It is perfectly possible to learn Esperanto on your own from a book or with one of the many courses on the Internet. Some people are happy with that and don't feel any need to use the language; others are happy to send and receive emails in Esperanto, post blogs and to read the language without speaking it to another person.

But for many people the whole point of the language is to be able to talk directly to someone from another country with whom you would otherwise have no common means of communicating. In Slovakia in the beginning of August 2008 in Modra Harmonia the first "in the flesh" meeting of people who had learnt Esperanto using the online course "Lernu!" took place. These new Esperantists wanted to meet and talk with people who up till then they had only met in the virtual world.

For a lot of us, travel abroad is a once-a-year event and we may not want to spend that time on Esperanto. It therefore makes sense to meet with Esperantists locally to try out our skills or even to hear the language spoken for the first time.

In Scotland there are two Esperanto clubs which meet regularly, and there are individuals who would be happy to meet beginners to help them as they learn Esperanto. These clubs are in Glasgow and Edinburgh. If it isn't possible for you to make these meetings then make contact via the links above or via the Association Secretary and someone will be able to advise you where the nearest tame Esperantist is to you!

Copyright 2008 Scottish Esperanto Association