Oh Roma!

PASTA IS BETTER WHEN YOU ARE IN ITALY!

Roma

Erin ( my older sister and me)

During my stay in London, I got the chance to meet my family in Roma, Italia! My father was getting married there and my family from the States flew in. Italia is one of my favorite places! The food there is so FRESH and is so the wine! The people there are so friendly. They are always up for a good time! I met my family in Roma and we did alot of sightseeing. I went to Italy before, but i did not mind going again because it is a wonderul place to visit. Roma is known as one of the smallest cities in the world and it certainly was! The weather was so HOT and it was good break for me to leave the London weather, haha. It usually rains alot in London! We stayed in Roma for a few days, then headed to the coast, to a city called Ravello. One of the uilmate romantic places in the world!!! It was so BREATHTAKING! My dad got married in this city. I had a such a great time with my family there and it was a good chance for me to go since I was in London. It was only a two hour flight away! Here are some pictures.

 

Internship in London

It’s a few days before I leave to go back to the States! WOW! So, I wrote a paper for school based on my internship and I have decided to include parts of it on here as well.

From the internship, I got the opportunity to experience most of those things that both companies does, from the ones that I have explained ( in my paper for school). I felt that I have gained more to my knowledge of what I have learned from my major of Deaf Studies. I gained a lot from the internship both for educational and personal growth.  I have had some experiences that have impacted me.

                When I first arrived to London, I had a meeting with my internship coordinator from World Endeavours. We went over the details of the internship and she informed me that I had an interview with them the following day of the meeting. The next day, I met the people at my internship They gave me a warm welcome and showed me around the office. The manger director knew some American Sign Language and I did not expect him to. I also met two other co-workers. They both were very friendly. They explained to me about what the company does exactly and what I would be doing. My first impression was BSL. I was really ensnared of how BSL was different from ASL.

                BSL and ASL are totally different from each other even though both countries speak English. Before, I thought that the UK used ASL since it was the same spoken language. I was dead wrong and came to discover that they used BSL. I was very engrossed in BSL and did my own research on the internship on those days that I did not have anything to do.

Of course, I have learned that both languages developed in two whole separate communities. I have come to a greater perception that structures differ just like as the structure of spoken languages which have different developmental histories. ASL and BSL have dissimilar lexicons. ASL is by far the most studied and well recognized sign language. I would like to see more publications based on other sign languages such as BSL. BSL is a very cool and interesting language; different from ASL and I think it is very cool because both countries have the same spoken language and yet they have both different sign systems. They both are not based on spoken English. One of the main differences between BSL and ASL is the finger spelling. BSL uses two hands for finger spelling while ASL does not.

ASL developed out of a system brought to the U.S. in the 19^th century by a French teacher of the Deaf. The signs are used in a French system, combined with signs that had been invented in America, combined to form in ASL. I had a discussion with Stuart about the history of BSL and I was wondering why BSL was not brought over to the United States. He was knowledgeable about BSL and told me that the teachers who came over to Europe to bring over a language system back to the United States went to the UK first but, got rejected and went to France. I learned something new with this information.  I took the History of the American Deaf Community and learned about how the signs were from France, but never learned why they got rejected by Britain first. I thought how I wanted to go into depth of the information based on this area.

On the internship setting, I got to see many BSL conversations and I feel that I have improved my receptive skills in BSL. My BSL skills are not that good since I did not get that much practice of using it and I wish I did. This is one of the areas that I would improve myself upon if I had the chance to.  BSL was the most challenging part of the internship and was a very good experience for me. I want to travel around the world and continue to experience working in another countries. This internship gave me a good foundation of experience of what to improve myself upon experiencing a different language.

For the internship, one of the job tasks I got to experience was modifying documents and forms that were necessary for the courses taught at the internship placement It needed to be changed into the their format from the CACDP format.  From this experience, I learned what qualifications the United Kingdom expected to become a BSL interpreter from seeing the documents that I had to work on for those students taking the interpreting courses.

According to the Department of the Council of the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People, the qualifications have to be met by either completing a university course leading to a degree or post graduate qualification or completing NVQ level 4 in interpreting (BSL/English) and an approved qualification in BSL which is usually needed to be working with Deaf people on a paid or voluntary basis for this option.  

I got to see how it worked with this program through the courses of interpreting held at the internship placement. One of the first courses that I observed was related with varieties in language and communication, differences between informal and formal conversations. This was very similar of what I learned at school from Linguistics based on ASL. I applied my knowledge from the class that I took at Gallaudet and thought how the facial features used in BSL and ASL were similar, but the signs were different. The teacher also explained how signs are used differently in different forms of conversations such as informal and formal. I got to see what kind of courses interpreters were being taught.

