From the book

Successes do not depend on fluency. Success is not fluency. Facing fear and doing what is agreed upon is achieving success. A “block” is not a failure; neither is a "fear" a failure.

Don’t try to be fluent -- that is a false role for me -- accept my role as a Person with stammer and be a good one -- stuttering forward, smoothly, saying what i want to say, not changing words or starting over and over.

So long as i greet stuttering with shame,hatred and guilt, i will feel fear and avoidance toward speaking. Just as i have stuttered most of my life up to now, i will stutter "somewhat" the rest of my life.

In accepting myself as a stutterer, i choose the route to becoming a more honest,relaxed speaker. The more i am open and courageous, the more i will develop solid fluency. We will never conquer fear so long as we run from it.

I can accept my role as a Person with stutter by discussing stuttering with friends and acquaintances . I can reach a point of showing my listener what my stuttering really sounds like. I should not try harder to be more fluent because i will only be saying, I am not really a Person with stutter.

To end the post,as someone said, its not the destination,but the journey that matters more

Open discussion of stuttering

Need to ask this questions myself to others to be more open about my stammer

1) Have you ever known any other stutterers personally? But no need to give their names.

2) How does my stuttering affect you?

3) What do you think causes stuttering?

4) What do you think people can do about their stuttering?

Please do comment.

Stand up comedian

Warning : Explicit Language

The Sheehan Method

Easy Stuttering Avoidance Reduction Therapy
Just got the link to the book.
Hopefully with time, i will read, understand and implement.

PROUD

Copyrights from Jai Prakash Sunda
http://www.facebook.com/jaiprakash.sunda

Need to learn spoken english from the beginning

Why was i not confident in speaking English.  To put the blame on my stutter, is foolishly wrong. I was a fool till this time. The reason is that I dont know spoken english. I haven't been speaking english any time. I am a baby in spoken english.

I shouldn't be concerned about my stammer and blocks. I shouldn't be concerned about my accent. I need to start speaking from the basics. From the A,B,C,D of spoken english. Learning Communication comes first. Accent comes the last.Or else, I would never find the courage tp open my mouth, any time in day, in this english speaking country.

I am weak in spoken english and i have a bloody stutter too.. I accept it but i need to move forward.Maybe i can learn some spoken english from my present stay in New zealand. I just need the courage to start from the beginning rather than showing inhibition and beating around my stammer factor.

To end the post,as someone said, its not the destination,but the journey that matters more

An intensive which i wont be going

I contacted Tika Ormond who is the Clinical Educator/Speech-Language Therapist at Dept of Communication Disorders,University of Canterbury and she said about a three day intensive program for Stuttering. I would have surely loved to attend it since i could have come to know what techniques are they trying to use for stuttering, how can i use those techniques to deliver some kiwi english and also come into contact with some local Persons with Stammer in Christchurch.

But its not the "free-beer world of self-help groups". The cost is dollar three hundred for students and my present budget doesn't allow for it.I just hope to attend it someday. First better earn some money and get my finances right.

To end the post,as someone said, its not the destination,but the journey that matters more

Differences

Just some differences between India and New Zealand which easily struck me.

In NZ students address lectures just by their first names. Back in India it was Sir or Madam.

Its expected to say "Hi" and "Thank you" to Bus drivers while getting in and down.

And formality is not always necessary . Can use "Cool!" to end it in the informal happy way.

Another day

As i am looking for part time jobs for my living expenses in New Zealand, today i went to try out a job.

Its like this - I stand in a mall (Dressmart Hornby, ChristChurch) and ask by passers whether they have got their tax returns  and get them fill out a paper. I was with another guy from India.

I stood there for about 2 hours. Even though i could not make anyone to fill out the form, i stood there stopping bystanders with "Excuse me, have you got your tax returns. We can help you do it. Its the right time to do it.."(The words are courtesy of Abhishek, the other guy ).

I was doing something like it for the first time and therefore excited about it. But i do feel that it can be annoying  for the people who come to mall for shopping.

In evening, where i stay,  the aunty told me that people who have a stammer are lucky and so i am lucky.  I came to new Zealand!!!.

I guess, its true.

Me ...Life and stammer. And I show off my stammer

To end the post,as someone said, its not the destination,but the journey that matters more

Video Blog 4

Culture Shock

"While being transferred into a different environment puts special pressure on communication skills."

"The most important change in the period is communication"

- quoted from pages on culture shock.

