Cwrs Cymraeg Report - 1999

Details: Written by: John Otley; Category: Cyffredinol - General; Published: 10 February 2011; Hits: 5766

Cwrs Cymraeg Y Man Cyfarfod, 1999

Well, what a week it was! Cwrs Cymraeg Toronto '99, Cymdeithas Madog's 23rd annual Welsh language week, has now come and gone. And from the responses by students and teachers alike, it was a great week of Welsh language learning. For those not able to join us, here's your Cwrs Cymraeg Toronto '99 Wrap-Up.

On July 18, seventy-eight Welsh language students from all over North America gathered on the campus of York University in Toronto for Cwrs Cymraeg Toronto '99, Cymdeithas Madog's 23rd annual Welsh language week. Some of the students had been learning Welsh for years while others were completely new to the language. But all were looking forward to a week of hard work (and a little fun). And they weren't disappointed.

There were seven classes covering six levels. The beginners were introduced to the Welsh language by Hefina Phillips and Aled Davies. Those with a little background in "yr hen iaith" ("the old language") were in the capable hands of Alun Hughes and Steve Morris. For students with more experience in Welsh, there were classes lead by Mark Stonelake, Heini Gruffudd and Emyr Davies. All in all, there were classes for every level of Welsh language learning.

After classes, there were workshops ranging from basic reading skills and an introduction to Welsh poetry to viewing the latest CD-ROM based learning materials. And after the workshops, the Cwrs Cymraeg Toronto '99 choir met to rehearse. By the end of the week, the choir was so good, it would put the Morriston Orpheus to shame.

In the evening, the activities were more relaxed. They ranged from a welcoming reception (hosted by the Toronto St. David's Society), a twmpath Welsh folk dance (complete with some horned rams) and a quiz (with fabulous prizes) to a Toronto bus tour (complete with a picnic and a cymanfa ganu at Dewi Sant Welsh United Church), an evening in the Elephant and Castle British pub and a Welsh language film. The highlight of the evening activities was the Saturday night noson lawen where classes and individuals took turns providing the evening's entertainment. The evening concluded with the awards for the cwrs eisteddfod. There were many deserving winners in three levels. Particular note should go to Paul Graves for winning the prestigious Cymdeithas Madog chair.

All in all, it was a very busy week. And when Sunday rolled around, the students left for home tired but now knowing so much more Welsh.

It takes a lot of people to make a Cymdeithas Madog Welsh language week work. At the risk of leaving some deserving names out, the local committee of Cwrs Cymraeg Toronto '99 would like to thank:

The fabulous teaching staff of Aled Davies, Hefina Phillips, Alun Hughes, Steve Morris, Mark Stonelake and Emyr Davies. Particular thanks to the lead teacher for Cwrs Cymraeg Toronto '99, Heini Gruffudd, for all his hard work over the past year.
Wayne Harbert and the Board of Cymdeithas Madog for all their work to make this year's cwrs possible.
Reverend Jackson, the Board of Session and the congregation of Dewi Sant Welsh United Church for their great welcome and support.
Myfanwy Bajaj and our good friends at the Toronto St. David's Society for their help
The staff of York University for making our stay so pleasant.
But most importantly, thanks to the 78 students of Cwrs Cymraeg Toronto '99 for their interest in the Welsh language and their driving enthusiasm. Cwrs Cymraeg and Cymdeithas Madog only exist because of the determination of students such as these. It takes many hours of work by many people to organize a Cwrs Cymraeg. But when you see the effort these students put into learning Welsh, it makes every second worthwhile. Diolch yn fawr i chi i gyd - thanks to you all.

