One day this week we had a deaf-breakfast and a blind-lunch. During breakfast we were only allowed to talk in sign, which was challenging since many of us are not fluent signers. Those who are deaf/hard of hearing or fluent are very helpful, however. If you don't know a sign for something you can fingerspell the word and they are happy to show you. One fun fact that we were told was that the weeks that we have deaf/hard of hearing kiddos are when the dining hall is the loudest! Interesting!
During blind-lunch we had to partner up and we got either a blindfold or glasses that were dark or had obstructed vision to simulate what it's like to eat a meal as a person with blindness/visual impairment. Our partner was there to help us get our food, get a seat, and explain where the plate was. Halfway through the meal, we switched roles. Something interesting about this was that we learned how to explain a plate full of food in terms of a clock. So to orient me to my plate my partner would say, "Tonight for dinner we are having carrots, grilled chicken, and applesauce. Your chicken is at 6 o'clock, your carrots are at 9'o clock, and your applesauce is at 1 o'clock. Your fock and knife are both on the right side of your plate and your juice is above your plate at about 2 o'clock.
One fun thing we do involves a half a popsicle stick named Sneaky. Sneaky has a face drawn on him and is inconspicuously passed among campers (or this week, staff). When you get to dinner, you have to see if Sneaky has ended up anywhere on your person. The rules are tht you can not pass Sneaky in the dining hall and when you do pass Sneaky, if the person you are trying to pass it to catches you, you have to take him back. If you find you have Sneaky, you have to pick out of the Sneaky jar, "and as we all know, Sneaky can either give you something really really good, or soemthing not so good." One of the other Nursing Assistants (Sarah Wylie) ended up with Sneaky and she and her cabin mates (Sarah J, Holli, and I) were charged with the task of writing a song to sign to the kitchen staff. I cam up with a parody of Lean on Me that went something like this:
Sometimes in our lives,
We go to camp,
And we get hungry
Lactose intolerant and gluten free
We know they'll take care of us
So just call on the kitchen when you need a snack
We all need somebody to feed us!
It was a hit! The best they'd heard in a long time, they said!
It hasn't been all fun and games this week, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't having a great time! We have the weekend off before we get our first week of campers (Sunday!). I am driving in to Steven's Point tonight because I have to take my Praxis II tomorrow (like an ACT/SAT on steroids, and specifically for education majors hoping to student teach!) I'ma little nervous, but as I told my mom, I paid $200 to take this test, I WILL pass the first time!
I will update more just as soon as possible! Hope all is well!
~SJ
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