Pictures

Here are some pics of my break 🙂

HOME

We were very surprised with this wall, many of the men in my family all served in the Army

Pushing my mommy 🙂 I wanted to walk 

The accident, the pic was taken when we were almost home.

This was after the twilight party my sister maya, jorge and cousin katie

My youngest nephew fell asleep in his horsey 🙂

My doggie Angel. Given to me as my grandmother passes away last year.

Signing in Church.

Out of everything at home that I love. I have so much at home. SO much that I value. Yet when I get back on this campus this still feels like my home. This is where I belong. Gallaudet changes your perspectives on things. It is like a wake up call. The people of so many different backgrounds you meet here just amazes you.

That was how my spring break went .

SO glad to be HOME, until next time Tiffany

 

Catching up

Wow I have not written in so long. There is going to be a million blog’s coming up here in the next few days. I am soooo absolutely sorry for not writing things have been quite busy for me. So I will start this blog off with spring break how things had gone for me over the break and then just start catching up then on :).

Over spring break I had decided to go home for the week. Originally the plan was for me to go to Costa Rica with my friends on the freshmen tour. Only problem was if I were to be stuck in my chair I thought that I was going to be bored I would not have been able to do everything that everyone else was doing. So my parents decided they would come here for a week and spend time with me here. As time went by the plans kept on changing. In the end it was my parents and uncle coming on Thursday to see the BELIEVE group perform. Only then to find out my father had to work. So once again it had changed. They came Friday morning. Leaving really late in the morning. My family is hearing but I swear they live by Deaf standard timing :).

Friday my parents were coming up I was so excited for them to be able to meet my friends here and see Gallaudet campus. I wanted them to see and notice why I wanted to stay here for school. They were right around the corner as Haley and I walked up to the hotel where we planned to meet them. Then I text’d my mom saying “whee soon!!!!” and only to get a reply “no accident”. I was freaking out. When they arrived I got the story as they were turning left some guy whipped out and ran into the passenger side of the truck. All was fine but the truck, is not really much of a truck anymore. I think it looks more like a bananas.

Anyhoo so we toured Washington D.C for a bit. And drove home on sunday I wanted to be home on monday so bad! My parents wanted to go through the mountains and tour on the way home and arrive on tuesday night. We are big Harley Davidson fans. So the goal was to stop at a few Harley stores on the way home. OMG I SAW SOME AMAZING 2009 BIKES!!!. This is where you see the tomboy in me :). My roommate thinks I am crazy when it comes to motorcycles. I ONLY like harleys, it is not a real motorcycle unless it is a Harley. So I have a minor obsession with bikes.

We stopped half way on sunday and stayed at a hotel, monday was the plan to get up and go to harley stores and arrive home tuesday :(. I wanted  to go home. I have this guy there he’s like my mentor. My Really good friends step dad. He is my hero. From the first time I asked to burrow his wheelchair there was a connection. He has multiple sclerosis and is a quad paralegic. Before I came to Gallaudet he had given mned to mee a speech of never giving up. That things will be hard, but no matter what keep faith and hope. Now I had some one who knew what I was going through, and for him in 22 years of being in a chair after he was walking for 20 years he has someone that he can relate to. I was able to have stability. Which was something that I had not had in awhile. And with that it was helping me quite a bit. So going home he was teaching me I could still be Tiffy no matter what happened. 

I told him I was not coming home until tuesday. Which meant less time to learn new things that I could do with my chair. Something he told me I would value once I had gotten it. I never thought I would now I treat it as if it is my kid. ANYHOW we ended up getting home monday night. Sam my bestie who is like my sister to me decided to come up with a plan. She took me to Jim, my hero’s. And we surprised him. I was quite glad my nephew’s new car toy was being built in the middle when I walked in that door. 

Over the week I had done quite a bit, I learned to bowl with a stick that graps the ball while you are in the chair. It takes some experiance and some work. It was fun :). I went swimming, Jim is a champion with lots of medals for swimming in the olympics as a quad. Meaning he only swims with his arms. Something I do as well. But as he made me do a lap they said my legs do move. So I guess that my legs do move. I love water you are free you can stand without pain :). I learned to drive with hand gears. TOTALLY NOT DEAF ABLE!!!! I realized I had so much fun. Within that week I had realized I had gotten myself back. The old TIffany I was getting my independence back.

