Carol has been doing it for a while but I am just recently able to eavesdrop. Keppy was sitting at the fence watching hikers pass by when I heard someone say, "look how proud, the guardian of the house." I died a little of happiness because I understood what I heard. I do okay listening for certain things and can exchange pleasantries in the way that Brazilians do -- "is it all good?" --"good"-- "is everything well?" --"it's well." But informal comments have typically been met with a vapid grin and nearby conversations have provided nothing more than background noise. Suddenly, my ears are opening and bits of meaning are starting to come in --"we are going to wait until after Sao Paulo" -- "that idea is past it's prime" -- "wow, smells like weed." I'm hearing without listening and that is a big fat win for this slow language learner.
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