Another course that I got to experience was when he taught them how to interpreter telephone and webcam calls for Deaf clients. He showed them different ways of how to handle certain situations. Also explained how it was important to show the emotions of the other caller to inform the Deaf client of how the other person is feeling by the cues that the interpreter receives from the voice. For the webcam, he indicated how it was important to sign at a slower pace and to make sure that the other person can see him or her. Using the webcam also requires more patience and the students also had to practice with the calls and the webcam. It was interesting for me to watch and see inside of the box of what the interpreters are being taught of how to become a qualified interpreter.

As for the qualifications being stated of how to become a qualified interpreter in the United Kingdom, I also learned there are some differences compared with the system in the States. In the States, of how to become certified or licensed is based on local certification laws depending which states in America. According to the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), a trainee who completes an interpreter education program will not yet be a certified interpreter. They have to complete a testing process which is developed by RID and the National Association of the Deaf (NAD). After they pass this process, they can be granted the National Interpreter Certification (NIC). Although, some states in the United States have developed state-wide certification that assess the interpreter’s skills and ability qualifying them to work in different arenas.

There was a meeting hosted in the office of Actual Signs in the London office based on the Visible Heritage Project. I was invited to observe the meeting and got the chance to meet the top Deaf filmmakers in the UK. From the meeting, I got to see how they discussed project updates, project roles, research and resources used for this project, pre-production, production, and the post-production of the film.

The aim of this Deaf Heritage DVD is to get the lives of the older Deaf community in Northern Ireland to be held captive. It is to show the young Deaf people within the Deaf community of how life was like in years ago in comparison to modern times. This seems to be a great resource to use for the Deaf and the history of the Deaf forefathers of Ireland.

I got the opportunity to see the clips of the filming of interviews of Deaf Irish people for this DVD while I went to Scotland to the other office there. This was one of the job tasks that I worked on while I was there. I had to record the tapes of the interviews, which were over 200 I believe, onto DVDs, and also had to make some copies of the DVD. I have never mastered this kind of technology before and it was cool experiencing this. I also had to make copies of other DVDs for other associations that want copies of the DVD. I was grateful for the chance to go to Scotland and experience interning at the other office there. During my visit there, the manager director from the London office also came up to do a film. He had to sign the script for a DVD for the Deaf community of the UK related with concerns of electricity. He signed the whole script based on another film. He was the interpreter of the film. I got to see how it all worked, the camera settings and how a lot of patience is required for this kind of work. It was a new experience for me as well.

Overall, the internship was very beneficial for me. I was surrounded with a language that I was not familiar with and that was the most fascinating part for me. I want to join the Peace Corps after I graduate and I know that I will learn a new language for the country that I could be volunteering at. I got to meet new faces throughout the internship and outside the internship as well. I have lived at a flat with people my age from all parts of the world. That was a sublime experience and I have grown close with some of them. It made me realize how much I really enjoy being in a multicultural environment as well. The internship was an awesome personal growth for me. I got to experience different things ranging from the internship itself to my social life outside of the internship. This is an experience that I would never forget and I will be leaving the United Kingdom with a great feeling back to the States.

Experiences.

Now, today marks my second month of my stay in London. I am having a really hard time believing that. In two weeks, I would be going back to school as a senior. I must tell you that I would be going back with a great feeling. I will be leaving the United Kingdom with a good feeling. From my experiences of working and exploring in the UK, I now have a clearer picture of what I want for my life.

 

The internship itself was a really good experience for me. I am really happy that I grabbed this opportunity. I truly am. I got to learn British Sign Language on the job scene and that was the most challenging part of the internship. American Sign Language is very different from BSL. I did not expect to learn a new language when I applied for the program. I assumed that ASL was used here since it was the same spoken language back in the States. BUZZ. Wrong. I have learned so much during my internship. There were some days that I had nothing to do, but I still learned something new everyday. I would think alot about the language and why it was different. How it was developed here and why it was different from ASL. I did some research on that myself during my free time in the office. The internship even sent me to Scotland! That was an AWESOME experience. I got to see how a film setting worked. I did work realted with DVDs and got to watch some of the films that they were working on. They are releasing a DVD related to Deaf Heritage in Ireland later in the year. I thought that was really interesting because I don’t get to learn much of the history of the Deaf in other countries while I studied the History of the American Deaf Community which only focused on America.

I also got to see how the system worked for those who wanted to became a BSL interpreter. The whole certification process and what courses they were expected to complete. It is different back in the States for the requirements of how to become a sign language interpreter. I found this intriguing! I got to meet a lot   of cool people during the internship. I was included in a meeting and saw how a meeting was approached. I worked on little projects and created portfolios for the people who were taking courses here located at my internship.

Ah, I have so much more to say, but I am going to sign off and going to Amsterdam, Netherlands for the weekend. It is only a hour flight from London! It is always great to travel during the weekends and during the free time! Highly recommend it! It is all part of the experience!

Me, Myself, and I

Well, hello! I am going to start off this weblog with a little background about myself, so you can have some of an idea of who I am.