Sunday I was at church. Oh gosh how much I miss my church. I have quite a bit of parcipatation within my church, I sign in the choir and in the performances to. I fit right in :))))

Anyhow so coming back i decided to fly back to D.C. First time I was flying back in a wheelchair. I had Jim take me to the airport so that I knew what to do. It would be much more comfortable. I wanted to go with my father, but this was something I needed. Over the next few years I would be flying quite a few times so just this once I figured might not hurt so much. 

Getting to the airport. WOW it was empty yet hectic. Going through security, I could write a million pages upon this subject. I will do my best to keep it short. I got hand searched, wand searched as well. My entire chair was swiped with a swab, my seat was swiped and examined as well. They even checked my TIRES!. Checked my shoes and swiped my socks!!! I was like “Are you serious????” It was so embarrassing as if they thought I was going to be popping bombs out of my tires or something.

So we made it through finally. Jim took even longer. I liked hearing the stories he would tell me. There are some fun stories as well as the stories that really make you mad. But when we would just tell stories about what happens sometimes when you are in a chair, really you would never understand unless you yourself was a person in a chair. Anyhow I was so happy to be getting back to Gallaudet. I missed it. I missed signing, friends, and the campus. I also missed I had easy access to transportation with the metro and so forth. I realized D.C (Dirty City) has so much more value to me than I had thought.

Ah so That was how my spring break was. 🙂

until next time Tiff.

Being Empowered Living Inspired Exemplifying Victory Everyday

I DID It! I had my first performance. I know it is quite odd that it went so fast. I enjoyed it so much. Sorry I am getting back with the information at how well the things have gone. I will tell you though, I was quite nervous, but as to the crowd they enjoyed it. I felt so much better when their eyes were on me with the “WOW” look. So enough now with the talking and so forth, I am going to put the pics up.

First Pic taken, Clyde practicing

Tracy, getting an idea.

Seasons of Love, beginning 

Sideway view of me

In action

Picture time

“Thank God I Found You’Continuing our Duet

Waging War

Personally my favorite song Ray does Waging War

Crowd shots from here on

This was the most amazing experience I have ever had. Best to mention Ray is STAYING!. Thank gosh I do not think that the group could ever be what it is without our serious sarcastic comedian. I love this group so much it is a dream come true. I hope you enjoy the pictures. Any questions let me know. 🙂

Until happy tappy next time Tiffany

Spring Break

This is our last week of school, until spring break. After that we have near five weeks of school left to go. Many of the freshman’s I know of are either going to Costa Rica, or Cancun. Many of the sports players are going to stay right here on campus. Although that was going to be my plan for this break, only thing was there would not really be much to do. Many things would be closed, food wasn’t all going to be open. This would make it quite boring to stay here. 

Change of plans was the idea that my family would just come here and spend the entire week with me. I really liked the sound of that. They would be driving from home which is Michigan for me. The plans were once again changed. We decided that we would leave sunday and go sight – seeing on the way home, then I would fly back to D.C the following monday. This way I was still able to go home and see friends, and my parents still coming to me.

Time has gone so fast we planned this trip out when I left home to come back to Gallaudet in january. Now its is that weekend later almost 3 months later. I am so surprised at how fast the timing has gone. I am nervous for my FIRST BELIEVE performance tomorrow night. This is what I was hoping that my parents would be able to see, unfortunately due to work, they cannot come till friday. But it is THIS friday, 2 whole days till i see them.

Enjoy 🙂 until next time Tiffany

Inspirational People

I am not sure exactly what to write or what to do. I know what this blog is about I could simply write a few sentences to explain to you what I want you to read, although it is not that simple of a process.

