Personal Narrative: My Life Experiment

Life Experiment

My life experiment was to learn and memorize 5 new signs a day. Along with learning new signs, once a week I did a worksheet from a workbook I got for Christmas. After getting sign language flashcards, workbooks, and a sign language dictionary, I was and still am feeling motivated to learn five new signs a day. This was my choice for my life experiment because in college I want to major in Communication Sciences and Disorders, to eventually become a Speech Pathologist. A Speech Pathologist helps either kids or adults who have a difficulty in their speech which, in some cases, means working with patients that are hard of hearing. Learning Sign Language is essential in becoming my dream career.

Throughout the two weeks I participated in the Life Experiment, I was both

successful and unsuccessful. Eleven out of the fourteen days I successfully completed the class assignment. So, in that sense, I was extremely successful doing the experiment. Many times, however, I did not fully memorize the new sign I was trying to learn. When trying to educate myself on what a speech pathologist was, I read that the younger you are the better off you are for memorizing signs. Many days during the experiment I learned the signs with my brother. He remember more than I do! I was fully aware that learning new signs was going to be difficult, but I still wanted to take on the challenge. I would learn a new sign at night, but by morning I only would remember tree out of the five I was supposed to learn. Comparatively, at the end of the two week experiment I only remember about half of the signs I tried to learn. For these reasons, I am giving myself a B on the experiment.
Throughout the experiment, I learned that I connect what signs I am learning to my personal life and I try my best at everything I put my mind to. On days 10-12, I didn't experience that best days. On day eleven I didn't complete the assignment because I couldn't bring myself to do much homework, while on day twelve I completed the assignment by learning the phrase, "nothing is worth it if you aren't happy." I use ASL to show my emotions and to be able to express myself without people knowing. On another day, I taught my mom the signs for "have fun," because I wanted her to sign it to me during my basketball games to remind me to have fun while I play. In addition, I try my best at everything I am driven to complete. I always want to try my hardest at everything I decide to do. According to Emerson, "A man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best." Sometimes, however, I either forgot to do the experiment or didn't make time for it. I am upset at my self for not trying harder to complete the experiment. Still, I believe I tried my best learning Sign Language.
My life experiment connects to the transcendentalist ideas because I used ASL to stay optimistic and to find the best version of myself in tough times.

Thoreau says, "we do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us.” I did not "ride on the railroad," through the time I spent with this experiment. I made the railroad ride upon me. I took control of my own life, using sign language to help me express my emotions. Similarly, I hope I will never let life control me, I want to control the way I live. I didn't let my problems stress me out by using American Sign Language to calm myself down and to live life to it's full potential. I became a person who remains faithful to my personal vision, to become a more moral, idealistic individual.

In conclusion, I chose Sign Language as my two week life experiment. I learned to use Sign Language to express and control my emotions. I learned that working hard and succeeding is a great achievement. Emerson believes, "the reward of a thing well done is to have done it." The best reward is completing what you put your mind to. Completing and succeeding in the Life Experiment is a sense of an accomplishment and it comes with great

pleasure.