I have always had a tough time learning new languages. My French teacher in High School probably has diary entries about how frustrating she found me.
In university, I decided to try something new… American Sign Language (ASL). It was a completely new experience. Language learning was enjoyable.
Plot twist! I moved to Berlin, and German enters the chat. On September 9th, it is officially 10 years of German language struggle (thanks to dyslexia, ADHD, and ethnocentric English-speaking privilege). I’m just barely conversational, but I decided das passt schon (that’s fine). It’s time to get back into what I enjoyed most… ASL!
I’m back on the apps and teaching everyone around me the basics. You might not know this, but ASL grew out of Langue des Signes Française (LSF)… that’s right, French Sign Language! French! My former foe!
The language that crushed me gave birth to the sign language that feeds me. Ironie poétique.
On September 23, I will celebrate the International Day of Sign Languages, both for the joy it has brought me and the access it has brought others.
