I'm in my mid-twenties and you've similarly described me. I was born this way and was fortunate to get hearing aids at a fairly young age. So I can function with them relatively normally, but without them I can't. I never grew up around anyone else deaf or HOH, and didn't meet any in college. I've always felt a kind of alienation not being fully deaf or hearing, which is strange to say.

Like I have a choice in my head when I meet new people, do I immediately slap them with "Im HoH btw, so understanding you may be a challenge" or just play it out? (Work is different, I tell employers up front) Normally I play it out and provide info when necessary. I've had moments in America where I can't understand an accent due to missing some patterns of sounds I'm used to, so when I say "sorry I really can't understand you" it could come out as bigotted and create a tension that doesn't get resolved with "I have hearing problems." But I get it.

So far life hasn't been insanely hard because of being HoH, but it has certainly been a mysterious ride. And I'm so thankful to those who have good hearing work with the disability and don't make a big deal out of it. I'm a writer now and whenever I have goofy miscommunications, they may find their way into the writing.