You see, we have a person that sometimes influences us on how we act upon life. I recently joined the BELIEVE group. When I first saw the man performer sign, I was awe struck. The way this man performed inspired me. About a month ago a good friend of mine had decided to join this signing group. He had asked me to join with him, so I thought no problem. I had joined. First day of practice I knew in an instant this was somewhere I could be comfortable. I had found a place where I had fit in. Not realizing that the group I auditioned to join was BELIEVE.

The first performance was set to be just a few weeks later, March 12th. WOW I thought time flies fast if I practice a lot then I will be able to perform. So I did, and I had asked with Clyde to sign some duets. Altogether I am parcipatating in four of the songs that will be performed this THURSDAY!!!

Ok so getting back onto the topic here. You know the history of how I have met this group and so forth.

Raymont Anderson, this is the guy that has inspired the group to become what it is. This is the man that has left me awe struck at his performance. This was the man that left me with no other option but to join the group as soon as I walked into the practice and saw him. This is the man that has kept BELIEVE going over the past years, This is also the man that has chosen songs and teaches them. This man is resigning from his position.

I was heart struck when I heard that Ray was resigning from his position in the group. 2 Weeks ago it was a saturday practice. Over the past few years things have not seemed to be what they use to be within the group itself. I am not sure of  Everything that has happened it goes with the group.

I just looked at Clyde as he was interpreting we both stared at each other wondering how? Is it a possibility that a man this important to a group leave us? Could we really go on without him?. He has said we could go on with him, but being here for that short period of time seemed impossible. How could you let a man with that much potential leave?. Would you try your best to make him stay? I would my goal was to try and make people realize we need this man. This guy was the most important person to this group. The power he has when he performs. He has the ability to inform inspire and teach all within the songs that he signs.

What I want from this? Here at Gallaudet we need more of a performing arts that deals more with signing, dancing and music. Yes we have the dance company. But we need more than that. We need some way to make the impression that our school our college is just as well as the others. Maybe we dont have this huge band that goes around and compete, but we do have the power to have a Deaf choir. If we could create a class/club that relates to the media and performing arts. I think that Ray would be the perfect person for this. I think that this is something that Gallaudet needs. But my question is how exactly do we propose something like this to the college? This is something that I would love to be in, even if it had contained no credits for taking the class. It is something that would give me more experience within performing and signing in front of more people. Confidence, self esteem, these are major things that many of us need to improve with our daily lives. So this is something that would help.

So my question is can anyone help me? How to get started? How do we find a way to set this up, to offer this?

I really believe that this is something that will benefit the Deaf community.

Please let me know.

[This is The MAN Ray, in a practice]

Sunny Day

I know and realize this is the second blog I have written today. Although technically it is after midnight, which means it is the first one I have written today. I am quite sure that I will be writing another one tonight. 

I had one of those days that just turns out to be a really good day. The weather here was perfect. It was as if it was a hot summer day back home with a chill. Walking outside with the sun shining down and not a single cloud in the sky zone with the wind blowing steadily. Just that made my day. From that moment I knew that today would be a good day. Knowing that I will perform on thursday, upon my parents arriving friday. Then driving home for a week break. This week is going to go fast I just knew it.

I realized today that being here as a freshman can be hectic. There has been so many problems that have been popping up. But then again if you think about it isn’t freshman year of college hell anywhere? Sorry for the choice of wording within that sentence, but honestly I think that is the best way to put it. My senior year every single one of my teachers all told me that freshman year of college is hell. NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO. There is going to be problems no matter what. As freshman we learn how to be away from home. Cope with the time period being away from our families. For me this was hard. Honestly at first I missed my family so much, we are close, not perfect but close. Time went by and my friends started taking the places of my missing people. 

Secondly freshman year is hard because for many it is the first time for students getting out there. IT is our first time to be INDEPENDENT. Yes we still may have mommy and daddy with us supporting us. But now things change, we start making our own decisions. We start to make the plans for the day. We start doing things on our own, waking up on our own, going to classes as we chose, doing homework without being told, getting our own motivations, when to eat, what to eat. There are so many new things that we are now starting to learn to do on our own.

