Being the "Other"
They were very friendly, especially to visitors and wanted to meet everyone and get to know them.
Loud noises didn't bother the majority of the people
Everyone used American Sign Language
There were interpreters available in all 3 meetings.
Everything they said and did was about the facial expressions.
Their personal space was different than ours. They just had to be able to see each others hands. There were conversations going on across rooms and also sitting right next to each other.
Being the other was a really scary experience for me because when I usually go places that I feel uncomfortable I'll have someone else come with me. Even though I know ASL really well I couldn't understand everything they were saying and many people signed too fast for me to understand. Along with that, I don't know very many church words so that made it more difficult as well. I felt really out of place. I didn't necessarily feel like I was being judged all of the time because everyone was so friendly and excited that I was learning ASL and attending their ward but I definitely felt like I was an outcast because I had to have an interpreter and I signed really slow and kept asking people to repeat things slower. I think this experience helped me to understand what someone from another culture might feel like in a classroom. Even if it is the same language if it is a new and uncomfortable situation they probably feel left out or like they don't belong. That is the last thing I want students to feel in my classroom. I want to make sure I have all the accommodations available for them so they don't think I am discriminating their culture but I also want to make sure that they don't feel like they stick out and are so different from everyone else.
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