What can I say about Morine?

Morine!

She’s who I spend the majority of my day with. I’ve only known her a short time, but I’ve already seen her many moods. And she’s seen mine :-) I’m so proud of this little girl who insists on being just like the hearing. I know she is trying to develop her identity. I pray to God that I can help facilitate that process. She’s learning (language, social skills, academics and everything else) like a sponge.

...Morine's back story...

Me interpreting for Morine

She is a part of a family who carries the gene for Deafness. That means many of her cousins are Deaf. In fact, one of her Deaf cousins attends the same school, in addition to a Deaf cousin’s daughter and a few hearing cousins. In her own immediate family, Morine is the only Deaf person. Families here are very tight-knit, so the concept of one member being isolated or different is hard to accept. Thanks be to God, Morine’s family did not give up on her. After two years of Nancy working with Morine, they saw the benefits of signing vs. just talking to Morine. Morine has blossomed. Praise God! Now Morine has the tools to better to express herself. In those two years, she’s gone from minimal gestures to being able to put her own sentences together. 

Yes, Belizeans do get cold! From left to right: Adrienne, Morine and Marisol

However despite having Deaf family members, Morine is the only Deaf girl in Infant 1 and there are no other Deaf kids anywhere close to her age. This makes her very dependent on her sister and hearing peers for friendship. At this age, that’s not a problem. Most communication and socialization is physical anyway. I pray for the coming years, when her class will become more interested in talking than coloring. Because Morine was born into Belizean culture, I think she has a chance at some meaningful relationships. I am so proud of Belizeans! Her classmates include Morine without partiality. All the Belizeans that I have met make an effort to directly communicate with the Deaf person. If that means using gestures or learning signs, they do it. I don’t see that happen in the US very often. Due to the culture’s inclusive disposition and the fact she is going to be with the same peers for the next seven years, maybe a few deep relationships will develop (that’s what I pray for). Who knows? Maybe Belize’s future interpreters are sitting in Infant 1now!

Morine with a mischievous gleam in her eye

...Morine quotes and -isms...

 At the beginning of school, Morine refused to sign prayers.* This is because Morine dislikes doing anything different from what the hearing do. As a result, her prayers consisted of her closing her eyes, folding her hands and moving her lips. Just like the hearing. Every so often, she would peek out of the corner of her eye to assure herself that they were still praying. So cute!

Sulmi reading to both Morine and Adrienne

Morine is smart. She understands what interpreters do. During the middle of a lesson, a bored Morine will get a mischievous look in her eye. Turning to her seatmate she will sign, “You’re pretty” or “I like your hairclip.” Then she’ll glance at me with an impatient look on her face while signing, “Tell her!” Anahely is all too willing to talk.  They have a nice long interpreted conversations, until I have to redirect them back to the lesson.

Morine is a good girl and likes that label. When I first started working with Morine, she would spend so much time telling me how she always paid attention and was never distracted, that she would miss out on the lesson!

Nash asking to share with Morine

As mentioned before, Morine hates being different. She still insists on talking to her peers most of the time. They know some sign and a lot of gesture, but still Morine speaks to them sometimes.

I asked Morine the other day what color my hair was. After looking at it carefully, she replied, “Yellow, orange and white.” What, white?!

Morine is really mellow and stubborn. Nothing, I mean nothing, can motivate this girl when she is determined to take it easy. I know she can do the work, but many times she is the last one to finish. I am so thankful that this is slowly changing the more we’re together!

What?! She's eating??

She’s a picky eater who could really care less about eating. If peanut butter were a common food here, I’d call her a Peanut Butter and Jelly Kid. It’s not (and she hates jam), so I don’t know what to call her. Her food preferences please her sister who is only too happy to “share” Morine’s snack.

Morine and her snack sharer/sister, Adrienne

Morine loves to tease. I cannot tell you how many times a day she enjoys pretending to lose her pencil, opening to the wrong page in a book or throwing her garbage on the ground. There’s usually a smile on her face.

Thanks be to God, for this determined little Belizean girl!

*A tribute to her growth: she is now copy-signing most prayers.

“Where there's life there's hope.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit