Vitam vas v Ceske Republice

Imagine being a baby again, but being as aware as you are now. Imagine not having the ability to speak properly & only having the capacity for a few simple phrases. Imagine what it is like being in this situation for days on end, only grasping the threads of conversation as they fly past at lightning speed. It’s exhausting. Like the thick grey fog that obscured Prague airport on our descent, I had now entered a vast linguistic cloud, that light could barely permeate. It was going to be a bumpy ride.

The first thing I noticed on arrival is that when people know you don’t understand, they don’t tend to direct conversation towards you. This is only natural as it would probably feel as ridiculous as talking to an animal, but it has a way of making you feel invisible. I felt disjointed, like a ghost hovering in the background. Thankfully, some forms of language breach the international barriers, and I was brought back to existence, with a firm handshake, a warm smile, and the chance to use a few of the expressions I did know. I instantly liked Lucie’s uncle.

That evening, the whole family gathered at her parent’s house to welcome us. Lucie had warned some of them of our impending visit, as we’d acknowledged the need to fuss and prepare in some, but her brothers and sister had been left in the dark. It was therefore, a great moment of joy and relief when her sister (two & a half years old) hugged her at the door, and didn’t want to let go the rest of the evening. Her brothers managed to take the moment more casually, although both were extremely overjoyed that she was home.
The evening was manic. So many happy faces, so many hugs and kisses, and so much I didn’t understand. Lucie translated as much as she could, but wasn’t often given the time before another question or piece of news was sent her way. Two and a half years away from a family home tends to promote conversational overlap and obliterate any chance of pauses. I picked up on what I could, and answered as many questions as possible in Czech, but largely I must have looked like an attentive dog - eyes following every word, but a vacant expression giving away my ignorance. Whatever I did manage to say, was greeted by her grandmother as if I’d danced on water, and my successes were immediately announced to the room. I look forward to the day that I can have a conversation with her; there’d be champagne & fireworks afterwards.

Much as our visit to the UK, our main reason for being here was simply to see the family, so I didn’t expect anything more. True, I would’ve liked to explore Prague, but I accepted this would be left to our next visit. It was therefore, a pleasant surprise to see a little of what her home town, ‘Pardubice’, is famous for. No, this wasn’t a demonstration of ‘Semtex’, although the action was just as explosive. ‘HC Pardubice’ are likened by her grandfather as the Manchester United of European Ice Hockey, due to their popularity and excellence. They have been the starting point of many players that now frequent the NHL (Dominik Hašek, Otakar Janecký, Aleš Hemský, Jan Bulis, Milan Hejduk, to name a few), and always guarantee an exciting match.

Less famously, but even more cherished, both Lucie’s father, uncle, and grandfather played here, and her younger brother, Vojta, currently plays in the youth team. Perhaps it was because of these connections, and not the fact her grandfather is in the ‘Ice Hockey Mafia’ (as suggested by her uncle) that we were able to attend the sell-out game without buying tickets and entered the stadium through the players’ entrance. We watched them trounce Ceske Budejovice and managed to catch up with one of Lucie’s friends in the process.

We only had two full days in Czech, and two half days when travelling in and out. We knew it would go fast, but I don’t think either of us expected it to be so tiring. There was barely a moment’s rest with always people to see or something to do. My fatigue was also partially attributed to the amount of alcohol I consumed. Lucie’s family’s hospitality towards me bordered on forced alcoholism, as nearly every meal was accompanied by beer and wine. On one occasion, this was with my first meal of the day, although admittedly, I’d slept in and was having an early lunch.

Despite our energy (and toxicity) levels, I greatly enjoyed our time in the Czech Republic, and look forward to returning. I hope that some day, we will explore this country as much as some of the others from our travelling. Perhaps, by then, I will be speaking the language fluently but I don’t expect that to occur for many years. There doesn’t seem to be a single word that is similar to the English version, there are soundings that are practically impossible to pronounce, and seven case endings to contend with (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, vocative, locative, instrumental). At least, I have a willing teacher to help me along the way.