Things Got Better...

Hey everyone...

I left things on a bit of a sour note last time didnt I - sorry about that: I just wasn't feeling it at all!

Well, as the subject line says - things did get better. We FINALLY made it to Washington DC after a total of ten hours for a journey that should have taken three. It looks like disaster was following us as the next day, the skies were dark and there were huge lightening storms in the evening which resulted in the control tower at the airport being struck and massive delays for flights. At least we were not flying, eh.

Well, Washington - my favourite part so far is definitely... urm... okay well actually havent seen anything of Washington yet! I know! Lame! Three days in and we have been working so much we havent seen anything of import.

Okay, well, not ALL the time! This was at a cool German bar that we ended up going to with about 20 deaf people from all over Europe. Allow me to start at the beginning - Ill be brief Jo, dont worry ;)

Wednesday - arrived. Apartment is glorious - hilariously my client went into both bedrooms and declared the one with all the windows overlooking the city was his. What he didnt realise was that he chose the second bedroom and left me with the master: King bed, big bathroom and a tv! Early bird does not always catch that worm. Honestly, this place is a polar opposite of the last place. Have separate bathrooms, lovely building, good views... just awesome and what I needed to be honest.

Thursday - had a meeting with the National Deaf Association. Was a successful meeting and I managed to continue my ASL/BSL hat-wearing. Thankfully my client is learning a bit of ASL and the people we were meeting signed International Sign Language which my client also knows a bit. So, I was able to sit back and just be there to fix any misunderstandings or convey more complex items. Being here for work really spoils the vibe, as we had so much work to do when the meeting was over that we ended up in the apartment on our laptops for the rest of the day pretty much.

Friday - this was a monumental day for the both of us. We had a day scheduled at Gallaudet University. Now, for most of you, that is meaningless. But for those of us in the sign language world it is a mecca of sorts: the world's first and only deaf university. Everyone signs and most people are deaf. You learn in sign language, order coffee in sign language, the painters are deaf - its weird! We had a tour from a student around the campus and that was fascinating about the history of the place and dispelled many of the myths that we have been told around the world (wont bore you). We ended up meeting a whole bunch of people who invited us to a party the next night and to a bar that night. We spent the whole day hanging out with students and it was great for my client (who attended UCL) to imagine being a student at a place like that. I was horribly worn out by the time we headed home to change for the bar, as every person my client met required ASL/BSL interpreting. This was compounded by the fact that many of them were from the Middle East and mixed their signing with Arabic sign language. Fun. I was rewarded tho with a lovely beer (seen above) and sat back as my client decided to try and communicate alone - brilliant. The day was so interesting but raised a lot of questions for me about having a full-deaf environment. Again, I wont bore you with my musings.

Saturday - we planned Saturday to be a tourist day but Abdi got a text from a deaf man with whom he has been in contact through Facebook for the last 6 years or something. He lives in Virginia, about 20 mins away and is coming to get us. Great! :( ... I actually tried to go to an ASL meeting up the road but it seems that ASL and Russian were mixed up on the website and so that was dashed from the start. I ended up going to a big gathering of deaf muslims (!) all from different countries. It was lovely for my client to meet with loads of deaf people, many of whom were from Somalia like himself. They all thought I was deaf and were very complimentary about my ASL. In fact, one of them is a guy who is organising the deaf conference I am booked for in November in Qatar and was so impressed asked me to be part of the ASL team as well as the BSL! It was weird to be amongst so many Muslims at a gathering like that, but they were all lovely and it was so nice to see their community spirit and the way they welcomed Abdi as one of their own - like when we go to assemblies abroad.

Today - today is a slow day of 'paper-work' and catching up on accounting, booking travel and hotels and forming the final reports. I had to leave to go and get coffee as was getting cabin fever whilst my client went to the gym. Hoping to get some White House time in later...

Here are a couple of pics:

The Pentagon!

Awesome bruschetta - my first in years!

