I joined last year - my friend had put recruiting 10 members before she was 50 on her bucket list. I was nervous about it, because I thought that my Welsh would have to be really good to join, but that’s not the case. In fact, they now run weekend ‘bootcamps’ for learners - I went to one in Tresaith! I think there is one in Cardiff coming up in October.
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I know a lot of people may agree/may not agree with the group
An important point @Nicky and thanks for making it. 
Congratulations on your rapid progress with Welsh, by the way.
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I’m hard of hearing and using sign language (Swiss German Sign Language and ASL) to communicate with my Deaf friends. I can understand your experience of using sign language when communicating with the Syrian family you’ve been tutoring. I’m no scientist at all, but I know that sign language uses visual concepts rather than simply translating words into signs. Not every word has a corresponding sign. It’s a bit like painting a picture of a situation, using signs and facial expressions. I think that, while signing, you need to “abandon” spoken language to a certain degree and try to think in pictures. Maybe you instinctively know that your signing helps this Syrian family to understand beyond words.
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Late to the conversation, but I would LOVE this. It would also scare the snot out of me (I know this is not an actual expression but it beats the alternative in polite company…)
My small success: up until challenge 13 I couldn’t resist also studying Welsh with Duolingo (I’ve left that for now to focus on SSiW). Apparently I built up some vocabulary because I was looking at shoes online and my head dutifully supplied the word “esgidiau”. This has happened a couple of times since, with different words, but I don’t think I’ll ever forget that first time.
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What was the bootcamp like? I took a leaflet about the October Cardiff weekend from a friendly woman at the Cymdeithas stall at Tafwyl, who told me about it (and I managed to have a short stumbling conversation!).
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What was the bootcamp like?
From several experiences, I can recommend without reservation SSiW’s own bootcamps in Tresaith. The reports from the SSiW Northern bootcamps have also been glowing.
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I would love to do a SSIW boot camp but sadly cannot take a week away from family and work this year or next, so am interested in weekend options.
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It was very enjoyable, although obviously not as good as a SSIW bootcamp. There wasn’t a no English rule, but almost everything was in Welsh. There were lots of activities, including a quiz on Friday evening, a walk with the Aberteifi group, meals out and entertainment/singing in a local pub. Also craft activities and a programme of short talks about Cymdeithas yr Iaith campaigns.
I think the actual mix of activities depends on where the weekend is taking place. (I heard reports that the one in Bethesda wasn’t so good - it depends on the accommodation and organisation).
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Today was my first day actually in Wales, so I was kinda getting my hopes up to siarad some cymraeg. The first place we visited – purely by chance, as it was on our way and it looked interesting – was Castle Bodelwyddan, but no one seemed to speak Welsh.
Our visit to Caernarfon was much better in that respect… I bought the tickets at the Castle in Welsh and got into a small chat with the attendee. I told him I have been learning for about seven months now, and he complimented me on my level of Welsh.
I got into many small situations today where I could try speaking Welsh, and most of the times my efforts were met with enthusiastic encouragement. The landlady of our B&B is also Welsh-speaking, and we’re staying here (in Dolgellau) for two nights, so I’m looking forward to more chats in Welsh tomorrow!
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Croeso i Gymru a Llongyfarchiadau. I hope you have some great opportunities to practise your Welsh and a memorable visit to Wales. 
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I am shocked that the staff at Bodelwyddan Castle did not include a single Welsh speaker! @aran, shouldn’t the Senedd insist that ancient Castles and other major tourist attractions have at least 10% or 1 person speaking Welsh, whichever is higher?
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I went to Castle Beaumaris after bwtcamp and was still ‘yn Gymraeg’, so asked for my ticket in Welsh and was told ‘Sorry I don’t speak Welsh’. I switched to English, but the lady had fear in her eyes ? and got someone else to deal with me!
