Coping at college with CI

Ooookayyy..another post :)

I've been busy since August , to be honest..and every time I'd get a blog started , I'd get sidetracked.

Hmmm , this seems to be a popular excuse in the CI/deaf blogger community lately! :P

I've been trying to restart college duties ( lessons started this week ) and to remember everything I've forgotten.

But I've been seeing progress.
Pre-CI , I used to have this professor in some lessons , and he'd had a stroke from an accident I think , and the result is that one side of his face is paralyzed , or at least not functioning like it used to.

Problem is, these sort of people aren't lipreadable.At ALL.I remember I used to struggle.I remember I'd curse my bad luck - he's a good teacher really , it's just that I needed clarity.Ugh.

Well , this semester I got alloted in one of his lab classes ( every Friday ) and I had the first class this Fri.

I was in for a surprise.

First , since it was the first day , he had to get roll.I used to keep close attention on roll , trying to not miss my cue , but I usually failed.I'd have to stay behind and ask for him to mark me.

Well , not this time.I was distracted , typing away on the lab computer.I hear my surname , and my hand goes up automatically.Then I realized , WTF ? Did I just do THAT like a hearing person?

Wow.I smirk to myself, feeling like I was in cloud nine.

Lesson starts ( and no , I don't have any FM ) and he starts talking , giving out his email , laying out lesson guidelines.I used to get nil with him, and I'd go by the whiteboard cues to try and orient myself, or take cues from anyone that was beside me.
Another surprise.

I could get 50% of what he said , as long as I had even a sideways view of his face.IF he walked around , I'd be totally lost.

Is there a cloud higher than nine , people ? I'd like to know.Because it was where I was! It still was hard.I still struggled.

But it was easier than pre-CI.A.helluva.lot.easier.

I still got out with the usual headache and a paper that is due next Fri.But I was feeling better than usually am feeling.and not as lost.

Cue in today.I had another lab class today.

It was a total disaster.Three professors , the two mumblers , the one that wasn't was talking all the time on his cell phone.And I didn't advocate for myself.Not good.

But the tail end of the lesson was completely hilarious.

I was trying to get started on the paper that's due for the 18th , when professor's phone started ringing, bothering me.At the same time , my iTouch dinged , alerting me on something off FB.Professor asked me to turn off my cell phone.I told him it's not a cell phone ( my real phone was on vibrate anyway ) and that his phone was AGAIN ringing.He did not believe me.(He had it in his briefcase , and the ringing was muted in the classroom noise , but my CI picked it up )

I insisted he goes and check it.He did.It was indeed his phone.He eyed me , a bit suspiciously.As he answers it , his eyes go wide , and he realizes I'm the one that I walked out on him almost two and a half years ago , when I was suddenly alerted for surgery on my ear.
I think he realized that I hear a lot better.Ha!