u/cracked_egg_irl

Hello again! I had such a great time with my first I went to my second.

This time I baked cookies for everyone! They were super appreciated. A Deaf man I had barely just met ate quite a few cookies and pretty quickly gave me a sign name. I’m so confused!! I was not expecting this so soon at all. I thought it would have come from someone I had known for a while.

Is that really all it takes? I like it but it was so sudden. I gave him about 20 cookies to take home lol. I’m still just a beginner 😳

First of all, love that Salmacien is a thing! I’m incredibly turned on by it! My partner has long talked about their desires for both and are super happy this exists.

As for me, I was thinking about an orchi personally. Getting a hole is appealing. It’s a lot, a lot of work and way more downtime than I can do lmao. Am I welcome here? And anyone else been in a similar position to me? Thoughts? I think that balls are just a pita.

Like, this is happening for me. It took a great deal of soul searching and attempts to be happy with my really great successful career of software engineering. The first season made me want to go for it. It's been a year of tough thought, and conversing in depth with my fiancée and a lot of friends, medicine is really calling to me. I'm enrolled and going back to school this June.

I feel incredibly foolish for letting a TV show influence such a dramatic decision for me. I just watch this televised peek into the raw, ugly reality of today's healthcare and I want in. I've been in my current career for 12 years and I'm bored to tears, hate what tech has become and want out. I know I can do this, everyone tells me I can be great at it and my friends and family are behind me.

Just wondering if I'm not alone on this. This wasn't a decision taken lightly, it was one I repeatedly tried to snuff out. When I really truly started to move forward, my life became a lot more depressed knowing I've got a greater purpose coming down the line... And a great new deal of things to learn too. I know it's going to be incredibly difficult which is why I feel even more foolish for moving forward, but... the heart wants what the heart wants.

Thank you all for your help preparing me on my first Deaf event. The organizer was a retired ASL teacher who noted my nervousness and helped smooth things along for me. She gave me a few more signs to work with and offered to interpret if I wanted. I didn't take her much up on the offer but she would key me into a few conversations from time to time. She was incredibly kind and spent much of her time going around the group of about 50 people helping everyone getting their bowling shoes and lanes.

Though class never quite prepares you for real conversations, everyone was super appreciative of me trying and would fill in the gaps when I needed to spell something out. I could pick up what people were saying sometimes, even if I couldn't quite pick up the signs quite yet. I tried to talk as little as possible but I did get a little help from hearies in the group from time to time.

I made a friend too! We connected pretty quickly as both visible queers. The organizer recommended we connect too, as she was a self-taught signer. She just graduated as a mechanical engineer and I'm a computer programmer. The language barrier was a bit tough but I tried my best and she could tell it was my first event and that it is pretty overwhelming and that I'll get better at it! She texted me a list of monthly LGBTQ+ friendly Deaf coffee and game night events and I hope to go out and see her again.

I absolutely brutally sucked at bowling and was dead last in my lane and possibly the whole event. I got one spare though!!

I'm going to keep showing up. Had a very wonderful time!! Thanks again for your help, reddit :)

I'm a hearing ASL student doing pretty well in my class and practicing as best I can. I'm taking the course through a local Deaf and HoH center and they've been sure to keep us in the loop on Deaf etiquette and culture. I found a local Deaf event this weekend and wanted to join in! I figure this is a great chance to connect with people and immerse myself in ASL. I've only been learning for two months, I at least can introduce myself, make simple conversation and ask HOW SIGN <spelling> or HOW FINGERSPELL <sign> for when I really need to clear the gap. I'm not trying to make this into a lesson for me, but I know I'm going to be struggling to keep up with the conversation at times. The event is bowling so at least we can all play a fun game together.

Do you have any tips for me? I'm definitely trying to be on my best behavior but I know I'm going to be sometimes lost when people are signing to each other in casual conversation. I'm completely okay observing and keeping my remarks short. I just want to be a part of it and learn how to sign better. Maybe make a friend!