Gallaudet - meaningless to most of you

Green tea in China town

The Smithsonian

You know those days when you should not have gotten out of bed...

Well today is one of them!

Today was the end to the New York leg of our trip and it is on to Washington... Well, to be honest, I should have just stayed in bed. I am writing this on the train heading to Washington, well, that was the original idea.... I'll explain from the start.

I woke up this morning feeling okay and ready for the challenge that is the logistics of getting my client and I over to Penn station and out to Washington. We hadn't heard yet from the current apartment owners as what to do with the keys when leaving and we hadn't heard from the ones in Washington as how to check in... Ho hum. Along with this, I wasn't feeling the best, probably due to the ice cream I had last night - why do I do it eh?

Well, the universe is punishing me. We started off and my client wasn't happy about having to navigate the subway with our bags, so as a cab (not the cool yellow ones, rather the smelly one with the Latino driver who has his pillow and duvet on the front seat) passed, I gave the universal nod and negotiated a price.

Within a few minutes (after having to explain WHAT AND WHERE Penn station is) we are winging our way. Suddenly, I get a massive wave of nausea and spend the next 40 mins trying not to throw up. We got to Pret, I threw up, drank some water, threw up, got to Penn, threw up! Oh no! Where is my hat! (Yes readers, my glorious that I bought on my first week in New York) - in the taxi! Argh!
We get in the train despite my sweats and delirium and we are off. Oh, my phone has fallen down and slipped to the seat in front. I get up - catch my trousers (my beautiful cords I wear constantly) on the arm-rest-metal-stupid-thing and rip a massive, and I mean massive hole in my trouser leg across my thigh! Excellent.

As I am lamenting this, we get an announcement - the train in front has derailed and ripped through the electric pylons along the track so there is an emergency crew trying to move it and re-establish electricity tot the track. Until that is done, we are going to have to stop in Philadelphia and await further instructions...

Today is not going well...

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Lady Liberty

Today, as a last ditch attempt at being a tourist, I went to the Statue of Liberty.

The day started with a heavy haze across the skyline, which did not bode well me-thought. Thankfully, things cleared up and by the time I got to the Statue, the view was clear and the weather accommodating. Thankfully, my client wanted to go and see the Statue too, so the trip became 'work' and it was free!!! Hurrah! (Free, as work paid for it, but also got a free access to the pedestal as the lady took pity on the poor deaf man - little travel tip for ya there!)

So, here are some photos, and then I will tell you some facts.

She's on Fire!

Lady, your slip is showing

Funny story about the face

Thought this was a lovely statement

From 1920

Very funny - this is right next to the massive list of repair work it has needed over the years!

That be she

You may recognise her...

So - fun facts:

-  Nothing to do with slavery - was a 'well-done' to the Yanks for the victory over the Brits a 100 years prior (dont mention the war!) - In fact, slavery was still legal when the Lady was finally finished in 1886 - wonder how they felt when 'freedom' 'liberty' and 'equality' were being thrown around

- Made by the French, it was designed by a variety of dudes, including Mr Eiffel, of Eiffel Tower fame, who designed the iron-work frame holding her up: see the pic above

- It was made in France and shipped over in pieces for construction. Interestingly, when sent over, the Americans were vexed a lil bit, as they didnt know what to do with this massive thing! They needed something to put it on, and asked people to help out so they could build a pedestal - everyone REFUSED! People didnt see the reason to pay into this monstrosity. Eventually, the raised the money ($1 from everyone) thanks to Mr Pulitzer. It took a really long time and most of the hype over it was over by the time it was ready.

- She is green, right? WRONG - she started off as reddish - a copper colour. However, 14 years on and she started to show her age - little green specks began to show and within 6 years, she had oxidised and turned from red to green! The reason it was allowed to happen - they didnt have the money to stop it!

