My first attempt at speaking Welsh was at a post office in a very Welsh speaking area about 3 years ago. I was feeling especially bold that day as I was standing in the line waiting my turn, and even though my dear husband was not with me, I thought, "I can do this." So, I rehearsed my line "I want to send this to America," over and over in my head as I waited. Finally, my turn came. I walked confidently to the window, plunked my parcel on the scale and said in what I thought was perfectly understandable Welsh, "I want to send this to America." To my horror, the lady stared blankly back. Then, as if that wasn't bad enough. She said the most dreaded word, "Pardon?" I could feel every eye of every person standing in the line behind me staring into the back of my neck as I mustered the courage to repeat my one, very well rehearsed, line. Again I said, "I want to send this to America." The woman looked at me for a moment, "America?" she finally asked. Crushing blow! She only understood one word - and the English word at that! I could feel my face turn red, "Isn't that what I just said?" I thought. But all I could answer in my deepest embarrassment was "yes."
Epic failure.
It was about 2 and a half years later - i.e. about 6 months ago - that I again worked up the courage to speak even a word of Welsh with someone other than my husband, but I am happy to say that having since had several reasonable and even good encounters - I'm not talking big things, I'm talking "sengl i dre, os gwelwch yn dda" to the bus driver, etc., that my confidence has improved tremendously. And thanks to this wonderful course, which I just started a couple of weeks ago, my welsh is just taking off. I know this doesn't count, but yesterday, my hubby and I and our little son went for a walk in which my challenge was to only speak Welsh from the time I walked out the door until I walked back into the house. I thought it would be a VERY short walk (I'm also very pregnant, which can limit the amount of time I can spend away from a loo. haha!
), but we ended up walking and talking for a full 2 hours about various topics (I was surprised!) using only Welsh and alot of hand gestures. My confidence is growing as a result of the course as well, and today, on the bus and in dre and with my mother-in-law who I'm seeing today, I feel very ready to impose myself upon the Welsh speakers I encounter and speak Welsh. Oh yeah!
<<< dad dancing.
, but until you do it, you don't fully realise it 
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