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Story of Rebeka

From Czeh Republic

“On a Trek Without English” – How the Himalayas Pushed Me to Start Learning

At the end of October 2022, I went on a trekking adventure to Nepal.

In the foreground of the picture is grayish, rising ground. On the right, at the top, in the distance, is the barely visible figure of a person. In the background is a white mountain peak.
The mountain peak in the distanc


The beauty of the mountains, the simplicity of life, and my attempts at deep conversations with people from all over the world – all of it energized me.

A small brown tablecloth with a brown checkered tablecloth on top. On a round, golden tray, there are four small round bowls containing different foods. In the middle, rice is piled up in a cone shape. On the right side of the tray, there are cucumbers, and on the left side, there is triangular bread.
Lunch in Nepal

But it also shook me a bit.

Six people are sitting around a low table. The seventh leans over the table and tries to aim at something. There are square boards with circle patterns on the table. Some people are talking to each other, others are watching them.
Evening party games

I realized that my English – which I had never really studied – just wasn’t enough to have meaningful conversations. And that made me sad.

People hurrying along a wide road in one direction. In the background, there may be a ship or an ornate building. In the middle of this is a huge golden structure with a pointed top, surrounded by red decorations. Ropes extend in all directions from the top of the central section. In the upper right corner of the picture, there are green and yellow striped window shades. In the background, on the right side, there is a row of multi-story houses.
People hurrying along their way

Since I knew I wanted to return to Nepal in 2023, I decided to do something about it.

Most of the image is filled with rocks rising above the clouds. In the foreground, on a grayish-brown slope, a man looks at the peaks above the clouds.
Above the clouds

But I wasn’t interested in textbooks, grammar drills, or memorizing vocabulary like back in school.

A blue lake can be seen in the picture. A person is sitting high up, looking at the landscape. In the background are tall white mountains, in front of which a small town can be seen in a valley between brown mountains.
Mountain landscape with lake

I wanted a different path.

The picture shows a long mountain path with a white safety barrier on the right. On the left is a high rock face. In the foreground is the rear end of a pack animal, probably a donkey. The load to be transported is piled high on its back. Next to it are two people, also carrying heavy loads. In the distance, there are many people walking along the path.
Pack animals help travelers

And that path showed up – in January 2023,
when a Facebook ad caught my eye.

Brown mountainsides are visible on both sides of the picture. A few people are cheering at the top of one of them. In the middle, there are white mountain peaks in the distance.
Some have already reached a high point

An American.
An English teacher.
A historian.
And most of all – a charismatic man with perspective and a completely different approach to teaching.

Cheer others up so you can cheer yourself up A T-shirt with the slogan: "Raise your vibe by lifting others"
Raise your vibe by lifting others

Even though I’m a teacher myself,

and years ago I even researched the most effective ways people learn

(but that’s a different story…),

his approach spoke to me.

It was alive, meaningful, and human.

It wasn’t about perfection – it was about communication, understanding, and connection.

In Vig Village, I found not only an effective way to finally start speaking English (instead of just thinking about it),

but also something far more valuable – people who became my friends.

Zoom screen, 14 people waving
Nativ speakers in the Vig-Village

Kindred spirits from across Europe, with whom I share not only the desire to learn, but also openness, warmth, and a healthy dose of humor.

And even though today’s fast-paced world doesn’t always allow for frequent meetups,

I know that every time we do connect, it’s worth it.

The to-do list displayed on our watches and phones symbolizes our busy, fast-paced lives.
A fast-paced world

Just a few weeks ago I met Ivetka in Bratislava, Zdeňka in Prague, and others at our (almost) regular Zoom call.

And the funniest thing?

Even though we could easily speak Czech or Slovak – we mostly speak English!

What kind of madness is that?

But for me, it actually makes perfect sense.

Language connects us.

Two people on a high mountain. Further away from them is a yak. High white mountains in the background. In front of them is a greenish-blue lake. The sun is shining brightly.
Mountain landscape

And once you feel free in a language, you just want to speak – and keep getting better at it.

So… what’s next?

The next step in Vig Village could be professional growth.

Vig-Village program Symbolizes a new opportunity for the future.
Vig-Village program

There’s so much to offer – whether in teaching Czech for foreigners, French,

or other skills that naturally emerge and connect within the Vig Village community.

We could organize local meetups in the cities where we live.

Share our skills or professional experience with fellow Vig Villagers.

There’s even talk about Heman – a yoga teacher from Nepal – offering online yoga sessions

to help us all move our bodies a bit more.

A traveler standing on top of a mountain looks toward even higher peaks in the distance.
Could we set off on a new journey now?

Just imagine – in Vig Village, you can spend up to 16 hours a day!

So if you:

feel it’s time to move forward,

want to speak English, not just do exercises,

want to meet amazing people,

or are simply looking for a new challenge,

don’t hesitate – join us.

In Vig Village, you’ll find more than just language learning.

It’s a journey – from your comfort zone to a higher level of comfort and confidence.

In the first part of the picture, there is a brown mountain peak. Several people are standing on it, far apart from each other. In the distance, there are very high white mountain peaks.
Distant white peaks—is that the GOAL?

And maybe now is the perfect time to take that first step.

Three people are walking along the lake shore, carrying heavy backpacks. On the other side of the lake are very high white mountains.
The heavy stuff on the road

What do you say?

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