Repeat performance

Wow!  ChinaBoi was feeling pretty pleased with himself last year for winning the SECU scholarship, but that was nothing compared to the fact that he won it again this year!  This year he had to do a video on the difference between banks and credit unions.  Here's the video.  I was really proud of how much he learned doing this, and what made it even better was that when I posted his video on Facebook, he got two really meaningful comments.  One was from a friend of mine who used to manage a bank and said that he thought ChinaBoi did a really good job illustrating the differences.  The other was from a Deaf friend who said she never realized there was a difference and learned a lot from watching his video.  

Looks like SECU is passing on financial education to the Deaf community indirectly through ChinaBoi.  

They had a really nice ceremony and said they're looking forward to next year. 

So are WE!!  

Freshman Year Done!

ChinaBoi is done his freshman year at RIT!  He got all B's for his second semester, which is not bad at all!  Especially considering that he's in some advanced math and AutoCAD classes, things that I can offer no help in whatsoever.  I've checked over and made suggestions on a couple of his English essays, but other than that, he's really been out there on his own this year, and I just couldn't be prouder of how well he's doing.  

Here's to the end of being a freshman, ChinaBoi--may you be equally as successful as a sophomore!

Selfie time -- really??

ChinaBoi--only person in the world who smiles and takes a selfie with cop car in th background after being pulled over for speeding. Sheesh! 

Making the Grade

When you log in to your electronic classroom and don't see the little plus sign icon (meaning you're alone in there, no one else logged on right now), why does that feel eerie and creepy just like walking into a dark classroom in a real college building???

Nonetheless, I have been known to sit in this dark, empty electronic classroom, with bated breath, waiting for the professor to pop in and upload grades, hitting the "refresh" button on my browser. Every five minutes. For days.

Last night, ChinaBoi was sitting with his laptop, logged in to RIT's e-services, hitting the button every 5 minutes on the grade sheet, trying to find out what his final exam grades and semester grades were.

Some things just span generations.

Like mother, like son...

The good news is that he made one A and all the rest B's.  I think that's pretty darn good for a kid who only had half as much schooling as his peers before leaving for college!  Yay, ChinaBoi!

Mohawk again?

That sure didn't take long.  Well, at least I had him normal for a little while.  They did warn us that things like hairstyles and piercings and clothing would make drastic changes once the kids were away from home, so I suspected the mohawk would return. 

I guess I just didn't expect to be quite so...ummm...BRIGHT.  

Open Letter to RIT

Dear RIT, 

I really wasn’t prepared for this day. I thought I would handle it fine, but I wasn’t prepared for the emotions that just broad-sided me. You see, I just handed over something really, really precious into your keeping--and I know you’re not going to give him back in the same condition you got him in. 

I know, that’s your job, but it still hurts. I really am losing him as he is right now.I had no idea when he first came to live with us how strong a bond could form in such a short time. How could he possibly develop as strong a bond as my other son had? It wasn’t like I had him since he was baby; he was already a teenager when I adopted him. We don’t look alike, we don’t even share the same first language, but that is still my son, and he is every bit as precious to me as the other one. 

I managed to hold back most of the tears until he couldn’t see me any longer, but they’re flowing freely now. Turning and walking away from him is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Not much on this earth I treasure as much as that boy (except the other one!), so I have literally left a huge portion of my heart in your hands. 

Please guard it well.

Home Sweet Home

Well, Charlie's home sweet home, for the next nine months or so, anyway...

Pinch me

Somebody needs to pinch me.  Here's the end result of our first day at RIT, and this now seems so surreal.  I can't believe I'm going to be leaving here without him.  I'm not ready for that one to sink in just yet. 

Engineer this!

So it's like this - the boy's car is stuffed to the gills and ready for the trip to New York...but there's no room for me or my one measly little suitcase.  

I told him he wants to be an engineer, gotta figure it out. 

He did eventually manage to squeeze me and my suitcase in there, but man it was a cramped ride from Maryland to New York! 

SECU Scholarship

 

SECU Maryland

That image says it all.  Well, almost...

ChinaBoi's grandmother was a Maryland State employee prior to retirement.  And since she is retired, she has donated a portion of her time to trying to find scholarships for both me and ChinaBoi. So, every once in a while, I find a link in my inbox to a scholarship for which she thinks one of us might qualify.  One of those links was from the credit union she was a member of when working for State.  

This one really worked out for ChinaBoi, because the "essay" could be submitted as a video.  So he practiced what he wanted to say and recorded himself on his iPad, and I gave myself a crash course in learning how to do closed-captioning.  A few weeks later, we got word that Charlie's video was one of the winners!  

They invited us to what turned out to be a beautiful ceremony at the SECU arena at Towson University, where they had a HUGE catered buffet.  Y'all do remember the hunger issues, right?  For ChinaBoi, it's all about the food...  

