The hazards of being deaf in one ear
Most people know that I'm deaf in one ear. It used to bother me a lot, but now it doesn't so much. Hell, half the time I don't even remember which ear it is. But despite the fact that it has ceased bothering me, it continues to present its own unique set of problems. The biggest, of course, is that I frequently misunderstand what people are saying to me. As in, [First person]: "Hi!" [Me]: "I'm fine, how are you?" Or something along those lines. But often, it's a lot worse. One of the most cringe-worthy examples came a few summers ago when I was TA-ing for a favorite professor of mine. Said professor and his three TAs (including me) were in the big history lecture hall, administering an exam. The deal is, you spread out around the room so that you can catch any cheaters and answer any questions. A girl (not one of my students) raised her hand in my area and I went over to help her. This is what I heard:
Girl: "Can I look at my notes?" Me: "No!" <Insert me looking at her like she's insane.> Girl: "... seriously?!?" Me: "Uh, yeah."
And I walked away, confident that I had executed my duties perfectly. But as I walked away, I heard her sniffling and I paused to reconsider the conversation. I looked back. Clearly she was having issues with her nose. And then it dawned on me. The real conversation:
Girl: "Can I go blow my nose?" Me: "No!" <Looking, I'm sure, like an asshole.> Girl: "... seriously?!?" <Looking at me like I'm, yeah, an asshole.> Me: "Uh, yeah."
Once I figured it out, I hurried over to her and explained that I'd misunderstood her and told her that of course she could leave to take care of things. While I was explaining myself, she continued to glower at me. Like I said, being deaf in one ear presents its own unique problems.