Cwrs Cymraeg Report - 2000

Details: Written by: John Otley; Category: Cyffredinol - General; Published: 10 February 2011; Hits: 1435

Cwrs Cymraeg Y Mileniwm, 2000

As most of you know, Cymdeithas Madog celebrated the millenium by holding its annual Welsh language course in Wales this past August. Participants all "went home" to Trinity College (Coleg y Drindod), Carmarthen for the annual week-long Welsh submersion course. This marks the first time that the course has been held outside of North America and students were privileged to experience Welsh as a living language in the town and marketplace.p>

Sponsored by the National Welsh American Foundation and the Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association, the course has become a staple of the North Americans' study of the "language of heaven". This year's local course organizer, Cefin Campbell, who has been teaching Welsh to adult learners for almost 20 years, resides in Carmarthen. In addition to returning with his delightful sense of humor, Cefin was a wealth of information about the area in and around Carmarthenshire. Six different levels of study of the Welsh language were available with three classes each day, and a variety of workshops were offered in the afternoons.

Students were encouraged to try more than one workshop or to spend the week on the same subject if they so choose. Marc Stonelake and Hefina Phillips both led gweithdai (workshops) on verbal practice in reading easy passages in Welsh. Mari Dalis presented a discussion on "making the most of the Eisteddfod" which was found very helpful to those students who had elected to stay over at the college dorm to enjoy a few extra days in Wales to experience the local flavor, shop, go sightseeing and spend one or more days at the Eisteddfod. Other workshops included the ever-popular folk singing, Papur y Cwrs (course newspaper), a workshop for the higher level students entirely in Welsh which addressed the literature of the Eisteddfod, Background to Welsh politics and language, Welsh websites and resources for Welsh learners.

Evenings were their own delight as each brought a different entertainment. Students were welcomed Sunday night with wine and cheese and were addressed by the Mayor of Carmarthen. Many thought that the highlight of the week was the Twmpath Dawns (an evening of Welsh Folk dancing) on Monday complete with the musical group Jac-y-Do who performedtirelessly for their appreciative audience.

Tuesday night saw students shuttled via minibus to downtown Carmarthen to encounter the real Wales in the Drovers Pub and share in a lively trivia quiz with Steve Morris as MC.

Wednesday afternoon all were treated to a bus trip to Tywi Valley including stops at the National Botanical Gardens, St. Teilo's Church in Llandeilo and Castell Carreg Cennen. The next night students traveled to Llandeilo to the White Hart Inn for a sing-a-long where Nia Clwyd, one of Wales best known folk singers, played the harp and sang.

Thursday night we were privileged to view a Welsh Language film, Solomon a Gaenor, featuring the popular Welsh Actor, Ioan Gruffudd, at Trinity's own Halliwell Theatre.

All students themselves were the entertainment at a Noson Lawen on Friday night. The varied talents of course participants was made evident as the group enjoyed skits, poetry, recitations and music. Cymdeithas Madog's Eisteddfod competition was won by Mary Williams Norton from Poynette, Wisconsin who was presented with the traditional hand carved chair to keep for a year. The Chair was made in Wales and is engraved with the names of previous winners. Steve Watkins won the first/second year event.

The following afternoon all traveled by bus to Cardiff and St. Fagan's Folk Museum for a delightful and informative day. The week was over all too soon as students gladly and sadly gathered at Halliwell Centre's Merlin Restaurant for their farewell banquet. Following the feast, the guest of the evening, Ron Davies, addressed the gathering. All teachers from Wales who had attended previous Cymdeithas Madog Courses where invited to attend the banquet and old friendships were once again joyfully renewed.

The last day of the cwrs, Sunday, the National Eisteddfod held this year in nearby Llaneilli, was the destination. Everyone enjoyed the many displays of Welsh and Celtic organizations, especially the Welsh Learners Pavillion, purchased memorabilia and Welsh literature and music, and visited the cultural events. Many students chose to talk a several kilometer walk along the coast or see the famous Welsh baritone, Bryn Terfel that evening.

We are looking forward to 2001, the site for the Cymdeithas Madog Course will be Emory University in Atlanta.

