The test is over.

As many of you now know, yesterday was my big ASL test. (American Sign Language).

It was to take place at 2Pm at Gallaudet, the school for the Deaf in Washington DC. I left TWO HOURS ahead of time, because I knew I would get lost.

Well let's just say, that I'm glad I'm so predictable. Because it took me ...two hours to get there. Well half an hour to get to DC, but an hour and a half to finally figure out that there are TWO Florida / 8th avenue intersections. Oh yeah. TWO.

Little did I know that there are the First - 100th streets on one side, and then when it goes into NE DC, it starts over again. So I first ended up at Howard Univ and I finally found a good parking space. There I am wandering around trying to find Galludet. I asked someone walking past how many blocks I was from it. She told me I had to get back into my car and drive for 15 minutes. I was like, 'Whaaa?? This is "florida and 8th. It should be right here!" She then revealed that there are two of them. THIS was NW, I needed NE.

OOOOKay then.

So I finally get there exactly at 2:00. Since I was running so late I ended up parking in the student deck...I figured I didn't care at that point about the probable parking ticket.

So now I was on campus, but I had to find the library. Thankfully, I know the sign for library.

Okay so there I am walking around trying to figure out who I can ask where the library is. But this is a mostly Deaf school...for all I know, everyone there is Deaf. So I sign to a woman 'where is the library?". I did not audibly speak. I just signed. Then she tried to tell me that she does not know sign language, because she can hear. Of course she wasn't talking when she did this, because she is assuming that I am Deaf. I didn't want to spoil the moment.

So I went on pretending that I was Deaf. The woman next to her fortunately, is. She then told me where the library was in asl. I thanked her and went on my merry way.

I swear I couldn't stop smiling. The fact that I fooled a hearing person to believe I was deaf, and a deaf person,, was like the coolest thing to me.

So I ran to the library (remember that it's like 20 degrees outside). I finally get inside and ask the front desk lady where to take the SCPI test. She is Deaf. She didn't seem to thrilled, but she told me upstairs. Well, she pointed upstairs really. But let's go and pretend...

So I get upstairs, and again you dont know who is Deaf, so I am asking the front desk in the office upstairs 'is this where I take the SCPI?' She verbally tells me yes. OH THANK GOD. She can hear me. woo woo.

I ask her a few questions, slip her a few c-notes, try to emphasize how important this test is to me. She was very friendly, but told me she really had nothing to do with it. But that bitoch took my money anyway!!

So I take the test, it was okay..I think. The thing is the interviewer adapts to what you know, so I don't REALLY know how I did...I got so nervous and kept on telling her how nervous I was. The word 'nervous' was one of the first words I taught myself...

I knew she was going to probably ask me what my plans are for Christmas. So when she did the sign for Christmas, I assumed thats what was going on. I was really happy, b/c I knew that sign! I think she looked surprised. Of course all of this could be in my head..but let's just assume that she was surprised. Another funny thing that happened is that she kept on asking me some question, but I didn't know what one of the signs was. I kept on asking her to repeat it (which is really bad). But the sign she was doing, as far as I knew was 'intercourse'. And the other signs were like 'house' 'your mom' and 'dog'..so I was a little confused...man I really need to find out what she was asking me...I was hoping I could get the tape that they use to grade it so I could prove to other people that I do know how to sign some junx. Then I could put vid caps on here of my goofy faces..yeah that would kick ass.

So the test ended. I felt pretty good.

Now the REALLY sucky crappy part is that I will not find out the results of the test till 1-2 weeks. Oh yeah, I said weeks. Meanwhile, I am done with school. So like oh right around Christmas I will find out if I graduate from college or not. Merry Christmas Beth you fail!

or Merry Christmas Beth you get to start your life!

Either way, it's apparently a Merry Christmas, and I'll just go on telling myself that.

But in all seriousness, I would just like to thank all of you for your support. I am blessed to have such great friends and family to be there for me.