Week Four **Pending**

Hi everybody. I'm still working on the journal entry for the week of Christmas. My nephew gave me a cold for Christmas so I've not felt very well but I am journaling on the rare occasion when I do sit down at the computer. I didn't want to miss my opportunity to wish everyone a safe, wonderful and exceedingly happy new year. I hope that 2009 brings you all new adventures and unexpected blessings. My love to you all!

Week Three

Weather Report:



This week in Durham has been by far my worst week yet. Granted, I only have two other weeks to which I can compare but it has still been the worst by far. Without further adieu, I give you (big WWE announcer-type voice): Frustration Week.

In order to work in the state of North Carolina as a sign language interpreter, one must first fill out a multi-page application and satisfy all requirements listed therein. One of the said requirements is to be fingerprinted which can be done in “a local law enforcement office.” On Tuesday, Kevin and I went to said law enforcement office only to be told I have to be arrested in order for them to take my fingerprints. I kindly declined the offer and was then referred to another building. We drove over to the second building only to be denied for the office was closed. Kevin and I then returned home, Kevin thinking the whole way home, suspecting we were directed to the wrong building. Upon arriving home, Kevin headed straight for his computer to do some research from which we gleaned some pertinent information. We needed to go to the courthouse downtown instead of the building to which we were previously directed. If we had only but known! The buildings were almost directly across from one another. At least from that experience we gained further knowledge of the streets in downtown Durham and we had an idea of where we would be heading the following day. On Wednesday afternoon, Kevin and I once again headed to downtown Durham but this time to the courthouse. Like with any city, parking downtown is at a premium so we were forced to park in a fee-charging parking lot which was to one side of the building. Begrudgingly, I pulled into the poorly laid-out parking lot dodging cars and pedestrians but successfully found a spot in which I was able to park. With documents in hand, Kevin and I trekked across the street and up the stairs into the Durham courthouse. We were greeted at the door by police officers and metal detectors. I informed one of the officers of my intentions and he commented that in order to be fingerprinted, he would have to arrest me. Again, I declined the offer so he directed me to an office downstairs. I successfully made it through the metal detector but Kevin, however, was not so fortunate—he had to be wanded. After determining that Kevin was harmless despite his gigantic size (he’s 6’7” for those who may not know), we headed downstairs to the office to pay for the fingerprinting process. It was here that I was asked for my North Carolina driver’s license and $10. I informed the clerk that I just moved to town and did not have my license yet but carried documentation stating I have a residence in Durham. I was informed that I cannot be fingerprinted without a state of NC driver’s license and that I should come back after receiving said license. That meant it was back up the stairs for us and out the building to the car where frustration ensued due to the aforementioned idiotic parking lot. Before I could leave the parking lot, I was asked to pay the one dollar fee even though we were not even in the building five minutes. Yes, it’s only a dollar but I was nicht froh at this point. I gave the attendant a dollar but I did not interact with her as I normally would. I then proceeded to drive us home by way of the pothole filled streets of Durham. After arriving home, Kevin was once again on the computer this time finding a local DMV for me so that I could get a local driver’s license. The requirements for the state of North Carolina state as such:

You must complete and pass the written, sign, and vision tests. If you surrender a valid license from another state, the road test requirement is at the discretion of the Examiner.

Are you kidding me? I have to take the test again? And I might have to have someone sitting in my car evaluate my driving skills again? That was the icing on the cake that day! I have been driving for almost 20 years which should suffice. Granted, I don’t remember the exact numbers for things like, “how many feet…?” I just know what feels right when I’m driving. It was at this point I decided I was going to move back to Missouri where things were much simpler. In retrospect, getting a new license is not really a big deal; it just felt like an ordeal because of the preceding issues of the day and day prior. I now have to find the DMV to get a book to review the rules of the road. How embarrassing would it be to fail the test after driving for as long as I have?

Thursday was somewhat better. Kevin and I received a check for an over payment from selling our house in St. Louis so we decided we would take some of that money and buy the niece and nephews some Christmas gifts. We were feeling badly about not being able to afford anything for anyone this year despite the commonality among family members but we felt some reprieve upon receiving the check and decided we’d spoil the kids a little. Despite it being a week before Christmas, I consented to go to Target with Kevin and do some shopping. I was pleasantly surprised to find the store was not overrun by angry mobs of people; it actually didn’t seem that busy at all except for the photo lab but I discovered that was due to incompetent workers. All in all it was a successful journey to Target and we survived the toy department which amazingly still had toys and not many people looking at them. I was thankful that the store was not crowded and that I wasn’t having to fight anyone in the store just to look at the remaining merchandise.

