An Ode to Yes – Czech Language Course












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            * An Ode to Yes – Czech Language Course
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            “Should I do it?”– a boundless, universal question. A question that presents itself at som

            most pivotal moments. However, the answer is often more complex than it needs to be. Often
            understanding of time, our fear of the unknown and financial viability leave us bound to a
            “No”. This “No” regretfully reverberates through our lives, leaving us with a catalogue of

            should have said yes to”. But what happens if we flee from the security of familiarity and
            unknown? Perhaps language, in all its intricacy, is the most recent challenge to my own ha
            just perhaps, it will encourage you to revolt against yours.

            When I told people I was moving to study in a different country and learning a language si
            the most prevalent response was a look of concern. When I mentioned Czech, this concern tr

            inconceivability. How could an English native learn the Czech Language in 3 weeks? The que
            had pondered but my aforementioned proposition had left me with the commitment to the expe
            that commitment, the rejection of a monotonous routine I had called comfort, which bridged

            a new chapter. Can a person become fluent in another language in 3 weeks? No – not in my e
            my interpretation of this country, of this culture, has absolutely been affected by the la
            people I have met through it.

            The course itself – an intense language course offered to Erasmus students prior to the in
            semester – seems secondary to what can be experienced through it. Imagine you come to live
            country and within the first day you are placed in a learning environment with fifteen peo

            are from different parts of Europe. A certain part of yourself is brought to the fore: a r
            carefree confidence. It’s strange but when you remove yourself from the structure of your 
            history, the visual representation of who you are, the only thing that remains is yourself

            choose to be. The friendships you go on to create are ones that would have probably never 
            your own life because, to put it simply, you have exposed yourself to something different.
            exchanges that shape you, they mould your ideas of the world, of yourself, of what you are

            doing. The course was the tie that bound us, the exchanges that followed, the exchange of 
            and experiences were a phenomenon that we could have only experienced by saying yes.
            The relationship between you and the country you inhabit is possibly something even more s

            For me, the country has become its own entity, something I have a yearning to know. If it 
            how deep? How strong is its character? How conflicting is its history? Each day unmasks ne
            language, the small pocket of it I have filled, has given a certain nuance to my understan

            discoveries. You find yourself on the fringes of the city, exposing yourself to the raw vi
            Submerging yourself within the language, inhaling as much as the city as you can, propelle
            resounding yes.

            The next time you find yourself greeted by a new endeavour, remember that these endeavours
            experiences will act as an introduction to a version of yourself you have yet to meet. The
            to know will shape you and the way you experience the world. And the country, the city you

            your own will hold the strangest fondness within you. The side of the escalator you stand 
            into the bustle of the metro feels like a secret you have come to learn, the theatre you v
            fringe of the city changes your conceptions of things you think you know, and greetings li

            become gateways to the people you will cherish. Suddenly “no” becomes inconceivable.      
            Elisha Hall is currently studying towards a BA (Hons) in Sociology at Leeds Beckett Univer
            photojournalism and sociology through the lens of her experience within the Czech Republic
            European culture whilst simultaneously providing her with experience in journalism.