Third is a valuable thing I think. We start experiencing new things. We start trying new foods, going to new places. We start to advocate for ourselves. We learn how to stand up for our rights, get what we want or what we need. We experience what life will be like as we now move on with our lives and start to enter into the real world. As we learn how tough things may be we start to build our strengths and start preparing ourselves to go out there and live our lives. Another thing is we experience is very common. We learn bad things, we learn the right and wrong. How do we do that. We have to experience the wrong sometimes for us to really know what it is. Many freshmen end up being the ones sent to the hospital for drinking to much, or freshmen end up being the ones who pull pranks. I think it is typical of freshmen’s to do this. They try to see what they can get away with. If you look back to the high school years, do you remember how you were a freshman and thought you were big and bad just because you were now a high schooler. Then as a senior you did not like the freshmen thought that they were just uneducated and annoying or show offs perhaps. I believe that is the same concept as college anyhow. So as freshmen we learn to experience new things.

Fourth connecting to new experiences, we learn who we are. We start to make new friends, and start to see who we fit with. I notice we also judge more, maybe it is within this college. But judgement has become a major part of learning which friends you hang with. I have friends now I never in my life thought that I would have. Everything is based on judgement which is something that we hate most. So using that we learn our friends and maybe jump from group to group until we finally find our selves. Now that we have the ability and the freedom we start to learn who we are. What we want in life. We start to realize “Oh this is me”. I have, with things I have experiences, and being able to be independent I have found who I am. I have learned a lot about who I am, and myself. As I think that others have.

So that is what I have to write. And once again it has all started with the sunny warm day. Isn’t it amazing how such little things can bring up the most randomest, but important facts and realizations in life. Just that simple little thing puts the biggest smile on your face. That is what everyday is like when I see someone smile.

Until next time Tiffany

Weekend Beaches

Readers, sadly it took me almost one week to do a new post. 😦 if you are a person which enjoys my blogs that I have been posting I am sorry. I decided to take a weekend vacation, as explained below. Unfortunately I had no Internet. No worries I am back. Read on.

I think that the past week has been one of the most toughest weeks since I have arrived here at Gallaudet. Then again I realize I have the most amazing friends that I could have. I had a “strike” last week couldn’t move my legs. It was upsetting really, getting back in the chair and so forth. The thing was, it was the best time I have ever spent in my chair.

Friday Lisa, and Jb had asked me to go with them to Georgetown, I said “well my chair”. Through text messaging they both told me they did not give a hoo, my chair could never bother any of them and it would be fine. So I went it was a new experience. We left at about 3ish Never in my life had I expected to spend an entire day in one town. We did not get back to campus till 11 30 pm.  Mind you I had set up plans to leave at 11 pm with friends to go to a our friends Beach house. 

Getting on with the story, we used the Circulator bus which takes you to the area in D.C where they aren’t metro accessible. It is parked right up by the Gallaudet shuttle stop at Union Station. I got hooked up in the middle and off we went. It was nice since we showed our student ID we got on for free :). Arriving to Georgetown it was not exactly accessible. Luckily my friends would carry my wheelchair up the steps. IT was the perfect day to do this. Shopping along with the sunny weather. They got me to try some new food. We had ate dinner at a French restaurant. Later then shopping more. As a dessert we went ahead and tried some frozen yogurt. I had never in my life tasted something that was so delicious. It was sweet yet still like ice cream :).

We got back to campus finally it was nice. I had to pack as fast as I could so that way my buddies and I could head out to the beach house. WOW it was so nice to be in a car again. The drive was about 2 hours or so that was estimated anyhow. We left at around 12ish for the drive. As we got into Delaware we stopped at a gas station for a break. Oddly there was some strange guy who was driving a SUV wearing a football helmet singing songs. We all were laughing we knew that the weekend had started. Finally off campus stress free, and 1 week till spring break. This was the perfect weekend for this.

We stopped at the beach which was right down the street from where my buddy Ally’s house was. Paul carried me on his back down to the beach. It was nice the smell of the Ocean filled my nose it was the best feeling ever. I miss the smell of the ocean. I miss the chill from the waves. IT was so nice. After a few moments we decided to head to the house and get settled in. It was Deaf- friendly since Ally’s parents are both Deaf and she herself is a coda. Being Deaf friendly meant for it to be Wheelchair Friendly. I had not a problem. Being in this house made me not want to ever leave. My own home back home I have no choice but to walk or crawl, my friends have labeled it as “Flopping”. 

