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Written by: John Otley

Category: Cyffredinol - General

Published: 14 February 2011

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Cwrs Cymraeg Y Llynnoedd Mawr, 2003

Sponsored by Cymdeithas Madog, the 2003 week-long Cwrs Cymraeg (Welsh course) was primarily a time for all the participants to learn the Welsh language, but we had plenty of cultural instruction as well as community fun. This year's course, Cwrs Y Llynnoedd Mawr (The Great Lakes Course), at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, was organized, coordinated, and guided to a great success primarily by one lone Wisconsin ranger, Dick Myers. With help from Leigha Schatzman, Dick planned an exceptionally fine week with perfect weather and extraordinary views of the Great Lake Michigan. For his hospitality, apparent imperturbability, and energetic warmth, we all thank Dick, and Leigha for her behind-the-scenes role!

The course had an unusually early start on Sunday, July 20, with a grand celebration of Welsh music. At Carthage College's Chapel, a lovely carillon concert of Welsh hymns was followed by a Gymanfa Ganu (a Welsh singing festival) in conjunction with the Welsh Gymanfa Ganu Association of Wisconsin. The carilloneur and organist for the Gymanfa was Steve Jensen of Milwaukee, Rev. Joseph Corbin of Reedsburg, Wisconsin, directed the Gymanfa, and Mary Jane Jones Smyth was the soloist. Joe Corbin, Mary Jane Jones Smyth, and Mary Davis, president of the Wisconsin GGA, were all students on the course. Many other course participants arrived early to join in the singing and welcome from the Wisconsin group.

Another unusual aspect of the course was the course t-shirt design. The t-shirt is a course tradition, and returning participants bring their shirts from past courses, wearing them with pride during the week. Naturally, each design is special, but Leigha Schatzman was instrumental in having an associate of Harley-Davidson design the shirt. The flare of Y Ddraig Goch (Red Dragon) was dramatically rendered for the course held in Harley-Davidson land!

Who were we, the people who gathered to spend a week living in college dormitories and eating cafeteria fare? North Americans of all sorts, old and young, family groups, from every region of the United States and Canada as well, beginning learners to fluent speakers, newcomers and returnees happy to greet old friends, but all sharing a fascination with all (or most) things Welsh.

Participants arrived at Carthage College passing by fields of both cabbage and corn rather than the more numerous cornfields of last year's Iowa venue. But once at the school, we could walk along the shores of Lake Michigan. On the first evening, after the chapel music and dinner, we gathered for a welcoming reception hosted by the Saint David’s Society of Racine and Vicinity. As we mingled and greeted one another, the lead tutor, Mark Stonelake, introduced all the tutors, and Ada Mae Lewis, president of the Cymdeithas Madog Board, introduced the board members. The evening ended with a natural Welsh event, communal singing led by tutor Meredith Roberts.

Several participants received full or partial scholarships thanks to the generosity of organizations such as the Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association (WNGGA), the National Welsh American Foundation (NWAF), and a number of local Saint David’s Societies (the Racine Society provided scholarships for six students this year). Cymdeithas Madog also awards scholarships from its Endowment Fund, and private individuals provide support as well; for example, this year Canadian student Stephan Charbonneau received the Ysgoloriaeth Y Ddeilen Goch (the Red Leaf) scholarship, which was offered by Pawl Birt, former President of Cymdeithas Madog and Professor of Celtic Studies at the University of Ottawa, Canada.

During the week, the main task for all of us was to learn to pronounce, speak, and read as much Welsh as possible. Classes ranged from two Level 1 groups for the beginners to advanced and fluent Welsh speakers at Level 6. The integrated curriculum allows for an orderly progression from the basics of Welsh to more complex constructions and idioms of a living language. Our most excellent tutors--three from Wales: lead tutor Mark Stonelake, Eleri Hughes, and Robin Campbell, and five from North America: Meredith Roberts, Hefina Phillips, Marta Diaz, Kara Lewis, 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.

To help the learners along, the course also invites a bookseller to attend and sell Welsh dictionaries, learners' kits, literature, accessories, etc. This year, David Lloyd and his wife of Y Ddraig Goch came from Sacramento, California to provide these services for the participants.

So what did we do when we weren't absorbed with learning the language? Lots of things. One is never bored at Cwrs Cymraeg! During the post- lunch Dosbarthiadau ar y Cyd, or Plenary Sessions, we gathered to hear lectures on tracing Welsh ancestry by Charlotte Olsen from the Mormon family history library; the genius of architect Frank Lloyd Wright with Craig Jacobsen from Taliesin; medieval architecture in Wales with Barbara Stinson; and the work of the great Welsh-American composer, Dr. Joseph Parry, with Welsh scholar, Dr. Dulais Rhys. All interesting topics to enrich our understanding of the contributions of the Welsh and Welsh culture.

The late afternoon workshops followed the afternoon classes and offered a change from the classroom attention. We could choose Robin Campbell’s folk singing group, reading sessions for beginners and more advanced students, or even linguistics lessons with Marta Diaz. Meredith Roberts orchestrated the music program, directing the course choir (with devoted members and wonderful singers), leading evening sing-alongs, and rousing our early morning spirits with a few old favorites. Mark Stonelake presided over the course paper, always an eagerly anticipated publication. This year's course paper, Llais Y Llyn (The Voice of the Lake), was another afternoon (and evening and late night) activity.

