Reddit user CERBERUSCLH recently asked, "No longer deaf people of Reddit, what's something you thought would have a certain noise but were surprised it doesn't?" Here are some of the most interesting responses:
1. The surprising silence of the sun:
"My ASL teacher was really surprised that the ocean's waves could sound different depending on the weather/choppiness, and that wind would make sound as well. She also told us she also assumed that the sunlight would make a different sound hitting asphalt versus grass, only to learn it doesn't at all. (Which, honestly, I think is pretty sensible. You can't see the wind but it makes a sound, why wouldn't the sunlight too?)"
2. The differences in peoples' voices:
"I had a friend who was surprised to find out that people have different sounding voices."
4. Everything you do on the toilet, too:
"When I got my implant, I didn't realize how loud peeing can be... and poops. I turn my implant/aid off when I go into bathroom, especially public bathroom."
5. The clicks and taps of literally anything in an office:
"I once wore my hearing aids while at the office. Urgh, I hate all these clicking noises! Every computer-mouse, every keyboard, the pen clicking... arrrgh! I normally wear them only at gatherings, meetings and such, when it‘s important to understand each other. Otherwise I just enjoy some sweet silence."
6. All of the unique noises water makes:
"The sound of water for me. To this day, pools or lakes are still a unique sound for me. Heck, even a bathtub. I love listening to water."
7. The sound of birds chirping:
"I grew up profoundly hard of hearing, and got my first hearing aids around 13 or so. I had never heard birds until the day I got my hearing aids. I knew they made noises and I'd heard them on TV, but never in person! Totally blew me away!"
8. The distinct buzz of a fluorescent light:
"I had a coworker who was VERY hearing impaired. She never knew florescent lights made a buzzing sound. Drives her crazy."
9. The constant hum of air conditioners and refrigerators:
"I'm pretty hard of hearing, when I got my hearing aids I never knew that air conditioners and fridges made constant noise."
10. The sound of clothes and the shuffling of paper:
"I have genetic hearing loss. Nowhere near deaf but essentially my hearing sounds like what it might sound like for a normal person with headphones in but no music playing. So recently I discovered my insurance covers hearing aids so I went in. The first day I put them in I was so overwhelmed I cried. The two initial ones were the sound of cloth brushing against cloth. As my audiologist walked around, I could hear her coat sleeves brush her coat. It was like getting a superpower. I could hear her walking around with my eyes closed like daredevil.
Then, the shuffling of papers. The crisp click of paper being bounced on its edge, then the sound of the pen dragging across the paper while I signed for the aids. It was all really really trippy. I was already on the verge of tears and really sort of dazed as I walked out."
11. The silence of most wind:
"I though the wind made super loud wooooosh sounds but it doesn’t so that was lame."
12. The scratch of a pen against paper:
"My mom is hard of hearing and got new hearing aids. She was filling out paperwork and couldn’t figure out where the scratching noise was coming from... it was the pen scratching the paper! She hadn’t heard it in years."
13. The loudness of rain and quiet of snow:
"Someone I️ know was surprised to hear the sound of gravel as you walk on it. They were also surprised rain has a sound and not snow."
14. The roar of a fire:
"My uncle always thought that fire was like a constant explosion until he got his implants. He finds fire quite soothing actually."
15. The crinkling of blankets:
"After getting my one hearing aid (YES if you just need one on one side DO get it it IS life changing) I stood by my bed and made the blankets crinkle for like, probably too long."
16. The fall of your own footsteps:
"When I first got fitted with my hearing aid and was leaving the hospital, I kept spinning to check who was walking behind me. My mum finally informed me that I could hear my own footsteps. I was just expecting them to be a lot less loud."
17. And farts:
"I saw something on Facebook the other day. A teacher apparently has a class where she has deaf students and hearing students together. One of the deaf students ripped a fart, and then noticed all the other hearing students looking at them. Conversation between teacher and student in sign language, the student is now mortified to learn that farts have a sound, and EVERYONE (hearing ones anyway) knows its them when they rip one."
18. Oh, and boobs:
"My friend's sister was very hard of hearing, nearly deaf. She got cochlear implants. Out of the blue she says 'What's weird is, boobs don't make noise, you really think they would...' I lost it, I cracked up."
Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.