I had never known anyone personally who has lot their hearings before Sara.
I didn’t feel much of her deafness before I met her in person because we only talked on line and the communication was smooth and without difficulty, although I would occassionally bring up English phrases/words which I didn’t understand.
The night before we actually met up she said she was a bit worried that I won’t be able to understand her. I was worried too because 1. English is not my first language and I do speak with an accent. therefore she might not lip read me that well 2. I was pretty nervous and I could have completely forgotten how to speak English.
The fact is that it WAS hard. we both talked with an accent and we had a hard time understanding each other. It was frustrating. I think we resorted to pen and paper pretty quickly and found that much more easier. I felt Sara was much more prepared for this than I was. She talked about her accent in her blog before but it was quite different when I heard it myself. It was different from what I thought. It was also because we had a pretty easy time communicating on line and the contrast was somewhat enlarged.
However, I soon found that I understood her much better if I watch her lips closer. It was really not that hard. She has the most vivid facial and body expressions which I loved and eased the talk. I would worry on many occasions that she would lose patience with me yet she never did. In a word, I think we managed to understand each other pretty well.
I am used to frustrations speaking English as a second language. Therefore I appreciate those who would spare their effort, even a tiny bit, to help with the communication. I believe the intention and the message delivered are of the utter most importance in the process of communication. Other than that, any difficulty could be worked on and solved.
If I meet you again, Sara. Let’s not use pen and paper. I want to talk to you and have you talk to me. I want to understand you and have you understand me. It takes efforts but it’s worth it.
