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glickchick · 11-20-2011, 03:12 PM

Hi everyone!

Thanks for all the comments. An update - earlier this week, i went out on my first date since becoming deaf.

It was with a guy from school who i had a class with last year. We weren't exactly friends, but acquaintances, and we had spoken a few times outside of class. He's actually pretty good friends with a friend of mine, and he had asked her about me, since he hasn't seen me often around campus (not sure why - as big as University of Michigan is, it's small at the same time - everyone knows everyone lol). Their conversation progressed, and my friend let him know about my new deafness, which he wasn't aware of. He asked her for my number and then texted me. We spoke for a day or two via text and IM, and finally made plans to meet at a restaurant right near campus.

I think it went really well. I brought a pad and paper (as I usually do), and addressed my deafness right from the start. I was definitely nervous, as I have been going voice-off (personal choice - can't stand not knowing what i am saying and/or how I sound - weird phobia I can't seem to shake), but he seemed to understand me just fine, and only asked me to repeat myself a few times. I told him that I was going to try to read his lips and that he should just talk normally. He did, and for the most part, I was able to understand him. There were a few times where we had to resort to the pad/paper, but it wasn't too bad. We talked about everything from school to sports to the news, and everything in between. He did ask me how I was coping with adjusting to my hearing loss, and I gave him the honest answer of "as good as I can be expected to be". He even offered to attend ASL classes with me so that we can learn together, which I thought was a super good sign. At the end of our date, i felt like a regular girl, which is what I am striving for. We did make plans for date # 2, which is going to happen next week after thanksgiving.

So overall it felt good, even with the communication challenges. We'll see where it goes - and i will definitely keep everyone posted!

-Lauren

11-20-2011, 03:12 PM	#33 (permalink)
glickchick Registered User Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: New York City Posts: 64	Hi everyone! Thanks for all the comments. An update - earlier this week, i went out on my first date since becoming deaf. It was with a guy from school who i had a class with last year. We weren't exactly friends, but acquaintances, and we had spoken a few times outside of class. He's actually pretty good friends with a friend of mine, and he had asked her about me, since he hasn't seen me often around campus (not sure why - as big as University of Michigan is, it's small at the same time - everyone knows everyone lol). Their conversation progressed, and my friend let him know about my new deafness, which he wasn't aware of. He asked her for my number and then texted me. We spoke for a day or two via text and IM, and finally made plans to meet at a restaurant right near campus. I think it went really well. I brought a pad and paper (as I usually do), and addressed my deafness right from the start. I was definitely nervous, as I have been going voice-off (personal choice - can't stand not knowing what i am saying and/or how I sound - weird phobia I can't seem to shake), but he seemed to understand me just fine, and only asked me to repeat myself a few times. I told him that I was going to try to read his lips and that he should just talk normally. He did, and for the most part, I was able to understand him. There were a few times where we had to resort to the pad/paper, but it wasn't too bad. We talked about everything from school to sports to the news, and everything in between. He did ask me how I was coping with adjusting to my hearing loss, and I gave him the honest answer of "as good as I can be expected to be". He even offered to attend ASL classes with me so that we can learn together, which I thought was a super good sign. At the end of our date, i felt like a regular girl, which is what I am striving for. We did make plans for date # 2, which is going to happen next week after thanksgiving. So overall it felt good, even with the communication challenges. We'll see where it goes - and i will definitely keep everyone posted! -Lauren