Cyffredinol - General
- Details
- Written by: John Otley
- Category: Cyffredinol - General
- Hits: 1721
Cwrs Cymraeg y Cwm Canol, 2006
Despite one of the worst heat waves on record, the 2006 Cwrs Cymraeg in Stockton, California-Cwrs y Cwm Canol-was a breath of fresh air and an undeniable success. Seven tutors and nearly 55 students gathered at University of the Pacific for the Central Valley Welsh Course, July 16 - 23, 2006, meeting old friends and new for Cymdeithas Madog's annual week of Welsh language learning.
The week began with a welcome reception sponsored by the Welsh-American Society of Northern California in the lavishly appointed President's Room. Students who had journeyed from all over the United States and Canada were able to meet one another and greet the tutors, headed by veteran lead tutor Mark Stonelake. Mark, Maldwyn Pate, and David Morgan were the contingent from Wales, while the North American teaching staff contained a number of familiar faces: Marta Diaz, Hefina Phillips, and Meredith Rehbach, along with first-time Cwrs tutor John Good. All the tutors offered their students numerous chances to learn and practice their Welsh throughout the week during daily language classes-punctuated, of course, by much-needed coffee breaks.
Each day students were also offered their choice of afternoon workshops in topics as varied as Reading, Background to Wales, and the cwrs newspaper . In addition, there were four post-lunch plenary sessions: an informative lecture about the Welsh founder of University of the Pacific; a panel discussion on going from Welsh learner to Welsh teacher; a slideshow about the Welsh colony in Patagonia; and a look at the history of the Eisteddfod.
The evening activities offered the chance to socialize and practice Welsh in a more casual setting, while learning more about Welsh culture. Monday night's twmpath dawns, or Folk Dance, was an excellent icebreaker. With some live musical accompaniment from tutor/musician John Good and Cwrs student Vivien Bosley, a little extra merriment was brought to dances such as the lively jac-y-do. Tuesday night consisted of a trivia quiz in the nearby Valley Brew pub, and everyone learned a few more factoids about Wales while agonizing over the challenging questions (and cheerfully accusing one another of cheating!).
On Wednesday was the mid-week field trip. Students were taken by bus to the state capital, Sacramento, where they toured the Capitol building and gardens-including a glimpse of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office-as well as walking around historic Old Sacramento. The trip was topped off by a picnic in the shade at William Land Park, a welcome cool-down after walking around in the summer warmth. A smaller group of students opted to visit the nearby scenic ranch of Lefel 6 student Wade Dowdell, and they too reported a relaxing afternoon. Upon returning, some students joined in the Welsh Games Night and improved their Welsh skills with Bingo and Hangman, followed by an impromptu storytelling session from our resident raconteur, Ginny Grove.
Thursday night was movie night. Students gathered to watch Mela, a touching film in Welsh about a young girl who becomes friends with an elderly beekeeper. Friday evening was the yearly Cwrs Eisteddfod. Course attendees are invited to participate in one of three levels of competition for a brief written piece in Welsh, and prizes are awarded by our very own Gorsedd of Bards. The top honors this year went to Lefel 6 student Janis Cortese of Burbank, California, who was awarded the CM miniature eisteddfod chair to take home until next year's course. Prizes were also awarded to Diana Moller, the winner for Levels 3-5, and Myriah Williams, who won the competition for Levels 1 and 2.
For many, the highlight of the course is Saturday evening's noson lawen, or merry evening. Each class performed an entertaining skit, emceed by Lead Tutor Mark Stonelake and his collection of atrocious jokes; there were also musical performances, recitations, and two songs performed by the the Cwrs choir, which never fails to amaze the audience with its skill after only a week of practice. The week was topped off by the Sunday morning nondenominational service in the beautiful Morris Chapel on the UOP campus.
All in all, the 30th annual Cwrs Cymraeg was another successful week of camaraderie and hwyl, thanks in no small part to local organizers Brenda Jones Belaski, Maxine Garrison, and Sarah Stevenson, and to photographer Bonnie Pavlis. Though temperatures were in the triple digits, spirits were equally high, making our annual course a memorable experience. This year's Eisteddfod winner sums it up well: "Learning about my fellow students comprised a large part of my enjoyment; there are almost as many reasons to study this sweetest of languages as there are people who study it." The Board of Cymdeithas Madog hopes to see many familiar faces next year at Sage College in Albany, NY, for Cwrs yr Ymerodraeth (The Empire Course), July 22-29, 2007.
