Hey, Andy! No need for mixed emotions. You’ve achieved something amazing (course 2 is beyond “I can speak Welsh” and well into “I can speak good Welsh well!”), there’s the positive. And you’ve used your Welsh enough to have realised that, yes, the Welsh speaking world has it’s fair share of ****s just like any other language community! That means you’ve been out there using it. Second positive.
So where’s the mix?
To anyone who ever meets this kind of attitude, remember, there’s a lot of cr*p in the sea, but it doesn’t stop you from swimming!
(For those of you who know me, even just from my postings here, you’ll realise that swearing twice in one post means that I’m just a little bit cross with the lad in question… Do introduce us sometime…)
Sadly, the day was clouded a bit because I talked to a First Language Speaker; the parent of a student in the school I work in. I mentioned that the student and I had chatted to each other a little in Welsh.
The response I received bewildered me… “Oh, so you are the English ‘bloke’ who is trying to learn Welsh. You shouldn’t bother because non of you have the right too…”
This person speaks for him/herself only, they are certainly no ambassador of mine or any other first language Welsh speaker with an insurmountable love and passion for their language and culture.
When you love something because you think it’s beautiful and unique and frankly just awesome, then it’s natural to feel much pride in it. From that pride comes an urge to share it with the world.
The person who spoke to you with animosity and disrespect certainly has no real love for the Welsh language and cares not about its future. I’m guessing that this isn’t the only thing in their life for which they have a negative attitude.
This kind of attitude is a way of life for some people - I feel sorry for them, imagine living with that head on your shoulders.
