Talking to Strangers

What is it like for me to talk to random people? I can hear the noises of people talking, but I cannot understand. The best way I'm able to describe to people is by asking them if they can hear when people speak a foreign language. Their answer is, "yes, of course!" Then I ask if they understand. Their answer is "no."

 "How much do you hear" or "how deaf are you?" is an irrelevant question to ask me. I'm used to those questions, they don't bother me, but they're complicated to answer because they're not the correct questions to ask me.

I hear a lot, but until I'm reading the lips of someone I'm speaking to, they might as well be speaking Russian. I cannot understand by sound alone, reading lips is a crucial skill for communicating with hearing people. If you throw in accents, that means their lips are moving in a different way. If you throw in mumbling, then their mouths hardly move. I can hear them just fine, but each word isn't enunciated so until they change how they speak, they might as well be speaking Russian.

This does not mean I cannot understand everyone who has an accent, it just means it's harder for me. With any new person I meet, I have an adjustment period where it's difficult to communicate. I sit back and I observe how they speak. Within time, I might be able to adjust to their style of talking and hold normal conversations.

Those first couple of times are horrible for me. Understandably, it's difficult to make new friends when the new person (me) doesn't talk, doesn't understand what's going on, and only seems to stare at people. Kinda creepy, eh? Thank goodness for the internet!
If I'm quiet around people, it's because I don't understand what's going on, but I'm trying to adjust so I can attempt in participation. It never works on the first time. I need to spend a lot of time around people several times where I stare at everyone before they can remotely begin to get to know me. I am also quiet in group situations because there's too much going on for me to stay at roughly the same pace. If there's more than 5 people, it's a nightmare for me, and I usually end up going home disappointed and feeling isolated.