Friday had me back at work again but it felt like any other day I go to work except I was really missing my friends from St. Louis. I miss sharing common interests, stories, experiences with other human beings. The people in the office here have that with each other but the only thing I have in common with anyone yet is migraines. Oh, yay. And doing the job that I do doesn’t lend for much time to get to know anyone else on an intimate level for an extended period of time. It was a difficult day for me emotionally.

Saturday was December 20th which is important to me because that is my niece’s birthday. Alexis turned seven this year and it was the first birthday I have had to miss. I called my sister’s cell phone in the afternoon in hopes of being able to express my birthday greetings to my niece. My sister was unable to answer the phone so I left a message stating I had to leave for work around 4PM eastern time and that I hoped she could call before my departure. Four o’clock had come and gone and there was still no call from Alexis or Diane. And during the time between my message and my departure time, I increasingly grew more depressed. There are days when I’d rather not go to work but I do it and it’s fine. This day, however, I had a very strong desire to not go into work and the feelings I was experiencing grew more intense the closer it go to the time I needed to leave. Then without warning I burst into tears. I had a myriad of emotions flooding my body most of them related to frustration but the one that hurt me the most was the realization that I could not be in St. Louis for my little girl’s 7th birthday celebration. Sobbing, I called my sister again telling her I wasn’t going in to work and I wanted her to have Alexis call me after the party so that I could talk to her about her birthday. I was hoping that with several hours ahead of me I could regroup myself and have a nice conversation with my girl and I was hoping simultaneously to not cause her to be upset, too. I was practically inconsolable for about an hour and even after I could actually talk again, for the duration of the evening I felt on the verge of tears. I tried to distract myself by helping Kevin assemble our bed and I did some laundry but I still hurt inside. Kevin then invited me to do some shopping at the mall with him. Despite my strong aversion to the mall, I did accompany him and we had success in finding a few books for the kids. As it was an ice cream kind of day, we took a small detour in the mall to visit Dairy Queen where I purchased myself a small strawberry cheesequake blizzard. And it was good. Later that evening Alexis did return my call and I was able to have a non-teary conversation with her but after hanging up with her, the tears started again and my heart hurt. Even now I am having trouble recounting the events of yesterday. I have to say I am thankful I have such a wonderful family and wonderful friends that I miss them so much that it hurts. I am so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life. I am thankful for each and every one of you and I love you more than I can express in words.

The silver lining in my week:

Week Two

Here’s what happened this week:

Weather report:

Monday Kevin had a final exam which took most of the morning then stayed on campus all day to study for his other exam on Wednesday. That was good for me because I was able to stay home and do nothing, uh, I mean clean and put away more things. I’m still tripping over boxes but I’m getting there. During our move, three of the four legs on my armoire broke and I was just able to repair them yesterday (Monday 12/15) so now I am able to unpack things to put in and on it and just get more done in general. I hate living out of boxes and not knowing where things are but I haven’t felt motivated to change that fact. That’s not entirely true. I usually want to start doing things about ten o’clock at night which wouldn’t be a bad thing except I don’t live in my own house anymore. We live in a duplex and I am just short of being able to hear my neighbor breathe. I try to do things that won’t make a lot of noise and he hasn’t complained yet so I guess I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing until I know otherwise.

Tuesday I ventured out on my own—no plan, no map—just drove around so I could get a feel for the town and to make my own mental map. I was actually gone for two hours and besides the street grid I was mentally building, the only new things I found were Walmart and Lowes. Oh, and I now know where a 5th McDonald’s restaurant is. Isn’t there more to life than McDonald’s? I actually ventured into Walmart because we were in need of some toiletries but that is the first and hopefully the last time I go there. That must be the only store within a 100 mile radius because *that* many people were there and all with a disregard for drivers. Scary. Plus it’s the holiday season which made it worse. I know back in St. Louis I wouldn’t go into a store after Thanksgiving Day until after the first of the year unless it was dire. I just happened to run out of toilet paper at a bad time. ;)

Wednesday was another exam for Kevin and more time on campus which meant another day of playing Tetris for me.

