“My Two Worlds”
One evening I answered a call from a telemarketer. He asked, “May I please speak with Mr. Gabel?” I replied, “I am sorry but you cannot talk to him because he is deaf.” The man on the other line said, “Oh I am sorry can I speak to Mrs. Gabel then?” I replied, “ I am sorry but she is deaf too. Can I take a message?” “A message?” he asked. “I thought you just said that they were dead!” I then went on to explain to him that they are deaf, a.k.a. hearing impaired. He understood and apologized. Shortly after that I hung up the phone and shared the experience with my family and we laughed about the situation. Now when people call asking to talk to my parents I tell them they are hearing impaired instead to help clarify that they are still alive and well.
This is only one of the hundreds of experiences that I have gone through in my eighteen years of life. All of the experiences that I have gone through have made an impact on my life. They have made both positive and negative influences. The different experiences have helped me grow into the person that I am today. With regards to the situations that I have been involved with I have matured greatly over the years. I have learned to be more patient and understanding but at the same time to speak out and take a stand when needed. My family and friends have seen me grow into this person in two types of cultures, a deaf and hearing culture.
The deaf culture that I have been raised in has been wonderful. I have been very fortunate to have learned American Sign Language and English while growing up. I love having two languages and being able to use them all of the time unlike when you learn a foreign language and never are able to use it in realistic situations unless you have a chance to truly immerse yourself into their language and culture. It is ideal for me to have ASL because of the large deaf community that surrounds me.
Knowing sign language and having deaf parents has also helped me to develop more respect for others. I feel that I value other cultures and things done by others more than I believe I would if I had grown up with hearing parents. Unlike some who are not as fortunate as I have been to have had this opportunity and do not understand others as easily. I enjoy learning more about the deaf culture and being involved with the deaf. It is fun to sit around and talk about how things are done differently between the two worlds. For instance, how the school system may be set up differently, how we would handle situations, and how jokes are taken differently.
My interest in the differences among the two worlds that I have been brought up in has inspired me to go into International Business while I attend Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa next fall. I want to extend my interest in learning about other cultures and sharing the cultures that I have known. I believe that being at college will fulfill a part of this desire that I hold inside of me. To relate more to my studies and to my major I am planning on studying abroad more than once. I would like to go to Spain and then possibly England or Australia.
I have just begun my journey in life and I am prepared to grow more as
a person. I also am ready to see if I know the true me in the challenges that life has waiting for me.
Ms. Gabel will attend Drake University of Iowa, in the fall. She attended Olathe South High School in Kansas and was a student council cabinet member. Rosa is on the National Honor Roll and a member of the National Honor Society. She has received recognition for her volunteer work and her activities supporting fundraising for different organizations. Rosa has participated in numerous clubs and committees during her time in High School. During her spare time she continues to work part time.
