ASL

Encouraged by a fun friend, I am now taking a Monday night class in American Sign Language. It is a beautiful language - and it's also beautiful to sit in a room with a dozen people and "talk" without talking. It's quiet for two and a half hours, except for the laughter when one of us accidentally signs "how" instead of "have", or identifies a male classmate as "woman" instead of "man" (so similar!).

As a learning process, it's unlike any I've experienced - like learning a foreign language with someone who speaks no English. My teacher is deaf. (I know how to sign that whole sentence.)

I talk with my hands so much already that I feel like I must be able to do this well! I find myself wanting to sign constantly - and I can't wait to go back to class next week. I apologize now if I start signing while talking to you... although with my limited knowledge, we'll only be able to discuss family members, names, colors, numbers & the alphabet.