Robert P.

Hello! I’m a beginner and enjoying wandering through this new world.
I’m here because I met a chap in his 70’s called Owain from Bala in Ruthin town square one afternoon. I was with a lady who attended a Welsh school as a child and during our encounter with Owain he discovered Julie spoke Welsh. His eyes lit up. When he discovered I didn’t have the gift he recommended SSiW so I joined as he chatted with my lady.

What struck me was Owain’s delight and how much Julie was enjoying relearning her 1st language after so many years away. Later, as we walked around in the afterglow of dipping into the language and Owain had moved on, I realised it must be possible for an Irish American 1/16th Cherokee raised in the UK like me to achieve some level of proficiency and enjoy doing it.

My dad’s widow is 92 now and lives in Florida but originated from Troedyhriw in the valleys near Merthyr. So from this subliminal contact over the years, meeting relatives and friends that are Welsh I guess I have a subconscious desire to learn the language.

What has really broken my runners out of the ice is we are buying a house in Rhôs on Sea on the North Wales coast near Llandudno and the edge of the Snowdonia National Park. Really looking forward to it.

So, thank you Owain. I may never see you again but recommending this site to me feels like an opportunity to be grasped so I will get it done. May take a while but it’ll be fun trying!