New year!

The new year is starting and I am still thinking about what I want 2026 to be like and what I can do about it: I do not know much yet, but there is a couple things to focus on and to finish (especially related to my studies), and I set some resolutions too. But maybe that is not a smart way to think abou, I want to be more open about what the life can bring and embrace that, so I will just try to keep my eyes and options open :)

Today in the morning I was woke up thinking about the verb “to download”, so I wanted to share that. While in Dutch and German this word is more or less directly translated: “downloaden” and “herunterladen”. In Czech, we use “stahovat” which would more literaly translate to “pull down”. The French the word is “télécharger”, where “charger” also means to “charge”, like to “charge a phone”, where “télé” would refer to being done from a distance. Similarly in Spanish, where the verb “descargar” would mean be closer to the meaning of “charge”, but the prefix “des” would indicate more like undoing something. It is interesting, because it made me think about how we adapt technology and what words we use for it. Few decades ago, there was no downloading of files, cause there was no (widely available) internet.

I guess at this point in time I lack a conclusion on this thought, but I still thought I would share it. I guess same goes for 2026: no clue where it will lead me, but I am ready to share it too!

Happy new year! Best of luck with all that you will do :)

Michal