I don’t think Thursday yielded much of anything except an inch and a quarter of rain. It was cloudy all week and just felt like staying home on the couch curled up in a blanket watching an old movie kind of weather except that it was 70 degrees. I’m still having difficulty with it being mid-December and warm. I just think if I’m hearing Christmas music, I should be wearing a hat, scarf, gloves and a big, thick coat. It was at this time last year when I was sitting in my own house bundled up with all of that garb and layers of clothes. It’s just not right!

Friday was my first day back interpreting after nearly three weeks without seeing a single sign and I’m happy to report that it went very well. The office was very easy to find and it’s in a nice, safe neighborhood so I don’t feel concerned about working my late night shifts. It feels “Chesterfieldy” for those who would like a comparison. After entering the building, I was walking toward the office at which point I met another interpreter who took me inside the office and introduced me to my new manager. I went to shake her hand but she waved me off and gave me a big hug instead. Well! I guess people in the south really are nice! So that intro went well and then she took me around the entire facility to show me their recent expansion and she introduced me to EVERYone. I am sorry to say I can only remember a few of their names but I guess that’s to be expected although I would have liked to have remembered more of their names. I also met several other interpreters with “the gift.” To which gift am I referring? The blessed migraine. Most of these poor girls, however, suffer longer than I. My manager informed me that there is an interpreter currently going on her eighth week out due to a migraine. EIGHT WEEKS! I’m thankful mine only last a few days at most. I can’t imagine trying to suffer that long with that intense pain! These poor, poor girls. But on the other hand, I am thankful that I have something in common with someone already. I’m just sorry that migraines are the common factor. So, my shift went well and I was apparently the talk of the town. One gal even told me I was popular to which I responded, “Awesome! I’ve never been popular before:” that was a new experience for me. :) But everything really went well and everyone was very nice to me and helpful which has also assisted in the smoothness of this transition. I think it’s safe to say I even have new friends at work already. Yay!

That was the daytime portion; I still have to talk about the evening.

Friday evening Kevin and I went to the Carolina Ale House for dinner with 12 other people most of whom were his classmates. I actually met most of them before and was very proud of myself when I discovered I remembered many of their names especially since the last time I saw most of them was in March. Now, for those who really know me, you’ll appreciate how impressive that is! Dinner was good, conversation was good and having new friends was good. By the end of the night we were all hugging each other goodbye and talking about when we could all meet again. However, there is still a tale to be told. During dinner, one of the conversations led to skydiving (don’t ask because I’m not really sure how). One of the guys, Thomas, was trying to convince his fiancée to skydive with him. Several people around the table had already experienced it or wanted to which helped Thomas make a strong case. I wonder why anyone wants to jump out of a perfectly good plane myself; it just doesn’t seem right. As Thomas and Dani were asking opinions around the table, they got to Kevin and his response was, “eh.” But the more he thought about it, the more he was convinced he should try it. He’s even thinking of having one of their next get-togethers be a skydiving event. WHAT!? My husband wants to plummet to his death at a heart-stopping rate? And this is by choice? I told him I wanted to make sure we had a life insurance policy for him before he goes. Ha! Yeah, I don’t know about that… But I did learn more about him but I’m not sure it’s something that I really wanted to know. Then I wonder, what else is he not sharing with me? Yikes.

And can anyone explain this to me? In high school (1989-1992), I was taking Spanish as my foreign language and I quite enjoyed it. Did you do the math? That was some time ago, okay? Keep that in mind. Now, after high school I went to college (where I did NOT take any Spanish but learned sign language instead) and graduated then got a job working in a local high school for Special School District. In 1998, I had a student who wanted to take German as her foreign language and it was at this point that I started to learn to speak German. I was with this student for three years in German class before she transferred schools. I wanted to continue my learning and with the graciousness of the teacher, I was allowed to do that for another 3-4 months before having to remove myself from class due to other responsibilities. Even though I was not able to continue my education in the classrooom that year, I still studied my notes and reviewed my worksheets in order to keep my knowledge fresh. I believe it was in 2001 that we had a second student taking German and I think that’s partly because my first student and I had such a fabulous time in class (and in Germany!) that we talked about it all the time. I did not interpret for this other student but I would try to help her if she had a question she didn’t understand or go with her to the teacher for questions if her regular interpreter wasn’t available. At this same time I was also working with the interpreter helping her with pronunciation, grammar, etc. In the years to come, I believe we had at least one student taking some form of German during every year except one. What that means is basically since 1998 I have in some way been exposed to and practiced the German language. Even today I walk around the house saying things to my husband (who is now translating written German texts). Okay, so with the past ten years of exposure to the German language, why is it that every time I meet David or Alexandra (both from Germany) I want to speak Spanish? Just Friday evening we went to pick up David for dinner and he got in the car and said, “good evening.” Why are the first words that immediately pop into my head, “buenos noches?” And even that’s not right but it’s still the wrong language which is my point. That doesn’t make any sense to me. I was just interpreting German six months ago. Shouldn’t that be more fresh in my mind? It took a long time until I could think to say, “guten abend.” It was so long in fact that I didn’t say it because it would have seemed out of place. We had moved on to a third conversation by that point. Crazy. Your thoughts?

