Today was my first day back at work at West Coast Institute of Training (tertiary). I'm not able to drive until my vertigo clears (and I have at least 40% hearing according to WA law) so I rode my bike to work. It's a 45 minute trip and it was windy and wild and a bit rainy too. I can't say I enjoyed the ride!
My first task after returning to work after six weeks on sick leave, was to turn my desk around to face the office. This allows me to see who is coming and going and stops people sneaking up on me. Then I said goodbye to my phone, I've had that phone for fifteen years, and hope one day I'll be able to use it again. I have an amazing work team, seven intelligent, dynamic women who I love and adore. They seem unfazed by the changes they have had to make for my hearing loss and happily type meeting conversations on my Ipad (using a wireless keyboard) or face me to aid lipreading. Life would be so much more difficult without them. They even made me a 'welcome back' to work sign and had fresh flowers on my desk for when I arrived!
The Easy Parts: reading emails, working on documents, researching the internet, getting on with my work and not being distracted by office noise. Having my workplace happily accommodate my needs.
The Hard Parts: talking to more than one person at a time, saying hello to someone and then having to explain why I can't understand anything else they say. Not knowing why people are laughing. Even if they tell me afterwards, the moment has passed. Not knowing when I can speak and not talk over someone or interrupt. Not hearing the office chatter that I loved so much in my past life!
