I am not sure where to write this, but the Bootcamp that finished yesterday was absolutely GREAT! A wonderful group of people, with lots of fun, laughter and support for each other, great weather and activities, and of course beautiful countryside in a magical Welsh bubble. Thank you so much to Cat and Iestyn for your hard work, guidance and fun.
Liz writes so well and describes the week so much better than I could, and so I will copy the link to her blog http://elizabethjanecorbett.com/2014/08/03/a-week-in-cymru-cymraeg/#comments
Thanks, Carys! Lizās write-up is great and Iām looking to every one elseās stories as wellā¦
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Just back from the BC and the steddfod. Had a really great time on the Bootcamp. Really fun filled time of amazing interesting things to do every day, the guys on bootcamp were just fantastic. Weather first class too. Thanks to iestyn and Cat for all your hard work and planningā¦ really appreciated. Iāve never spent much in the south but Iāve got to like it a lot. People are so friendly and lots and lots of Welsh spoken. Highlights for me were , having drama lessons on the stage of Felin fach theatre. Getting a coracle ride with Denzil whose book I bought (he sailed across the English Channel in a coracle), The Noson llawen in the Tresaith Centre ( a real hoot) Elizabeths duologue about 'When SSIW takesover the world ā and Carolines SSIW blind date play should be put on You tube. I enjoyed the guided tour in Aberteifi, the Noson Canu in the eagle pub there too, the Chinese meal in Llandysul , the fantastic food that everyone shared in at the centre, the Hospital visit to Caerfyrddin ( we used our Welsh there with good success), Catās evening activity sessions ( building a tower with straws and card, and making juggling balls and juggling) and I could go on and on.
It really was amazing. I was a bit nervous about coming and was worried Iād struggle without any English at all, and wondered if Iād get on with the people, but for anyone whoās giving into those kind of fears and putting off going on a Bootcamp: go for it! I canāt tell you how much fun I had, and genuinely havenāt laughed as much as that for years! Everyone was SO lovely, and really went out of their way to be friendly, helpful and to chat as much as possible. The activities were really fun, and everyone just threw themselves into the spirit of it (try your best with what Welsh you have, make an idiot of yourself, laugh with everyone else!) - it really was inspiring. Iām SO motivated to improve now, itās brilliant!
Thanks so much Cat & Iestyn for making it possible, and lots of love to Elliw and my new best friend Gwenllian, who I miss horribly! xx
I am just back from a week and a halfās ādecompressionā in North Wales after Bootcamp and just wanted to add my experiences to the list!
Where do I startā¦ what a truly memorable experience Bootcamp was. I really donāt know what to say. The days were so packed with new experiences and fun it felt like I was 18 all over again. Iestyn and Cat filled the days with so many fun ways to practice speaking. For me meeting other speakers in the Theatre in Aberteifi was a real eye openerā¦ mainly because I found speaking with other learners who were not doing SSIW particularly validating. Singing in the pub was also memorable and at one point it really sounding like a true choir when everyone starting singing in four part harmony. I do wonder if I had not had a pint or two if it would have sounded quite so amazing but I enjoyed it.
Thanks to all my fellow Bootcampers for their patience, I struggled at times with my Welsh but everyone had so much patience and kindness it really was easy to plug away at what I was trying to say.
Do I feel it was a worthwhile experienceā¦ most definitely. I think my Welsh improved loads and my ffrinDiaith said that I was definitely not taking so long to string a sentence together when we had a brief chat last night. I feel a lot more confident that I am going to succeed now, and feel more confident about starting Course 3.
Bootcamp has given me a sense of direction on where I am going with learning Welsh, up until Bootcamp I was kind of ācoastingā. It is time to shift up a gear and get on with learning, which means clearing the decks to find more ālearning timeā because I will definitely be doing another Bootcamp next year!
Helo! Emerging from my fog of jet lag to add my thanks to Iestyn and Cat and to say, yes, bootcamp was amazing. I have done Cwrs Haf and I have holidayed in Wales but bootcamp beat those experiences hands down. I canāt remember the last time I laughed so much. Or learned so much. When we had our lessons in the theatre and the coracle and the tour of Castell Aberteifi, I found i understood almost everything that was being said. This was a great leap for me because I have been pretty poor with comprehension in the past. By the end of the week I found myself actually thinking in Welsh. I have done so in snatches before but never with such completeness.
The accomodation was basic youth hostel style accomodation. To be honest, I was dreading staying in a dormitory. I have not done that for years. I wondered if Iād be overwhelmed by too much closeness. But it was fine. Honestly. I am a real wimp when it comes to public facilities. But It was worth it for the Welsh. I was the lazy bones of the camp. I woke up last every morning. But I enjoyed every activity. Of every day. It was nice to let go of inhibitions and just be carefree like a child. That is pretty much all Iām capable of in Welsh - a childās prattle. But it was quite therapeutic.
I will definitely be signing up for bootcamp again if I have the opportunity. As for the Prynhawen Llawen, Iām happy to provide the script for the skit John and I did. But Iāve never attempted a YouTube clip before. 
Itās always fantastic hearing feedback from Bootcampers - thank you all so muchā¦
mainly because I found speaking with other learners who were not doing SSIW particularly validating.
Iām particularly glad you had that experience, Andyā¦
The shocked reaction you get when you say how short a time youāve been learning for is always fun - typically they tend to assume youāve been learning for years.
Yes, the niece of the man giving the coracle lessons came upon us by accident. I saw her eyes widen when she realised all the different countries we came from and that weād learned online. But I thought her eyes might pop out of her head when she asked some people how long theyād been learning. She probably needed an ambulance after we left - and was rushed to hospital in shock.