DAY 4 [+ flashbacks]
Developing a project
When I started planning this trip, last summer, I made sure to keep one day free (“And you call it a vacation?” Well…yeah). You never know what might come up later. Turns out it was a very good idea, because I got to spend this day with…Dave and Pat Datblygu, no less! I would have been very happy to hang out with them even just for the fun of it because they’re great, lovely and with plenty of sense of humour. However, in this case, I also had a mission to accomplish: going back to Italy with the only missing interview for a documentary in the making. It’s a French-Italian project, about a band from Scotland-England, another from Tennessee, one from Wales and a Germany-based label. What’s the connection among them? I will reveal more in due time - if someone’s interested. “Hey, but the interview, in Welsh or English?”. In English. Because all the documentaries I saw about bands who sing in Welsh language were…in Welsh language only, and only about Welsh bands. Nothing wrong with this, of course, and by the way, I’m looking forward to seeing “Anorac” on Clic later (note: later, just because I didn’t know I could watch it live. I’ve just realized and - oh, well, call it a coincidence - there’s Pat and Dave right now!). However, to me, this tends to give the impression that Welsh music is like a separate world of its own - which is not. And also, documentaries and programmes in Welsh rarely reach audiences outside the UK or people who do not speak Welsh even just a little bit already. Correct me if I’m wrong, but at least for Italy, I’m sure this is true. So why not doing something different, for once? It can do no harm, I guess. After all, what do we know about Welsh language here?
Welsh language? What Welsh language?
I’m sorry, but the vast majority of Italians don’t even know it exists. Those who have accidentally heard of it usually believe it’s a dialect or a long dead language. Including myself - until a few songs turned all my beliefs upside down.
Now, the full story of how a record by a Welsh-language band ended up in my iPod is too long. So I’ll just skip to the point when, on a long drive across France, shuffle picked a song called “Brechdanau Tywod”: it was instantly clear that it was the kind of stuff I liked but, surprisingly, not sung in English.
“What language is this!? Oh, this is the band that Ben had mentioned. It must be Welsh, then. But these guys can’t be using an ancient language with this music…then?”
Well, turns out Welsh is a living language. And very cool souding too. Blimey.
After a while, shuffle decided it was time for another, and more popular, song by this band: “Casserole Effeillaid”. It seems that quite a few people in the UK heard this on John Peel on BBC radio or The Tube but we didn’t have those in Italy. Anyway. Lighter atmosphere, not dark and gloomy as the first. Also the language seemed different. It still sounded a bit weird at times - pretty much like I expected from the look of written Welsh - but I never in the world would have guessed I’d hear echoes of Italian language in it. Not jokin’! At first, this universal truth might be overshadowed by the presence of “ch”, “ll”, “dd”, “rh”, “th” and some pronunciations of the “y” - that we don’t have. But everything else sounds just like in our alphabet. Hearing this guy yelling casserole, casserole was quite hilarious by itself. But imagining possible meanings and making up sentences with the fake Italian words - like sainpassio, asgùrsio, oguèli, riòlai, esgrivenni (just to name a few not too nasty or naughty) - provided hours of extra entertainment. And the best was yet to come.
Songs had different styles, but a few were sung in a quite similar way. I don’t really know how to explain it, kinda like short sentences, very clear and distinct? It reminded me of the Fall a bit (whose lyrics, as an Italian, were just slightly more intelligible than Datblygu’s when I was a kid, by the way) but the Welsh words made this singer seem a wizard casting spells, or something: gwahanol! Trafodaeth! Gorllewin! Gyfan gwbl ond beth meddylion nhw, pan o’n i’n hollol hollol! And it sounded awesome. Also, the little pause between verses was just perfect to try and repeat what I heard. We did something similar in English lessons. But instead of boring things like “The red pen is on the desk” and “Good afternoon, Mrs. Freeman” now I could say…well, to be honest, I hadn’t the slightest idea of what I was saying. But i didn’t really care, cause it was so much fun! I was hooked for days. I would suddenly go….hollol!…any time. Hey, it’s not easy to figure out how to pronounce it right - you should know! My boyfriend probably considered leaving me in a remote corner of Brittany, not to hear any more hollols. In which case, maybe I would have ended up learning Bréton instead. But I made it back to Torino, and…what next?
[flashbacks] + DAY 5
Voices of Welsh Language
Since then, having no real need to speak Welsh, I learned just tiny bits and pieces (and having written about this in another post, I’m not going to repeat it). I also kept on listening to the songs I liked and as a consequence, throughout these years, no less than 90% of the Welsh language I heard came from one source only. That’s why my Voice of Welsh Language Award can only go to…David R. Edwards. The remaining 10% is split between Pat Morgan, anyone who did backing vocals on Datblygu records and a bunch of people in random videos on YouTube. Until I came across SaySomethinginWelsh.
