Sign Language Class: Session 3
This week's sign language class was two full hours of practical training.
There was no simultaneous interpreter this time, so the class proceeded entirely in sign language. It was an intense session where I had to stare at the instructor and couldn't take my eyes off them for a second. Someone who could interpret was there, but they just watched quietly from the back.
Before the class started, something really happy happened.
I arrived at the venue after work, had a quick snack of soy milk and Bisco (lol), and was waiting for them to finish setting up the room layout.
The instructor peeked out from the entrance and we made eye contact.
I was startled, but I tried signing 'Good evening,' which I learned last time.
Then the instructor signed back, 'Good evening, wait a moment, please'...!
It was my first memorable conversation in sign language!
Isn't that amazing?!
Just that alone made my day. I was so excited (lol).
After that, I wanted to say 'I'll help you,' but I didn't know the sign, so I wrote it down on my iPhone memo. They said, 'It's okay, just wait,' so I waited patiently.
What we learned that day was first, 'talking using numbers.'
It involved conversations about time, like 'What time did work start?' or 'When is your birthday?'
You use finger spelling for numbers, but for the life of me, I can't do '8' (lol).
Your hand is sideways, you stretch your thumb straight up, and keep your index through ring fingers neatly extended. 🫲 That part is fine. ...Then, you have to bend only your pinky.
Huh? No way, that's impossible?!
Why does only the pinky bend?
I really respect people who can do it (lol).
No matter how hard I try, what's impossible is impossible (lol), so I gave up and made the sign by pressing my pinky against my chest, and it worked. I guess I could just use both hands to show '5 and 3,' but if I'm going to do it, I want to do it properly like 🫲.
I can now express my own birthday and ask 'When is your birthday?',
By the way, in sign language, they don't really say '20:00,' but rather use an analog clock as a base and express it as 'afternoon' + '8 o'clock.' Maybe it's a way to keep the numbers from getting too complicated? There is still so much I don't know.
During the class, the teacher went around asking everyone various questions, and when it was my turn, they asked, 'What time did you go to bed last night?'
I was nervous, but I answered '11 o'clock' in sign language. Wow, am I actually making real progress?
Next, we learned how to 'introduce family members.'
You sign 'family' and then answer with the number of people and their relationships.
In my case, I say, '4 people: me, child (boy), child (boy), child (girl).'
What I thought was interesting is that you can express the age of the family member you're describing (whether they are older or younger than you) by the 'position of your hand.'
For older people like older brothers or sisters, you sign near your face, 'higher up.' For younger people like your own children, younger brothers, or younger sisters, you express it 'below your chest.'
I thought the same when expressing 'birthday,' but sign language expresses time 'vertically,' doesn't it?
If you start the month near your face, you express the day lower down near your chest. It's designed so that it's visually easy for everyone to understand at a glance.
It gets really fun once you start remembering it, and just being able to introduce myself makes me happy.
We paired up with people nearby to have conversations and ask each other questions; the two hours flew by.
The words the instructor shared during the class left a deep impression on me.
They said, 'If you see someone using sign language, I want you to take the initiative and talk to them. I want you to value the desire to communicate and understand.'
Conversations in sign language can't start until you make eye contact with each other, so you gently reach out, look them in the eye, and greet them. You wave your hand to get their attention and have them look at you.
Starting a conversation takes a bit of courage, but I thought, what a gentle world this is.
I'd be happy if I could slowly become one of the people in that gentle world.
Looking forward to next week too~♪
Thank you for reading until the end.
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Sharing my daily life and new challenges like this sign language class is my source of livelihood and an important support for rebuilding my life.
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