Holiday

I have spent the past week in a glorious paradise called Lanzarote. I went there with my parents and we stayed at a beautiful resort, sipping cocktails by the pool and catching the rays. It was beautiful. Unfortunately, now that I'm back home it means I'm also back to reality. And for the foresesable future, my reality consists mainly of studying for my up-coming exams.

But let's not think about that. Plenty of time to think about my exams when I'm studying, but when I'm on a break from my studies (as I am now), I would much rather think of something else - if I didn't, I'd go crazy.

So. Lanzarote. Beautiful, peaceful Lanzarote.

I'm not a fan of flying. I find it rather boring. And my hearing aids don't like it either. You know that feeling you get in your ears when you take off? The pressure that builds in your ears until you yawn/chew gum and the pressure 'pops'? For me, no 'popping' happens. Seems the pressure in my ears can't release unless I take my hearing aids out - which is annoying when I have to take them out every 2-3 minutes. Which is why I'd rather not wear them when I'm flying, which leaves me deaf. It confuses the airhostesses and my fellow passengers - getting on the plane I seemed to be like every other hearing person. But once I'm in the air, I'm deaf. I do get some odd looks - 'is she making it up? She could hear fine 5 minutes ago!'

The taxi ride to the hotel wasn't much fun. I don't know what the taxi driver had in his car, but whatever it was, it was messing with my hearing aids. All I could hear in his car was a loud, continuous high-pitched tone. No one else seemed to hear it, just me. It wasn't a fun tone - when we arrived at the hotel 30 minutes later, I was about ready to throttle someone. No, scrap that. I was about ready to get a gun and kill his damn tone-emitting taxi!

Why didn't I take my hearing aids out, you say? Because I was being spoken to and it would have been very rude. Next time though, sod being polite, I'm taking my hearing aids out.

But the rest of the holiday was lovely. Peaceful, relaxing, paradise.

We were sitting in a restaurant at one point and a baby started crying. Full out screeching. The I'm-going-to-burst-every-eardrum-that's-in-the-hearing-range kind of screaming. My parents were getting frustrated and looked like they wanted to smother the baby. (Just for political correctness or whatever - my parents aren't violent and this writer [and hopefully the readers of this blog] do not endorse smothering - or any other acts of violence - towards babies or any other human beings). Whereas I was sitting there quite peacefully, enjoying my food and my bevarage. Screaming baby? What screaming baby? I had switched my hearing aids off. Lovely silence. As far as I was concerned, all was well. My Mum responded drily 'lucky you'. Indeed, very lucky me!

The only problem I had during the holiday was that it was very windy. The wind was nice, as it was very hot. But my hearing aids do not like wind. All I can hear is a swooshing sound. You know when you can hear wind on a video-camera? That's what it's like for me if I'm in a windy place. In some places, that was all I could hear.

On one of our sight-seeing tours we had gone to see an old castle. It was very windy. I spent the entire time trying to put my hands over my ears to stop the noise, or tugging at my skirt to stop myself from doing a Marilyn Monroe impression. I did not want to flash our driver (or anyone else for that matter). I must have looked rather comical - hands constantly switching between my ears and my skirt.

The rest of the holiday went smoothly. I had a lovely relaxing time - and on a sidenote, I remembered to put the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door when I had a bath!

Unfortunately, it's now time to study again.

Until another time,

Deaf Girl