An adult education college is helping an international workforce make their home in Mid Wales.
Coleg Harlech WEA is teaching people from Russia, Slovakia and Poland who have settled in Welshpool and Newtown to speak English.
Adding to the multi-cultural melting pot is the tutor – a Spanish speaking lecturer, born in Argentina.
Cecilia Forsythe is also teaching some of her students Spanish, which is now the most commonly used language in the World.
And she is taking a party of 30 students to Madrid to immerse themselves in Spanish culture.
Mother-of-two Cecilia has left her native Buenos Aires and now calls Newtown her home.
She helps run English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses organised by Coleg Harlech WEA.
The party going on the four day trip to Madrid, aged between 25 and 62, includes one Russian, five Brits and the remainder are Polish. The majority come from Welshpool.
“Some of the students are on ESOL courses, some of them on employability courses and some are in our Spanish class,” said Cecilia.
“The majority of the Polish students do shift work in a factory so it was difficult to find a time when they could all get time off, but the factory has been very helpful.
“The Russian lady who is coming with us is an artist who works in a studio in Mid Wales. She studied at St Petersburg and her work is fantastic. She has a cousin in Madrid.
“An incredible amount of the students are very well educated. They work in a factory but some of them have a Masters degree. They are eager to learn. Most of those who have chosen to complete the course are those who want to stay and make Wales their home.
“Quite a few want to learn Spanish because it is becoming more and more the international language and if they do decide to go back it will help them teach their children.”
Cecilia’s own four and five year old children are at Welsh medium school and speak English, Welsh and Spanish. Cecilia and husband Daniel are both Welsh learners.
She’s hoping the trip to Madrid will encourage some more of her students to take up Spanish lessons.
“Coming from Buenos Aires moving here was completely different, I was shocked at how peaceful and quiet it was. The place is amazing, just lovely. I feel at home here completely.”
Attempts to return home to visit family never came about because Cecilia got pregnant both times but her mother has been to visit many times.
Cecilia was an English teacher in Argentina – where she visited the Welsh-speaking community in Patagonia – but made several visits to the UK to improve her English skills.
She made the move about eight years ago and worked for a short time in Scotland until through friends she met Daniel, who lived in Newtown and worked for a furniture company.
They married about six years ago and Daniel is now an IT teacher for Coleg Harlech WEA.
Among the students going to Madrid is Roman May who left his native Poland five years ago “looking for a better life”.
He believes he’s found it in Welshpool.
He left his parents and travelled first to Ireland but could not find work and so Roman, 30, ended up in Wrexham where he stayed for a few months before finding a regular job four years ago with the Morrisons supermarket chain in Welshpool.
“I could speak English when I came here but only a really low level. I started basic English classes when I came here, I was very happy with the course and started looking for another to improve and that’s how I found Cecilia and the Coleg Harlech ESOL courses.
“I also started an Open University IT course but I did not complete it. I will go back to it when my English improves.
“I am also doing Spanish. English and Spanish are the most popular languages in the world. In the future I want to travel around the world and I would like to be able to speak in both languages.
“I have thought about learning Welsh and I know a few Welsh words but it’s very hard. I would like to learn Welsh because if you want a good job in Wales you have to speak Welsh,” said Roman who is also a very keen photographer.
Anyone wanting more information about the courses should contact Coleg Harlech’s Newtown office on 01686 610270 or go to the website www.harlech.ac.uk
Photograph: A party of 30 mature Coleg Harlech students with lecturer Cecilia Forsythe at Liverpool Airport bound for Madrid. Cecilia is pictured with the group and student Roman May, front
