Andrew H

Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus pawb! My name is Andrew and I started SSIW about a month ago. I grew up in Wales but moved to London a decade ago for work and can often be found at the London Welsh Centre on match day!

I learnt some Welsh in school but have had several short/failed attempts at learning using various books over the years mainly owing to a lack of discipline or regular practice. I am currently on an extended period of parental leave until May and as our little one largely refuses to let me put her down for a nap in her cot I am forced to put her in the carrier/pushchair and walk for hours every day! Perfect for listening to podcasts or – as it dawned on me last month – trying to learn Welsh again.

I really have surprised myself at how quickly I seem to have picked things up from the challenges so far. It has been hard going at times but I’ve trusted the system and been amazed when the right words come out of my mouth when a day or so earlier my mind was blank. Having said that, I did challenge 13 today and it really was a struggle. I made up for it by finishing the national anthem short course which I also found really useful. It would be great to have more like this. I’ve done the one for Calon Lan too.

However I’m very much aware that I need to be speaking with others in order to establish a deeper understanding and to improve more!