Cwrs Cymraeg Report - 2001

Details: Written by: John Otley; Category: Cyffredinol - General; Published: 10 February 2011; Hits: 1518

Cwrs Cymraeg Arian, 2001

Y Cwrs Arian, the twenty-fifth anniversary of Cwrs Cymraeg, was held on the sprawling lovely campus of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, the week of July 22-29, 2001. With approximately 70 students from all over North America arriving at the Woodruff Residence Hall, anxious and ready to spend an intensive week learning the ancient Welsh language, the Atlanta organizers greeted everyone with the necessities, a big Southern smile; an elegant black Cwrs Arian t-shirt (if ordered); and a treasure bag of information and local gifts of water bottles, frisbees, and key-chains-all useful in the Southern clime.

The welcoming reception, graciously hosted by the local St. David’s Society and Glyn Davies, was a fine time to see old friends and meet new people, enjoy the refreshments, and hear that Roy Barnes, the Governor of Georgia, had designated July 22-29 Welsh Language Week in Georgia. This event was the first taste of how the hard work the Atlanta organizers paid off throughout the entire week. Thanks go to the committee, which consisted of Jenny Hubbard Young and Karl Welsher, who took the lead, Glyn Davies, Ellen Furney and Bobbie Johns, with ad hoc assistance from family, Society members and friends.

Every detail of the week’s activities had been thoughtfully designed to make the group’s time fulfilling. The board too worked during the lunch break throughout the week, hearing reports and making plans for improving the course in the future. Wayne Harbert retired from the presidency and the board, and everyone thanked him for his dedication. Ada Mae Lewis from Ames, Iowa, was elected as the new president. Two new board members were also elected: Wayne Morrissey from Washington, D.C., for a three-year term, and Sarah Campbell from Somerville, Massachusetts, for a two-year term.>

The Classes

There were seven levels of instruction: Level 5+ was a new addition meant to provide those advanced learners a fresh set of course material instead of simply repeating from the year before. The curriculum was a revised version of Dr. Emyr Davies’s newly developed program, offering a more coherent and challenging course of study for everyone. Classes each morning and most afternoons kept students immersed in learning to speak and understand the Welsh language. On the last day of the course this year, all the students received a handsome certificate signed by their tutor describing in Welsh their academic accomplishments for the term.

The Tutors

All the tutors were, as usual, patient and enthusiastic. With his wry humor and disarming wit, lead tutor Emyr Davies kept everyone duly informed of events and schedules (a word, by the way, that he consistently mispronounced) during the plenary sessions. Three tutors made the trip from Wales, Emyr (the lead tutor), and veterans Steve Morris and Eleri Hughes. One of their highlights was experiencing the ferocity of an All-American thunderstorm, cracking clouds and blistering lightning during banquet speeches. The rest of the team came from North America, Hefina Phillips brought her undying enthusiasm, Meredith Roberts, Kara Lewis, and Marta Diaz. Marta actually began learning Welsh at an early Cwrs Cymraeg in Minnesota, and this year she returned as teacher!

Other Activities

Once again, the variety of afternoon workshops gave each student an opportunity to explore different aspects of the Welsh language and culture while the evening activities offered somewhat more relaxation than learning. The Wednesday trip to Stone Mountain gave visitors a view of scenic Georgia and patriotic Georgia with the evening laser show. The Cwrs Eisteddfodd was especially fine, opening with bagpipes and closing with the Cwrs Cor directed by Emyr Davies. Class skits were all skillfully rendered or, at least, highly amusing. The individual performers shared their gifts-Ginny Grove’s story of the youthful bard Geraint on his quest to play in the first Eisteddfod was a wonderful riddle. The winners of the Eisteddfod competition this year were for levels 1-2, a first-timer at Cwrs Cymraeg, Angela Evans; Atlanta’s own Karl Welsher, levels 3-4; won for his diary on the topic of “Gone with the Wind.” Both Angela and Karl are member’s of The Saint David’s Society of Georgia. The grand winner of the chair this year was Cheryl Mitchell who wrote on the topic of Rhyddid, Freedom.. Llongyfarchiadau to all of them!

