Day 5 - Part 1: Answers to some FAQs

Throughout this experience, I've had people ask me a lot of questions about how it's going and what I'm discovering. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions and my answers to them:

Q: How well do the earplugs work?
A: VERY well. I have two pairs layers on top of each other (foam followed by wax) in a way that reduces the diminishing marginal returns (in other words - they both work as well as they possibly could in combination with one another). Combined, they block a total of over 65 decibels of sound. (The equivalent of standing about a block away from a jack hammer in a construction zone, as I've discovered walking to work.)

Q: Is it harder to interact with people who you know already, or with random strangers?
A: I find it's actually much easier to interact with random strangers, because my friends and acquaintances who already know me are aware that this is temporary and that this is, in fact, the exception to my every-day life. Random strangers - cashiers, waitresses, people on the street, etc - are much more willing to try and help in whatever way they can. (Emphasis on "try" - sometimes their efforts are more futile and interfering than helpful.)

Q: How do you communicate with other people?
A: That depends who these other people are. If they sign, then I use ASL. If they don't and we're in a social setting, I use any means of writing/typing I can - texting, pen and paper, etc. If we've not got this available to us, I generally try to use gestures I think will be easy to read. Charades is a great game, after all! Also, I am finding it very helpful that I am able to read lips - this is by far one of the easiest ways for me to understand people.

Q: What's the hardest thing about being deaf?
A: I think that the hardest thing about being deaf is that it's not something other people can see, so it often takes a while for them to catch on that you can't hear them. It tends to cause a lot of confusion, and even some accidental insult - I'm quite certain that there were definitely people who thought I wasn't answering them because I was just a bitch.

Q: What's the most surprising?
A: The most surprising thing I'm finding in this experience is just how readily I adapted to this new lifestyle. I definitely expected the whole week to be much more of a struggle than it has been. I honestly expected this to result in me sitting in my room alone for the entire week, rather than going out and living my life as I normally do amongst the hearing populace. While the way I interact with people has shifted a little, I'm still able to interact with them as needed.

If you have any more questions, please let me know - I'd love to answer them! :)