David

[MadMitch]

We had our first Welsh lesson last night.

 

As we have now decided to make Wales our home we thought it was about time to learn the language.

As an area, Carmarthenshire has the most Welsh speaking people and they continue to learn it in schools and encourage any new comers to the area to give it a go.

We have only been here since December last year and have never felt like we have to speak Welsh as most people speak english anyway but when you are around people who are so proud of their language and their history it is hard not to feel a part of it.

We are continuously amazed at how many english people there are in the area that have been here for years and have never even attempted to learn even the basic greetings. It is worth learning it, if only for the place names as most villages and town names actually mean something e.g. Llanpumpsaint (a village not far from us) means church of the 5 saints.

Jeremy Clarkson once said that Welsh is the only language you learn to speak to fewer people. Whilst he may be right we think our lives are just a little bit richer from speaking to them.

[Karen & co.]

A friend of mine learnt Welsh when he was studying law and it opened up lots of opportunities when he became a barrister

 

I'm doing a course on Dyslexia through work which lasts 'till December, so I don't think there will be time for anything else at the moment but roll on the spring term

 

Karen x

[Egluntyne]

Good for you.

 

How fascinating.

[Seagazer]

I'm doing an adult education course to help me get a job (when I pluck up the courage). Its OCR Diploma. I did the Intermediate last year (and got all distinctions ) and now I'm doing Advanced. I have also done ECDL, Clait, Clait Plus.

 

I'd quite like to do a jewellery making course as well and also a digital photography course.

 

I've met some lovely people on the courses.

[Snowy]

Well done for learning Welsh - even if you don't need to use it much, it is a great way of integrating into your adopted community!

I've just started a patchwork course - I wanted to make something for myself! It's great, I am learning so much, not just about patchworking, but about fabrics and design as well! Trouble is I now haven't got time to make all the fab new things I want to make!

[Hen Watch]

Well done you for taking up Welsh. Hope you enjoy your lessons.

 

I LOVE evening classes. I am a bit addicted and from age 19 to now ( 39) I've always had something on the go.

 

Started at age 19, did evening A level Law for a year (just for fun) followed by Car Maintenance with my friend. We thought we would meet men but just met lots of women wanting to know how to change a wheel . Friend and I then did tap dancing for a year. Then amateur dramatics doing Christmas pantomimes.

 

Once kids arrived I tried DIY for beginners (my plastering was rubbish). Then Ladies Barbershop singing - which was great fun but I was breastfeeding child no 3 at the time and it didn't really fit in. So I moved onto 2 years of conversational French (as in my day at school the focus was on written rather than speaking). Then 1 year of dressmaking (one sewing machine, course fee plus material resulted in 1 VERY expensive dress which I never wear but it was fun). Then decided the only O level I failed was geography (which I hated at school) so I did a postal GCSE in 9 months - very funny sitting in an exam with 16 year olds when you are late 30s - but I did get an A*.

 

Current focus is learning the piano and CHICKENS..........

 

Not sure what to do next...... don't think it will be Welsh though.

[Lesley]

I used to be addicted to evening classes as well - then eventually, I ran out of things I wanted to do.....and now we've moved to a smallholding I don't have the time. The Spinning and Weaving I did about 20 years ago has been useful

 

Well done for learning Welsh. My Mum and SF live in Anglesey - also a high Welsh speaking population - and I know that a lot of jobs are only available to Welsh speakers. My Mum's neighbours eventually moved away as she was a very qualified Intensive Care nurse but didn't speak enough Welsh to satisfy the NHS even though they were desperate for nurses like her.

[jlo]

One of my best friends is Welsh and lives near to Cross Hands. When they moved there, her husband took up Welsh and manages a few words here and there - he finds it very hard though. I just remember what was said (I think) by Rowan Atkinson - that you need to swallow a bucket of phlegm to be able to speak Welsh. Good luck! I think you'll need it!

[Bassett]

Well done on learning Welsh, it sounds really interesting.

 

I do an adult education evening class every year - I'm another addict! This is my third year of studying French, which is good fun as I attend with a friend, and the whole class has stayed together for 3 years.

 

I've also signed up to do short courses in pottery and art with my children, as they've started running family courses as well.

[Janty]

I love Wales and have always fancied learning Welsh. Well done you!

[Cate in NZ]

I went to school in Wales for a couple of years and had to learn Welsh as it was compulsory (I lived near Carmarthen too, in a tiny village, Porthyrhyd...it's probably not as tiny these days though ). Sadly I've forgotten most of the Welsh I ever learnt although I can remember a few basic greetings and, oddly, the Lord's Prayer.. we had to say that in Welsh every morning at assembly and somehow it wormed it's way into my brain and stuck. I can remember some of the pronunciation too though, great with the "LL" sound

 

These days I'm learning Maori... another minority language but since I'm working with a lot of Maori people it seems only respectful to attempt a little in their language before expecting them to speak mine . Kia Ora

[MadMitch]

I went to school in Wales for a couple of years and had to learn Welsh as it was compulsory (I lived near Carmarthen too, in a tiny village, Porthyrhyd...it's probably not as tiny these days though ). Sadly I've forgotten most of the Welsh I ever learnt although I can remember a few basic greetings and, oddly, the Lord's Prayer.. we had to say that in Welsh every morning at assembly and somehow it wormed it's way into my brain and stuck. I can remember some of the pronunciation too though, great with the "LL" sound

 

These days I'm learning Maori... another minority language but since I'm working with a lot of Maori people it seems only respectful to attempt a little in their language before expecting them to speak mine . Kia Ora

 

 

 

 

Porthyrhyd is still tiny (just a handful of houses) its only about 15 miles North from us.

Good luck with the Maori and New Zealand. I'm envious, its something we have been considering but as we are getting older it seems a bit harder to make the leap, especially with parents now getting old. We both packed in work last year and moved to Wales to get away from it all but the way this country is going who knows it may make it alot easier to make the big move. Our problem is the points system as both our jobs were not in an area which qualifies for any, OH is retraining as an electrician at the moment just for something to do so that may help.