Iawn.
Sara
Bore da Bwtcampers!
You will all receive emails today which includes a couple of questions to start us off. Here are my answers:
My name is Iestyn, and I live with my wife Cat and our 4 (is it only 4?) children in Llandysul, Ceredigion. I was brought up in Gilfach Fargod, in the Rhymney Valley.
I want to speak Welsh because it is my first and native language, the language of my Welsh ancestors, and because my kids would find it a bit weird if I started speaking English with themā¦
I love singing. Iāve always sung to the kids since they were babies, and I was in a choir before the pressures of being a dad ate into that too much and I decided to give it a miss for a while.
One of my favourite things to do is to get up early (before 6 most mornings) and do an hour or more of stuff before anyone else turns up in my life. The world is particularly beautiful first thing in the morning, and when everyone else is asleep you can get so much done!
Iām looking forward to meeting you all - on the forum to start with, and āin the (Welsh speaking) fleshā very very soon!
Iestyn
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Hi, Iām Phil. I was brought up in near Warrington and arrived 20 or so years ago in Bristol via London. Iām married with 2 children (wedi tyfu rwan). As you may gather, Iāve been following Aranās Gogledd version of the course. I spent many happy summers in North Wales, and even went to Uni there (in Bangor), yes, I wanted to go to a welsh university. I learnt some Welsh there, but being an English student, I never really connected with the welsh student community, nor indeed the locals. So, although Iāve been able to order a cuppa and pass the time of day etc for years, my Welsh was static. I now live in Thornbury near Bristol and actually know a few welsh speakers here, so around 6 months ago, I came across SSIW and since then have been plodding through the online course (currently 1/2 way through L3). We held our 1st (mostly in Welsh) coffee afternoon just recently and hope to arrange more soon.
I want to speak Welsh because I love Wales, I love the mountains and the history and the language.
I enjoy singing, and also play the Ukulele (although not very well). I may even bring it along, and we can try Sosban Fach! (check out the version by Cowbois Celtaidd on YouTube - looks fun).
Anyway, looking forward to meeting everyone in Tresaith.
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Shw mae, pawb. My name is Mathew. I was brought up in Bro Morgannwg, but my family spent a good portion of my teens living abroad living as ex pats. I went to university in Scotland, where I read history ā and ādiscoveredā Welsh history, an interest which I have been unable to shed. At that time, I spent one university vacation in Llambed on the Wlpan course learning Welsh from scratch. After university, I returned to Wales and commuted from a house in Cwm Tawe to Caerdydd for a few years, before moving away to London with some lengthy overseas postings in Brazil and the Arabian Gulf. I returned to Wales last summer largely because I wanted my 4 year old daughter to receive a Welsh medium education. I now live in Bro Morgannwg with my wife and little daughter ā who is in the Meithrin year at a Welsh medium primary school. I have many reasons for wanting to learn Welsh, both emotional and practical. Being able to support my daughterās education (and giving her the opportunity to use her Welsh in family life outside of the classroom) form part of my motivation. I have a rather long track record of learning a variety of languages to the point of just about being able to get by, but no better! I apologise in advance if, when struggling for a word in Welsh, I come up with something in Russian or Portuguese! And I am determined to achieve a reasonable level of fluency in Welsh. I love Ceredigion, and am greatly looking forward to spending a week in Tresaith ā and, of course, to meeting you all.
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Shw mae pawb
Iām Gareth, I grew up in Llanfair ym Muallt (Builth in English), slumming it in Caerdydd at the moment.
Iām learning Welsh because I want to learn a āforeignā language, but being Welsh, I felt compelled to learn Welsh first. I feel just about ready to start doing that soon without confusing myself.
I love music, Iāll have see if I can to dig out the uke out and see if @philgjones can teach me some chords, in Welsh of course!
I like reading Science Fiction
Looking forward to meeting you all. This will be my 2nd bwtcamp, having enjoyed the āluxuryā bwtcamp in Caernarfon last year.
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Prynhawn da pawb! My name is Leanne and I was brought up in the Cynon Valley, South Wales and currently live with my FiancƩ in the Rhondda Valley.
I want to speak welsh because I love the language and have always wanted to speak fluently. I have quite a few friends and family members who are fluent and Iād love to build my confidence in the language.
Iāve also recently bought a ukulele and have started to pick up a few chords, so hopefully Iāll be able to play a full song by the end of the week!
I love walking, exploring new places and love the beach!
This will be my first time in Ceredigion so iām looking forward to exploring Tresaith and meeting you all next month.
