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The American woman who became a fluent Welsh speaker while living in Ohio

The American woman who became a fluent Welsh speaker while living in Ohio

Geordan Burress, from Cleveland, began learning Welsh eight years ago

She lives in USA and has no family ties to Wales whatsoever - but that didn't stop Ohio woman Geordan Burress from learning and becoming fluent in Welsh.

The music fan became intrigued about Wales' mother tongue after coming across solo material by Super Furry Animals ' frontman Gruff Rhys.

And after listening to hip-hop act Lwybr Llaethog and indie band Dau Cefn she decided to have a crack learning Welsh.

She said: "When I was a little girl, I wanted to be bilingual. I was jealous of people who could speak more than one language."

Geordan Burress, from Cleveland, Ohio, spent nearly eight years learning Welsh

Geordan, 28, started learning in 2011 - and soon got to grips with the language.

"I didn't really know about the language until I listened to Gruff Rhys and I really thought it was cool," she said. "I thought I could learn a couple of words or phrases.

"I started learning it out of curiosity, but then fell in love with it.

"I used different things like resources that I used online. There were free courses that made it easy for me.

"I didn't have to memorise vocabulary, it was more like listening and repeating sentences and it just built on that."

Then in 2016, she posted a video online speaking Welsh - and was amazed the response.

She added: "I made the video because I wanted to connect with more people. Over here, I don't really have anybody to speak Welsh with.

"Somebody asked me if they could send some Welsh language books, and I thought they would send five or six, but they sent me 30.

"And if I ever had a question about grammar or how to say something, I would ask on Twitter before getting a load of responses.

"I think the community is really great."

Geordan visited Caernarfon and Cardiff in May this year

Earlier this year, Geordan finally made her first trip to Wales - spending time in Caernarfon and Cardiff .

"It was amazing," she said. "Especially because I had wanted to come to Wales for such a long time.

"I was so happy to finally be able to use what I learned as well, and to have people understand me was also a great feeling."

Geordan at Spillers Records in Cardiff

And while in Cardiff she got visit the city's famous Spillers Records , in Morgan Arcade, and discover more Welsh bands in the process.

"When in Cardiff, I mainly stayed with and visited friends but I did visit the arcades as well, and then went to St Fagan’s on one of the days. I visited Bute Park, the Cardiff Market and one of the art museums - and the Bay too," added Geordan, who has also learned Spanish and Mandarin.

"There was so much to do - I really liked it there. There’s so much I’d love to see when I come back someday."

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