There were 13 winners, 10 of them written essays, and 3 of them videos.  Charlie won a $1,000 scholarship, and when he submits a follow-up video in September, they will provide ANOTHER $1,000. 

I have to say, I was really impressed with all that I learned during the ceremony about what SECU does to help students in Maryland.  One of OldestSon's chronic complaints about the educational system in Maryland is that he graduated with no financial literacy skills whatsoever.  SECU sees that issue as a problem and is really putting resources in place to combat that and provide students with education about student debt, entrepreneurship, and money management skills.  ChinaBoi has decided to open an account with them even though he has an account with another credit union. 

They gave each of the winners an oversized check to keep, and they showed the videos during the ceremony.  Charlie got a little choked up watching his video; they caught that moment on film--and put it into the video they made commemorating the scholarships.  When I asked him later what was going through his mind at that moment, he said he was thinking again about how awful life was as a deaf person in China, and how wonderful it was to be here in America where deaf people have the same opportunities as everyone else.  

Okay, I'll admit it.  I cried the rest of the way home. 

The Graduate

Can't believe this day has finally arrived.  Years of hard work went into getting to this point. 

The ceremony was great.  Each kid was able to say a few words after being handed the diploma and just prior to turning the tassel, and Charlie told how opportunity for the deaf in China was non-existent, but that here he really had the opportunity to do anything.  It was very touching.  

The thingies on the mortarboard, by the way, are karate kickers.  Each of the graduates decorated the cap in some way, so of course his had to be karate-related.

 

Charlie's the first one in the back row.

 

The Man in Black

The big night--Charlie's black belt test! He is so loved--not only did the family come out to cheer him on, but some of his deaf friends from school showed up, as well as his English teacher and his bus driver.  (He's had the same bus driver for 5 years now, and they're quite fond of each other!) 

It was a very entertaining evening, and he came out of it with his black belt.  In fact, all 5 of the brown belts testing for black passed, which made it a really good night, because they all know each other and train together for this goal, and if any one of them doesn't pass, it's a bit of a bummer for the others on an otherwise happy night.  Tonight the whole group passed, and each of them got a white zig-zag on their black belt (called a zebra) indicating that they are "provisional" black belts.  That means there is one section of the test that they have to repeat because the judges want to see some refinements in that area.  Charlie's provisional was in fighting.  He fought really well, but they want to see better control.  So, he will test again in August (right before leaving for college!) to try to get his provisional lifted to get rid of the zebra.  

It might have a white stripe, but the belt is BLACK!!!  Charlie is the first and only deaf black belt in Tompkins Karate Association. 

Congratulations, ChinaBoi.  I know this is a life-long dream of yours, and you've proven once again that DEAF CAN. 

Acceptance and then some...

Charlie finally accepted the advice of his IEP team and realized accounting would not be a good career field for someone who can't sit still for very long.  Once that realization set in, it wasn't such a big jump for him to decide that he should focus on getting admitted to RIT (again) rather than pursuing Gallaudet, since RIT is known for its technology majors. 

Today, Charlie got his acceptance packet from RIT/NTID.  He's been accepted and is hoping to major in electrical engineering.  Yes, I know that could change--he may well come out with a degree in computer science or whatever.  But the big point is:  CHINABOI IS GOING TO COLLEGE!!

There was an extra little tidbit of news in that packet as well:  He was awarded the President's Scholarship.  That's $10,000 divided over 4 years.  That's a thrill!

Now we've got to get busy applying for other scholarships, seeing what other help we can get.  He will have some support from Voc Rehab, but we don't yet know how much, but given how expensive RIT is, I know it won't fully cover it and we're going to have to come up with a good bit ourselves somehow.  

College-bound.  OMG.  My baby is going to college.  Far away.  I think I'm about to start hyperventilating...

Preliminary Report

Today was a big day--the black belt prelim. Charlie has to pass the prelim in order to be allowed to take the full black belt test in February, so tonight he had to give them a taste of what he's got. 

Since about October, ChinaBoi has been going to karate classes nearly 5 nights a week.  He has to go around visiting different instructors in different cities to get feedback, and he needed to get signatures on his candidacy papers from five of the judges who are on the black belt panel, which means they are 3rd degree black belts or higher. 

He got his five signatures in time, and two of them were from sixth-degree black belts, so he was happy going into the test. 

He passed the prelim, and I was told afterwards that the vote was unanimous in his favor.  So now he has one more month of grueling classes and preparation and nail-biting. 

C'mon February.  We're ready for the suspense to be over with!

Driving me crazy!

Interesting day today.  We went and got our taxes done this morning and then had a 1 p.m. appointment to take Charlie for his driver's test.

Yeah, I said driver's test.

