A few words on being a Deaf traveller
Yesterday I was at the Portland farmer's market and there was a Thai lady selling hot sauces at one of the booths. She told me her husband was from northern Thailand and that the area around Chiang Mai was very friendly, as well as a reprieve from the heat of Bangkok.
Well, that's what I think she said, anyway.
For those of you who don't know, I was born deaf. Or mostly deaf, anyway. I have a hearing aid in one ear. I can't hear anything without it. When I wear it, the world crowds in all at once, everything blurring together-- voices, music, ambient noise, the breeze, engines rumbling by. Even when there's no background noise, sounds just don't have as much clarity or definition for me as they do for others. I rely on lip-reading and gestural communication. I like loud, theatrical people who enjoy repeating themselves. A little patience doesn't hurt, either.
You can imagine the difficulties with learning a foreign language. There are sounds I can't pronounce correctly, let alone hear. Many words are very similar, and unless I have context, it's hard to tell many words apart.
Context isn't something you have when you initiate a new conversation, and it's not something you have when entering a new culture with a completely different language structure. Many Thais know at least a smattering of English (to which I'm deeply appreciative-- not many Americans seem to have much respect for others learning our language). So I should be fine, right? Not really. It's particularly difficult for me to understand people with strong accents-- not only are words pronounced differently, but more importantly, people move their lips differently. Hence, a friend of mine who might be German still retains a manner of speaking native to her homeland, causing confusion on my part.
Then of course there's the matter of the hearing aid-- if it gets wet or damaged, which is certainly a possibility, I'm without hearing altogether. I wouldn't even hear a bus coming up behind me.
Some would look at this as a disability, but those of us who are part of Deaf culture would look at this as a different perspective and a unique challenge. Sure I'm not going to understand a lot of spoken language, but I'm better than most at picking up emotional and expressive cues. I've learned to rely more on my inner senses-- my gut, mind and heart all tangled together and sending their sometimes conflicted signals of what's going on around me. I hear the world differently, but as a result, I also see, smell, taste and feel the world differently. Like any deaf person, or anyone coping with a sensory "disability", I have to.
So this is the story of my life, more or less. It's been empowering, it's been frustrating. I can guarantee numerous miscommuncations while I'm on the road, but one advantage I have is that I'm used to that. LIke many Deaf, I've been practicing at being a foreigner in my own land for a long time. In a lot of ways, it's given me the courage and curiosity to travel.
Well, that's what I think she said, anyway.
For those of you who don't know, I was born deaf. Or mostly deaf, anyway. I have a hearing aid in one ear. I can't hear anything without it. When I wear it, the world crowds in all at once, everything blurring together-- voices, music, ambient noise, the breeze, engines rumbling by. Even when there's no background noise, sounds just don't have as much clarity or definition for me as they do for others. I rely on lip-reading and gestural communication. I like loud, theatrical people who enjoy repeating themselves. A little patience doesn't hurt, either.
You can imagine the difficulties with learning a foreign language. There are sounds I can't pronounce correctly, let alone hear. Many words are very similar, and unless I have context, it's hard to tell many words apart.
Context isn't something you have when you initiate a new conversation, and it's not something you have when entering a new culture with a completely different language structure. Many Thais know at least a smattering of English (to which I'm deeply appreciative-- not many Americans seem to have much respect for others learning our language). So I should be fine, right? Not really. It's particularly difficult for me to understand people with strong accents-- not only are words pronounced differently, but more importantly, people move their lips differently. Hence, a friend of mine who might be German still retains a manner of speaking native to her homeland, causing confusion on my part.
Then of course there's the matter of the hearing aid-- if it gets wet or damaged, which is certainly a possibility, I'm without hearing altogether. I wouldn't even hear a bus coming up behind me.
Some would look at this as a disability, but those of us who are part of Deaf culture would look at this as a different perspective and a unique challenge. Sure I'm not going to understand a lot of spoken language, but I'm better than most at picking up emotional and expressive cues. I've learned to rely more on my inner senses-- my gut, mind and heart all tangled together and sending their sometimes conflicted signals of what's going on around me. I hear the world differently, but as a result, I also see, smell, taste and feel the world differently. Like any deaf person, or anyone coping with a sensory "disability", I have to.
So this is the story of my life, more or less. It's been empowering, it's been frustrating. I can guarantee numerous miscommuncations while I'm on the road, but one advantage I have is that I'm used to that. LIke many Deaf, I've been practicing at being a foreigner in my own land for a long time. In a lot of ways, it's given me the courage and curiosity to travel.
posted by Franz K at 9:56 AM
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