Me was brought up in Kerala Malayalam Culture till 25 and i rarely had to speak English there. I am not sure whether there is a special kiwi accent or is this the western English accent in general. But i am having a good time listening, understanding and trying to imitate the accent the kiwis use here, mainly from lecture classes in university.

It seems they do prolong the initial sounds of some words and this is a practice used in speech therapies which i have underwent back in India. I was also told that if i try to speak in a foreign accent, stuttering would not be there.

Till now, i really have trouble getting friends in University. It might be normal for an international student in a new country, with no practice in spoken English and with a bloody stammer. lol.

Time will pass and changes, adaptation and evolution will come or I may very well die out unable to evolve.In Any case, i stay kewl.

And This is how people wave at each other(even strangers) here and i again find it cool.

Hi. How are you?

Good. Thank You.
:-)

To end the post,as someone said, its not the destination,but the journey that matters more

Me in New zealand

Its gonna be one week since i have landed in New Zealand on a Study Visa. Ive had struggles with the accent here. And even though its a well developed country, i am starting to believe that the self-help group movement for Persons working on Stammer is not that strong. As my course in Graduate Certificate in Software and Information Technology at Lincoln University is going to start tomorrow, i am told that i am going to get immersed in study activities soon.

I have met my course adviser in University. I have told him about my stammer. He is aware of it and he has got my attention to the need to give a oral presentation towards the end of the semester. I will have to inform the examiner and give it in a slow managed way. I have put up something in the Lincoln University Students Union Facebook Page about my interest to meet other Persons with Stammer inside the University Campus. The post maybe on its course to disappear into oblivion or maybe not

Well, Life is always more than my stammer. I am experiencing New Zealand and being an Indian who is out of India for the first time, the experience is kewl. And hoping that one day soon i can join Christchurch Speakeasy group and sometime in future, maybe Christchurch Toast Masters too.

Cool man, No worries. As they say it here. I may just have to stop worrying and being cool about my stammer.

To end the post,as someone said, its not the destination,but the journey that matters more

Video Blog 3

And s.sorry : The word i should have used in between is a.accent.. not s.slang.

Slow it down

Just not the talk and speed of talk. Slow down the speed of every activity . The more slow it is, the more i know i can manage it. Use that deep breath to adjust the body to do things in a controlled way and give confidence to mind.

Maybe, if there is a hectic schedule ahead,make a list of things to do, so that you know what to do and in which order. Have the dareness to do that things. Every situation that involves the use of speech is a dare thing to do. Even if i shudder in between because of the stammer, i know there are things left in the list to do, just blindly have the will to do it.

The results dont count. Having the dareness to do those things counts.

And in the end, Let the world know that i have a bloody stammer. I will rather be happy to die shouting it rather than living by hiding it.

Principles

From the mere to the great, each life is defined by the principles on which one stand. Priciples towards ones life and various aspects in life. To choose between the answer of "yes" or "no". On whether one will dilute the stand on the principles in the long run for a return. On whether one can stand with the principles in the face of abnormality and neuroticity.

I consider a "good deep breath" as an accomplice of the body. When decisions are to be made or when sitting too tired or desperately idle , a good deep breath can be called and strength can be sought to stand firm on the principles.

Normalcy is subjective

99% of the population takes the gift of "fluency in communication" for granted. For them fluency is just that silly thing like "walking" is to a well abled person. For the rest 1%(me included) , fluency is  something they dont have and they do show up a great effort to look fluent, leaving behind a trail of frustration in their mental horizon. 

Normalcy is subjective. When persons with stammer(PWS) come to realize that stuttering is normal and its too a gift, their frustration levels comes down. The important thing is to "stutter with confidence" as for the Non-PWS, stuttering is often related with low confidence.


But the world of the other 99%, have their own terms of normalcy and since PWS are 1% and non PWS are 99%, its actually in their world that we live in and its reasonable for the 99% to 'not' to be accustomed with the ways and behavior of this 1%.

It may be revolution call to say something like "Stop to try and mingle with the fluent in their own terms" and to create something like a camp where stammering is the major norm.

Then again, PWS are just one of those minority sections and there are those very other minority sections of differently abled persons out there, whole having their own unique set of emotions and personalities. The society or communities value lie in the amalgamation of interests of its various sections and we PWS must need to make our voice heard as a section.

To end the post,as someone said, its not the destination,but the journey that matters more