2019 was the year where I met some of the most inspiring Deaf people ever. Compared to 2018, where I was able to travel a lot and met a variety of people, I spent most of my 2019 between Australia and Vietnam, focusing on slow traveling and building my online business.
Although this seemed like an unusual choice for me (… I know), this enabled me to get clear on my goals and to nurture them!
Paolo, my Italian Sign Language teacher
I started my year off with the most inspiring Deaf man, who continues to impress and motivate me daily. He was my Italian Sign Language (LIS) teacher and I absolutely love him.
We actually connected at the end of 2018, right after sending him my wonderful experience in a Deaf school in Myanmar. After talking about my vlog, he announced his plan to come to Australia for his birthday.
Unbelievably, we found out we were about to land not only in the same country but in the same city as well: Melbourne!
Strolling through the city with him was a magical experience that I will cherish forever. Not only I had the chance to improve my Italian Sign Language skills, but I had to connect with a wonderful human being.
All the hours and afternoon spent studying definitely paid off, and spending some quality time together was the added bonus that made me love the language and culture even more.
We walked, talked, laughed, ate. He met my boyfriend and I met his friends, other inspiring Deaf people. I feel like I had the most amazing time and learned so much about Deaf culture.
Besides being my Italian Sign Language teacher, the real reason why I find him very inspiring is his passion for traveling. He’s an avid explorer who loves to understand, respect, and embrace the culture behind a country. I feel like he had been almost everywhere, and is extremely knowledgable on all the countries he had been.
Pretty inspiring, isn’t he?
Stacey and her Deafinitely Wanderlust blog
Another incredible human being and traveler I had the chance to meet, although only virtually, was Stacey from Deafinitely Wanderlust. I came across her beautiful Instagram feed some years ago, but only connected with her while we were both backpacking South-East Asia.
My goal was to meet, during my trip, inspiring Deaf people for every country I was visiting, in the hope to raise more awareness about Deaf culture and social disparities.
By looking at her social channels, I could see she was involved in the Deaf Community and, indeed, was meeting a lot of people in different countries.
Despite the fact that we never got to meet on the road, her suggestions led me to the first-ever Deaf Starbucks in Kuala Lumpur and to a Deaf hair saloon in Hanoi (which I’ll talk about soon!)
Some months later, she reached out to me asking to collaborate together in her “Through Their Eyes” series, which aims to represent and showcase Deaf People and their stories, and I highly encourage you to give it a read!
Being interviewed by Stacey, alongside writing my heart out on why I love and support the Deaf Community so much, made me almost cry! To be honest, I sometimes go back and read the interview, especially when I feel like I lost my motivation! If you’re curious, you can read it here!
Besides her blog, you can follow her YouTube channel to have an insight of her travels and to get a glimpse into the life of a Deaf traveler!
Meeting inspiring Deaf people in Vietnam
In June 2019, I escaped Sydney’s winter and flew to Vietnam, where I met my mum. We had the most amazing time exploring a new country and catching up on our lives and, looking back, I still remember those days as some of my most fulfilling and dearest ones!
We only spent 10 days there, but we managed to meet a lot of inspiring Deaf people, some even by chance!
Hop and the Reaching Out Cafe in Hoi An
Reaching Out Cafe was on my radar for months and, as soon as we were planning our Vietnam itinerary, I knew I wanted to squeeze in a visit to the beautiful city, Hoi An, and the cafe.
Sipping a cold tea in Vietnam’s sticky & sweaty weather was a blessing and meeting Hop, the guy responsible for the cafe, was even more refreshing.
I think it’s hard to meet someone as kind as Hop, and sometimes I wonder how would the world look like if being genuinely curious and open was the norm.
Hop and I met the night before, while the cafe was closing and the streets were overcrowded because of the Full Moon festival. We had a short talk about opening hours and he was looking forward to meet me again in the next couple of days.
From the very first moment, he was signing softly, so that I could easily understand him, and was open about his story. I could see he was extremely happy to talk about the Deaf Community in Vietnam and wanted to share more about the benefits of working in a Deaf cafe.
