Learning Welsh

I have tried learning welsh on numerous occassions although the last time was some twenty odd years ago whilst i was still in secondary school, after failing at school and having feeling there was no real need in the twenty five years or so that i left school

I felt there was no need to learn Welsh until i started becoming involved in polotics in 2004, as i got more and more involved I started to notice more and more use of the welsh language especially at community council meetings by local councillors and sometimes guest speakers that would come and address the council, so in 2008 during the county council elections I pledged to attempt to learn the launguage,

I found that I already have a vast knowledge of words having lived in Wales all my life and from my previous attempt in school all those years ago but I couldn't string any sentences or conversation in the language, so last September when the education term started I enrolled in Welsh lessons and I parted with £97 for the course and materials to learn the langauge, but unfortunately it was on a Tuesday and Thursday evening and because i work four nights a week with these being two of my rest days I found it too difficult,

Especially when I was often completing a ten hour nightshift on Monday night followed by a county council scrutiny on Tuesday morning, it is not uncommon for me to finish work at 7am and then dash off to Carmarthen county hall to attend a meeting commencing at 10am, normally i would then go to bed in the afternoon but to try anf get up for a 6oclock welsh lesson eventually started to get ontop of me and I was often physically and mentally exhausted on the Tuesday evening, having only had about three hours sleep, so I eventually quit the lessons last year after about five weeks.

Back in February the county council held a seminar on the welsh language to discuss how the county council promotes the language and the policy officer that took the seminar stated that the county council would also run courses for its staff and members, the course I had enrolled in had been run by Swansea University, so I was keen to enroll with the counties course, having put my name down along with about half a dozen other councillors, the course eventually begun this September and i have enrolled in lessons again, only this course is only once a week on a Thursday and i'm told it will be the same tutor every week. the Swansea University two day a week course was also a nightmare because in the five weeks we had four different tutors, there was a different tutor on the Tuesday to the Thursday and they were swapping and changing

So this time third time lucky I'm going to stick with it and what was also a big bonus the county paid for the fees and course materials so I didn't have to dig deep into my pockets 

Anyway, i'm off for a couple of days this weekend, Friday is my night off and then Sunday and Monday I've swapped out and booked some time in lieu for bank holidays, because I'm off to a conference with Mid and West Wales Fire Authority in North Wales on Tuesday and I'm looking forward to it