Czech is a much more difficult language than Spanish. People here say that if you want to be fluent, you need to study hard for about ten years. And while I've been here for just about that long, I haven't studied hard for any of it, and my ability to speak to people does suffer because of it. Of course, I can take care of everyday things, deal with technical subjects relating to Burt, and generally get by, but it really is true that this is a language that must be studied. And that's because it has so many rules, that you just aren't likely to pick it all up by hanging around in bars.

Czech is an interesting language, as it uses a more or less Latin alphabet (with the addition of these letters: ěščřž ď ť ň ch ýáíéůǔú), but its similarity to other Slavonic languages means that, even though my level is not that impressive, I have been able to speak at length with people who reply in Polish, Russian and Slovak. There are quite a few other countries where use of Czech would get you by, too, including Croatia, Serbia, and Bulgaria, to name a few.

For me, though, the problem with Czech is not its difficulty - clearly, I am not someone who shies away from a challenge - it's just that Czech doesn't get me going. It's not an exciting language to speak or hear. It's not musical. No, this is a language I got this far with out of necessity. Sad, but undeniably true. My journey with Czech has always been a stop-start one, and I have long struggled to motivate myself. Having said that, on my last road trip, in which, I explored the country by what us Brits would call B roads (those little country lanes with grass on both sides, that are barely wide enough for two bicycles, let alone some of the monstrous machines that come roaring down them).

During my trip, I met people from villages and towns, who rarely speak English (often German & Russian, logically), and found myself practicing all the time. It was a great experience, actually, and it did lead to noticeable improvements in my Czech skills, which I am obviously happy about.

All in all, I'd say my journey with this language was somewhat doomed from the start, because my heart was never in it, but having said that, I do still use it and I do still learn it, so perhaps, some day, it will stay in for long enough to put that notch on my belt. Here's to accidental foreign language #2: Czech; the one that wasn't on my list and, with a measly 13 million speakers, not one that qualifies as one of the world's most useful. Well, it is what it is.

You can read about my trip in Places, Faces, Tracks & Snacks, and specifically about my experience with a lovely village family, over here (login required for this story).