When I started, last year, you had to choose North or South version right away. I didn’t have a clue of what it meant. The only sure thing was that I liked the Aberteifi version of the language. Aberteifi is in the South. Then South version was the way to go. And that’s how @Iestyn and @anon86454181 became Mr. and Mrs. Number Two Voice(s) of Welsh. Both, because in the course they say exactly the same phrases (apart from a few sentences he occasionally adds in the introduction to the Challenges - but I’m sure he doesn’t mind sharing the title).
They happen to live in Llandysul and on Monday morning @Deborah-SSi has organized a meeting with Iestyn at Buon Appetito (!) cafe. There’s photos of Valentino Rossi and Ducati bikes all over the place so, sipping a good cappuccino, it’s almost like being already back to Italy. Almost. Because rumors are that Mister Voice Number Two has no mercy and only Welsh is allowed in his presence. Like the recorded version of himself, and Aran, he expects learners to just speak as much as possible and make a lot of mistakes - ‘cause that’s the fastest way to learn. What I didn’t know is that when we meet, he automatically switches to speaking-to-learner mode: extra slow speed and articulating syllables very clearly. Oooh, he’s the first person to do this for me! It seems a good moment to use mae gyda fe galon mor garedig…isn’t it? We’re all aware people don’t speak like this, in real life. But it definitely helps in the following conversation, that’s mostly around the experience of learning languages. Oh well, not surprised - with two SSiW staff members, how could we not talk about it? But with a lot of laughs too - because they’re mandatory in SSiW philosophy and teachings.
DAY 6 [Epilogue]
A final exam (sort of)
Next day, Tuesday, early in the morning, I have to say goodbye to Dee and walk to the bus stop. Same route as the first day, backwards: Bwcabus to Pencader, then Carmarthen, London and Stansted. I have time for one more coffi, before leaving Wales, as long as it’s not too far from the bus station. Luckily Dee knew a place called Pantri Blakeman, that’s right in front. She had been there with a group of students from Quebec, and the staff was very nice. Great to know, ‘cause this is my last chance to speak Welsh in the wild for this trip and I have to do my best. I have a look at the menu. There’s a lot of traditional dishes. Now I can’t help but thinking that I have to leave soon…dammit…I guess some comfort food is what I need. Like that pwdin reis I see in the refrigerator. The very friendly lady who comes to take the order is happy to siarad Cymraeg. It’s a very quiet hour, she’s not too busy and we can chat a bit. She speaks clearly and even helps me find the words I can’t remember - definitely recommended for learners who want to practice! She still remembers the group of Canadians who sang Calon Lân, and is curious to hear why an Italian decided to study this language. A girl from Ireland who works there is a Welsh learner, and seems even more curious to hear how I’m learning it. From what they say, I’m doing quite well for someone who’s never been in a Welsh language course classroom and only spent just a few days in Wales in all her life. I guess I can consider myself proficient enough for restaurants and pubs chatting. Cymhwyster Tŷ Bwyta, passed. But now I see the bus from the window, and I shouldn’t miss it, I’m afraid.
The English teacher
The time it took me to get back to Torino would have been enough to reach Australia. Next time I’m defiitely willing to spend a bit more and fly to Cardiff. A few flights landed at the same time and there’s a pretty long queue also for EU citizens (not that it can make a difference, but I have to say it: Italians are the only true masters of chaos. Please, stop imitating us, straighten things up and…stay!)
The lady next to me and I start talking, while we wait. She’s an English English teacher. I mean, she’s from England and teaches English, in Italy.
“How good are Italians at English?” - I ask.
“Oh they know grammar really well, but they can’t speak.”
Nothing changed, since I finished school, then. And same happened to those who studied Welsh as a second language at school in Wales - from what those I met said to me. Something doesn’t work too well in the way languages are taught in school?
In my case, it’s only because I loved songs in English a lot that I didn’t end up hating the language, and went on learning it the way I liked: from records, books, films, magazines, fanzines, Internet…and most of all, people.
Luckily now with Welsh I can avoid the boring and annoying parts, and just keep the enjoyable ones. Uhm…now I think about it, and finished writing this, I’d better start organizing next trip to Wales right away, then… 
Previous part was here: [Tour diary - Day 3 p.2 + 5 More Ceredigion and Sir Gâr] Roaming around Wales, speaking Welsh