- Details
- Written by: John Otley
- Category: Cyffredinol - General
- Hits: 1574
Cwrs Cymraeg yr Ymerodraeth, 2007
Cwrs yr Ymerodraeth - the Empire Course - brought Cymdeithas Madog's annual week-long Welsh course to New York, the Empire State, for a week of language learning and hwyl. From July 22 - 29, 2007, 55 students and seven tutors converged on the campus of Sage College of Albany, New York, for an activity-packed Cwrs Cymraeg (Welsh course) that garnered rave reviews from students, tutors, organizers, and campus staff alike.
A welcome reception in the Kahl Campus Center kicked off the week, complete with a rousing sing-along, as well as a homemade cake from local organizer Pam Slotsky featuring green frosting hills and fluffy white marshmallow sheep. The reception, sponsored by the St. David's Welsh Society of the Capital District, gave students the opportunity to meet the tutors, local organizers, Board members, and one another.
Course regulars were pleased to welcome veteran Cwrs tutor Steve Morris from the University of Swansea as Lead Tutor. Together with the Board, he assembled an excellent teaching staff: Diana Manzanilla, a former Cwrs student, made her debut as a teacher, teaching Level 1 students; Annette Evans, who recently moved to Toronto from Wales, taught Level 2; Kevin Rottet taught Level 3; Chris Reynolds, from Abertawe, also made his debut as a Cwrs teacher for Level 4 students; Elwyn Hughes of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, returned after a sixteen year hiatus to teach Level 5 and serve as our Eisteddfod's Arch-druid; Hefina Phillips, originally from Cwm Giedd and now from Oakville, Ontario, taught the Level 5+ class; and Steve Morris taught Level 6. Meredith Rehbach led our Cwrs singing and Choir with her usual hwyl.
Of course, every member of the teaching staff provided encouragement throughout the week, not only in daily language classes but also during two sessions of afternoon workshops. Cwrs students sampled a variety of Welsh-related topics and activities during the workshops, such as Pronunciation Using Folk Songs, Welsh Conversation, Welsh Websites, and the Cwrs Choir. In the evenings, students and tutors had the opportunity to socialize and practice Welsh in a more informal environment (and we're not just talking about the pub!). First-time Cwrs tutor Chris Reynolds led Monday evening's twmpath dawns, or folk dance evening, starting the week on a cheerful note. Tuesday evening's trivia quiz, led by quiz master Hefina Phillips, was just as spirited, and was followed by a sing-along at a local pub, The Fountain.
On Wednesday afternoon, we offered our sole plenary session followed by our annual day trip. Garrett Riggs of the Slate Valley Museum in Granville, New York, presented a lecture with artifacts on "North Wales in New York and Vermont: the Migration and Cultural Impact of Quarrymen in the Slate Valley." For this year's Day Trip we boarded the Albany Aqua Duck and toured not only the streets of Albany but its river: our splash into the Hudson afforded us a beautiful panorama of the city's shores and buildings, its bridges, and the USS Slater, a World War II destroyer escort.
A Welsh film was shown on Thursday evening in the Opalka Gallery, Llythyrau Ellis Williams (The Letters of Ellis Williams), followed by our annual Eisteddfod on Friday evening, which was livened up by a special performance of the Dawns y Blodau courtesy of some of the course tutors. This year's prizes went to Jim Strickland (Levels 1 and 2), Bill Roberts (Levels 3, 4, and 5), and the winner of this year's Chair, Mary Williams-Norton for her essay on Ymerodraeth - Empire.
Saturday evening's noson lawen, or merry evening, ended the Cwrs week just as cheerfully as it began, with a program of performances by classes and individual students. Lead Tutor Steve Morris was the emcee, with assistance from the rest of the teaching staff in the form of jokes. A few highlights of the evening included magic tricks from Board President-Elect Bill Roberts and a hilarious North Welsh/South Welsh musical duet from local New York attendees Jim Strickland and Katharine Houk. The final official course activity was the Sunday morning nondenominational service.
This incredibly well-executed and well-enjoyed week owes an enormous debt to the ever-vigilant and responsive Local Committee, led by Leslie Neumann and ably abetted by Pam Slotsky and Robert Jones of St. David's Welsh Society of the Capital District; and their partnership with host institution Sage College of Albany and its Director of Conferences and Special Events, the gracious and patient Will Limer. The Board is profoundly grateful for their hospitality and attentiveness.
The 31st annual Cwrs was an undisputed success - and, as always, it was a bit difficult to say goodbye to new and old friends. One of the most emotional moments took place during the Saturday evening banquet, when everyone honored longtime Board member and former President Jenny Hubbard Young as she stepped down from the Board after nine years of service. Fortunately, course attendees will have the opportunity to reunite next summer. Cwrs Cymraeg 2008 will return to Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, July 13 - 20, 2008.
