Day Eleven of Get it Down–Oh the Places You’ll Go! Oh the People You’ll Meet!
Your eyes do not deceive you–I skipped Day Ten of Get it Down. I had to spend my day flipping my 300+ flashcards over and over, trying to convince my brain that it is GOOD to know about microbes that clean up wastewater, and fun stuff like that. I’m not sure my brain was convinced, but I attempted to regurgitate it all today on a test paper. We’ll see how that went….
Anyway, this chromosome…it has lead me to visit places I never would have been and to meet people I otherwise would not know. Like the entire city that I live in, for example. Because if DS16 did not have that extra genetic material, he would likely be a self-conscious teen who noticed things like like bad breath and ugly clothes and zits. But he doesn’t. And he has practically no inhibitions, which is usually a good thing, but not always. But in the good sense, he has never met a stranger, and he has never failed to introduce me to every. single. person. we run into. Even if he doesn’t actually know them. So I’ve met a lot of people.
I have also travelled a lot of places. Like Iowa, for example. What would take me to Iowa normally? Really, nothing. I’m sure there are lots of nice people in Iowa, and this is in no way a slam on their fine state, but there’s just nothing that would tend to cause me to head up that way from Alabama. Except for the National Special Olympic games in 2006, that is. DS16’s competitive swimming in the Special Olympics has also taken me to both Auburn and Troy, Alabama.
And speaking of people, I have met some life-long friends online through a Down syndrome forum I participate in. I don’t even know when I first started “hanging out” there–probably ever since Al Gore invented the internet, back in the early 90’s, wasn’t it? There are people I have known for over ten years who are part of this group. And guess what! I’ve met some in real life at NDSC (National Down Syndrome Congress) conventions. And tomorrow I leave for another place I have never been–Indiana–for a gathering with about eight-five other people whose lives have been affected by Down syndrome. That’s right–85. We are all either parents or siblings of someone, or the person himself, with an extra chromosome. And can I just say that I am SO excited to see these people again or meet them for the first time!
If I am able to post from Indiana, I’ll likely be putting up pictures of our crew at the Buddy Walk in Noblesville, IN, on Saturday, so you can see for yourself what an awesome group this is!