Ooh, me too! So my diolch for last week goes to Simon Brooks, who agreed to record one of my three interviews for Welsh as a Second Language A level, in a pub in Pwllheli just after a Cymuned rally (when he had quite a few other people wanting to talk to him)…
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YAY! At least one who I’ve met in person (however not having much chance to speak with though)
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But it was in Slovenia. You get bragging rights there.
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Thank you Andy for such a lovely comment. (I was looking for a slightly embarrassed emoji but couldn’t find the right one…). You have made HUGE strides in your Welsh and you are a good role model for me when other things in life take over sometimes. The SSI community is very special and it is great to be part of it.
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Yah … to be honest and tell the whole story: I was sitting on the bench listening to others who read their works (in their own languages), waiting for Mr Brooks to be his turn to read his own piece of work in Cymraeg. I literally blew the whole thing up, that’s why I’m always pointing out my lousy face recognition. He appeared besides the stage where others were reading their works, he looked at me from time to time but did nothing and then when the last reader before him read their part, he came and sat beside me on the bench. I looked at him saying nothing and he wait for a while until he obviously had enough of waiting and went back to the post he stood before. There were other people (organizers obviously) and I couldn’t know it is him and there was not many people listening either so I thought it’s one of them who’d sit and listen aswell. Only then when he came to the stage and started to read, I realized it was him sitting there beside me earlier obviously waiting if I’d say anything. When I’ve rushed to catch up with him when he was leaving, he was already in a hurry and there couldn’t be more than a few words spoken between us - greeting and two or three additional sentences, handshake, and the chat was over … He probably thought I’m ignorant toward him and that was why he rather hurried a bit, so more than “thank you” I should maybe rather say “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that to happen.”
This happens to me all the time and the biggest fear I ever have when I go somewhere or have to deal with people (as when I was on the Bootcamp for example or if I have to go and meet someone) is if I’d be able to recognize people I should recognize.
So now you know the (less bright) true story about my meeting with Simon Brooks … 
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My ninth thank you goes to the woman who is one of those who made the most for my learning Welsh. She was my first real Skype speaking parthner and the one with who I spoke only yn Gymraeg during our skype sessions. She seamed kind of strict and determined to make me a Welsh speaker and no less. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this woman is @margaretnock!
As I’ve said she was my first real and for that time constant Welsh speaking partner and I enjoyed speaking with her any time. We talked each time (only) about half an hour (I say “only” because now I can’t be stopped and when I have conversation on Skype it’s always about at least an hour long ) but I talked only Welsh no matter how little I knew at the time. She was the one of those who gave me encouragement and awareness that I can speak some Welsh if even not correctly all the time.
But Margaret didn’t stop here. After some chats on Skype once a week, one week there was a message comming through the forum PM system saying something like “Would you mind if I come to visit you there in Slovenia?” Can you imagine how my head reacted to that? “What?” was the scream in my head and then “Of course! I’d be glad if we could speak some Welsh here in Slovenia!” I couldn’t believe this can really happen. And so it happened. Margaret visited me in April last year and Welsh was heard on the streets of Ljubljana and elswhere in Slovenia. I was happy and the more the date closed in the more I just couldn’t wait the day to come. Whole 5 days, a lot of Cymraeg and visiting places in Slovenia was priceless and I could not ever be thankful enough for such fortune! She brought me the “Pedair Cainc Y Mabinogi” book, some lovely “Cymraeg” things I could show off with when going somewhere a very first Welsh flag and the magnificent hat which she made by herself. You can read all about what and how it happened here.
However, she didn’t stop doing all kinds of good for me. When I was totally sure I will be comming on a bootcamp in Tresaith, she was the one who organized my overnight stay in London with her mom and dad and she was the one who drove me to Tresaith, and while I was in Cymru, she came to see us all on the bootcamp and performed with us on Noson Lawen, and then we all met at the Eisteddfod where we’ve walked around together a bit. What a magnificent and pleasant time it was! Memories for the rest of my life and motivation for learning more. All about my visit you can read in Cymru - I’m coming! (and a bit of help please), about the bootcamp in My Challenges and about the gathering at Eisteddfod 2016 in Any SSIW meetup at the National Eisteddfod 2016? thread.
