This is really amazing. I remember also when I first reached Uganda from Rwanda. I almost cried. I only knew french, Swahili and kinyarwanda but couldn't speak English.
When I reached i decided to start campus, the funny thing is that I could just hear people speaking and then look down while laughing. The people close to me would know that I'm listening yet I couldn't hear anything at all.
One day, a guy came to my room asking for flat iron, I almost cried. I never knew the meaning of that world and it was just there on my table. So, I decided to tell him that I don't have to stop him from asking me many words.
He suddenly looked at me and was like" how come?"the flat iron is there....so, I really felt ashamed and made a decision of working in my English. It was hard, every day with a dictionary, reading books and cramming class notes without knowing the meaning.
Omg! I can't forget that experience.
Nice story ! Sometimes something has to "kick your ass" to make you learn a language !