Quiet time

There is a silence that only comes when you are surrounded by people speaking another language. It comes when you know you won’t hear your mother tongue, and you tune out the voices around you. I was thinking about this yesterday, when I was in the middle of a group of friends, and I got mentally exhausted of trying to understand, and I tuned out. It’s strange to be surrounded by so much sound, but for it to feel so quiet. In English speaking areas, words pop out that interrupt my own thoughts, but here, so far, I can tune out without that happening too often. I’m sure it will go away, as I’ve been here three days, and I can now have full conversations with Rodrigo’s mom, who doesn’t speak a word of English. We get stuck every other sentence, but I can explain it (usually) in Portuguese, and she can do the same. This morning was really the first time it happened, as we were alone. Most times, Rodrigo can explain, as he has studied English for some time now. I like it… this quietness. It’s a bit like what I feel when I’m running. But I’ll be happy to exchange it for being able to completely follow conversations.