My name is Alianne Tracey, but I go by Ali as my nickname. I am twenty years old. I am a truly a Jersey girl at heart and I was raised since the day I was born in southern New Jersey. I grew up minutes from the beach and spent all of the warm days on the Jersey Shore. I have grown to have a passion for surfing ever since I was a young girl. I participated in local surfing contests and was also on the high school surf team.

Surfing in Costa Rica

With my passion of surfing, I also got the opportunity to travel to places where I could surf. From there, I got the “travel bug.” The more places that I visited, the more of the world I wanted to see. I have traveled to Mexico, Costa Rica, California, Iowa, Florida, Puerto Rico, Italy, some Caribbean Islands, and some other places in the United States. I love to meet new people from all walks of life, see the different doings of people, different cultures, tasting the varieties of food, and also doing what I love; surfing. I kill for the sunsets and love to watch them, no matter where I am in the world.

Well, I like to save the best for the last. The most thing that I am the most proud of about myself, is that I can not hear. I was born profoundly Deaf. My parents have raised me wonderfully and I can’t thank them enough. I would have not made this far if it was not for them, also including my siblings. I will be a senior this upcoming fall at Gallaudet University. Gallaudet is located in Washington, D.C. and it is the only Liberal Arts University for Deaf/Hard of Hearing students in the world.

With my graduation approaching at some time soon in the future, I decided that I wanted to take upon an internship experience. A friend told me about the program of World Endeavors. She volunteered in Jamaica (the Fast-Tracking program), where she obtained a volunteering position teaching Deaf students English. She explained about her experiences and from there, I researched on World Endeavors on the Internet. I decided that it was exactly what I was looking for. World Endeavors had a variety of places all over the world listed. I scanned at each place they had on the net and was very fascinated by each place. I emailed the program and received more information from them. I originally applied for the Philippines program where I could volunteer to teach Deaf children. I got accepted into the program and I was really thrilled. That was last summer of 2007. Unfortunately, personal problems came up and I applied too soon. I decided to drop it and put it on hold for the following summer. During my junior year, I contacted World Endeavors again and told them that I was interested for an internship experience for the following summer. I discussed with them about my major and what I was looking for. My major at Gallaudet is Deaf Studies. They suggested the opportunity of London, England. I personally never thought of London. I discussed with my parents about the opportunity of interning in London. The idea to me seemed so unreal and they strongly encouraged me to do it. With their support, I felt more motivated and I went right along with it. I got accepted and I was really stoked when I found out that I got accepted for the program. I purchased a flight ticket to London from there. That was the point where it hit me that I was really going overseas to the United Kingdom to work aboard.

From seeing pictures and hearing stories about London, it seemed that London got a great city personality and I thought it would be really cool to experience something different from my everyday life in the States. I saw this as an opportunity as a vast majority of benefit for my career life. Obtaining an intern position in the UK was something that I have never dreamed of. This is where the saying, Expect the Unexpected comes in. Life is full of surprises and I was really excited to hop on this wave of opportunity and to enjoy the ride and the experiences it would spray me with.

Life in London

I have been here for a month already. I am on my 5th week of my internship and I can’t tell you how much I have mastered from my experiences in the UK. Within the past month, I have maintained my sense of independence. I knew no soul in the UK when I arrived and now I have met so many new faces from all places. I had to meet new people, learn the new roads, follow the customs, and it was going to be a new entire life. I absolutely LOVE it. Learning new things and seeing new things surely gives me perspectives that I have never have thought.

When I arrived here, I got myself to my apartment where I would be living for almost three months. The term ‘flat’ in England is known as apartment. When I got to my flat, I was feeling really excited and nervous at the same time. I had no idea who I would be living with and what the flat would look like. Once I got in my room, I got a wonderful feeling. A feeling knowing that I would be having the time of my life. I began to unpack and my flatmate walked in my room and gave me a warm welcome. She was from France. She introduced me to other mates and they were from all parts of the world, including Spain, France, Italy, Japan, and I was the only American. The flat consited five bedrooms with two people living in each, three full bathrooms, and a kitchen. It is really close to the transportation systems of the subway (known as tube in London) and bus systems. Taxis are extremely easy to find.

My roommate and I got along great! Now, we do everything together. We explore the city, shop, cook, and share experiences together. We meet people together and it is so great to have someone to share experiences with. At first we communicated by writing back and forth. She is learning English and she has the advantage of improving her English wtih me. Now, we have maintained to communicate by our own gestures system.

Marine and I

Naoki, Marine, and I ( some of my flat roommates)

Marine also works for her school and has been here longer then I have. We both depart from the UK around the same time. We have visited so many parts of the city. We went on the London Eye which over-viewed the city. It was so beauitful! We saw Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Hyde Park, and St. James Park. Enjoy the Pictures! Entry about my internship is going to be next!

On the \

Big Ben

Big Ben in the background

Tower Bridge

Viewing the Thomas River