We settled in and the next morning we went swimming at a private pool. Not knowing if it was Wheelchair accessible we decided to leave the chair behind and Paul and Haley took turns on carrying me in. Arriving we realized the chair could have came it would have been fine. After swimming we went down the the Ocean shore behind the pool. It was a really sunny and warm day which helped so much. I decided to stand in the water. They were all freaking because apparently the water and the sand was cold to their feet. As for me I could not tell the difference. So as I stood in the water I realized how cold the water was by using my hand to feel it. It sure was cold.

As the day went on we just did all kinds of things. We visited a Beach I forget the name of it, but it was quite packed. So rather than walking the boardwalk there we decided to head to Ocean City. Ally lives only 20 minutes from the boardwalk. Haley and I were acting crazy as we decided to act as if we were some crazy lost children. I was amazed to see that someone had made Jesus out of the sand, apparently he makes them just to be there. Another interesting thing that i noticed there was a miniature theme park. I was hoping we would be able to get in, unfortunately it was closed. Another really interesting place that caught my eye as were were on the Ocean City boardwalk was the fact that there was a Candy Kitchen on every single corner, maybe every 45 feet there was a new one. I have never in my life thought I would see that many Candy Kitchen’s. As for dinner maybe this is boring but we ate at a pizza place, can I say forget the pizza there was an arcade. I felt as if I was a kid all over again. Arcading for almost two hours.

Lastly we spent the night playing cards, the next morning played more games and headed off the the Bethany beach shore. Arriving I was lucky I was having a walking day, this really made my day more enjoyable. we walked down to the shore and just ran around playing and looking at the shells. I asked my friends to explain what it felt like to walk on shells. It took  them a long time. I could not get the concept of pain from shells as they could not get the concept I have no memory of what it felt like to get a cut on my foot. It was an interesting idea that I had stuck in my head.

We then came back, once again the drive was nice. It  felt good to be back on campus as if it was my home, although it was still nice to get away. 

Until Next time, Tiffany

Life in the fast lane

Sometimes I never realize how fast things past by me. I noticed today that half of this semester is nearly over, and in a few weeks we are going home for 2 months. It really shocks me to realize that. As reading Jeri Beth’s (JB’) blog I felt the urge to sit here and write, once again. 

See some people look down on Gallaudet, because they have never been here before. Or the fact that some students here our English is not perfect. They think of how a person writes, or talks (communicates). Is this really what a person should be based on? As I grew up I was always taught get to know those who may seem “different” they may be your best friend. They will teach you things that you would never think you needed to learn. And most importantly you look at a person for their hearts, and their personality. 

Using this I have attracted some of my friends where our personalities are so different, yet we get along so well. For example my roommate / best friend and I met last semester in the beginning. Simply by giving out an email I believe. And then one time we ate at the same table and as i had announced I had Cerebral Palsy which she has also there was an instant connection. Now I have no idea how I could manage the days without her. She figured me out before I knew myself. She keeps my spirit up and she understand what I am going though. She also knows when I am in pain and makes me do something for it :). I look back and think wow it has been 8 months and I have years and years of memories already made with her. I remember we walked then National Mall just to see the sunset at the Lincoln memorial. That is one thing I really enjoy about being at this college. There is so much history just around the corner. For 2 years you could do something new every saturday and experiance a new museum or some kind of walk.

[me and my best friend hayes]

Anyhow Time really does go by fast, way faster than I thought. Sometimes at points it feels like it is going really slow, but by time you get past the day you say to yourself “WOW it felt like I was only awake for 3 hours”. I really like that about here. I think it makes the students motivation go up more. Helps them stay motivated to go to classes and do thier work, because at the same time we are making memories in classes as well as out.

