I remember the first time I met Hillary, in my First Year Seminar class the first semester of my freshman year of college at Gallaudet University. She was probably one of the most loudest outspoken loudmouth people I have ever met. She would go on and on about how things were where's she's from in Kentucky or in Russia, since she had just finished being an exchange student there. She totally and completely got on my nerves.

I'll never forget one evening in the dining hall how she joined me and Toby, a dear friend and we were discussing food. All of a sudden she reached over and grabbed my hand and gave it a huge slap on the back of it while I had my fork trying to eat my food. She said that's what her mamma does when she doesn't eat her veggies. As I got up and left the table after that display,  I decided at that moment, that this woman is stranger than strange, and that I would not want to hang around her anymore, outside of class. 

That spring... we were in 3 classes together, and she was even more annoying in Personal Discovery class. However in that class, we had a mutual friend, Mel from California. Mel decided that spring that she was fed up with our bickering and gossiping about each other and she had a new mission, to make us realize how exactly alike we were, growing up with parents that didn't know Sign Language while we did, how much we both loved to travel, and that we both thought Clinton was an amazing President, and we were both the biggest slobs she ever met. 

 Before I knew it, I realized that she wasn't as bad or as evil as I thought she was that fateful night. In fact... it was me who took the plunge and asked her if she wanted to be roommates our sophomore year. Honestly that year was one of the funniest I had in college! We had great fun hanging out together, enjoying each other's company. One of the best things I loved about being in a deaf university came out that year where I could have the TV on mute with closed captions, with music blaring, and I could be switching back and forth between TV and working on a paper, and my roommate wouldn't wake up, and none of the neighbors could hear me either, or would call the cops or security on me for being too loud. Bliss I tell ya... bliss! We also became sorority sisters, that year, totally solidifying our friendship. 

However all good things must come to an end, and that spring.. I wasn't doing that good, and for many personal reasons I left Gallaudet after my sophomore year there. Hillary was sad, but she had another friend who was going to be her new roommate, and we did keep in touch the 3 years I was back in Milwaukee. After transferring to UWM, and spending a good year and a half there, I realized I missed Gallaudet too much, smaller classes, actually knowing my professors, so I decided to transfer back.

Yet again, and amazing decision on my part, and me and Hillary were roommates once again. The first thing we did that semester, was travel to the boonies of Kentucky where her mom was getting hitched for the second time, and by going there I understood my friend a lot better after seeing where she came from, in a town not even on a map, for Mapquest was useless going to a tiny mountain town of just 45 or so families. I had a great weekend that weekend.  When we got back, since we were now older, we always went out on Wednesday nights, to this bar called Pourhouse on Penn Ave, (now everyone goes to another bar Argo last I checked) since wednesday nights everyone meets up at a bar, and the bar declares it to be Deaf Night and has drink When we got back, since we were now older, we always went out on Wednesday nights, to this bar called Pourhouse on Penn Ave, (now everyone goes to another bar Argo last I checked) since Wednesday nights everyone meets up, and the bar declares it to be Deaf Night and has drink speicals for deaf patrons!

That spring, she graduated with a degree in Government, and moved back home, and took her graduate classes thru Gallaudet online. She did come back for a bit before going to Cameroon to help set up a school for the Deaf, but when she got back I had already graduated and left for Milwaukee… so we haven't been able to re-connect since. She is now living and working in Washington D.C. and I miss her terribly. 

So I ask you OnMilwaukee.com please send me to D.C. to see my dear friend. I promise to blog about our crazy weekend, where it is pretty much guaranteed to be a fun time, and a fun read!