Still Meeting Friends

Faisal Alghamdi

University of the Incarnate Word

Faisal Alghamdi is a student at the University of the Incarnate Word and an ASL and Poetry Editor for Quirk, The National Undergraduate Journal of UIW.

Transcript

I am Faisal Alghamdi. I am a student at University of the Incarnate Word, and my course is the Editing and Publishing class. In the Spring of 2020, COVID-19 affected the entire world.  People of all kinds were affected; rich and poor, students and businessmen, domestic workers and corporate vendors, neighbors and politicians – none have come out unscathed.

I am an outgoing person and usually enjoy spending time with friends, neighbors, and relatives.  When we would get together, we enjoyed discussing personal experiences, playing games, etc. Now, as a result of the pandemic, I am meeting friends online using Zoom.  Still, I think of when, before COVID-19, my friends and I could gather at my home to play games.

Zoom is excellent for the Deaf because American Sign Language is a visual communication system that uses mostly hand gestures and some other features using the entire body.  Anyone who knows ASL can understand the meaning of these gestures.

1. What was your inspiration for this piece?

My inspiration for this piece is highlighting the various challenges deaf students go through in their studies and coping with society. Each day we are faced with numerous challenges, among them language barriers. Since English is not the first language for some of us, translation always leaves some gaps in understanding what the speaker says. The other challenge is inadequate knowledge and awareness of our special needs, whereby some teachers fail to realize that each child learns differently, resulting in a substantial academic gap. I was also inspired by the fact that I am determined to express myself through writing and artistic work, just like my peers who are not deaf.

2. What is your creative process?

My creative process entails listening to nature, even though I am deaf. When I sit alone in my home or at a place where I can relate to nature, I hear different sounds that present me with ideas that I write into my draft book, without checking the flow of ideas or the spelling mistakes. Once I am done writing down the rough thoughts, I start organizing my work by arranging the ideas to flow into the other. After writing the final draft, I check the errors and proofread it to ensure that it can’t be mistaken.

3. What are some influences on your artistic process?

Numerous things and people influence my writing. At times, what I write can be affected by nature, the works of other people, and the challenges that deaf people go through. I find it easy to write articles highlighting the plight of the deaf in society. Besides those, great philosophers and writers like Sadguru have influenced me due to their motivational stories, which I feel relates to me.

4. Is there anything more you’d like our readers/viewers to know about you or your work?

I want my readers to know that my work is emotionally attached to me. The theme, plot, and characters in the story reflect my inner feelings towards a challenge. My work also provides essential insight to the readers on my past challenges, what I did to overcome them, and my fears for the future and my hopes.