Margaret is a magnificent Welsh speaker who always is able to adapt to the level of one she speaks to so there’s no worries one could not understand her talking in Welsh and she’s also patient speaking partner who explains gladly if something isn’t understood and kindly corrects mistakes one makes (oh, I did them many in English too, you know …). She gave me so much confidence and, together with @aran, @brigitte, @ramblingjohn and some more of you on here, finally coud convince me I am learning and I can speak (at least a bit) Welsh.
Margaret, I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me and I hope to be able to come to Wales in a while again to meet you and bring a little piece of Slovenia to Cymru with me again. As you’re in Thailand now and the journey home is long, I wish you happy and safe return with a lot of pleasant and magnificent memories.
Diolch o galon am y bopeth ti wedi gwneud i fi! I would not be able to speak, read and understand as much as i do if you wouldn’t be here for me from the very beginning.
You are a star for me as you’re always helpful and encouraging to all of us on here, this star doesn’t shine just for me but for all of us!
Diolch yn fawr iawn!
To be continujed next week …
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Thanks @Brigitte. Thanks too for all those Skype chats and outings over the last few years, You’ve been over to ours in Norfolk and all over ( everywhere) in Wales with me, Sue and my dog. Thanks for climbing Arennig Fawr with me the other week( Brigitte never got out of breath and lead the way and I floundered and I lost my watch and the dogs lead somewhere up the mountain) I’ll never forget the breathtaking views. Even though we both speak German and English , Welsh is the language we communicate in most of the time and I am in awe at how fluent you are ! I think the last week in April was the most Cymraeg week we ever had, I don’t think we had to speak hardly any English wherever we went! ( sorry for bad English)
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You are very kind @tatjana. The people here on the forum are all interesting and I am, by nature, a nosy woman. I assure you, I got more out of my visit to you and your family in Slofenia than you did from me. Thank you.
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Diolch yn fawr iawn to @lewie who suddenly found himself besieged by cries for aid from an insistent old dragon who had bugged her iPad version of the Forum. It is not quite sorted out, but that is not for want of effort from Jeff!
And I have learned a lot in the process! I can take screen shots, I have discovered the on/off switch! And through it all, patience and kindness from poor, long suffering @lewie!
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I’m a bit late - been busy at school with exams and projects and essays and everything, so I’ve been trying (unsuccessfully) to stop myself from spending too much time on the forum. But school has now pretty much ended, just the exams left. Had one today and the next is on Wednesday! And it’s physics so I don’t need to study! Gwyliau! 
(okay I mean I still have to try to force myself to finish all the math homework and analyse that book but anyway)
Sorry I’m rambling, I’m just really happy school is ending so I can have some more time for Welsh 
This week I’m thanking someone I should have thanked here ages ago. So…
Kiitos äiti! 
Diolch yn fawr for everything you have done to help me with Cymraeg - for watching S4C with me, listening to me talk about Welsh all the time, letting me tell you about everything that happens on the forum, travelling to Wales with me. Travelling to Wales with me twice. Diolch for all your support, it means everything to me.
Diolch mam! Kiitos äiti! Grazie äiti!
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Don’t forget to tell her to read the thread…
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I’ll go see if she’s still awake
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And I missed my Diolch on Friday too! Ugh, Fridays…
I’m sure I’m going to start re-diolch-ing at some point, through forgetfulness. Oh well.
Today, it’s a group diolch - to everyone who used to be in Côr Meibion Madog - the choir I joined by mistake when I first moved to Porthmadog. One of their members was in my Welsh class, and I realised at some point that I knew the Welsh for ‘I’d like to join a choir’, so of course I said it (because, practice!) and he took me at my word…
And that became a couple of years of absolutely brilliant regular practice for my Welsh, during which I went from not-understanding-ANYTHING when we went to the pub after choir to understanding-bits to oh-apparently-I-speak-this-language-now…
Plus, of course, I got to sing (very quietly, with occasional miming) in some beautiful places, including our fantastic choir trip to Slovenia - what a pity that SSiW didn’t exist back then and Tatjana wasn’t already learning Welsh!
