Introducing "Roux"

G’day, mate. I’m Roux. How you doin’?”

Roux is the name I’m giving my Aussie voice. I am done with Robo voice. It’s too hard to use for any length of time. It’s natural me, or Roux until I can recover my normal voice.

Last night, I ripped right along at my dinner party using my Roux voice. And this morning my first spoken words were to Leon (my cat) and they automatically came out as Roux. It just happened, probably because I’d been Roux all night last night with Beth, Allan and Larry. It really works, though God knows why.

We’re all interested in what will be forthcoming from the voice specialists when Round Two begins in June. How come Roux can speak and not me?

Speaking as Roux is reminiscent of speaking French when I was learning that language; I’m feeling really self-conscious right now but if I have to stick to this, then I k now I’ll get better and that soon I’ll be talking to myself in Aussie and dreaming in my Roux voice.

I’m a living party trick. “Watch what happens when he tries to speak English.”

“Let me hear your real voice.”

“You’re faking that, right. Do it again”

“How do you do that, really?”

Sit. Fetch. Roll over.

Yesterday at Ming Wo buying my frying pans I used my own voice. I had to repeat everything, often more than once. I left feeling really down. 

Today, talking with a man who had two fabulous dogs (and with Beth beside me), I used my Roux voice for the very first time with a stranger. He, of course, didn’t question the authenticity of my accent. It was rather wonderful, really, because I easily communicated with him and he heard every word clearly. 

For me, having Roux, is as a cochlear implant is to a deaf person. It restores function where there is none. Baby steps.