- The torch was supposed to have been this amazing light-house/beacon affair, yet have you ever seen it light up? NO. They could never get it to glow properly and despite much experimenting, they gave up. The original designer from France wanted her gilded to be all shiny, but again, no money!

- She is a stern looking French lady - non? Qui! People think she is fashioned after some Greek number, but actually, she is the face of the designer-dude's maman!!! That dude had issues.

- The walking tour of the island is rubbish - use google and do it in half the time!

- The overall impression I had after this little jaunt was - Nimrod! The irony of a lot of the statements were just laughable and erecting something so colossal to one's own greatness is just asking for it, isnt it? 

Tomorrow, off to Washington DC for some more Babylon the Great / system of things musings, lol.

Met up with Matt and Rachel tonight for some ice-cream with my client... interesting! Once again, Rachel came to the rescue with her list of talking points, allowing Matt and I to walk in silence, as we like to ;)

Right, off to bed for an early train to DC baby!

Summing Up Phase One...

So I have been in the US of A since the 21st of last month, and doesnt the time fly!

This visit is definitely a split-personality affair. I arrived with a burst of theocratic energy and activity and loved every minute of being with the different brothers and sisters and getting a much needed boost of encouragement and inspiration in equal measure.

 Now I am in the second part of the journey - the work stage. I am definitely re-subscribing to the adage - 'we work to live, not live to work.' I really do not miss this life at all. Sure it is interesting living vicariously through someone else, having doors opened to venues and individuals that I would never have cause to meet. It is certainly interesting testing out my ASL in a secular venue and encouraging to realise I am not a complete numpty when it comes to ASL interpreting... but... wow... I couldnt do this again. I miss my congregation. I miss my boys. I miss my studies. I miss my hammock. I miss juiceman in the mornings shouting 'Mr David' with my breakfast. I miss the humidity and sweating. I miss 'home'.

That said, I will not look a gift-horse in the mouth... whatever that means. I am loving the NYC experience and am relishing being here, even if it is full of them blasted americans ;) This is my third time to this part of America. I came here a teen, with my parents and twin (love ya Jo, I miss you too.x) I then came again with some friends as part of the most random roadtrip experience ever, in the year 2000. Coming here as an 'adult' who has travelled the world to some extent and has the opportunity to take some time out and lime, as opposed to pin-balling around the state with no particular agenda - NYC is okay, you know?

 For the first week and a half I was based in Battery Park in Downtown Manhattan. A very lovely area that is akin to Bank and Canary Wharf combined - very functional and full of - you know their type. It was a lovely introduction, but was very much the 'finished product'. The apartment that I rented for my client and I was on the other side of town... and I mean, the OTHER in all senses of the word.

He had stipulated that he wanted access to a gym, yet the work account was taking an age to get approval, so by the time we were ready to rock, the choices were slim as where to stay. I have since realised that Street View is a godsend and can never be underestimated. It can be overlooked, however, which is how we are currently residing in the Kuwait of Brooklyn. To be fair, it is growing on me (proverbially) and is not that bad really, but it was a shock to the system to go from hanging out in the wine bar in the harbour to admiring the graffiti and speaking Spanish in the shop in order to get what I needed. You try to going from Canary Wharf to Tottenham in one day and see if you moan!

 Well, anyway, we have been working a LOT, which was not the original plan, but is the reason we are here. Nevertheless, there have been a few excursions - have a perusal below.

 Wednesday we are off to Washington DC which I am really excited about. I cant wait to see a more 'traditional' historic town. New York is awesome and Jo keeps telling how amazing it is - I just have lost my love of cities a little bit. Hopefully Washington will be a bit more comfortable and a bit more relaxing for us. Have some visual stimuli:

Finally - For My SL Friends

Hey there

Bit rushed, but this is for you!!! I decided to record a BSL clip, then thought 'why not' throw in an ASL one too - they are hardly masterpieces, but I wanted to make sure I took the opportunity of being in a civilised world and having fast internet! Enjoy BSL

ASL - bit different!