The Facilities

We all stayed at the Woodruff Residence Hall where the rooms were comfortable (air-conditioned), and the conference elves very helpful. It was a bit of a hike to the dining area, Dobbs University Center, affectionately known as the DUC[K], but once the shuttle schedule was sorted out, those who preferred to ride could. The food was varied and sufficient with a touch of Southern cooking--morning grits and, one special day to the delight of many, biscuits with sausage and onion gravy!

Remembering Twenty-Five Years of Cwrs Cymraeg

Y Cwrs Arian, the Silver Course, celebrated twenty-five years of Welsh Language in North America. Wayne Harbert, with much help from Ruth and John Kudlaty, set up an exhibit to bring back memories of times past. With plenty of pictures (of John Otley when he had a full head of hair, for example, and groups coracling on the Charles River in Boston), a (nearly) complete set of course t-shirts, and two wooden chairs from earlier eisteddfodau. From Y Canolbarth in Pella, Iowa, to Y Mynydd Glas in Poultney, Vermont, and Cwrs Y Mileniwm last year in Carmarthen (in Hen Wlad), the course has evolved while remaining true to its mission. May the next twenty-five years inspire even more people to learn and love the language of heaven!

Nodir/Note: This article appeared in a slightly different form in the September 2001 issue of Y Drych.

Cwrs Cymraeg Report - 2002

Details: Written by: John Otley; Category: Cyffredinol - General; Published: 11 February 2011; Hits: 1680

Y Cwrs Ar Y Paith, 2002

As participants of Y Cwrs ar y Paith (The Course on the Prairie) arrived from all over the United States--and one from Canada--on a steamy July day, the course organizers, Pat McCaughey, Ruth Ann Hall, and Merrill Rees, gave us a warm Iowan welcome in a much cooler student center. This was Ruth's third time as an organizer, and she was busy rushing about, meeting everyone's needs all week. Many thanks to all the organizers and the Iowa Welsh Society for a superb Cwrs ar y Paith!

The 2002 week-long Cwrs Cymraeg (Welsh course), a time for intensive Welsh language and culture instruction as well as great community fun, began on Sunday, July 21. We stayed on the beautifully landscaped campus of Simpson College, a small liberal arts school set in Indianola, Iowa, just south of Des Moines. Several family groups attended the course this year, proving that learning Welsh can be a relatively happy affair. Roughly one-third of the group were first-timers who soon discovered what experienced cwrs attendees already knew: This was not going to be a relaxing vacation! But as our special veteran, Tom Reilly, put it: "This is my 25th year at Cwrs Cymraeg. Thank you for years of fun and learning among friends."

During the week, the main task for all was to learn to speak (and read) as much Welsh as possible. Classes ranged from the beginners' Level One to advanced, fluent Welsh speakers at Level 6. The integrated curriculum, developed recently by Emyr Davies of the Welsh Language Board, allows for an orderly progression from the basics of Welsh to more complex constructions and idioms of a living language. An additional Level 5+ provided a place for near Level-Sixers to stretch their language skills. The tutors--three from Wales, lead teacher Steve Morris, Eleri Hughes, and Marc Stonelake—and four from North America, Pawl Birt, Meredith Roberts, Hefina Phillips, and Kevin Rottet—jumped into the fray with enormous enthusiasm and energy. Each tutor not only taught morning and early afternoon classes; they also led workshops and attended evening events.

The late afternoon workshops covered a range of activities, from Eleri's folk dance lessons to reading sessions covering children's books for beginners and to current newspaper articles on Welsh topics (mostly tragic) and exquisite Welsh poetry (typically sorrowful) for more advanced students. Meredith orchestrated the music program, from directing the course choir to leading evening sing-alongs and rousing our early morning spirits with a few old favorites. Steve Morris presided over the course paper, always an anxiously awaited publication. This year's Papur Y Paith was the most technologically advanced version, filled with pictures but still containing the same interesting news stories, important messages, merry jokes, and amusing activities.

