Heather's Solo Adventure

(written by Heather)

So, as Dana said, I took on a journey that was beyond any journey I have ever taken before. I have traveled alone in the US before, and I have traveled outside of the US with family, but when I ran into the opportunity to do some traveling alone, I had serious doubts about my abilities as a Deaf person to navigate in a country that speaks a language I can't even read or write.

When we arrived to the place (I never found out the name of the place we stayed at), I happened to notice two young women gesturing to the hearing cook in the cafeteria. I waited for their conversation to end, and then approached them with nervous excitement. I asked if they were deaf, and of course they were. They told me that 60 Deaf Russians from all over the country would be arriving the very next day. We agreed to meet up after the Discovery program was finished, and I began to ponder the possibility of us hosting a program for them. Jean did try to set up something, but it seems that it wasn't doable. At any rate, I saw the opportunity for lots of communication, socialization, and friendship. After our program, we (the five of us from the Discovery Program) met up with the Deaf Russians and discovered that they were part of a church group and that was why they were hosting a group of 60 Deaf Russians. They told us a bit about themselves, and in our gestures/ASL/RSL/international sign, we managed to chat all night long. It never ceases to amaze me how 2 hearing people who speak different languages always have difficulties communicating, but 2 deaf people can come together and they become immediate friends. There is also the feeling that you can understand where the other is coming from because no matter where we are in the world, our experiences as Deaf people are very similar.


After realizing that a large number of Deaf Russians would be in the area, and the Discovery group would be going back to their home base in Moscow, I began to ponder the possibility of a few of us staying an extra day. Alas, nobody else wanted to stay, but Dana saw this as a prime opportunity for me to experience traveling alone and encouraged me that I would be able to find my way back by myself. Having severe doubts, I unwillingly worked out plans for me to stay an extra day, food to eat, and a ride back to the train station. When I discovered that a woman from the hearing group we had been working with would be heading back to Moscow, I was relieved. Knowing that a Russian would ensure I would find my way back gave me the confidence to enjoy myself and to not worry about getting lost in the city.


When I said goodbyes to the Discovery group, I joined the 60-some deaf people and watched their leader preach to them. Of course, this was not my favorite topic (I am a christian, I just make it a personal thing and don't enjoy discussing it with others), but it gave me the opportunity to watch the Russian Sign Language and pick up a few signs. They even found an English translation on their laptop for me and I could read the story he was talking about as he preached. Afterward, they had social time, and I met a woman from Ukraine, who had a Deaf American friend and was fluent in ASL. She helped bridge the gap between the two languages when the conversations were more in-depth that they could not be gestured out. After that, they planned to watch a movie, and told me that they would have both the Russian and English subtitles. Confused, I asked how they would have two languages, but they assured me that they can have the English subtitles on the top, and Russian subtitles on the bottom. Amazed, I hung around to see this, but they ended up not showing the movie anyway. If it is true that you can have two different languages on the screen, heck, that's amazing!


One conversation that I had involved a young Deaf 6 year old who was cute as a button. I asked her if she wanted to come with me back to the states as she was so cute I would raise her like my own child. She replied that no, she would rather go home with her mother. Upon seeing this conversation, her father explained to her that America has lots of money, enough food to make you fat, gigantic mansions and loads of toys. He then asked her again if she wanted to join me, and her answer changed to an insistent nod. While her answer was hilarious, it was humbling to see their view of America.


A few conversations later, we ended up in the lobby where the Deaf Russians play a very interesting game of ping pong. Instead of two people playing on opposing sides, they had a group of up to 8 people around the table. As one person served on one side, the person on the other side had to hit it back, then instead of the first person hitting it again, the next person in the circle had to hit it. The people move around the table, and if they miss, they have 1 point against them. When a person has 3 or 5 (predetermined by the group) points, the player is out, and the group reduces and the speed of the players increase until there are two left, who play it like the Americans do until one player is the winner. This isn't easy to explain, but I have video, so perhaps when we have time, we can upload the video that I recorded.


After learning "good night" in Russian, I went to sleep and woke up to join them for breakfast. I learned more Russian signs, and they asked for many American signs. We had a short preaching time again before going outside for some games. We broke up into four teams, and the first game was to carry a balloon with a partner between the foreheads. After rounding a chair, the partners headed back and passed the balloon onto the next set of partners. The second game was where we each had to put a balloon in between our legs and hop our way around the chair and back (with the snow, it was not an easy task). The third game was so funny it put me into tears. Each person had five balloons tied to themselves, and we all had to try to pop them all and run back to our group before the other teams. My only regret is that I have video of the first two games, but not the last one. I'm sure you would have enjoyed seeing them... erm, thrusting into the bushes and pushing their butts into the trees, and people hugging into each other madly.


After lunch, I had to say goodbye and head back to Moscow. It was a truly enjoyable experience, and the Deaf Russians gave me a hat and a stuffed cow (it's the year of the ox) as a parting gift, and I gave them a small donation to their organization. I am truly thankful for their hospitality and the memories will be cherished. After finding my Russian friend who was to accompany me back, she told me that she had changed her mind and that she would not be heading back after all, I panicked. I had instructions for how to get back, but I guess I wasn't mentally prepared for the challenge. She did find me a ride to drop me off at the train station and I endured the 90 minute ride nervously. Alas, when I arrived at the train station, Vitya (our host) was there to pick me up and I arrived back safe and sound. The experience was immensely valuable and I can now understand the excitement and nervousness that entices Dana to travel abroad, even alone.