I have no idea what to say next, I kept thinking that so many negative things were happening here, but really the positives beat the negatives 1000%. I love it here I know when it comes time to graduate it will be hard. I think that I wont want to leave this place. Being able to be around this many people that are Deaf and sign, its like a dream come true. 

once again until next time Tiffany

Snow

Honestly I have no idea what I want to write right now. I just had the urge to sit here and blog.

Sunday night there was tons of snow, it reminded me of home, by home I mean Michigan. It was so pretty I haven’t seen the snow that bright since break when I was home. The snow that falls here is not even close to the snow that I would see back home. Its amazing when you see something that gorgeous and it simply just makes you happy. A nice feeling that takes over your body.

how I felt in the snow

It all happened because my roommate/best friend Hayes as I call her kept begging me to go out and play in the snow. I kept saying no. Finally I did but i went with just leggings on no real pants, thank goodness I cannot feel my legs!. So we go outside we ran around like a bunch of elementary kids, just letting off anything we held in the for the past few weeks. And it was so pretty that just standing in the snow put a smile on both of our faces. Then I threw a snowball, this is when the real screaming started. We started to get pretty cold my hands especially only things that weren’t covered yet I can feel them :).

Coming back it felt as if I was starting over stress free. Snow makes me happy, its pretty, fun, and brings back memories of home, and memories of being a child.

I encourage you to all play in the snow on Gallaudet campus if you get the chance. For some reason it is like a magical feeling being a child all over again. I must think my wonderful amazing roommate for dragging me out there with her. If it had not been for her I would not have felt this way.

until next time Tiffany 

Judgment

Judgment, one thing that all of us fear. I really thought that coming to Gallaudet that judgment I had at home would lessen. Maybe there would not be so much judgment or people looking down on me. I figured this much because we are all well the majority of us are Deaf/Hard of Hearing, only differences is our backgrounds which drew us all into coming to Gallaudet.

As I have mentioned before I have a disease within my body that affects my ability to walk. I really am stubborn and walk more than I should, I know that my friends know that. Thanks to them they force me to use my wheelchair when I think it is not neccessary but really it is. I had a “strike” last semester in late October. Where I woke up and lost the ability to move my leg. Over time I have learned how to again. A month ago I finally could pick the whole thing up. The only problem is all the work i do to keep “normal” may not be worth it because I do not know when the “strike” could happen again. Or possibly how bad it could be or long it could last.

Anyhow being at Gallaudet I use my chair when I am in a lot of pain or my leg is being lousy. Off campus I use the chair period whatever i do today will affect my tomorrow. Going on I posted this blog because I realize how much people at Gallaudet really judge me. I understand many do not know exactly what I am going through but time and time again i get the rude looks, or the look downs I have been able to shrug them off, I dealt with worse at home.

Today though was different, such a negative offense that put this fire inside of me, the fire I have not felt in a few years when I blamed my parents for my deafness and the suffering I was going through. Coming upstairs with my roommate from doing laundry we walked into our dorm lobby and a student who is always there likes to judge people as I would say. This time was different her friend was there My roommate caught the conversation she tells her friend “see that girl in the pink, (friend looks over) that girl is half wheelchair and half walking whats up with that”. I do not like when people have that kind of attitude, why cant they just confront me? Instead I went up to her asking whats up with that if she has a problem and she shrugged me away. I thought wow that really makes you the bigger person. Talk about someone but could not even look me in the eye. Especially being here at Gallaudet I really thought people would have a better understanding here. Thought I could be accepted more. Just because I look so healthy on the outside does not mean anything about how i feel inside. Really I am not that strong of a girl on the inside there is so much pain and suffering in there. So much misunderstanding. I wish people would see the real me sometimes. Im not so sure what to do anymore. I wish I could say something magical and make everyone BAM understand others. Sad thing is I don’t really understand myself. I can be really stubborn but when I need the help and I ask for it, I feel I don’t deserve it.

Ending this with a positive note, when my strike happened Gallaudet was nice enough I was moved to Carlin. An ADA dorm, they also put ADA on my ID so when I Scan it to go into places the doors open for me :). And if anyone has ideas or comments let me know :))

[Picture showing smiles do not mean everything]

Until next time Tiffany.