The Beginning

Yesterday (Monday) I started my "Month of Silence." But before we start referring to it as that, I'd like to make it clear that it's not really silence. We got an email from my voice therapist saying I'm allowed one sentence every 15 minutes, and I should do some very soft, short vocal warmups each day so my muscles don't decondition. So technically I'm not in complete silence for the next month, but considering what I'm used to, it's going to be really difficult. I'm not typically a quiet person, and I prefer to talk on the phone with someone rather than chatting with them online or texting. I'll also be out of school for the next month. I'm keeping up with all my work online and through email, and going in once a week to silently meet with my teachers. I'm not supposed to be at many social events where I could get excited and accidentally yell or make noise. Which means I'm going to be home a lot and doing quiet activities. Taking away the freedom of speech will be a real challenge, especially considering the fact that I'm the one holding myself back. I don't have something like tape over my mouth that prevents me from speaking, it's my own willpower that's stopping me. People say that the first day of everything is the hardest; the first day of school, the first day of a diet, or the first day of working out. So I'll tell you about my first day of vocal rest, and how weird it was to start off.

Last week I went to Target with my brother, and we bought three whiteboards and a pack of markers. After one day I've already managed to lose 2 markers and an eraser, so we might not have been as well prepared as we thought. We weren't exactly mentally prepared either. My mom and I went to the thrift store, and it was really difficult trying to communicate when every time I wanted to say something we either had to go through a ridiculous game of charades, which neither of us were good at, or we had to stop and my mom would have to patiently wait for me to write something out on the white board. Then, of course I lost my marker, so I had to text things to her. Once when my mom said "text it to me," I saw a woman passing by give us an odd look, as if she didn't understand why we had to use our phones to communicate. I got a lot of looks like that as my mom had to talk to people for me and do things someone should be able to do for themselves.

Monday night was also the Ivey awards. They're basically the Tony awards of the Twin Cities, a huge celebration of art and theatre where performers, directors, designers, etc. win awards. So many people from the Twin Cities theatre scene are there, and it's almost impossible to not run into people you know. Along with that, I was with a big group of friends. It was really, really hard to refrain from talking to people and catching up with the ones I hadn't seen in a while. Luckily, I had a friend who was with me the whole night who could explain and 'interpret.' It was a really odd experience for me, because I've never not been able to speak to people. I suppose I'll get used it though over the next month. I'm planning on learning some sign language so I'm not constantly making rooms stink with the awful smell of whiteboard marker. I'll also see plenty of theatre, and since my mom teaches at a college I can sit in on some of her classes. And then of course, I'll have this blog. I'm going to be updating this every couple days with stories and difficulties involved with having to tell people I'm a mime.