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I was 4 years old when I was sent away to the hostel at De la Bat School for the Deaf in Worcester, South Africa. We used to live on the farm in Moorressburg, a small town outside Malmesbury. It was the only deaf school that my mom knew of. Sadly I stayed at the hostel during the weekdays and weekends I could go home and be a farm girl. Every Monday my mom's heart broke when she had to drive me back to the deaf school.
De la Bat School is where you are taught to learn Sign Language for the deaf. I remember as a little girl I wasn't interested in Sign Language. Being the deafest person in South Africa and wearing Phonak Swiss hearing aids, I wasn't interested in Sign Language. Sign Language would make it easier for me to communicate with deaf people. Unfortunately, I was a difficult child who liked to do my things and avoiding rules. As a child I was living in a fantasy world, I refused to do Sign Language and every term my rapport would state with huge red marks:
"Marisa refused to do Sign Language!".
My mom taught me a language for years and taught me how to speak properly. I was a very talk-active child and I remember fondly how talkative I was. I wanted to talk instead of using my hands. This is why my mom took me away from De La Bat School to Mary Khin School for the hard of hearing in Cape Town. We moved to Cape Town and I stayed with my mother and my older brother. My whole life changed after staying with my own family in our own home. I was 8 years old. I am lucky that I chose this way and my mom never forced me to do talk or sign language. She wanted me to choose which was the best for me.
I remember my first day at the Mary Khin School. I didn't want to get out of the car. I was confused and very shy. I went to see and met my new classmates. I was more excited. This hard of hearing school was a no sign language school. I had to get a Speech Therapist to improve my language. I became very popular and very talk-active with my deaf and hard of hearing friends. I knew when it came into the mainstream world, my speech wasn't that great. I had two-four close hearing friends that I was very comfortable with. They understood me and I understood them. We grew more closely together and this is when I decided that I wanted to try the mainstream school.
When I was accepted at Jan Van Riebeeck Primary School in Cape Town, I went from a popular girl at deaf school to an unpopular girl in a hearing school. I became less talk active and grew more and more self introspective over the years. I became uncomfortable with myself and grew less self-confident about my speech.
I decided to go for a cochlea implants because I wanted to grow my self-confidence and to be able to find myself comfortable in the mainstream world. It was not an easy journey for me. I had to get speech therapy again to build a future all over again with my cochlear implants. My speech grew better and better over the years. I have noticed with my hearing friends when they said to me "You speak better" or "Your speech has improved" or "You don't sound deaf for me''. Of course, I feel extremely proud of myself. All the hard work has paid it off. My self-confidence grew but I still found it very hard to talk actively at social gatherings and events or in restaurants with friends. For me as an extrovert, I prefer to talk one on one with friends at any events or restaurants. It sounds like an introvert, but I am an extrovert.
When I entered Miss Deaf South Africa for the first time in 2012, there was a flashback of my memories of the Sign Language lessons I had. I do remember simple Afrikaans Sign Language from De La Bat School and could easily talk with my deaf friends. The more I spent time with them the more my Sign Language would grow. I decided to enroll for 12 weeks in a Sign Language Course at the University of Cape Town to improve my South African Sign Language so that I can be able to use my hands for my deaf friends and show to South Africans how important it is to have Sign Language as the 12th official language in South Africa.
Sign Language is one of the most beautiful languages in the world. It is funny how you can sign from person to person across the road or stand far away from each other or you can gossip a bit at the family dinner. :)!
It was my choice. I am Deaf. I am Hard of Hearing. I wear Cochlear Implants. I talk. I support sign. It was my path where I came from and I am proudly deaf like any other deaf person. Remember every deaf person or their parents has their choice and they chose which is best for them or their deaf child. Don't attack or judge them, always ask why or please share your story with us :).
Thank you for reading it. I hope that you will understand where I came from.
Love,
Marisa xx
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