Nina's POV
Allright here we go... my first day of college and I'm so nervous I could throw up! Can anybody please remind me why I decided to go to a hearing college again? I've been to deaf schools all my life and had felt most comfortable on those schools, you know being surrounded by people who use sign language just like me and being the same as me. I am forever thankful that my parents decided to put me on a deaf school instead of a hearing school and that they made the effort to learn Sign Language for me.
Being deaf in a hearing world is sometimes really frustrating because people treat you differently instantly and act as if your stupid or worse... they pity you.
But my school and home were always my safe place. At school I didn't have a lot of friends but the ones I had were good and close to me.
And my family is just amazing... I have two older brothers (Louis and Callum) and they are really close to me.. but mostly they are really protective, and I have two amazing parents that mean the world to me and did everything for me from the moment I was born.
But back to reality... Okay a hearing college.. why did I choose this again?
Well I decided I wanted to become an English teacher and there aren't any deaf colleges that teach the right subjects to become a English teacher... So here I am at a hearing college totally lost.
I decide to start looking for my dorm to start with and I head to the head office to get my keys and such.
When I arrive at the office the lady starts speaking quite quickly and doesn't articulate very well and I instantly panic... Just so you know I am able to speak but I just don't really feel comfortable to do so which sometimes brings me in an awkward position... like this.
I then decide to trust my voice "Miss can you please slow down? I am deaf'' comes out in a weak voice and I sign along with my words. The lady looks a bit surprised at me and then does the thing that hearing people do... They start to articulate as if they're crazy and yell along with it... mind you I'm deaf so yelling won't help.
After 20 minutes full of miscommunication I have managed to get my dorm key and a timetable of all of my classes.
After a while I managed to find my dorm room and I am surprised with my roommate already being there. "Hello love, my name is Lola" says a extremely happy girl with beautiful long blond hair that reaches her waist. "Hi, my name is Nina" Is everything that comes out of my mouth. C'mon Nina get yourself together and start trusting your voice...
"Hi Nina, I am going to be your roommate for this year! Wait.. is everything allright" She asks me as she sees that I'm not as happy as she is and play with my hands. I put on a happy face "Yeah yeah.. everything is alright. I'm just tired of the trip here and I'm quite overwhelmed with me being actually here" is what I manage to get out a bit more confident. "I totally understand what you mean... Being on your own for the first time and also without parents for the first time.. it's quite something'' she laughs.
I nod and put the suitcases that I brought on my bed and start to unpack... meanwhile Lola keeps talking but I don't notice because I'm focused on opening the lock on my suitcase. As soon as I turn around she looks quite surprised and hurt "Are you really ignoring me on our first day together roomie?" She lets out. "Oh no no.." I panic and realize I had to tell her I was deaf right away since it can create awkward moments if someone doesn't know.
But I tend to not tell people immediately so that they won't pity me the second that we met.. I absolutely hate that but right now I don't really have a choice. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to ignore you...but I'm deaf so if I turn around I won't be able to read your lips''. Lola looks at me surprised "oh wow, I didn't notice at all! Were you born deaf?'' She asks. "Yeah I am, I was born deaf, so I'm used to it'' I say happy that she didn't pity me right from the start. "Well, I will do my best to face you when we talk and maybe you can teach me some sign language'' She asks enthusiastically. "Yeah I would love to teach you'' I exclaim happily and I start to unpack all of my stuff.
At the bottom I notice a little note from my Mum saying she will miss me and that I can do anything I want as long as I work hard for it.. I smile a little.
After I finish unpacking all my stuff me and Lola decided to head out to the cafetaria and get some dinner.
"Okay, what would you like for dinner?'' Lola asks and I start looking at everything I can pick from and decide to go for a simple ham and cheese sandwich. "Oh c'mon Nina, that won't be enough to last you all evening! We're getting
some pasta!'' She pulls my arm and takes me to the pasta bar, that has every pasta you can imagine.I take a plate and get a simple spaghetti bolognese, while Lola fills her plate with a pasta carbonara and a load of Parmesan cheese and we head to an empty table.
"Now please tell me a little bit about you" Lola asks with a mouth full of pasta. "Well I'm 22 and I used to live with my parents and 2 brothers..." "Are they hot?" She interrupts smirking. "Ew no they are not hot and I would never want to think about them like that.'' I pull a gross looking face "I used to live with them in Manchester. When my parents found out that I was deaf, I was sent to a deaf school all my life up until now'' I say a bit more confident and I sign along with every word I say. "But isn't it really weird then to go to a school where everyone can hear?'' Lola asks while finishing her plate already. "Well I have just arrived so I will have to see how it goes, but I'm gonna try to follow classes without an interpreter first." I say and also finish my plate.
Lola told me she will be meeting some friends and that she will see me later. I decide to enjoy my alone time and just wander around the campus. I just reached the library and immediately felt at home... so many books and just the whole old historian library vibes make me smile. I reach out for a random book and grab it from the shelf, I walk with the book towards a big old couch and sit down to flick through the pages. When I start reading I totally zoned out for a moment until I feel a tap on my shoulder... I see a boy of the age around 22 with brown hair and green eyes. He was talking to me but he spoke a bit too fast making me confused and insecure again. As soon as he saw that I didn't understand a word he just kept staring at me as if I was an alien. I felt so embarrassed and regretted that I decided to go to a hearing school instead of a deaf one... I was not in the mood to keep explaining that I was deaf and having to slow down everyone... So I decided to get up without a word and leave. But when I stood up the boy followed me to the door and grabbed my arm so I had to face him. "Hey, are you all right?" I lipread him.
I nod my head and try to get out his grip "I'm fine, can you please let go of me?'' I ask quite irritated. He lets go of my arm and says sorry. "I just asked if I could sit next to you and then you ran'' He asks me and this time I'm able to read his lips because he's speaking slower. I had a battle in my head debating of telling him that I'm deaf or just faking it... I go with the last one "Oh, I'm sorry! I just zoned out totally while reading" I try to say as confident and with a small smile "I'm gonna go now" I say while walking away and leaving the boy behind with a confused look on his face.
Authors note:
Okay, so that's chapter one everyone...I still have no idea where I'm heading with this story but I do like figuring it out while I'm writing... Please let me know if you like the first chapter!
X Ashley