- Details
- Written by: John Otley
- Category: Cyffredinol - General
- Hits: 1565
Cwrs Cymraeg y Rhosyn Gwyllt, 2008
For the fourth time, Cwrs Cymraeg Cymdeithas Madog was welcomed back to Iowa-home of the wild rose-for our annual week-long Welsh course. Cwrs y Rhosyn Gwyllt, which translates to the Wild Rose Course, brought 47 students and seven tutors to the campus of Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa to learn the Welsh language and enjoy cultural activities, including some after-hours singing in the local "tafarn" (pub).
As always, it was a busy week but packed with hwyl. The first official course activity was dinner on Sunday followed by a welcome reception in Barker Hall lounge. Students, teachers, Board members, and local organizers were able to mingle with one another in a casual, comfortable atmosphere and enjoy a variety of snacks, including Welsh cakes. A sing-along capped off the evening, led by a new face on the Cwrs, Deian Evans-originally from North Wales, he is currently the minister of Dewi Sant Church in Toronto, Canada, and the husband of Board member and frequent Cwrs tutor Annette Evans.
In addition to Deian and Annette, course students were pleased to see Mark Stonelake return as lead tutor, along with fellow tutors from Wales Chris Reynolds and Geraint Wilson Price. Geraint, who is Director of the Gwent Welsh for Adults Centre, was another new face at Cwrs Cymraeg. Rounding out the teaching staff were frequent course tutors Hefina Phillips and Marta Diaz. As always, the tutors provided a very high standard of teaching in their daily Welsh classes as well as encouragement inside and outside of class.
Tutors also offered an array of additional opportunities to learn in the form of afternoon workshops on Welsh-related topics. This year we had a number of wonderful sessions to choose from, including Reading for Beginners, Intermediate/Advanced Reading, Welsh Conversation, Situation of Welsh: 2001 Census, Elements of the Welsh Language, History of Christianity and Cymraeg, Treasure Hunting in Y Drych, and the course newspaper. Treasure Hunting in Y Drych was offered by Lefel 7 student Martha Davies, who works with the Great Plains Welsh Heritage Project and brought samples of interesting items from early issues of the Welsh-American newspaper.
The evenings offered students and tutors alike the opportunity to socialize and practice Welsh in an out-of-class setting. Besides the unofficial gatherings at the pub for a drink and a few songs, there were organized activities each night. Tutor Chris Reynolds led Monday evening's twmpath dawns (folk dancing) again this year, which was a great ice-breaker as well as a good workout. New Cwrs tutor Geraint Wilson Price led the quiz this year, which took place in the banquet room at La Casa Restaurant-whose helpful staff became honorary Cymry for the evening.
Wednesday we were treated to a post-lunch plenary lecture by Berwyn Jones, Ph.D., also a student on the course. Dr. Jones, President of the Great Plains Welsh Heritage Project, gave a talk and slideshow on Welsh Pioneers of the Middle West as well as the valuable work undertaken by the Great Plains Welsh Heritage Project. Afterwards, those who opted for the mid-week field trip got on the bus and were treated to a guided tour of some of the famous covered bridges of nearby Madison County, as well as an optional visit to the John Wayne Birthplace in Winterset and a cookout in scenic Winterset City Park. An intrepid group of course attendees even took a brisk hike to Clark Tower, which overlooks the scenic 100-acre park. Wednesday evening ended with a storytelling session in the Barker Hall lounge from our resident storyteller, Ginny Grove.
Thursday night a Welsh film, Solomon & Gaenor, was shown in the Carver Hall auditorium, and Friday night was the Cwrs Cymraeg Eisteddfod, honoring the winners of our literary competition. At the CM eisteddfod, course attendees are invited to compete in one of three levels of written Welsh. Prizes for the top three entrants in each category are awarded by the teaching staff, outfitted as the Gorsedd of Bards. The winner of the top-level category is awarded the miniature Eisteddfod chair to take home for the next year. This year, our winner was Ginny Grove of Denver, Colorado. Llongyfarchiadau - congratulations!
The week was capped off by Saturday night's festivities, which included a banquet attended by several members of the local St. David's Society as well as the much-anticipated noson lawen (merry evening). The emcee was lead tutor Mark Stonelake, and there were performances from the course choir and many individual students as well as skits from each class. The final course activity was Sunday morning's nondenominational service, led by Deian Evans and accompanied by the course choir.
During the course week, we also experienced the tremendous warmth and hospitality of small-town, Midwest America. The staff at the nearby café and at La Casa Restaurant; the good-natured waitress at the nearby tafarn, Mojo, who didn't even bat an eye when thirty crazy Welsh burst in upon her quiet Monday evening; or our server "Ioan" at the brand-new pizza restaurant, who actually learned some Welsh while he was taking everybody's beer orders, the last night of the course-perhaps it was no different than other years, but the community hospitality was a treasure of Indianola which coursegoers certainly won't forget.