Okay, moving on. Saturday was just another day at the office except I met a couple new people. I went in and picked out my station not realizing I was sitting next to a Spanish speaking interpreter. It rather threw me for a loop. It was awesome. But that really doesn’t help me with my German predicament! Either way, everyone at work has been nice and two of the girls I met on Friday sat in stations that were near mine. It’s nice to have friends already. They can never, ever replace my St. Louis peeps—you will always have a special place in my heart and my life. It’s just nice to know I’m not going to be lonely here.

Love, hugs and kisses until next week!

Week One

It's not even been a full week since I arrived in Durham and I already can make a list of 20 things I like about the place. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Kroger—I haven’t been in a Kroger grocery store since I was a little girl. Brings back memories.

2. 24—All hour access to fried chicken.

3. Weather—While the weather coming in wasn't welcoming (rainy and windy), the average 60 degree temperature is hard to dismiss. However, I may be sad if I don’t have the opportunity to break out my cute striped hat & scarf.

4. Gargantuanness—Cactus leaves the size of your head!

5. Ninth Street—I just like to make fun of the spelling (pronounced by me as "nihnth").

6. Biscuits Galore—Move over IHOP, we have Biscuitville!

7. Real Life Tetris—Moving from a three bedroom house with a basement into a poorly laid out one bedroom shotgun apartment is challenging my creative organizational skills.

8. TV—Lots of television channels that can be accessed just by rabbit ears.

9. One Street Access—If I drive down my street long enough, I can eventually get access to anything I want. Peace of mind for someone who easily gets turned around.

10. ¿Que?—The Hispanic influence on the area will test my palate as well as my memory.

11. Vaseline Intensified—My hands are not chapped and dry like they were when I left St. Louis. I'm sure that has something to do with the climate.

12. Bosom Buddies—The other morning I was eating breakfast in a restaurant and was sitting near a group of 8-10 older men of African decent. These gentlemen were sitting around just talking and laughing and that made me feel good. I enjoyed the fact that they were enjoying each other. Not something I really saw in St. Louis. Then again, I rarely ate breakfast in a restaurant.

13. H2O—I’m thankful that the water here doesn't taste funny.

14. Genuineness—Most of the people we have encountered have been very helpful, friendly and nice. People around here wave at you whether they know you or not which reminds me of going to the country and that makes me happy.

15. Nice Doggie—My neighbor has a dog that doesn't bark! (The neighbors that I just moved away from had a dog that barked CONSTANTLY.)

16. Proximity—I’m only about two hours from the beach and about four from D.C. which is important since a large number of my “kids” are attending school there. I can’t wait to see them. And I guess the beach is nice, too.

17. Diversity—I love that there are so many ethnicities and cultures represented all over the city. And I love how a great deal of the people here are transplants just like me.

18. Gettin’ Chummy Wid It—I already have friends here! Let’s sing: “Friendship, friendship, just the perfect blendship…” You thought I was going to sing Will Smith's "Gettin' Jiggy With It." If you don’t know the friendship song, you need to watch I Love Lucy Episode #69, which was during their 3rd season, Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress.
If you are interested, you can
watch the clip of their rehearsal of the song
or watch the clip of the actual performance of the song (skip to about 2:46)

19. MVP—I am an MVP at the Food Lion and I’ve got the card to prove it.

20. Oh, and I'm with my husband again. I guess I should include that. ;)

I’d say that’s pretty good for being here only four full days. :)