My particular strain of synaesthesia is called Gustatory  / Auditory.

For as long as I can remember I have always - automatically and without choice - assigned certain "tastes" to certain words or word sounds. Constantly!!

Whenever I hear someone saying a word, whenever I read a word on a page, whenever I even just think about a word in my head, I get a distinct "taste" and texture sensation located in a specific part of my mouth. 

My Monday's are rubbery all day.  Saturdays are filled with bacon, Tuesday's with Fruitella's, and Friday's are dominated by Spam.

I know that I haven't eaten those things, but the flavours are very real to me.

The main problem I have with my particular type of  synaesthesia is one of concentration.  If I allow the synaesthetic sensations to grow, they can take over and slow down all my other senses.

I can add a taste hook to all the other normal visual and aural memory aids, making things easier to recall.

         Living within Syn!     

I have developed a way of speed-reading which leaves  me having to read or "process" less of the written page  All I need to do now is find a way of not verbalising the word in my head first!

If I visit Germany, everything is coated in marmalade. Spain is lovely, although I've no idea what it is.

Over the years I have developed a number of ways to live comfortably with some of my strong synaesthetic experiences.  I find it easier to absorb information if I do more than one complex task at a time. My concentration splits and reduces the synaesthetic effects. Listening to loud music also helps me to absorb more of what I am studying.

I receive an email from a stranger called Karen.  I get a taste of thick youghurt with blackcurrants. When I think of Karen or her email I get that flavour, nothing else.  I call Karen on the telephone, the yoghurt flavour is still there, but Karen's voice, inflections, pronunciation, accent, speed and style of speech, would all add or subtract from the original taste. sometimes enhancing it, sometimes covering it with different flavours.  I'm now left with a mishmash of flavours that is Karen. If these flavours are particularly strong, they tend to override any personality that Karen has had a chance to display. She would still just be a flavour. And all this is before I get to meet Karen in the flesh, when things get really complicated!  If I met Karen on a Friday, I would have a hint of Spam over the blackcurrant yoghurt. If we met at 9.00am, there would also be a strong taste of banana in there too!