Paul Griffith

My father and grandfather were Welsh, but neither could speak the language. This bothered my father terribly, and he had just started to learn Welsh when he sadly passed away. Now, in addition to doing it for myself, I feel I am also learning for him.

After the war, my father entered the colonial service and chose to work abroad in Hong Kong which, obviously, was a British colony. There, he met my mother who had come from Beijing. Therefore, I am half Chinese, too, though I was never taught that language either. After retiring in the mid 70s, they both came home to North Wales. Meanwhile, after graduation I chose to live and work in Japan for 30 years and so I speak Japanese. After my own retirement, I also returned to the family home in Wales. But all of this travelling and living abroad has made me feel a bit like a fish out of water. However, I would never choose to live anywhere else, and so it is to show my love, respect and commitment to this place, its people and their culture that I am now learning Welsh.

Another reason why I am continuing to learn Welsh is that the ‘SaySomethingin’ method and the course itself is absolutely brilliant. It’s both enjoyable and effective.