Why Did I Decide To Learn Sign Language? What Will I Do After This Project Is Over?

I have always wanted to learn another language. In school right now, I am learning Spanish, but I have always felt like I wanted to learn more. I think that people who know many different languages fluently is mesmerizing, and I would love to be one of those people. I decided to learn sign language because I always thought it was a beautiful way of communicating with others and I was influenced by a show called Dancing With the Stars. There is a contestant this year named Nyle DiMarco: he and his whole family are deaf. He says that he doesn't hear any music or feel any vibrations that he can follow; when his partner moves he moves. Just wow! That is truly amazing. To address the comments that I have seen, following this project, I do want to continue to expand my knowledge of sign language beyond just a song and basic words. I really wish that my school offered other languages besides Spanish because I am fairly busy and would not have that much time outside of school to learn more. I might start taking online classes if I can.

Above are two of my favorite dances that this pair has done. On the left is a Viennese Waltz he performed during Switch-Up week, which is when all of the dancers and celebrities switch partners for one dance. Nyle and Sharna performed a beautiful dance that brought everyone to tears. On the right is a Paso Doble that Nyle and his regular partner Peta performed that was truly powerful. At one point in the dance, the music was completely shut off and it was dead silent in the room. This was done in order to show fans the dance from Nyle's perspective; to show them what it is like to dance deaf. 

The quote says "I grew up with a huge Deaf family in a large Deaf community. I am the fourth Deaf generation in my family, so I am deeply rooted and I love being Deaf. I think that with me loving my Deafness really made me confident and able to do anything I wanted." Nyle originally studied to be a math teacher, but later became the winner of America's Next Top Model. He now models and advocates for people who are Deaf, especially children in order to boost their self-esteem.