Even though I’m fluent in Czech, I still feel dumb every day. Those hot potatoes will roll around in my mouth no matter how hard I try.

The other morning at the hospital, I was chatting with the nurse. As I went to leave she said, “You have very nice Czech.” Afterwards, I went to grab a coffee and was chatting with the cashier about the coming weekend. On my way out, she said “You have very nice Czech.”

“But these hot potatoes,” I said to her. She gave me permission not to worry about them so much.