Whenever I see people moving their hands while they're talking, I stop to check if they're deaf. Many times, they're just being expressive. I'm looking for deaf friends and the chance to learn more. Up until now, I've just been a scavenger of signs to use for English programs. It's hard to find people.The other day, I learned that a cafe had hired a deaf woman so I introduced myself and after work she took me to meet her friends. Everyone of course knows each other, including networks of deaf people in Vientiane though the whole population in Laos is still tiny compared to other countries.
In Luang Prabang, there doesn't seem to be a place to gather regularly, but we visited one of her friends in her little shack and had a jolly time. If we had been using our voices, we would have been screaming with laughter and shouting over each other. With signing, there's a lot of waving and slapping to get attention. It was a lot of fun.
Walking through the small neighborhood, I could hear people gossiping out loud. "The freak'n foreigner's deaf!" When you move into silent mode, it's kind of hard to step back into the speaking world so I just let them think what they wanted to think.
