© 2008
Vacationing with my hearing loss
by Katie Lovato
I think the most difficult part of my trip, hearing-wise, was the airports. Can anyone else in SWC really understand the overhead announcements? It’s pretty bad. Luckily, my husband was my "translator" and made sure I understood all the announcements in the airports and on the planes.
One of the activities we had scheduled during our trip was a volcano tour. Thankfully, it was a small tour group of 6 people – including my husband and me. When the two other couples got into the tour van, someone must’ve said something to me, but since I was not facing them, I was not aware of it. That’s when I heard my husband very nicely tell them that I have a hearing impairment and to make sure they’re facing me when talking to me. My husband heard some giggles from the group (they must’ve thought that was his attempt at humor?). He then said “Seriously, you need to face her and if you can’t, please make sure you’re on her right side, since she is deaf in her left ear.” That response stopped the giggling and the group realized that no, it wasn’t a joke – I do indeed have a hearing impairment. That was the only "hiccup" during the day and the volcano tour was great fun. And yes, the rest of the group in the tour made sure they faced me when talking to me.
The other item we had scheduled during our trip was our vow renewal for our tenth wedding anniversary. It was a sunset ceremony at the beach. Well, that was one of the windiest days during our trip (luck of the Irish, eh?). I had to make sure that my right side was facing the minister so that I could hear him as best I could. Though the wind was loud, I was able to hear what the minister said, and the ceremony went off without a hitch (and I didn’t need to ask him to repeat anything – yeah!). Of course, it helped that his voice was in a tone/range that is easier for me to hear/understand. Had it been someone with a higher tone/range, well … let’s just say repeats would’ve been in order.Going to the beach at our hotel was great, but wearing a hearing apparatus means making provisions for your hearing aid/CI when you are near water. I had to make sure to bring my hearing aid container in my backpack when near the pool or beach. For my own peace of mind, I was always keeping an eye where our towels/belongings were so that I could make sure my hearing aid (and backpack) were safe at all times. Kind of nerve-wracking, but it’s just one of those things you need to live with if you have a hearing loss and wish to wear aids/CI’s to the pool or beach.
The rest of our trip was spent relaxing and enjoying some great restaurants. All in all, a great trip. There was one incident where my husband and I were walking, and a woman walking towards us said "Aloha" to me. Well, I didn't hear her say that, so she looked at my husband and said "I SAID Aloha!" in an irritated tone. I realized that she did not know I had a hearing impairment, so she probably thought I was being rude. (I told my husband her attitude wasn't very "aloha" at all and that she probably wasn't a native Hawaiian.)