Northern luxury bootcamp 2016

Welsh Bootcamp
#61
  1. Sorry, I can’t play any instrument.
  2. My children tell me that all of my hobbies are extremely boring. I don’t think so, but I think it’s probably best if I don’t inflict them on you all.
  3. I love food, of any kind. In fact I hardly ever eat anything else.

And what’s all this talk about bursting into tears? The only time that’s likely is on the day when we all have to leave for home. My overriding impression of last year’s boot camp was the fun and laughter that we enjoyed throughout the week, and of the kind and patient friends who helped when I struggled with the language.

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#62

Will post later about what’s available and what you need to bring with. :slight_smile:

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#63

Who else is now painfully curious about JMJ’s hobbies? :sunny:

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#64

I’m not saying any more: you’ll just have to keep guessing.

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#65

I know what the topic of our first conversation this year is going to be… :sunny:

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#66

Luckily, I’m not the tearful sort. However, as bootcamp draws nearer, I’m beginning to wonder if there are any penalties for speaking in English. I confess that thoughts of extra washing up duties and standing in the naughty corner are starting to nag at me. Perhaps there’s a coin pot - like a swear box, or maybe you’re just sent to Coventry…
Worried? Me? Not at all… :scream:

#67

I wondered this from the first day I’ve heard there are bootcamps - hehe

But … your post made me laugh to the bits. I imagine if there are any penaties they’re much more inovative then those “old fashioned” ones … Hmmm … I imagine learning to say Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch fast would just suit something like this … - hehe

[size=10](ups … did I throw some ideas into the pool …[/size]

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#68

Don’t give Aran any ideas! Glad I’m not the only one to worry about being told off.

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#69

I think I’ve heard that that was tried but too many people thought, “Well, I can afford this sentence” and it wasn’t as effective a deterrent.

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#70

8 other bootcampers shouting “Saesneg” at the top of their voices usually does the trick … Especially in a quiet cafe or gallery. :sweat_smile:

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#71

O, ja … I can imagine.

#72

It’s been years since this was an issue, actually - these days, we tend to have enough returning Bootcampers for the social pressure to do the trick… :sunny:

But thanks for bringing this up, Sam, because it’s a good chance for me to flag up in advance that (as usual) I will be making the point before we kick off that:

Everyone who puts their hand up for Bootcamp knows about the No English rule.

It’s important because it has a real impact on your own learning process, but more importantly…

It’s important because all the other people there have chosen to be there because of the No English rule, and it’s not reasonable to have a negative impact on their learning process, and also…

If we did have any problems with the No English rule, it would impact on our annual decision to hold/not to hold future Bootcamps. The only thing about Bootcamps that is (still, sadly) unique is the No English rule. It’s why they work. If people decided that the No English rule was something to play fast and loose with, there would be no point (for us) in having Bootcamps.

We try to make Bootcamp as light-hearted and entertaining as possible - it’s joyful to us that another group of people are turning themselves into Welsh speakers in front of our very eyes.

The only thing we’re not even slightly joking about is the No English rule… :sunny:

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#73

Sounds fair enough to me. After all, it is a bootcamp we signed up for.
Joking apart, I am nervous about not being able to express myself well enough in Welsh that I’ll panic and resort to English - though I’m hoping both urge and panic will pass pretty soon.
Confident too that cake will save us all in the end!

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#74

Anytime you can’t think of what to say, you just smile… :sunny:

It’s Bootcamp - everyone will know what’s going on! Nobody on Bootcamp is impatient with people trying to think of ways to say stuff… :sunny:

You’ll have your fall back phrases in place pretty soon, too - stuff like ‘Sori, dwi ddim yn gallu meddwl rwan’ or ‘Plis ga i fwy o gacen?’… :sunny:

And worth bearing in mind - those moments when you’re struggling to express yourself, and it’s hurting, and you’re hunting the words as though you wanted to kill and skin them, are absolute neurological GOLD - those moments are WHY Bootcamp makes the difference it does.

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#75

So, here I am, late again.

For those who I haven’t met already, a little about myself-

I work as a site and logistics manager at music festivals- Glastonbury Festival, Kendal Calling festival in Cumbria, Festival No. 6 in Portmeirion and also as an environmental advisor to festivals and events across europe.

I was born in Wrecsam, went to a bilingual school and then grew up in Casnewydd (whereupon I managed to lose pretty much all the Welsh language I learnt up until the age of 11…!). I now live in Yorkshire with my partner & 2 kids (who are both born in Yorkshire but speak bits of Welsh :grinning: )

Somehow I want to learn to be fluent in Welsh (well, competent at least :grimacing:) , so that I can get back the language that I lost and also so that I can use my Welsh in my job. One of my big challenges is to be able to speak only Welsh to my 1st language colleagues at Portmeirion village when I’m working on FN6. This is made all the more difficult since most of the festival guys who I work with (i.e. who don’t work at Portmeirion all year round) only speak English!

I’m just finishing Level 2 (new) and over half way through Course 3 (although don’t let this fool you into thinking I’m any good at speaking Welsh!)

For those who are nervous about being able to express themselves on a week with no Saesneg at all, I should point out that that last year I went on my 1st bootcamp with extremely limited vocabulary having just finished Course 1 (not Level 1) and I survived. I even decided to come back again!

It was the most terrifying, most fun, most supportive week and I learned 10x as much as I could have simply by going through the course alone.

The location is part of the appeal to me - I know my way around Pen Llyn, having spent many years going on holiday there (and working down the road from it), but after the spending an entire week there last year conversing with the inhabitants only yn y Gymraeg and being privileged to be let into a little bit of Aran & Catrin’s life there it feels even more special to me now. After last year’s bootcamp finished I went straight off and sought out some people that I knew in the area to speak to them in Welsh. I would never have had the confidence to do this the week before I came on bootcamp. That’s why I’m coming back, to build on that and try and be a more confident speaker…

[Sorry for the essay :wink: ]

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#76

Cake

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#77

You just made my day… :sunny:

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#78

Go on, you know Geraint (and Aran) want you to anyway and you could try and educate/laugh/shout at the rest of us.

I can bring an acoustic guitar. Can’t play it though, unless you count House Of The Rising Sun and one Nirvana song…

I’ll bring my mini-rigs and make a Bwtcamp Cymraeg playlist again. Last years one is here

But I’ll try and make a new one in the meantime.

I really enjoyed the music night we had last year

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#79

Yes. It’s a while since I’ve done it though. Could be interesting. Where’s the nearest hospital?

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#80

Can you learn for me too please?

Ar hyn o bryd I am, ironically, trying to brush up on my Welsh vocabulary in, erm, Ireland…

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