A World Apart

Last Friday I traveled to Honduras for a week submerged in a culture far from what I'm used to. Having made this same trip last year with only one working ear via hearing aid, it has taken no time at all to see the difference a life with Cochlear Implants can make. I've got 5 days left in this wonderful country and I'm enjoying every minute of it.

Last year I remember feeling a constant disconnect with the world around me. The Spanish to English language barrier can be one thing, but combine it with profound hearing loss and I quickly found myself trapped inside a box of isolated frustration. I was still able to enjoy myself and connect to the people and kids around me to an extent, but there was always something that just felt clogged and incomplete.

This year I'm engulfed in a world of sound I didn't even know existed. The biggest difference is the potential or the ability to hear. Sometimes it's work. Sometimes I have to make sure I've got my processors in the right programs and settings. But it's finally possible to hear all the things I've been missing.

Things like seagulls at sunset...

Things like Spanish, I still can't understand...

 

Things like laughter and games...

Things like a handicapped sweetheart learning to speak and interact...

I heard some sounds last year. Inaudible, undefinable, disconnecting sounds. This year I hear LIFE.  All around me. Today I met up with the child I sponsor, 6 year old Angel Bulnes. Last year he was shy and uncertain about me. This year he spotted me in a crowd and ran to me, arms open. I spent some time at his house with his mom and family members. Through a drum we were able to connect creatively. Through a soccer ball we were able to connect athletically. Through a translator, we were able to connect emotionally in a way I couldn't experience before I was implanted with CIs.

Through all of these differences in experiences I've managed to find one similarity: There is love, peace and joy in La Ceiba, Honduras. And where those elements are present, two cultures a world apart can still find a common connection to goes beyond our vast differences. On top of that, I'm eternally grateful for the gift of cochlear implants, which are making each one of these experiences SO much more real to me. 

Halfway through the week, already blown away audibly, excited for what's to come thoroughly. Encontrar el amor y la audición en Honduras!