A Czech student popped in with parent, aunt, girlfriend and mother's friend who are all visiting just before Christmas.

I took them all to a coffee shop and as at least two of them didn't speak any more English than I spoke Czech, it was great to be able to practice what little I'd learned for my summer expedition. They were most amused at my delight when, on two occasions, I actually understood a whole sentence immediately. OK, so they weren't complex statements, but it was still something to pick out any meaning from all those consonants!