FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)

Welsh Bootcamp
#1

I am conscious that I don’t always keep up with the Forum as well as I should. But I particularly want to make sure that I know if/when Bootcamps are announced for 2020 - particularly if there is going to be a Bootcamp based at Llety Arall in Caernarfon.

Is there a thread (or something else) I can subscribe to that will ensure I get an email alert when something like that is announced - just in case I am looking the other way when it happens?

Thanks! (Tagging @aran and @Iestyn as the most likely folk to be able to answer this one).

Northern luxury bootcamp 2016
#2

Your best bet to get information on upcoming bootcamps is to join the email newsletter. @Deborah-SSi is the person maintaining this and will be able to tell you how to join the newsletter.

Then there is an existing thread about a possible northern bootcamp here: Northern luxury bootcamp 2016
At the time being there are no hard facts yet, but if you go to that thread and subscribe to it, then you’ll get email notification if something happens on there.
(Go to the topic controls below the last post and set it to “Watching”)

2 Likes
#3

Helo first @Catriona.

I know I am not @aran or @Iestyn but since I’m quite old member here (but yah, there are many who are here longer than me though) I might be allowed to give you some info.

As @Hendrik says, @Deborah-SSi (sorry, Deborah, I still can’t quite get the grip of your forum name changed) is the one who can tell you more, not just because she’s maintaining the newsletters and stuff but also because she’s close to Iestyn and family so she gets info first hand.

Also The Northern luxory buutcamp 2016 is a bit old thread and I’m not sure (I didn’t check that) when there was the last post made in it so the info could be quite out of date (it’s already 3 years from its creation). So the best thing is to be allerted to the whole Bootcamps category to get notifications on the new things going on there. When you come to the Bootcamps category, on the right corner of the category (beside “New topic” tab) you have the circle which usually is empty if you don’t actually follow the category or if you didn’t post anything there at all. Changing the options clicking on it you can change the options of how you’d follow the category. The options are:

  • Watching - you will automatically watch all topics and will be allerted when something is happening in the category
  • Tracking - you will be tracking this topic and get allerts when someone mentions you or or replies to you and you’ll also get the counts of new replies to the topics.
  • Watching first post - You’ll be notified to the new topics in the category.
  • Normal (which is that default empty circle) - You’ll be notified when someone mentions you and
  • Muted - what means you won’t get the allerts and notifications on the category at all.

If you’d really like to be allerted (it will happen via e-mail) I recommend you take the first (Watching) option and you’ll always be allerted about the new things.

If this wouldn’t suit you, you’re always able to change the options for the whole category or the particular threads. The same things you can manage in your profile also.

Also, Every year somewhere around the new year Iestyn opens the new thread “Bootcamps in (the number of the year)” and posts the first things in it. There are basic information about the bootcamps in the year to come, some guides and it can very easily be that the date of the first bootcamp is in it too. So I’d suggest that you glue your eyes to the new topic titled “Bootcamps in 2020” sometime around end of December, where you’ll be able to get the first info and guides to the bootcamps in 2020 in general.

Every bootcamp then is announced in its own thread tittled (for example) "2020 Tresaith Bootcamp April (and the dates from when to when the bootcamp is held) where you can get the info about that particular bootcamp and where you can express your interest on attending it. It’s not guarantied that the bootcamp will actually happen but if there is a lot of interest in it it’s the guarantie it will be held. When enough people express their interest and the time of the bootcamp is near, Iestyn announces when he’d open the booking. But beware! The booking is the first come the first served and until now bootcamp was usually sold out in about 5 minutes so you’d need to be quite quick in the booking. (at least it was so until now).

Usually Bootcamps in Tresaith are in April, June, end of July and in September. The September bootcamp is usually the last one. This year it was very successful regarding bootcamps as all 4 bootcamps were organized which was not the case 2 or 3 years ago though.

My advise is also that you cruise around the Bootcamp category and read some old threads to get the feeling and to boost your will to attend one of them a bit more.

About the Northern Luxury bootcamps: the last info I’ve read is that for now @aran and @CatrinLliarJones have no particular intention to organize it, but, well, you never know. They might be willing to tell you more on this subject though.

Here’s surely more to tell but it might be I even now went beyond what is allowed regarding giving informations (since I’m not the member of staff) but I hope I could help a bit.

Hwyl!
Tatjana :slight_smile:

3 Likes
#4

Thanks, both. I knew you could set individual posts to ‘watching’. I didn’t realise you could do it with whole topics.