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I have just been looking at the Bwtcamp FAQs and other information. One query. Where can I find the additional āvocab unitsā?
Under āold materialā, then it should be in at the end of the listings for Course 1, Course 2 and so onā¦ but if youāve done Level 1, you donāt need to worry about the vocab units, because the really vital stuff from them was cooked directly into Level 1 (it was a large part of the rationale for the change)ā¦ 
Oh my word. Hello bootcamp buddies. Sara Hayes from Cardiff here, feeling faint with worry. I am trying to get through Level 1 before the start and you are all so far ahead of me but I am determined to get through. You will hear āBach yn arafachā from me at first but Iāll try and shape up.
I was born and grew up in Penarth and went to a school with many fluent welsh speaking teachers, including the Head, so Welsh was valued in our education, especially Welsh hymns and songs. However I never used it conversationally and have forgotten most of what I learnt.
I love walking and music and I sing in a community choir (no auditions). I too have a ukulele which maybe Iāll bring so we can make a merry noise together.
I am married with four grown-up children and five grandchildren. I want to become a fluent welsh speaker because two of my grandchildren will be going to a Welsh school and I want to be able to chat with them and support their school.
Looking forward to meeting up,
Sara
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Hi Lorna,
What is a sphero?
I suppose you could describe it as a ball-shaped robotic toyā¦ It was a rash purchase, and I have had no time to set it up for myself in any languageā¦ (Perhaps better for bwtcamp number twoā¦
I may not bring the sphero, after all, if everyone else is bringing a ukuleleā¦ I am rusty on that, but at least I know how it works!
I am very glad you are daring to come from a rushed-through level one, Sara(h).
I have rushed through North Level One and am playing catch-up with South Level One. I have no Welsh Heritage, childhood, context etc, so I look forward to watching you blossom as I have witnessed in Irish classes with those who had some exposure to Irish in childhood, suddenly finding they have inner voices that make mostly very accurate suggestions into their inner ears when the learners thought they had forgotten all! (I have damn all Irish heritage either, but it is lovely seeing people re-connect with a distant past and its treasures).
I am subduing my tendency to panic so far. A coming Saturday night in Carmarthen may uncover the panic though: perhaps Iāll feel utterly out of my depth there, at the SSiW party, too. Or perhaps it will help give me a little context as a springboardā¦
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Hi Iestyn,
I have just noticed this announcement from you, and have searched my email inbox but cannot find an email from nine days ago. Last notification/email was from 08/05/18ā¦
Is my place secure? Did my purchase go through? I can find a receipt email for the Carmarthen party, but on this tablet, without going to the public library to use their computers, I have not found any other communication re bwtcamp.
Would it be possible, maybe, plƮs, for someone at the SSiW end to check whether I was sent this email and any other stuff? Sorry to have been so dopey as not to have realised until now. Been dealing with a flooded garden, etc.
So envious of you all. I went on the bwtcamp in Mayā¦ one of the best weeks in my life - so much fun and laughter. If you have half as much fun as I did, you will have had a lot!
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Thanks for your encouragement. As you say, I am relying on deepest memories to get me through. Setting up the sphero in Welsh could be very entertainingā¦
Would Tresaith have internet access if something were turn out to be problematic?
Perhaps not bring it this timeā¦
Iestyn has been away at the Urdd Eisteddfod this week, but Iāll ping him so he sees this @Iestyn
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If this turns out to be an example of my not managing my own email inbox properly, Iāll be very red-facedā¦ Iāve been somewhat remiss lately. As long as I have not just imagined that I went through the booking process to the end, or providing I do not persist in that deluded state, Iāll be ok. If I have missed out on a June place, no worries, thereās no particular urgency. Indeed, Iād rather not disturb @Iestyn if he is involved in cultural events: if Iām in, Iām in, if not Iāll book on another bwtcamp soon. The Carmarthen party is my main focus for now. No worries!
There is no internet access at the Canolfan where we stay, but there is a connection at the local pub. We often head down there in the evenings, so for any desperate internet connection thatās available, but of course we discourage communication in English as far as possible, as it takes away from the immersion experience. Some people go as far as having partners and family who use Google Translate to be able to send text messages in Welsh and keep in touch
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@PhilgJones I did Aranās Gogledd version too, so you wonāt be the only one using medru and eisiau.
@sarahayes The great SSIW mantra of āDonāt worry about itā applies here. Youāll be fine, plenty of time to get through those last few challenges on the journey up!
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