The importance of returning to the basics struck me with the force of a sledgehammer this morning. Today, for once, I didn’t count the sheep in the small hours but slept through the night. And when the alarm went off at 5:30 am - because I had to take Ági’s car to the garage - my mind crafted sentences including the not-so-elegant and sophisticated expressions one would use while entertaining themselves with the creme de la creme. Mind you, it all depends on the members of the assembled company, though. Anyway, as I made my way to the car, climbing the concrete stairs of a hillock, I couldn’t help but notice how much it resembled my English learning journey. As every eleventh step was followed by a little pause - there were four of them - I immediately associated them with my English stages - A0, B1, B2, and C1 at the top. Reaching the summit meant, in this context, completing the CELTA course, a still unbelievable yet significant achievement in my life. After finishing my chore, I was...