As you can read in my dedicated post, Hop proudly told me about all the nice people he gets to meet while at work. Most people would come in for a drink and later realize it’s not a regular coffee shop! Once they are in, they are so fascinated and want to know more.
This is a way to create awareness too! Sometimes showing is better than telling, and by creating a pleasant and alternative experience, you get to broaden your world. This is exactly what Hop and his team are doing, and I can’t admire them enough!
Mr. Lac and his local restaurant
Missing Mr. Lac and his tasty local restaurant is almost impossible. He has thousands of positive reviews online and everyone is raving about his delicious cuisine! If you’re heading to Hue, make sure to read this post before!
Why is Mr. Lac inspiring? Well, he is able to communicate with anyone without employing any sign language or written communication. When I asked him if he was Deaf, he simply pointed at his ear and gestured that he couldn’t hear. All with a big bright smile.
I believe he’s the perfect example to show us that communication barriers only play a small part in everyday life. We can easily overcome them if we truly want to make the connection.
While we were having dinner, some friends of him came over to say hi and they were all smiling and laughing together. Even some neighbors were happy to stop and have a chat.
And that was special even for us! On the way back home we couldn’t stop talking about the incredible man we had just met and his positive energy.
Thanh and his entrepreneurial journey
Among all the inspiring Deaf people I have ever met, meeting a Deaf entrepreneur was such a refreshing experience! Once again, this is the sign that everyone can truly achieve anything they are dreaming of, and language barriers are just barriers, and not real obstructions.
There are so many reasons why I admire Thanh. First and foremost, his story. He showed a strong and powerful resiliency, and I believe this is what pushed him to pursue his dreams.
When I was talking to Thanh, he mentioned more than once about the many challenges he had to face, and even told me that he had to work harder than anybody else to prove them he was capable enough to follow his passion.
This topic is still very true, even in today’s world. It’s sad to think that some of us will face some social disparities if we don’t fit in the one-size box society has created for us. We should all learn to support and celebrate everybody’s success, without taking into account any differences. Whether it may be physical, mental, or racial. We are all equal.
Running an Airbnb business while Deaf
If you want to learn more about a culture, staying in a local Airbnb or guesthouse is always the best choice. For our Vietnam trip, we always stayed in Airbnbs and, surprisingly, we happened to book a Deaf owned one.
This was not something we were planning to do, nor we did our own researches prior to our arrival. Our taxi dropped us at the beginning of the street, and a couple of minutes later we met our hosts.
It took us one full day to truly understand both wife and husband were Deaf, simply because they did not know any English but the conversation was smooth. When I asked them about being Deaf, they both smiled and, just like Mr. Lac, said they could not hear anything, but they were both happy this way.
We also had the chance and pleasure to meet one of their daughters, a CODA (Children Of Deaf Adults), who was helping us with some translation.
She actually explained us Vietnam has two different sign languages, with different signs and vocabulary. This is why people living in Hanoi have some difficulties in understanding Deaf people living in Ho Chi Min City and vice versa.
Meeting them by total chance was the highlight of our trip, and gave us so many insights into the Vietnamese Deaf community!
A Deaf & Blind inclusive restaurant
This inclusive restaurant in Saigon was the icing on top of the cake!
We had visited a lot of Deaf restaurants, but we were not expecting to visit such an incredible place, where Deaf and Blind waiters can work in a safe environment.
We knew about this place and we knew we were about to meet some inspiring Deaf people… But had no idea the restaurant had a Blind section as well!
If you’re curious about our experience, read this post first!
Every waiter had a special story to tell, but they all had one thing in common. Everyone was feeling safe and happy, working in a place where being Deaf is the norm.
When we enter in Deaf owned businesses or places where Deaf people are working, we are diving into their world. For hearing people, this is our chance to stay still and learn, understand, and accept diversities.
We might see Deaf people using sign languages or not speaking at all. They might use gestures or written communication. What matters, is that they are free from society’s rules and they can express themselves however they prefer. Isn’t this freedom?
I hope this post helped you broadening your world. The reason why I seek inspiring Deaf people all around the world is that I find strength in their resiliency, and celebrating their success is empowering.
Little did I know this would have turned into one of the many reasons why I travel, and I hope you will all benefit from it. ❤️
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