The post-lunch Dosbarthiadau ar y Cyd, or Plenary Sessions, were just as absorbing as lessons and workshops. We were treated to entertaining and informative lectures on topics of interest to Welsh learners: Ancient Celtic Religions, the Welsh Language in Patagonia, the Oral History of the Iowa Welsh, and Hearst's Other Castle (St. Donat's in Glamorgan). The lectures were both well-attended and well-received.

A change of activities, but not the pace, marked our evening events. The traditional Monday Twmpath Dawns, Welsh folk-dancing, is always a rollicking ice breaker. The pub night (more family-oriented than in the past), Welsh film, banquet, Course Eisteddfod, and Noson Lawen kept all of us busy.

This year's film was especially captivating. Eldra is the story based on the early life of Eldra Jarman, the last of the Welsh Gypsy harpists. In her later life, Eldra taught much of the Gypsy music to Welsh harpist, Robin Huw Bowen. Robin has just won the BAFTA award (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) for his music in the film.

Wednesday afternoon is traditionally reserved for a special field trip, and this year's gave us a particularly vivid sense of American/Welsh history. We piled into the bus and whizzed south past cornfields and rows of soybeans until we arrived at the tiny town of Lucas, Iowa (pop. 250). There, near the railroad tracks where trains still carry mounds of coal, is the remarkable museum dedicated to the great 20th century labor leader, John Llewellyn Lewis. Lewis was born in Lucas, a coal mining town that attracted many Welsh immigrants. We were treated to a fascinating talk by Ron Roberts, Ph.D., University of Northern Iowa, who was also born in Lucas. According to Professor Roberts, Lewis was a complicated man who was both loved and hated during his time, but he spent his life working for the rights and needs of oppressed workers. After we enjoyed the museum and talk, we explored the main street of Lucas and finally were refreshed with a most satisfying down-home dinner, hosted by the local members of the John L. Lewis Commission.

During the week, the board of directors met daily for their annual general meeting. During board elections, Ada Mae Lewis, Karen Evans, and Ginny Grove were re-elected for another three-year term. New board members are Sarah Stevenson and Andrew Welsh. Ada Mae Lewis will continue as president, and Jenny Hubbard Young was elected to the position of vice president. Karen Evans remains as treasurer and Norah Hogoboom as secretary.

Friday evening's banquet turned out to be a particularly special occasion; besides the socializing and good eating, as a group we celebrated course veteran Tom Reilly's 25th Cwrs Cymraeg. On behalf of Cymdeithas Madog, Jenny Hubbard Young presented Tom an elegant commemorative slate plaque and a memory book of photos and letters, as well as heartfelt congratulations. Our guest speaker at the banquet was Ellis Jones (a former Cwrs Cymraeg participant), Executive Director of the Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association (WNGGA), an association that has long supported the efforts of Cymdeithas Madog.

At the banquet, Scholarship Chair Wayne Morrissey also announced the thirteen recipients of scholarships for the course—more than ever before. This year, a special award made possible by Hefina Phillips, Cwrs Cymraeg tutor and supporter, when she endowed the Welsh Heritage Scholarship in honor of her grandchildren. All of these scholarships could not be realized without the continued generosity of the Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association (WNGGA), the Welsh National American Foundation (WNAF), and Cymdeithas Madog itself. We thank them all!

After the banquet was the Eisteddfod, where the tutors awarded prizes for three different levels of written competition. The winner of the advanced-level competition, Cheryl Mitchell, received the small-scale hand-carved Eisteddfod chair to keep for the year. It was truly a night of celebration and hwyl.

We had even more hwyl at Saturday night's Noson Lawen, which was a wonderful evening of entertainment to round out the week of learning and fun. Punctuated by jokes from emcee Steve Morris, the audience was treated to skits by fellow classmates, a folk dance act, musical interludes, and a special song written and performed by first-time course attendee Luke Smith. A performance of two songs by the course choir brought the memorable evening to a close.

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