Why I am learning bsl

[Margaret Drury]

Hi, I’m Maggie.  Currently I’m on furlough leave and am doing my best to make the most of this time that I’ve suddenly been gifted.  I have always felt rather foolish that I only understand one language,  I feel it’s rather lazy of me when so many have mastered two languages.  In the past I have attempted french... I attempted err, that’s it.  So why have I switched over to bsl?  Well for a start I was born deaf and from what I’ve been told my parents had to argue with doctors that I had a hearing issue as I couldn’t speak, I struggled to communicate etc.  So I had an operation and today I can hear.  But it left a lot of issues, I’m not very good socially and apparently that’s because for the crucial first 5 years I couldn’t learn the social skills that many take for granted.  Apparently I was quite a lonely solemn child (I genuinely don’t remember).  Anyway I work in a coffee shop and when I serve someone with a hearing impediment I always feel keenly that I should be friendly and be as helpful as I can as I do with any customer, but I always feel embarrassed that I don’t know how best to make a connection.  From my own experience as a child I can only imagine how closed in it must feel to be surrounded by people talking and not be able to understand or make myself understood.  And I guess after much soul searching (I’m doing a lot of that whilst I’m furloughed) I feel strongly that I should make the effort to learn this remarkable language.  I think personally the gov should add it to the school curriculum alongside french etc so we can be a tolerant more communicative society, one that ensures we all belong.  Hopefully one day the gov will cotton onto that.

so yeah that’s basically why I’m here.  Slowly trying to get myself to take it all in.  I write everything down, I ensure every day that I can do the signs for the vocabulary without the videos, I test myself before going onto the next session.  So far so good

all the best Maggie