Thursday, January 14th
We woke up a bit earlier today than we usually do. I took my shower and got ready as fast as possible. I put on my best clean shirt and headed out the door with a smile on my face. Ben and I rushed to Acorn… because we had visitors. The Hearald Journal decided to send out two journalists to come do a story on our experiment.
It was a lot of fun to have these guys around. They asked questions freely and were very interesting. There was never a quiet moment to be had with these jokesters. They were impressed by my ability and did not shy from taking pictures. Hey, who knows, maybe I’ll be on the front page :D. We talked to them about the nature of our experiment, the short comings and positives, the challenges and the joys, and the experience as a whole. Both Alex and Dudeley were very eager to see our labv and what we go through each day. They were even willing to try a few of the solvents that we had made for taste testing.
Suckers. :D
Just kidding, Ben didn’t give them the most concentrated solutions that we had. It was great to meet even more people who were as eager about hearing the results of our project as Ben and I were. I mean are. I really wish I could see the screen so that I could edit what I say before just blindly typing it. Oh well, I get over it. Now where was I?
So the guys stayed around for a about an hour or more. I’m sure they got great quotes and fairly understood what we were trying to convey. They said that they would be getting back in ouch with us next week to get some more information and the article should be printing a week from Tuesday. I’m really excited. If everything goes according to plan I will be coming out of my dual phase of both Blind and deaf.
We hopped over to lunch afterwards to have a great time with TJ, John, and Francis (Sorry if that’s wrong_. Again, I have to say that my favorite part of each day is either talking to my brothers about my day, orjust joking around with one sentence stories, or talking to Stephanie on the phone, which I have been noticing I call her more and more because of. Its really a great thing to hear the sound of other people’s voices. We ran around campus for a bit, doing this and that, and just having fun. We packed up all of our things and headed back to the lab for a quick hour or so of more testing. The results are very inspiring. I hope that they come out as well as I think that they are. I guess that I will see tomorrow.
Its strange to notice how tiring this work can be. Both Ben and I have a hard time during down times in the day to stay awake. Both of us just want to crawl into bed and take a nap. I think he’s doing that right now as I sit at my computer and write my blog. Its crazy to think of the energy exerted on the body, let alone the mind, when you have to operate with a disability. I’m having to think about every situation that I usually don’t have to. I’m having to make sure I know where I am at all times and I have to make sure I know where to get where I need to be in a timely fashion. Sure, sometimes it is frustrating but I still hold my own. I’ll catch up on sleep sometime later. Why not experience this to the fullest?
So now I’m heading off to go sit in my main room, joke around with Zach and David, try to play some video games, and contemplate what dinner is going to taste like. Perhaps I’ll also be able to play some rock band tonight, which will be a great experience to say the least.
Tomorrow, the bandages come off. Its scary to think about it, but I think I’m ready for them to. I want to read Bens blog. I also want to see how my other classmates are coming along. It’s the feeling that you would get if you weren’t living in America for a few months only to return and know that he first thing you’re going to eat is a good ole’ cheeseburger. I know its coming, and though I’m sad about “leaving” I just really want to take a big bite of that burger.
I hope that this blog has somewhat shown you all how being blind can affect someone’s life. I hope that I’m doing everything that I need to do to be able to show you that. If I’m not, ask questions. I love to answer anything that I can. Sadly, I’ll just have to wait until I can see again. I hope everyone has a good one, and I will be writing again soon.
Afternote.
Its strange how things just suddenly appear to test you. Oftentimes we fail, we have to admit that. Well, this morning around 3:30 a.m. I failed. I panicked and I didn’t know what to do. It was like a wild beast that came out of the darkness to grab me and I almost collapsed into a ball to await my fate.
Someone’s microwave had exploded and the fire alarm began to go off.
At first, I reacted like I usually do; calm and put on the closest set of clothes that I could find. I got my pants and a very old shirt on and somehow in the middle of it had unlocked my door. I began to try and find my shoes. Here’s where I panicked.
Not only is it disorientating to be around loud noises when you are blind, but a fire alarm is very very very overwhelming. I lost all track of where I was, who I was, or what I was doing. I tried hard to find my place in the room but it wasn’t happening. I tripped, stumbled, and nearly broke down.
It felt as if someone was attacking me.
But knowing that this was more likely to be an actual fire alarm than a test I did my best to find my way out. I thought I had the door when it turned out that I just had the side of one of my rooms. This was not very comforting. Just when I was ready to rip off the bandages because I saw this as a necessary situation where the bandages should come off, I felt a light touch on my shoulder.
You really understand true friendship when you have your roommate rescue you from this kind of situation. David had come into my room with my cane and handed it to me. I felt relieved and stability returned to me like the breath to a drowning person; piercing at first, but then comforting. We began to leave the room where Ben was waiting right outside the door. I followed Ben outside and spent the next fifteen minutes shivering in the cold because I could not find a jacket before we left.
We finally returned to the room where I immediately crawled into bed. I couldn’t really think. I had felt so tired that I could have slept for days. I’m still feeling the effects later as I write this blog and I can tell that stressful situations can be so much scarier in a situation like mine.
So, what have I learned? Be open to help, seek it if necessary. I was scared to call out to David; hell, I didn’t even think about it. You cannot let yourself be proud in these kind of cases. You have to understand that you do in fact have a handicap. While you may be able to do things that non-handicapped people can do, you are not on the same level. You should look for help when necessary.
A fire is a necessary situation.
A shriek in the night
A roar in my ears
No light pierces my sight
But my heart fills with fear
Alone in the dark
Ablaze is a light
Somewhere near me
Fingers quiver with fright
A simple touch
A guided hand
Led from astray
To a safe haven, land
Friends are there
No matter your cries
To lead you from danger
No matter your eyes.
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