Deaf Schools = Hogwarts?

I once took a course under Dr. Arlene B. Kelly and the course was DST 201 Deaf Culture. It was stimulating course with lots of questions (dumb and intelligent, of course) from the students regarding the "cultural issues".

It was fun. Then one time, between me and Dr. Kelly, she mentioned that she is quite fond of Harry Potter series. Of course, in few days, J.K. Rowlings will unveil her sixth book of Harry Potter series, I thought it is time that I revealed what Dr. Arlene Kelly and I talked about it ... related to Deaf Culture.

She said that there are many comparisons that can be compared between deaf schools and Harry Potter's Hogwarts School. I never thought of that. Dr. Kelly said, if you look at Muggles and non-Muggles ... you can translate that into hearing people and Deaf people. There are non-Muggles living with Muggles, just like Deaf living with hearing parents. Many sent their non-Muggles to Hogwarts, just like many sent to Deaf schools.

If you recall the first movie of Harry Potter when the boats took the students on to Hogwarts School, the students were set back when they saw the massive campus of Hogwarts. This happened to me when I was first thrusted to VSDB when I was 5, I was set back by its massive campus when I saw the campus when Dad drove down the hill on Route 250.

We drove around the campus, I stared on my left side at the sheer size of VSDB sitting on the hill as Dad drove on Lee Highway, I could not believe that I was going to that place, away from hearing world ... for the next 12 years.

Yet, people who graduated from Hogwarts School thought highly of the school, few do not. Just like many Deaf schools across the nation. Many Muggles do not understand what it is like to be non-Muggles but do they give a fuck? No, not really. They often said things sarcastically or dealt with it. Just like we do with hearing people.

There are words, slangs, customes that we embraced that many hearing people do not understand, just like the Muggles fail to understand or accept non-Muggles. Even better, did you notice that the competition between Deaf schools tend to be very fierce at its best whereas when a Deaf team plays hearing team, the Deaf players do not care enough to win some? The non-Muggles played Quidditch fiercely against each other but they won't play against the Muggles. Same thing applies to Deaf schools, they preferred playing against each other but goes ewww against hearing teams.

Then Dad pulled the van to a slow stop by Lee Highway then turned left onto New Hope Road that led us to open view of VSDB sitting on the hill. Then the van went up the hill, Dad pointed to the building on the right side, "Ricky and Gary, your dorm is over there. Hedy and Lily, your dorm is right there."

That's how I was indoctrinated into Hogwarts, really. And you're so jealous ... you have to read in order to fantasize while I *already* lived the way it did for Harry Potter. *flick my hair behind*

R-