All in all, it was another successful Cwrs Cymraeg. Many thanks go to the local committee, Ada Mae Lewis and Ruth Hall, for their inexhaustible efforts planning and implementing the wonderful week; and to the hardworking staff of Simpson College. Also, our gratitude goes out to the National Welsh-American Foundation for their generous grant towards our 2008 scholarship awards. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at next year's course in Edmonton, Alberta, at the University of Alberta, Augustana Campus, July 19 - 26, 2009.
- Details
- Written by: John Otley
- Category: Cyffredinol - General
- Hits: 1632
Cwrs Cymru Deg, 2010
This past summer, Cymdeithas Madog held its 34th annual Welsh language course in Cardiff, Wales on the tenth anniversary of our last Cwrs Cymraeg in Wales. Cwrs Cymru Deg, which translates as both "Wales Course Ten" and "Beautiful Wales Course", drew a small but spirited 49 participants to Birchwood University Hall campus to study Welsh language and partake in Welsh culture.
We were pleased to see the highly respected Hefina Phillips return as lead tutor, in addition to some Cwrs favourites: Chris Reynolds, Annette Evans, Aled Llion Jones, Deian Evans, and one new tutor from Wales, Angharad Devonald. Our level five students this year had the honour of joining the Cardiff Wlpan course held at the Welsh Adult Learning Centre, Cardiff University. As always, the tutors provided a high level of teaching coupled with Hefina's tremendous amount of energy, effort and great humour which made for a tremendous week of learning.
We had some wonderful guest speakers during the week, including Geraint Nash, senior curator of Sain Ffagan, National History Museum of Wales; the Right Honourable Dafydd Wigley, MP for Caernarfon; Efa Gruffudd, the chief executive of the Urdd; and Dafydd Iwan, musician and director of the record label Sain.
The evening activities were equally impressive and gave our students the opportunity to socialize, practice their Welsh outside of class and immerse in Welsh culture. Monday evening, we held our usual twmpath dawns but this year were treated to a live Welsh band called 'Pluck and Squeeze' led by the charismatic caller, Alun. Tuesday evening, we met in the Welsh language pub Y Mochyn Du for quiz night. One of our regular tutors, Geraint Wilson-Price, directed the evening, keeping us on our toes as well as full of laughter.
On Wednesday afternoon, we were taken on a tour around Cardiff, which included a visit to the Bay area, a tour of the Welsh Assembly, a visit to the Millennium Centre, and a trip to Penarth. Thanks to the help of Maggie Dower and Nance and Mike Smith of the Edmonton St. David's Society, we were treated to a special visit with the Right Honourable Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Keith Hyde, and his wife Ann. The Mayor gave each of our students a wonderful gift, a book called "Caerdydd: Aileni Prifddinas". We ended the evening with a meal at the Mimosa restaurant, owned by Ioan Gruffydd.
Thursday evening we were treated to a great surprise when one of our tutors, Chris Reynolds, invited his musician friends from Swansea for a spirited session of traditional Welsh folk music. The great music continued Friday evening as Dafydd Iwan brought his guitar to the campus pub and gave a special intimate concert just for our participants. He was a good sport and stayed afterwards to take pictures with everyone and sign CDs.
On both Saturday and Sunday, we were able to make the journey to Welsh National Eisteddfod in Ebbw Vale. It was a wonderful opportunity for our participants to practice their Welsh as well as take part in the largest cultural event in Wales. Cymdeithas Madog held its own annual Eisteddfod, where course participants are invited to compete and demonstrate the Welsh they've learned throughout the week. The best entry in the top-level category this year was awarded to a young student named Rob Davis. It was very heartening to see someone that young with such a strong interest in the Welsh language. Llongyfarchiadau Rob!
A fitting end to the week was the final banquet, where we were joined by many past and present tutors including Basil Davies, Mark Stonelake and Maldwyn Pate. Amongst them was also next year's lead tutor, whom I'm happy to announce is Geraint Wilson-Price. During the banquet, special thanks were given to Shirley McKee and Hefina Philips as this was their final year serving on the Board. Both have put in years of service, dedication and hard work. We are all eternally grateful. Diolch o galon!
It was great to see everyone once again during the Cwrs and, naturally, it was sad to see them all leave at the end of the week. Fortunately, we will have a chance to reunite next summer during Cwrs Cymraeg 2011, which will be held at Shenandoah University, Winchester, Virginia, July 17-24. Hope to see you all there!