Diolch, Côr Meibion Madog… 
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Wendnesday, wednesday,
Be good to me,
I have Diolch to say
That’s how it should be …
(on the tune of “Monday, Monday” by The Mamas and The Papas)
And Wednesday wasn’t good to me as it’s Thursday already so I’m a day late. But here we go …
Ooooo, now the secret I’ve seaked for so long slipt out! I’ll start to circle round the net now! I bet I’ll find you being in the choir somewhere.
Oh, I’m sorry SSiW didn’t exist yet and I didn’t learn Welsh at the time, too.
But, you have to return to beautiful Postojna Cave one day. We might sing one of these beautiful Welsh songs together in the Concert Hall! It really echoes fantasticly there!
Thank you Côr Meibion Madog in deed for travelling to Slovenia so @aran could visit our beautiful country.
…
And now for the tenth thank you, which goes to the man who literally (kindly and with all his power, magic and determination) forced me to succeed on my Welsh learning path. Some of you might already figured out this man is @aran!
I came on here moaning and stressing my learning problems all around the forum some 4 years ago and I was from time to time even rude to the people who wanted only to help me (sorry for that, really, once again), being stubbornily convinced this process of learning doesn’t work for me. Apart from first discussion about new forum which occured a bit earlier I started my postings with the (hard on myself) comment in the thread about Levels VS Courses discussion and Aran sensed this is actually not my problem at all very quickly. His advises were given straight to the point and the discussion became more or less off topic from my end of things so he kindly created my own thread about my progress reports.
Since my learning process seamed to me as it is going nowhere Aran created a tactic of “pulling curiousity” out of me. Those who have their own children or have to deal with them know how it goes. Just promisse something of what might pull big amount of curiosity from the child and they’d do anything you say to see what’s waiting for them after that. Yah, I’m curious enoudh (Aran read me here very well) to just push on with what I was told to do and how to learn. But I didn’t stop moaning and beating myself. My high level of perfectcy was too high to just let all go to the feeling so I rather moaned then actually go anywhere further in my learning. However, Aran didn’t stop making suggestions, believing advising … he was kind to me even when I was rude or when I even pulled not just his but anyone’s on this forum nerves. He was here all the time and his determination made me to do things properly in time. I just couldn’t let it all go since so much effort from Aran and all the rest was made in order to help and encourage me in my learning process.
With Aran’s guidance I one day finished Challenges of Level 1 and even did the last one Northern as Southern was not here yet and I was waiting for the surprise which Aran promissed to come to curious (child) me :). I somehow imagined what might come but the surprise still was a surprise in deed. Aran invited me to have an hour chat with him only in Welsh of course. I can’t thank him enough for that. This particular chat made me feel I’ve acheaved somethig. I could somehow cope with an hour long conversation no matter how little Welsh I could produce and my confidence rised up to quite high levels.
But Aran didn’t stop here. He guided me further as I was not completely without moaning times yet although I now consciously tried not to moan anymore. Because of this conversation I could go on, struggle with long and difficult sentences with more ease not to accuse myself about how little I can produce and not to beat myself because of that. It really made wonders and gave me so much needed confidence. He aranged some speaking sessions on Skype with inviting people to chat with me, and after some time (I think it was a year or so) I’ve got another surprise from Aran - the second conversation only in Cymraeg with him, which practically made me regarding learning Welsh what I am today - quite confident, determined and more kind to myself and to the others, Welsh learner/speaker.
Going from constant beating myself and moaning all the time to becoming more friendly, helpful and confident Welsh learner/speaker, was a heck of a journey and would it be someone else and not Aran, I’m sure many wouldn’t be as patient and determined about will I speak Welsh one day as he was (and still is).
He always found the way to keep me going and there was always progress on my learning path even when I moaned I have failed and how notnihg works fo rme. He always has good advise for everyone no matter what problems with learning one might have.
I know he helps many other learners just the way he did me, but I still hold this for somethig really special, something what means really a lot to me and what made huge difference. Aran didn’t help me just to learn Welsh but he also managed to change my mindset quite a lot.
Here are many other people who walked and still walking my learning path with me and I can’t thank you all enough, but today is Aran’s turn to get his own Diolch o galon!
Thank you very much from all of my heart for everything you’ve done for me with helping me on my learning path.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Aran!
