Visiting Wales for the first time!

Welsh
#42

It was nice to read your preparations - someday I’d like to visit Wales as well!

How was your visit?

And were you brave enough to use your Welsh?

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#43

Thank you for asking! And thank you to everyone who replied to this thread for your wonderful advice and offers of hospitality. I’m very sorry I didn’t reply sooner, and that I didn’t get a chance to meet up with any SSiWers. However, I absolutely LOVED Wales, and I did get to use my Welsh!

The main reason I didn’t get to meet up with anyone was that I was traveling with my sister, who was rather more… difficult than I had anticipated. I won’t get into the details, but suffice it to say that I won’t be traveling with family members again!! When I managed to get away on my own, though, I had a wonderful time. I even went and climbed Snowdon on my own and had a long, wonderful chat with a farmer while I was hiking. ALL IN WELSH! He was so impressed with my Welsh skills, and that I had been learning only for a short time. So, THANK YOU SSiW!

I tried to do everything I possibly could in Welsh, which ended up in some hilarious exchanges especially when I had to pay for something (I had so much trouble deciphering it when somebody would quickly say a price). But there was one exchange in Caernarfon of which I was particularly proud: I ordered a beer and paid for it, with exact change, entirely in the Welsh language. :blush: It was so exciting!

It took so long to make an update here because I had to immediately start teaching and writing my dissertation when I got back to Chicago, and honestly I’m a bit embarrassed… I haven’t had time to practice Welsh at all since then. :frowning:

Anyone have any tips on getting back into it? I was almost at the end of level 2 but I’m not sure how much I’ll remember after such a long gap.

I can’t wait to go back to Wales, this time alone, and experience more of the wonders of this amazing country. It was truly unforgettable.

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#44

That sounds like the gold standard right there… :star: :star2:

Jump back in with the last lesson you did and carry on from there - it’ll hurt a little for the first lesson or two, and then you’ll find you’re back in the swing… :slight_smile:

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#45

Thanks Aran! I’m a bit scared to do it, but I’ll work up my courage and try diving back in… :dizzy_face::grin:

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#46

The nice thing is that no-one ever drowned by jumping in at the deep end with a language…:wink:

Worst case scenario, you can always do 2 or 3 and then decide to go back - but it’s more likely that it will show you that you didn’t need the extra months of ‘working back up to it’… :slight_smile:

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