Anthony M.

I come from Caerphilly, but I now live in Pontypridd. Dw i’n dod o Caerfilli, ond dw i’n byw yn Bontypridd.

Although Welsh is a part of the national curriculum up until GCSE level, it never really clicked with me. I was able to scrape by with a B in Welsh at GCSE, but that was more due to the assessment structure allowing me to write something and remember it parrot-fashion!

Fast forward a decade, having had a brief stay in Leicester for university, I’m now back in Cymru where I belong. I felt a bit guilty for not knowing Welsh, so as a start, I decided to just spend a couple of minutes a day on the app-that-must-not-be-named so that I was doing something. I’ve been doing that for just over a year now.

But something about my recent move to Ponty has lit a fire under me, and I’m now taking my Welsh learning much more seriously, and enjoying it much more so as a result. Picking up SSiW is my latest step. A few nights ago I even went to Clwb y Bont and spoke to some people fluent in the language. They were very friendly and encouraging and it made me want to learn all the more.

I’m on the South Welsh course, Currently, I am pausing after most of the English sentences (my short-term memory is sbwriel) so my brain has time to catch up and translate. The 30-minute lessons take me an hour! But it is time well spent!

Falch i gwrdd a chi! (Pleased to meet you!)