I know the possibility of a Bootcamp at Llety Arall was being discussed in May, but of course things may have changed since then.

1 Like
#5

@Catriona if you sign up to get the weekly newsletter, the dates for any 2020 bwtcamps will be announced in that as soon as they’re known. You’ll also hear when booking will open, and if there is any possibility of a bwtcamp in Llety Arall :slight_smile:

1 Like
#6

Hi Catriona! Diolch for asking about Bootcamps, we’re chewing on it, as it were… :wink:

We have so many exciting and different ideas for Bootcamps and always have so much fun doing them, but unfortunately don’t really have that much time flexibility. So it would need some thought and organisation. But it’s not impossible that we could make it happen at some point.

Our default position here, is that Aran works full time on SSiW, of which the hours can be very long and at times involve a lot of travelling, whilst I do part time hours and juggle kids/dog/house/elderly parents. The work load means that Aran can’t take days off from his desk at a time - so laptop comes with, even on holidays… :wink: I could with plenty of notice make myself available between 9 and 2.30 ish every day, but then the chaos of swimming/ballet/karate/football lessons kick in and it’s all hands on deck.

Aran and I have considered sharing the time between us, or doing a half and half Bootcamp, where only some days are structured by us - the rest are for attendees to organise themselves. There has also been some success with Bootcamps run by Bootcampers also. So it’s not an impossibility that we will be able to pull something off at some point next year. We’ll certainly give plenty of notice if we do! :smiley:

3 Likes
#7

Thank you, Catrin. I completely understand. It’s astonishing how much you and Aran manage to do as it is.
I massively regret that I didn’t manage to arrange things so I could stay on in Caernarfon in May for the informal bootcamp after the Parti Penblwyth. What a lost opportunity!

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#8

Helo! I was in northern Wales and Caernarfon for my first visit a year and a half ago (I live in Boston, US) and am itching to get back. I’ve been holding off on making plans though until I hear a bit more about the bwtcamp situation for 2020. I haven’t been able to incorporate some of the live practices (on slack or gchat as I recall) into my routine - the time difference is a challenge - so I’d love to make my next trip center more around in person practice opportunities, plus I’m trying to be more present here on the forum in the meantime. Long story short, I’d love to put in a vote of interest in any sort of bwtcamp in the north, including one that was partly participant-organized/managed. I can imagine it’s a huge job to run those sorts of things! Perhaps if there wasn’t a formal bwtcamp, if there are some of us who are interested, we could put together something informal in the area? I’d be happy to help make something informal happen if others were interested, as much as I can from across the ocean. @Catriona, maybe we should talk further?

Hwyl!

#9

Have you joined Welsh Speaking Practice? There is a dedicated channel #the-americas so that you can find other Welsh learners living in or close to your time zone so that you can chat with them.

Just send an email to admin@saysomethingin.com with WSP as the subject if you’d like an invitation.

#10

Hi all,

Just another wistful note from an American who misses Caernarfon and the north. It would be pretty much impossible for me to get over for a whole bwtcamp, but if one were in the offing I would move heaven and earth (and a week’s worth of my own kids’ various lessons) to try to make it happen…

Hi, Cat!

And hi to Brennan–I’m not really on the forum much and don’t really know posting etiquette, so apologies if this isn’t how it works, but, yeah: hi! I’m actually in Connecticut.(I know Catriona from a chat I can often do in the afternoons when the kids are at school). I don’t know if there’s an active Boston Welsh society, but I’ve had fun going to events with the Welsh Society of Western New England–there are a few ssiw learners like me, and we’re getting a visit from a real northern Welsh choir–from Bethesda–next August in West Hartford… very exciting…

All best,

Josh

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#11

@Deborah-SSi, I actually think I may have a login for that already, I just haven’t looked at it in ages. I’ll give it another go - it’s good to know there might be others in a more similar time zone. Thanks for the suggestion!

@Josh, nice to meet you! I’ve run into the Welsh Society of Western New England via Google and thought if the circumstances lined up, I might try to make it to some of their events. It’s at least a couple hours’ drive for me but doable on a weekend depending on our schedule. I’m sure if I put in the effort I could make it to one of the online chats as well, it’s just seemed out of reach with an odd and unpredictable work schedule plus the time difference. One way or another I’m planning to make it back to
Caernarfon in the spring and I’m hoping that will be my motivation to make room for more practice opportunities!