Cool summer school

Summer means vacations and time to relax for many, but it's also a great time for self-improvement and tackling projects we've put off for years. After all, who doesn't have more energy when the sun sticks around longer and makes it seem like there are more hours in the day?

Studying a foreign language is, in fact, mental exercise, according to a study from the University College London. The study found that learning a foreign language alters gray matter in the area of the brain that processes information much in the same way that exercise alters muscles.

So if you make it a point to work out for bikini seasons, why not work out your brain for vacations abroad or even fulfill that goal of improving your Czech?

"For some people, courses in the summer are almost like a New Year's resolution, or rather a summer resolution," said Radmila Procházková, from Akcent language school. "We have people who travel and come here to learn Czech for a little while and see a foreign country in the process, and also residents of Prague who are expats and feel that their Czech isn't at the level it should be."

Several institutes and schools around Prague offer summer intensive courses that can give beginners a solid foundation or take higher-level speakers to the next stage in proficiency.

"The intensive courses are more motivating and encourage further study because you can see the progress," Procházková said. "You can see on day 10 you're able to do things you couldn't on day one. Two hours a week is a very common offer for students at language schools, but it can take years to make real progress at this pace."

Akcent's Czech for Foreigners summer study program begins July 25 and runs through Aug. 8, and is offered at four different levels: beginner, elementary, lower-intermediate and intermediate. The courses meet Monday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Class size ranges from four to eight students. A total of 72 lessons costs 13,655 Kč. To apply online, visit Akcent.cz.

If you've always dreamed of whispering sweet nothings en francais, or wanted to be able to watch French New Wave cinema as it was meant to be watched, the French Institute in Prague also offers intensive two-week summer courses. The next one begins Aug. 8 and runs through Aug. 19 and offers five different levels. Students can choose between two different times for each level, either from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., or from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The cost for two weeks is 7,050 Kč for a total of 60 hours of study. A six-week course also begins Aug. 8 and runs through Sept. 15, with a more varied schedule that can accommodate work schedules with classes held from 6:15 to 8:15 p.m. for a total of 32 hours of study costing 3,900 Kč. Visit ifp.cz for more information.

Imagine reading Don Quixote in Spanish or bantering with the waiter at a tapas restaurant in Barcelona. The Cervantes Institute in Prague can help make that a reality. An intensive course for beginners begins July 18 and runs through July 29, held Monday to Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. for a total of 30 hours and at a cost of 4,110 Kč. The course will be held again Aug. 15-26. A "crash course" of 30 hours will be held Aug. 1-5 from 9 a.m. to noon and then 1-4 p.m., at a cost of 4,110 Kč. Visit Praga.cervantes.es for more information.

The Arabesque language school in Prague 6 teaches Arabic and Persian, including calligraphy. Summer intensive courses last two weeks and run through Aug. 31. Courses can be taken for two or four hours per day, according to students' wishes, beginning at 9 a.m. Class sizes range from four to eight students and cost 150 Kč per class hour. Individual lessons are available at the school for 300 Kč per hour. For more information, visit Arabstina.com.

The Goethe Institute runs intensive courses of German all summer through September. Beginners can take a course from Sept. 6 to Sept. 26, Monday through Thursday from 5:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and every Friday from 5:15 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. All told, the 55 lessons cost 5,700 Kč. For more information and for schedules of more advanced levels, visit Goethe.de/ins/cz/pra/deindex.htm.

Claire Compton can be reached at
ccompton@praguepost.com