I want to be a Welsh speaker so I can watch Pobol y Cwm without subtitles ( and Un bore Mercher)
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because i want to talk to my welsh speaking neighbours in welsh 
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I want to learn Welsh to reclaim the heritage which I feel I am missing. I thought that it was too hard and was annoyed for many years that it wasnāt taught to me in school. Finally, I realised that it was up to me and that with SSiW it is possible!
I hope that finally I wonāt feel Iām a āfraudā as a Welsh person and that Iāll be able to speak to members of my family who are fluent and take part in Welsh cultural events without feeling like an outsider.
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I feel similarly! I am also a speaker of another language (French) and learned through immersion at the primary level, but when I moved to France to teach English, I was shocked at how ineffective their model was and how unnatural even the āfluentā speakers sounded (something Iāll blame on the old textbooks and teaching models!)/
P.S. Iāll be studying bilingualism at Bangor Uni next year, their language and linguistics department is incredible!
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Iāll be a fellow American in North Wales! Iāll be in Bangor in September, hopefully to stay permanently 
It seems like youāre just as enchanted as I am, good luck with your journey!
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Yes Bangor does now enjoy good reputation. In my day there was a new course āGerman and Modern Germanyā - mainly language / current affairs etc with less on literature. It was taught through German. However not available as a joint honours subject back then. So I plumped For the trad course - taught through English, and not nearly as dynamic. A lecture to 5 students for nearly all literature lessons was the model, very top down etc. The other course was noisy - with animated and alive contributions from the many, not the fewā¦ enjoy Bangor! Am Jealous!!
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I want to be able to join in conversations in my local shop!
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I always promised that if I moved to a new country (born in England) that I would learn the ālingoā ā¦ so here I am (taken 6 years so far ā¦) but now also trying too keep up with my chatty 4 yr old (who attends a Welsh medium school) and 16th month old whose starting to babble.
Also encouraging husband to speak more Welsh too now! Bonus
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I have quite a few reasons butā¦
I want to be a Welsh speaker because I want the language to not only survive but to thrive, I want to play my part.
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I want to be a Welsh speaker because i donāt want a passport and so travel a lot in the UK. Wales will be so much more interesting if i can understand the language.
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I want to be a Welsh speaker because Iāve always felt āWelsh in my headā! I was born in England to English parents, but previous generations were Welsh, so I guess thatās where my feelings come from.
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Iām the same Sandra @sandralaslett, my father came from South Wales and my motherās family lived in Mid Wales on the English side of the border, none of them spoke Welsh.
For some unknown, unexplainable reason since I was a small girl I have always felt very strongly I was Welsh and wanted to speak Welsh even though none of my family did. I even bought a book aged about ten called Welsh in a week, it didnāt work.
.
With no disrespect to South Wales I even feel North Walian, it puzzles me.
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The trick to being able to rattle it off is simply to practice. Break it into sections, say each one over and over, gradually increasing speed, then start putting them together, gradually losing the pauses between sections. At least, thatās how I learned to do it!
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I want to be a Welsh speaker because Iāve always wanted to be a Welsh speaker! Iām 57 and wanted to learn Welsh in school. I had to drop it however as I had to choose either Welsh or music ( I am a musician now!).
On returning to Wales post college, I found most avenues in music and the media were restricted to non Welsh speakers. I felt quite resentful of this (instead of doing something about it) and this resentment grew when I was sent as a peri guitar teacher to a Welsh medium secondary school. I felt very alien there and eventually asked to be redeployed.
About 13 years ago I was asked to peri at a small Welsh medium primary in Barry, and right from the start, was made to feel welcome. I loved the more rounded education and cultural opportunities afforded to the students. About 8 years ago, I started learning on the original SSIW course and was delighted with my progress, getting to about lesson eight of the 2nd course.
My partner became pregnant, and my Welsh lapsed, but I always intended to return. 4 years ago, I became very ill with a brain tumour but have thankfully made a good recovery. I then decided to start again on the new SSIW course but found to my frustration that my quick recall memory had been affected, and I soon gave up in frustration.
Fast forward to today and I now peri in 3 Welsh medium primaries, I enter loads of pupils for the Urdd and my now 6 year old daughter attends Welsh medium school and is almost fluent. My 30 something son is also learning with SSIW so I am determined to try again and this time I will succeed! Sorry for the long ramble!
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Iām doing the 6 month course, and am delighted with how itās going so far.
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This makes me smile because I feel the same but could not find a single Welsh blood relative when I did my family history. Though I do have relatives by marriage who are welsh. This help me to understand myself! 
And the word Cynefin
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Good to know that Iām not as odd as I thought I was!
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I love that; it does help to make sense of my feelings.
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