaf ears, smile. I'd duck into one of the many gift shops when I needed a break from the sun.

It was great seeing everyone just hanging together and having a great time with their friends and family. Some of the youth were Kendall/MSSD students. They were more anxious to get to the park than they were to leave!

While we were waiting for the rest of the group, those of us that were waiting made one final stop..........CHOCOLATE WORLD!!! That was the one place that no one on the trip had been to. You know, as you take a ride through the factory, you can actually smell the chocolate...mmmm! I don't think anything has ever smelled so sweet! The children surely enjoyed this one. My digital camera in hand, I went crazy snapping pictures as we went through the factory...and was caught by the factory camera taking pictures of visitors as they came out of the factory. Pictures are below.

We were scheduled to leave the park at 7:30pm, but there were some people MIA...so had to wait. By the time we left the park, it was almost 11pm (I know, 3 1/2 hours). I was exhausted and anxious to get home. Then I remembered the 40 minute drive from Arlington, VA to Bowie, MD that awaited me...ohhh boy!

I was totally unprepared for what awaited me! I was blown away at how well these students were signing. Even my sister amazed me. (YES, my OWN sister!) All were hearing. There is sign language teacher at that school, which is also my church which I've been going to since I was 9 years old. The church is my second home and the people are my extended family. Sometimes the teacher asks for my help, and I've never turned down an opportunity to help teach sign and expose the students to the deaf world. Now that Gallaudet has loosened it's hold on me, I have more time to give.

Anyway, during practice that afternoon, they went about their parts, inquiring my assistance with some words they could not sign. It went well, to the sign language teacher's relief. So, they were all set for the following night. The ceremony started and ended beautifully. In between, the students gave wonderful performances and were all smiles getting their awards and promotion certificates. I forgot to mention one other thing- this was the school's very first graduation ceremony. Even the principal was moved to tears as the teachers presented her with a lovely bouquet of flowers. It was quite a celebration and an evening of surprises.

Ok, pencils down. Actually, that was a trick question.

One of the reasons I chose Gallaudet is because it's convenient in every way. I can receive instruction directly because the greatest thing is that communication barriers at Gallaudet are close to nonexistent.
It's a nice alternative from the "A-B-C communication" I'd come to know the 15 years I've been living in Maryland. Let me explain what I mean by "A-B-C communication." In mainstream school, information was relayed through an interpreter.

Another reason for coming to Gallaudet and not another deaf university is so that I can mantain closeness with my family. I come from a hearing family, which makes me the black sheep. My three siblings can sign, but fingerspell for the most part simple words like please, thank you, yes, and no. My younger sister is learning to sign from a sign language class she takes at a private school. She has become so accustomed to fingerspelling that sometimes she forgets that she can sign and fingerspells all the time! I encourage her to sign instead of fingerspelling all the time- don't her hands get tired?? I use my voice at home to communicate and they sign to me when I don't completely understand speech. We also have a four-legged member named Wolfie. She's been in the family since she was six months old. She gives the warmest greetings, whether its rubbing herself against your leg when you come through the door, or jumping up to say "hello!"

Whether it's life at Gallaudet or life at home... I'll always have the "comforts of home."

When will the weathermen give an effective report? On Tuesday, there was a nasty storm moving towards the eastern parts of the country from the west. The weather reports screamed "Mix of sleet/snow." It never came, except for a few minutes of very small, light flurries. Of course, a lesson that never gets old..don't believe everything you see or hear. I used to love wintertime because of all the snow days, but at Gallaudet, snow days are like eclipses- rarely seen, but when they make appearances, it's special.

I've lived in Maryland most of my life. I have to say, the weather gets stranger and stranger every season. Just when we think it's safe to pack away the thick coats that weigh us down, the wool scarves, the boots, thermals, gloves and hats..it's time to take them out again. It's an easy excercise routine. Pack, unpack, pack unpack. The first day of spring break, it was a warm 83 degrees. The next day was a smack in the face with cold wind and clouds. At Gallaudet, the weather doesn't affect students' wardrobe. Deja vu? Yup.

So, it's Friday and sadly, my weekend life will be close to nonexistent. The first week back from spring break and I'm beyond up to my head in schoolwork. I've heard "sky's the limit" but in college, there really isn't any limit. That's the thing about college..learning doesn't stay behind once you leave the classroom. Rest assured, in the end, it'll all be worth it. ;)

Well, spring break is over. I'm slowly moving along trying to get back into my regular routine. So far, so good. Although it's quite cold and cloudy outside, the bright tans of fellow Gallaudet students makes it more bearable to be here. That's my blog for today.