To be continued next week …
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Croeso mawr iawn i ti, Tatjana!.. 
The truth is, I pointed you at some different things - but it was YOU who succeeded in changing your mindset - which is about the most difficult thing in life. 
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Yes, but if there wouldn’t be you I might never even try to do that. Diolch!
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Yes, I know, I’m late again. Wednesday is already a history but it’s not too important which day you say your Diolch anyway, it could easily be every day all days …
So, here we are with my eleventh thank you post. If @aran was the one who cast his magic spell on my learning path, I just have to say he wasn’t the only one who was patient enough to walk with me all this way until today. As you see from previous posts there were people who pointed me to SSiW, those who challenged me with their belief I won’t succeed to learn even a bit of language, those who tweeted back to me and mentioned me in the radio programs; there were first ever skype partners and more. However here’s only one, who is really my regular Skype partner and with whom I speak every week for what I owe her big, big Diolch. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this week I’m saying my diolch to @brigitte.
Brigitte is kind, warmhearted and very patient listener (I many times talk too much …) and an excelelnt Welsh speaker, but most of all she’s actually my only regular speaking Skype partner with whom I speak every Saturday late evening. If at the beginning we talked mixture of English, Welsh, a bit of German and also a bit of Slovene, nowdays our conversations are totally in Welsh with small exceptions for the words we really don’t know or can’t remember at the given moment. We talk various things, from family matters all the way to learning the language, forum matters and more. (no, we’re not gosiping if you’re thinking something like that). Our conversations usually are about an hour and a half long or even more if there are interesting things to ponder thoughts about.
Apart from one Saturday when she was in Wales and on Isle of Man, we didn’t loose even one Saturday even if the conversation was brief (what I actually can’t remember when it would be).
Talking with you, Brigitte is always a pleasure and I can’t thank you enough for all your patience listening to me when I’m too eager to talk. Conversations with you give me so much: the possibility to use wide range of vocabulary and learn new words, chance to practice whatever I remember I’ve learnt at one point and that “silent” friendship which formed during all that time.
You were the first one to quench my quriosity about the bootcamp and how it all looks like there even if I didn’t even dream about that I’d go to one one day. When I was sure I will be on the same bootcamp with you, the feeling was priceless! It was great to have you by my side, always willing to answer my puzzled looks at times about things I might not understand or missunderstand.
Apart from all this, Brigitte is also one of those hardworking people behind the scene of SSiW who checks the lessons for proper put-together (composition) of them so, when you do the lessons you should know she does amount of work in order for lessons to appear as they are.
I’m happy we met online and in person and I’m endlessly thankful for everything you do. You’re helping me in my learning process even more then you might be aware of.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Brigitte, for all Skype sessions and encouragement on and off the forum and for all such moments yet to come. If there wouldn’t be you I wouldn’t speak as good as I do now although I have yet a lot to learn. And thank you for all hard work behind the scene of SSiW.
Diolch o galon i ti!
To be continued next week …
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Oh Tatjana, you make me blushing. 
Thank you very much for your kind words.
Speaking to you on Saturday evening is always a pleasure for me, and I get at least as much as you back from our Skype chats. It’s mostly because of the Skype chats with you and also with @maynard, that I’m completely confident, when speaking Welsh ( not always with correct grammar, but anyway…).
The checking was very short and a pleasure, not a work. (with the new SsiBorg it is no longer necessary 
) And what you do, for all those members who have technical problems is much more than I ever did.
Your perseverance in learning Welsh, even when you thought you couldn’t succeed is an incentive for many people here.
So the Thank you is well appreciated, croeso mawr.
And Diolch yn fawr iawn i ti. Tan yfory.
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Just a quick word of thanks to @theresacorbett .
I know you sometimes find learning Welsh quite difficult and you admit that there are times during meet-ups where you can lose the thread, but thank you so much for sticking at it. At this Wednesday’s group in the pub it all came together and we had a proper Welsh conversation for almost an hour. Not one of those conversations that learners have about learning and all the words they do and don’t know, but a proper pub chat about families and holidays and mundane day-to-day life. This is where you start getting the rewards for the work you’ve put in. Thanks for all the effort.
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Awesome work, Theresa! Llongyfarchiadau mawr!
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