Steve & I were sharing a laugh at the rail station awhile back, because when I first was visiting over here - I couldn't for the life of me work out what the female voice announcer on the PA system in the station was saying. I would get so confused, not hearing (understanding) the announcements plus with people bustling everywhere. For the longest time, I thought the Transpennine Express (trains) was the Transparent Express - which made me laugh because it sounded like something out of Harry Potter. I still call it the Transparent Express!
Then, awhile back, we went to a Billy Bragg concert, and a folk singer from Indiana opened for Billy. I couldn't understand what the dude was singing at first! It seemed that I've become so immersed in British accents all around (although I myself most definitely do not have one!) - I had to re-orient my hearing...turn my ears around inside out & all (thinking you know like cats rotate their ears around to hear something better - lol!) before I could understand what the Indiana musician was singing. Very strange.