What a lovely story - wish we had that one on video! 
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All the bikers I ever met were lovely people! One biker couple were getting married just before friends of mine and their guests were a delicious mix of relatives in suits and hats and friends in leathers bearing fearsome pictures!! The latter were much the nicest to chat to while waiting!
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Helo,
I’ve been doing SSiW for a few weeks now but I’ve been really hesitant to try my Welsh out in the real world, which made me feel really guilty, especially since I’ve been living in Cardiff the past few years and I’m sure I could find ample opportunities to practice if I wanted to.
Reading all your lovely stories, however, gave me courage, so today I went to an event in my university where people were invited to go and chat with Welsh speakers and use however much Welsh they got. So, after giving myself a bit of a pep talk, I went up to them and this very lovely lady started talking to me. In fact, she tried to keep the conversation going for over 15’ while speaking slowly and simply and made sure to compliment me on the amount of Welsh I had managed to learn in such a short time. She even gave me a “Cymraeg” pin to show that I can speak Welsh. It was such a lovely experience and though undoubtedly intimidating, I’m so happy I found the courage to try it.
So thanks everyone for sharing your stories and thank you SSiW for the amazing work! xx
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Shwmae Maria, a chroeso i SaySomethinginWelsh a’r fforwm!
First of all, I want to congratulate you for taking the plunge and using your Welsh in the real world! I’m assuming you knew a little bit of Welsh before starting SSiW, but even so, after a few weeks and throwing yourself into a conversation is a huge achievement!
I see you mentioned that you live in Cardiff. Are you aware of the monthly meet-up at Y Mochyn Du Tavern in Pontcanna? A small group of SSiW learners at all levels meet here on the first Monday of every month at around 7pm. You will be more than welcome to come and join us if you feel you would like to practice more, or even gain some inspiration to continue with the SSiW course. The next meeting should be on the 7th November, but check on the forum for updates - there is a thread somewhere by here! It’ll be good to meet you! 
A rather late EDIT to add a link to the topic on our meets at Y Mochyn Du:-
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Llongyfarchiadau, @Maria! I agree with @faithless78 - that’s a huge achievement! You should be very proud of yourself! Welcome to the forum!
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Just to put this into context for you, Maria, one of the biggest single problems that Welsh for Adults faces as a field is the difficulty of getting people to move from using Welsh in the classroom to using it in real life - it is VERY common for people to have been in classes for YEARS and still be hugely resistant to speaking outside the classroom.
So for you to have jumped in at the deep end after just a few weeks is an absolutely gigantic achievement, and you should be enormously proud of yourself! 
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Well I didn’t get chance to try out my Welsh in the end. But it was a very good night. #BAFTACymruAwards 
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I’m not sure which thread to put this in; regarding bilingual signs. I popped into the new retail centre in Merthyr last week. I won’t plug its name, but it’s next to Cyfarthfa Castle
Anyway, all of the internal signs are written in oversized Welsh, with a tiny English translation in the bottom corner. I didn’t hear anyone talking Welsh, but if they had, it would have seemed natural.
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I dunno - seems as though it should have its name plugged! Good work, that retail establishment
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I agree with @sarapeacock, plug it Bach!!! And to @Maria - everything that @aran said!
Oh and John, did you say something in Welsh to any of the retail outlet staff?
I thought I did plug it on the sly It was Cyfarthfa Retail park. I was in a rush, but should have at least said diolch yn fawr as I left.
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Hi @castellcollen - From your user name I’m guessing that you’re from the Llandrindod/Llanyre area. Just a reminder that some of us meet every Wednesday evening at the Arfon Ales micropub on Temple Street from 8pm, and also (if you don’t like pubs) on the first Saturday morning of each month at the Thomas Shop in Penybont from 10:30. We’re very friendly with a wide range of abilities represented. You would be more than welcome to come along and join us!
Did you know, by the way, that researchers believe that the ‘real’ name of Castell Collen is Caerfagu and the the current name is a Victorian error?
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