The Dr Llŷr Roberts Bursary
I was extremely lucky to have a special opportunity to visit Patagonia for a month and a half over the summer (2024). Many thanks to Cardiff University's School of Welsh, the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, and the family of Dr Llŷr Roberts for the opportunity and support. I would certainly recommend that anyone interested in applying for this scholarship should go for it. I am in my second year studying Welsh, and the experience has been extremely beneficial to my studies.
I was incredibly lucky to be able to share the experience with two of my friends who are studying Welsh, which was very nice. Our aeroplane landed in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, and from here it is possible to take internal flights within Argentina. We decided to spend a few days here before commencing volunteering in schools and Welsh classes in Patagonia. Buenos Aires is a huge city. We went on a tourist bus to try to see as much as possible in a short time visiting different areas and enjoying the atmosphere and cafés. The architecture of the buildings was incredible, Parisian in places and modern in others. We visited the famous Recoleta cemetery. It was amazing to see tombs as tall as houses, as well as live music and a market in the cemetery. We also watched the Argentina v Australia rugby match!
The three of us were given a warm welcome in Gaiman, and on our first day we experienced an asado, the national feast of Argentina, of which they are immensely proud. An asado is a joint of meat slowly roasted over an open fire. We attended Gŵyl y Glaniad, the Landing Festival, at Bryn Crwn Chapel, Gaiman and Moriah Chapel, Trelew, to mark the date, the 28th of July, exactly 159 years to the day, when the Welsh settlers set foot on Patagonian land for the first time. The services were held through the medium of Welsh and Spanish, and it was an extremely interesting experience. We visited the 'Tŷ Gwyn' tea house with local people and were given a warm welcome. The tea houses in Gaiman and Trevelin are Welsh tourist attractions.
We worked in Welsh-medium primary schools in the Gaiman catchment area, namely Ysgol Gymraeg y Gaiman and Ysgol yr Hendre in Trelew. The three of us were surprised by the children's ability and level of Welsh – it was excellent! There was a real desire to learn Welsh and to celebrate Welshness and the culture, with singing, recitation and folk dancing playing an important role in the Welsh-language acquisition strategy there. We volunteered to take part in Welsh lessons at state schools, namely Bryn Gwyn primary school and Aliwen secondary school, and also at Coleg Camwy, a bilingual secondary school where Welsh is offered as a subject. After being at school in the morning we attended Welsh classes in the afternoon and evening, taking part in lessons for adults in Rawson, Trelew, Gaiman, Dolavon, and Clwb Sgwrsio Trelew, a conversation club.
During our time in Patagonia, the Porth Madryn Eisteddfod took place, which was held through the medium of both Welsh and Spanish, and we were able to go there to get a taste. We also visited a number of Welsh chapels in the area. The Chubut river, or afon Camwy in Welsh, is very iconic and a symbol of hope, as it is the river that originally irrigated the land after a great deal of toil by the first Welsh settlers. I really enjoyed myself in Gaiman, especially as I felt settled and made friends with people who lived there, and socialized with Welsh-speakers of the same age as us.
After two weeks in Gaiman we travelled across the pampas to Trevelin, and spent a further two weeks there, where we volunteered at Ysgol y Cwm in Trevelin – a primary school with new secondary classes. We also helped with Welsh classes for adults at entry and advanced levels, and also at a Welsh-language conversation club at Canolfan Gymraeg Esquel and in Trevelin. We took part in choir practices in Esquel and folk dancing in Trevelin, and were able to watch the Trevelin schools' Eisteddfod; the competitions were held in Welsh, Spanish and English.
Over the weekend we went on a steam train to Nahuel Pan, which is one of the villages of the Indigenous people of the area. We also went to see the Nant y Fall waterfalls. It was winter in Argentina and as we were staying in the middle of the Andes mountains, we rode on a 'chairlift' in the mountains and the snow to enjoy the scenery. Cwm Hyfryd, which means pleasant valley, is another name for the Trevelin and Esquel area, and it is undoubtedly incredibly beautiful. The mountains are taller than anything I have seen previously. At the end of our time volunteering, we spent two days relaxing in Bariloche, a very beautiful town by the lakes and mountains.
It was remarkable to see so much pride in the Welsh culture; as someone who comes from a community where Welsh is spoken naturally, I realised that I may take the language for granted to a certain extent. It was very interesting to see the Welsh culture and the Argentine culture intertwined. I also learned many language learning and acquisition techniques which will be extremely useful for me in the future.
The experience in its entirety was amazing. It was a privilege to be able to visit the communities and experience such a warm welcome, and it was incredible to hear the Welsh language in a place so far from Wales and so different. I loved the Patagonian dialect. The Welsh spoken is so delightful and the Spanish influence is lovely.
It is very difficult to select a handful of highlights, but here is a flavour. I really enjoyed the leaving party for the three of us at Ysgol Gymraeg y Gaiman when everyone sang Welsh songs in a leisurely manner to the accompaniment of a guitar. The Gwŷl y Glaniad, or Landing Festival, service at Coleg Camwy and Bryn Crwn Chapel was incredibly special. Another highlight was talking to the adults who wanted to learn Welsh and hearing their reasons for learning. These stories were emotional – about the social suffering endured by their parents which led to them not passing on the Welsh language to their children. Socialising and speaking Welsh with young people the same age as us who had lived in Gaiman throughout their lives was also a highlight.