We went to the IHOP just 5 minutes away from the Beltsville MVA for lunch in between those two appointments, and left there at 12:30 for the 5-minute trip so we'd be in plenty of time and so we could try to figure out who/where the interpreter was.  (It's sometimes a challenge for the interpreter and client both to figure each other out.)

What was that about the best-laid plans of mice and men?

There was an accident in between us and the MVA, a really bad one.  It had Rt. 1 completely shut down for over 1/2 hour, involved about 15 pieces of emergency equipment.  By the time we got through, we were late for the 1pm appointment, and they had said they were booked solid, so if you're more than 5 minutes late, you won't get in.  We almost threw in the towel and turned around to head home based on that.  Y'all know how MVA can be, right?

Now, before going further, I have to give my little opinion about MVA.  People always ask me why I go far away to MVA to either Beltsville or to Annapolis, instead of just using the local one in Glen Burnie.  I have yet to ever have a good experience in the Glen Burnie MVA, and my theory on that is that it is down in a dark, dreary basement.  There is very little natural light in that place, and it makes the workers grumpy and depressed.  I've never seen a cheerful worker in that place.  Some of you may have had a different experience, and I'm willing to accept that they may be cheerful every day of the year except the ones that I am there; I'm just stating my personal observations over the years.  However, the Annapolis and Beltsville MVA offices are bright and open, lots of windows, and the people there seem to have a much better disposition.  It's worth the extra drive to me to do business with people who are happier in their work. 

Anyway, we decided to stick with it on the premise that maybe some of the other people trying to get there for appointments would be stuck in the same mess we were, and if we got there ahead of them, they *might* still take us.

By the time the accident cleared, we were 18 minutes late walking through the door.  The lady at the counter apologized and said the interpreter waited her 15 minutes, and left right on the dot.  (Funny, I was told to always wait at least 20 minutes to half hour, especially since I'm getting paid for 2 hours just for showing up.  I'd love to know who that was, but maybe it's better that I don't...)  She would still be willing to let Charlie process in for the test, though, even though he's late.  (See what I mean?  If we'd been late at Glen Burnie, they'd have booted us out the door!)

That means ChinaBoi has 2 choices--reschedule the test for another day with an interpreter, or take it without one.  They can only use interpreters from a certain agency that contracts with MVA, so I can't interpret for him. 

He decided to go for it. 

We get out in the car and get in line with the other cars for the test.  The line was 2 hours long. 

Y'all know how to tell if someone has passed or failed, right?  If they pass, they end up parking the car in the parking lot and walking back to their loved ones waiting by the tables.  If they fail, the examiner is behind the wheel when they come back from the road portion of the test. 

During the 2 hours it took to inch our way up to the head of the line, we saw fail after fail after fail.  Only one pass.  ChinaBoi was a quivering bundle of nerves by the time we got up to the front.  When the guy who came out to pre-inspect the car for the examiner realized that Charlie was deaf and didn't have an interpreter, he went back to talk to the examiner.  He came back out and confirmed that they couldn't let me interpret, but said they were going to go ahead with the test anyway, the examiner was making up some flashcards and would be out in a few minutes. 

The guy came out and introduced himself and his trainee, who would be riding in the back, and I watched as he did the inspection (they order the new driver to turn on the turn signals, headlights, 4-way hazards, blow the horn, turn on the wipers, etc.).  The guy was communicating really well with Charlie with gestures.

They finished the inspection and the guys got in the car with Charlie at the wheel and took off.  I watched as Charlie went through the parallel parking and the 3-point turn.  Then they took him out on the road, out of sight. 
 
That's when I realized I'd been holding my breath.  For a really, really long time.  As long as he was in sight, I felt a telepathic bond, like I was controlling the car with him.  But once he was out of sight, I felt helpless, and the butterflies set in. 

Thirteen minutes later, they came back.  We were a little worried when we saw the car back so soon, because they had said 15 minutes.  Charlie was still at the wheel, so I figured a pass, but when he got out and I signed to him (from a distance) asking, he just shrugged his shoulders and said he didn't have a clue.  The examiners waved us to come out to the parking lot for a conference.  That was a little worrisome....

Then the guy said he passed, and had actually been the best test he'd seen all day.  He did advise that Charlie work on starting to slow down a little sooner when he has a stop coming up, said he had a tendency to get up near the sign before braking, but other than that his test was great.  (Guess that explains why they were back 2 minutes early, huh?)

BIG group hug, jump-up-and-down party.  Then back in to actually do the paperwork to get the license. 

One more surprise left, though.  After Charlie got his mitts on his brand-new license, we followed him out to the car and watched him get in.  He looked at me and motioned me to come on, get in, let's go!

