In the heavy rain, I was not about to listen to my earphones. Neither did I carry anything to read. And with a class to teach, and errands to run at the bank and elsewhere, there was no chance to practice with languages.
Except that I did get to listen to a few minutes’ worth of Dutch. My cousin had interviewed an uncle a few years ago before he passed away. I can only remember having met the man once. And so it was a rare experience and a privilege to listen—and understand—to an old man’s life story.
