Thanks Margaret, that is a good point. I think of myself very much as a fairly new learner or ‘new speaker’ if I’m feeling brave, and I’m very aware of how much I can’t say when I try to use my welsh so I probably would sign up for a beginner’s class. It might be a challenge to find the right level and not feel frustrated and it’s a very good point about making sure I could change levels if needed. Maybe the reading/writing should wait another year while I really get my feet under me with conversations.
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If they’re available locally, I recommend trying a Ysgol Dydd (Day School) or short course over New Year, Easter or a Summer School. I’m going to one at Glan Llyn on the 4-5 January. The advantage of these is that people come from all around and the tutors usually focus on activities that promote speaking, though there may also be some reading, singing, or even folk dancing. 
The second advantage is that because all levels are taught on the day, if you find that you’ve chosen a class that’s too easy/hard you can shift up/down at the first coffee break. Meeting people from the local area and chatting with them during the breaks about which class they normally go to will give you a chance to see if there’s a class that will suit you.
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Thanks again Margaret, it’s great to have an idea of what to be looking for. I will find out what’s available locally.
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Finished 22 and 23.
Anyone else nearing their goal?
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I had plans to do lots of Welsh today, but the snow messed everything up. Before I knew it, it was 6.30 and all I have managed to do is a 750 piece jigsaw (map of Snowdonia) from memory (yes, that does mean no looking at the box lid, google etc…)
I’ve just had another go at 24 while cooking dinner. I’m still not convinced I’ve fully got my head round everything, but I think I need to move on to 25 tomorrow or I risk learning the content of the lesson.
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Well done for getting another chunk of Level 2 done Jane. Is Course 2 going well too?
I accidentally did half of one lesson twice as I’d misremembered where I was at, but otherwise have totally resisted repeating the lessons at all, even though I’ve not yet managed to say ‘very busy’ right once since Challenge 19. I was pleased that I managed “cyn i fi ateb dy cwestion dy” (before I answer your question) though.
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I have just done Challenge 25 of Level 2 for the first time! Yay! I will repeat it tomorrow and then I can start Level 3 on January 1st. 
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Superb! Huge congratulations - well DONE 
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And I’ve just done challenge 25! After all the pain of 23 and 24, it was surprisingly straightforward…
Tomorrow marks exactly two years since I first blundered across SSIW. I had been umming and aahhing for a while about trying to learn some Welsh (I was spending a lot of time in Snowdonia at that point in time), and ended up making it one of my New Year’s resolutions for 2016. I unfortunately didn’t manage to keep it up, and stopped in March 2016 when life got too hectic. I started back up again in November 2016, and the rest is history…
The big question now is whether I can finish level 3, the last couple of lessons from course 2, the course 2 vocabs and course 3 by the end of 2018…
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Of course you can!
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Gwych - llongyfarchiadau mawr!
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I’ve just completed level 1 (Challenge 25) which seems appropriate somehow as the year comes to an end too - certainly a reason to be cheerful!
I do also feel like I can speak Welsh - at least to a degree…understanding someone when they speak to me?..well now then that might be different! Ha, ha. We will see.
I feel a real sense of gratitude to SSIW and everyone in the wider team as I feel very pleased to have got to this point.
So I would like to say thank you & a Happy New Year to you all.
Rich
[ I have only just realised that I could have been contributing up to this point - I certainly would have been sooner if I’d have realised (I’ve only ever used the App interface on the phone - it may be more obvious via other access methods) - anyway sorted now. I hope others realise they can contribute too!]
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Huge congratulations, Rich! And a warm welcome to the forum…
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Da iawn to everyone who has been working hard to challenge themselves, and Blwyddyn Newydd Dda i bawb! 
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Managed to complete Ch 24 and Ch 25 of Level 2 yesterday so I was done in time for the new year.
Happy New Year everyone, and thanks so much for the encouragement in completing the challenge, and well done to everyone who has achieved their goal.
You might find that comes along in the next chunk, Rich. I’ve just completed Level 2 and in the course of that my brain seems to have really clicked that the language they speak on Es-pedwar-Ec and on Radio Cymru is the same thing in the challenges, if you see what I mean, and so my understanding has just leapt on a lot. But I’m told the best way to develop is to have lots of conversations. Do you have a local speaker to chat with?
I need to spend more time actually using my welsh in conversation so that’s going to be my focus for the next bit, as well as enjoying Level 3 and perhaps the old material too just to keep expanding and practicing my speaking.
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Well DONE!
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Well done Alice your progress sounds fantastic!
To be honest I am going with the flow at the moment - what I can do now versus what I could do when I started SSiW is something of a transformation- albeit from a limited starting point, ha, ha!
I don’t doubt for a second that the same will be true of the next level - the only way is up!
I am lined up to go to the next gathering of the Yorkshire group in Leeds at the end of the month…I have also made enquiries and I understand there is a Welsh speaker who lives about four streets away (quite incredible) - I will try and ask her if she knows of a more local group (fingers crossed she might have the occasional chat with me).
I always have the option to pop back to Wales - one way or another I’ll find a way!
Rich
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Thanks Aran. I have wanted to speak welsh since I was a child and SsiW has made that dream come true. I can really speak a bit of welsh now.
Isn’t it great how effective SsiW is at getting us speaking welsh?
Glad to hear you’ve got lots of leads developing for your language learning.
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I too have just finished l2. But. I do NOT feel like I am a Welsh speaker. Not even a little bit. I think that’s partly because I don’t get the chance to practice in the wild. I know, I know , Skype, I did have 2 goes with lovely ladies. But I’m so shy, that Skype with a stranger in my first language is hard enough.
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Not so much ‘partly’ as ‘almost entirely’, I’d say. So how do we fix this for you? Do you think that getting up and running the ‘Speaking Practice’ area might be a good thing?
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