I told him I'd rather ride home with Rick, and we had to make a stop on the way for an errand, so we'd just see him at home when we got back.  The look on his face!!!  He just could not believe he was going for a solo flight already! 

Of course, by the time Rick and I got home, ChinaBoi was nowhere to be found, so of course I had my first case of hyperventilation wondering what happened.  Turns out he decided on a whim to stop off at the library and get an armload of books.  Not a bad activity for the first solo, but we did have a talk about keeping mom informed on his whereabouts when he's not going to arrive when expected.

That's when he dropped the little bomb on me that a friend wanted to throw an impromptu party for him to celebrate, and he wanted to stay over (he's on spring break, after all....).  Please, please, please???

Wow, that didn't take long.  I'm starting to feel the empty nest syndrome creeping in. 


Did you know that deaf people in China aren't allowed to drive? 

Big Day, Tough Decisions

Charlie came home from school this afternoon saying he'd made a decision and wanted to know if I was going to be mad about it.  He has decided to stay at MSD-Frederick (his high school) for an extra year in order to focus solely on English.  Having taken the ACT test several times now and not gotten his English scores up where they should be for college, he is worried that even if he gets accepted for college, he would be unable to succeed because his English is still not up to snuff.

Mad?  ME???  I raised this as a possibility to him over a year ago, and he got majorly pissed off at me for even suggesting it.  Any time I mentioned it, he would go into a snit, so I eventually just shut up.  Now that he has come to this decision on his own, he's worried that I will be MAD?  No way!!

I think it's an excellent decision. 

So, having settled that, I went outside to collect the mail from the box.  There is a big white envelope from RIT/NTID with big orange letters stamped on the front saying "You're In!!!"  It's addressed to Charlie. 

I wasn't sure if this was something to do with that Explore Your Future that he had this past summer or whether it actually had something to do with his college application, since he had applied to both RIT/NTID and Gallaudet during the course of the school year, so I hovered a little while he opened his mail. 

CHINABOI WAS ACCEPTED TO COLLEGE!!!

He is not planning to accept the slot this year--he is standing by his decision to stay at MSD for another year of schooling and to get his ACT scores up.  Furthermore, he really wants Gallaudet (we haven't heard from them yet). 

But it is exciting to know that, even with scores that weren't quite up to snuff, he was already accepted.  That means that he will be even better positioned next year after getting some more focus on English and raising his scores.  There is no doubt about it now--ChinaBoi is gonna go to college!

There is just no way he could possibly have dreamed of all this 6 short years ago when he was living in that orphanage.  No way. 

But sometimes the dreams you DON'T dare to dream can come true, too. 

Congrats, ChinaBoi!!!  Mommy is SO proud of you. 

Wedding Jewelry

Charlie's jewelry-making skills are really coming along very nicely.  He has made a number of truly elegant necklace/earring sets for my mother, and his name is getting out there.  He now does not only beading, but chainmaille, fine silver chains, and pearl silk knotting.  Recently he was commissioned to make a necklace/earring/bracelet set for a wedding.  Pearls are really hard to photograph for some reason, so thanks to my mom for getting some decent shots of this set before he had to hand it all over to the bride (who was thrilled!)  Here's the results: 

Full set

Necklace and Earrings

Necklace - back clasp mother-of-pearly inlay

Bracelet clasp - mother of pearl inlay

Big News on Oldest Son

Oldest Son has big news--NEW JOB!  He was talking to someone he met at a party a while back, and they started talking tech, and the next thing Rick knew, the guy was saying that his company was currently hiring and that if Rick got him a resume, he would make sure it got into the right hands.

He got called in for an interview a couple weeks after the resume was delivered, and the next thing he knew, he was being offered a job that was only 5 minutes from home (which means no more tunnel toll commute and a helluva lot less gas), slightly higher pay with an increase coming once he has finished training, and once he's fully qualified, the job will entail about 50% domestic travel with expenses and per diem paid.  Heck yeah, sign him up!!

He put in his 2-week notice, and starts the first of the month. 

Proud of that boy, landed that one completely on his own without anyone from the family pulling any strings for him. 

High hopes for that one...

When the Heck Did THIS Happen?

No, he hasn't graduated yet. But we just got his senior pictures back, and it is really starting to sink in that my "baby" is growing up. Kinda hard to deny when you look at these, right?

No Loud Noises!

How do you explain to a deaf kid what makes noise and what doesn't? 

Rick and I are starting a new business doing voice overs.  We have gotten the home studio equipment, and the microphones are VERY sensitive.  They can pick up sounds all over the house.  So we've told Charlie that when we are working at the mic, he needs to be very quiet and not make any noise--not even clicking the keys on his laptop.  He promised to be quiet as a mouse; we turned back to the mics, and he walks out of the house, letting the screen door bang shut as he goes. 

Ay, yi, yi!!!