Fortunately in the excellent ice cream shop in Beaumaris i was happily served in Welsh
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I started about 2 years ago couldn’t say a word in it and now I speak it all the time my residents who I support understand me and my work buddies now speak welsh to too all thanks to the lessons that’s all I did was lessons and I want more lessons now I am eager to learn more new words
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Well, chwarae teg iddyn nhw (to be fair to them), I only actually tried chatting up the attendee selling the tickets. The only other staff I saw were two volunteers, both of which answered my tentative “shwmae“ with an english greeting, so I stopped trying. It may have something to do with that particular Castle being owned and run by a private trust. We’ve been to Castell Harlech today (like Carnarfon run by Cadw), and most of the staff there were able and happy to speak cymraeg.
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Just SORN’ed the car in Welsh.
Now this could seem a really daunting because it’s an official government thing online, but with a basic grasp of the language and logic it’s surprisingly easy.
(and I always use the Welsh option now for cash machines etc etc if it’s available)[quote=“Y_Ddraig_Las, post:392, topic:6708”]
Castle Beaumaris after bwtcamp and was still ‘yn Gymraeg’, so asked for my ticket in Welsh and was told ‘Sorry I don’t speak Welsh’
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I was at Beaumaris not too long ago and picked up the Welsh guidebook to be told in no uncertain terms that the English version was over there. Interesting that they’d automatically assumed that I’d made the mistake by picking up the wrong language. Needless to say I replied ‘Na, dw i eisiau darllen Cymreag’
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It can’t be much harder than in English 
What’s the Welsh for going round in circles?
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If it helps, depending on conversation I see then hear; some concepts are easier to express in sign (at least to me) in one fluid motion. Expressing in spoken word to someone that it has been a long time since I saw them is slow and frustrating.
Thinking carefully (or maybe overthinking), many of my dreams are spoken and signed, especially depending on what is happening and perhaps more bizarrely where (if it’s obvious to my subconscious I guess?).
Although a dream a few days ago still has me a little confused; it was the first one I can remember entirely yn Gymraeg with no sign, English, French, or Japanese.
It may simply be a lack of friends/family around me anymore who sign, to the point my brain is just slowly erasing it or archiving it but I didn’t seem to have any problems signing on the underground two weeks ago with an old friend.
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I am currently on holiday with my daughter in the Urdd centre in Llangrannog. It is really lovely here apart from the usual wet Welsh weather putting a bit of a dampener on things. It has been great hearing Natasha playing with her new friends in Welsh today. That was one of the main reasons I wanted to come , to make her Cymraeg more natural through playing in Welsh with other children. I have also come here to practice and improve my own Welsh of course and have really quite surprised myself today with how naturally I have been having conversations. I haven’t had too much trouble with the different dialect spoken here and am so far understanding without too much difficulty. We stopped in Machynlleth for an hour on the way down and was surprised that they spoke with the southern dialect there . I thought it would have been more northern . Although we heard mostly English spoken on the street there we got served in Welsh in the café and two shops that we went in . I really like the accent that they speak with here . Strangely , there is a man staying here with his family that looks and sounds just like Iestyn . I thought it was him at first and nearly went to say hello. If I can pluck up the courage tomorrow I will go and ask if he is related as the resemblance is uncanny . Am looking forward to the rest of the week and hope to have a few more good Welsh conversations tomorrow. I haven’t actually had to explain to anyone that I am a learner yet which is a good sign but I know the situation will come up this week at some point where I get stuck and have to explain that I’m still learning .
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We are, as \i am always saying, all still learning all our lives, but if you have been there in Llangrannog without anyone realising you are ‘a learner’, I’d say you are a speaker, and Natasha is too!! You may lack a certain depth of vocabulary, but you seem able to switch from de to gog and back with no difficulty! 
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Because of my lanyard Cymraeg in work I met someone who went to school with my mother-in-law. They didn’t know each other lived In Cardiff. They’re now meeting for a coffee next week.
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