We’ll be in Wales a week from today!
Taran and I finished all of the lessons in the first course, and just finished the numbers vocabulary lesson. Gareth is through lesson 15. I guess we’ll find out pretty soon if we learned anything or not 
Hopefully, we’ll have a lot of fun trying.
Diolch yn fawr.
Sarah
Have a great time Sarah! You’ll probably surprise yourself about how well you’ll be able to converse.
Fantastic! Drop me a PM if you get to Pwllheli or thereabouts, it’d be lovely to see how the kids are doing…
Hope you all have a great time with plenty of opportunities to practice your Welsh. Pob lwc!
I don’t know if we’re going to get down there, but it would be fun to see you. We’re driving up to Gwynedd tomorrow. I haven’t had much chance to use the Welsh yet, quite honestly, other than lots of progress with reading because of the signs. In the south, it’s been hard to find people who speak Welsh at all. When I try to talk and they either look blank or say they don’t speak it. I’ve begun to realize that I’m actually making the feel bad because here I am, an American from Oregon, trying to speak Welsh and they who live in Wales don’t. We’ll keep trying, though.
Please Please try to get to Aberdaron, a very long way, but I am sure you will find someone to talk Welsh with. Also Porth Y Swnt, a new National Trust exhibition in Aberdaron, gives you a huge ‘feel’ for the Llyn and there is lots of Welsh Poetry, Culture etc! http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/article-1355833537994/
Sarah Woodbury: I’ve begun to realize that I’m actually making the feel bad because here I am, an American from Oregon, trying to speak Welsh and they who live in Wales don’t.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! The more people wh feel bad because “an American form Oregon” (or a German from Saarbrucken or an Englishman from Kent…) has obviously learnt confidently and well, the more people will be tempted to have a go, and have the kind of positive experience that we hear from so many SSiWers.
I’m not sure where you’ve been in the south, but you should definitely have more luck in Gwynedd. Basically, with the noteable exception of south pembrokeshire, the further West you go, the more likely you are to meet Welsh speakers at random.
Enjoy!
Hi, Sarah! I love Oregon by the way I lived near Grants Pass for a year…Anyway, I’m sure you’ll have a great time in Gwynedd. Use the Welsh you’ve got and don’t worry about throwing in English words to pad out anything. No one will blink or notice…
Yup, no bother at all in Gwynedd, we’ve just had a great couple of days pottering along the Llywbr Arfordir from Aberdaron round to Porth Oer. I started every conversation in Welsh and you can’t count the number of times the answer is “Cymraeg dach chi?”. Magical spot, sun, sea, lovely hedgerow flowers and a lot of laughs. What could go wrong?
As previously said it depends where in South Wales you go, if you went to Swansea, Cardiff and newport then you’re unlikely to hear Welsh but the further West you go you’ll definitely hear it. Most places in Carmarthenshire, you’re almost guaranteed in and around the Amman and Gwendraeth Valley llanelli etc, I work on border of Swansea and Carmarthenshire and over half the work force are fluent first language speakers. Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip!
What could go wrong?
Well, you could get in trouble for NOT. VISITING. PEOPLE. IN. MYNYTHO. 
Sarah, where are you going to be staying? We need to do a run up to Bangor at some point this week…
Well, you could get in trouble for NOT. VISITING. PEOPLE. IN. MYNYTHO
Mae’n ddrwg gen i 
i fod yn honest, we did pass through a couple of times (rather than trek through Abba-sock as it’s termed in Swydd Gaer) and I mentioned a visit to Mrs G but we thought with mates and dog it would be a bit of an imposition to pop up out of the blue. We’ll be back before long and give you some warning next time. As long as you promise not to batter me …
it would be a bit of an imposition to pop up out of the blue.
Really, unexpected visits from learners are one of the delights of our life…
But expected ones are almost as good, so yes, feel free to warn/arrange as well!
Just conscious you might be a bit busy now and then
Which is exactly why I’m always so grateful when someone gives me an excuse for a coffee…