Essay On Immigrant Experience

522 Words2 Pages

Working at an orphanage in Ghana may have not been the benevolent experience I expected, but it ended up being a portal into the deaf community. I sat on my high horse as I entered the orphanage. As much as this trip was geared to help others, human nature’s sense of narcissism kicked in, and a small voice suffocated my brain saying , “I hope this makes me seem like a good person.” My lack of global awareness was astonishing when I arrived in Ghana, little did I know, a five minute interaction with a deaf Ghanaian man would alter my mindset completely. I reached an epiphany two weeks into the trip. I began to think about how I was doing work that I could have done in my own community. I could not help but consider the expensive plane ticket I purchased to fly to Ghana, when that money could have easily been used to hire someone to do the same work, all whilst supporting the Ghanaian economy. Was I yet another privileged high school student …show more content…

I spent my spare time googling how to sign certain words, and watching videos of deaf people signing on YouTube. Soon after, I registered for sign language classes at the local community college. With each class I became increasingly fascinated with the language and the deaf community. It felt rewarding being able to communicate with the deaf man who worked in the produce department of Safeway, and meeting other classmates who also knew ASL. Although working at the orphanage was not the experience I had anticipated, I left Ghana with a different perspective. Community service should not be something only the privileged can do; and it is not only achieved by going to another country, or getting a certificate of service hours. Learning a new language is a community service opportunity that is accessible to everyone. Language has expanded my narrow, confined world, into one blossoming with opportunity to make connections with those around

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