For Wednesday afternoon's traditional field trip, we toured the famous and stunning Johnson Wax Headquarters designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Afterwards, we spent time visiting the museums, cat walk (oddly and colorfully imagined statues of cats throughout downtown), and bookstores in Racine. Finally, we picnicked on the grassy Racine harbor and watched the sailboats tacking right and left and busy birds swooping about looking for their dinner. A few of the Welsh tutors even joined in a rather bizarre form of American football/rugby.

Another 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 Quiz night is another popular attraction. This year we also saw the fascinating BBC production of "The Story of Welsh" as well as a poignantly imagistic and sad Welsh film, Un Nos Ola Leuad (One Moonlit Night). Finally we enjoyed the traditional banquet, entered the Course Eisteddfod, and engaged in the uproarious antics and superb music and storytelling of the final night's Noson Lawen or "Merry Evening."

The Course Eisteddfod is a very special event for Cwrs Cymraeg. It is a peculiarly Welsh celebration of literature and culture in which competitors submit their writing in Welsh. For our Eisteddfod, three competitions are held, one for the lower levels (a postcard), one for middle level learners (a journal), and one for the more advanced students. This year, the theme for the highest level competitors was shipwrecks--an appropriate topic given the many famous shipwrecks that have occurred off the coasts of Wales and on the Great Lakes. The tutors played the solemn role of the Druidic adjudicators and announced the winners: Betty Cullingworth, Bill Roberts, and Kathleen Whitt who was chaired as she received the druidic blessing and the small-scale, hand carved Eisteddfod chair to keep until next year’s competition. Congratulations to all the Eisteddfod winners, and cheers for the many entrants!

We had even more hwyl (fun) at Saturday night's Noson Lawen, which was a wonderful evening of entertainment to round out the week of learning and fun. Punctuated by some very bad jokes from emcee Mark Stonelake, the audience was treated to skits by fellow classmates, an Arthurian folk story, a conceptual lesson on the distance between the solar system's planets (in English and Welsh), a crazy Cinderella story by bookshop keeper, David Lloyd, lovely musical interludes, folk songs, and the performance of two songs by the course choir.

During the week, the Board of Directors found time (during meals) to meet daily for their annual general meeting. During board elections, Norah Hogoboom, Sam Little, and Sarah Campbell were re-elected for three-year terms. We welcome our new board member, Kara Lewis, who also taught the Level 6 class. Our congratulations to our newly elected officers: Jenny Hubbard Young, president; Sam Little, vice president; Ginny Grove, secretary; and Wayne Morrissey, treasurer. We especially want to thank retiring president, Ada Mae Lewis, for all her hard work for and dedication to Cymdeithas Madog.

The week flies by, and, too soon, we say farewell until next year. Kenosha was a gracious host city and even published a fine article by Jessica Hansen about our activities in The Kenosha News.

As for next year, planning has already begun for the course to be held in the lovely city of Ottawa, Ontario. Please join us there for another rich and exhilarating adventure of Wales in North America.

Thanks to Wayne Morrissey, Dick Myers, Sarah Stevenson, Andrew Welsh, and Jenny Hubbard Young for their reviews of this story.

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Written by: John Otley

Category: Cyffredinol - General

Published: 14 February 2011

Hits: 1376

Cwrs Cymraeg Y Ddeilen Goch, 2004

The annual Cwrs Cymraeg, sponsored by Cymdeithas Madog and appropriately titled "Cwrs y Ddeilen Goch" (The Red Leaf course), was held at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, July 18­25, 2004. Pawl Birt, a well-known teacher from previous courses, was Chair of the Local Committee. Other members were Glenson Jones, Stephan Charbonneau , David Roberts, and Jean Howard. Pawl's experience showed, as the week seemed to flow along with perfect organization by these and other skilled professionals behind the scenes. Stephan Charbonneau designed an impressive green t-shirt for the course, incorporating Y Ddraig Goch and a Maple Leaf.

All 57 course attendees were brought together by their desire to learn or improve their Welsh, and in some cases, they did so with other family members! Significantly we had some 9 different family groups participating this year. But, in addition to our band of learners, the campus was host to several groups during the week, most notably a military ceremonial guard in red uniform coats and tall beaver hats often seen in marching formation in the early morning hours. Course participants were surprised at other times by their marching music, bagpipe playing, and kilts. What a delight to exit the cafeteria from lunch to the tune of John Phillip Sousa's "Liberty Bell March," probably better known as the theme from Monty Python! Young students from Japan and Mexico and a team of kayakers added to the diverse makeup of the campus during the week.

The course began with a reception, graciously hosted by the Ottawa Welsh Society. The participants were introduced to their teachers, including lead teacher Mark Stonelake from Abertawe, a veteran of previous cyrsiau and lead teacher for the second year running. Also from Wales were Siân Thomas and Robin Campbell. Familiar teachers from North America were Meredith Roberts, Kara Lewis, Kevin Rottet, and Hefina Phillips.

Welsh classes were held every morning Monday through Saturday, followed by an afternoon session, except on Wednesday, when participants were taking in the sights, fresh air, and sunshine of Ottawa, and on Saturday, when last minute plans for the noson lawen were foremost in the mind.

It was busy enough during the week with language classes and preparations, but there was still more! Before afternoon classes, we had a treat , with four interesting and informative lectures given by local experts, invited as guest speakers: Mark Abley on the battle to save minority languages, David Roberts on his job as an interpreter for the Canadian parliament, Pawl Birt on saints of Wales, and Charles Fisher on growing up with Dylan Thomas in Swansea. These plenary sessions stimulated lively discussions about language, Wales, and politics. The excellent speakers brought a broader focus to our week, reminding us that language and culture are inseparable.

At the end of the afternoons, students had their pick of workshops: Welsh literature, Welsh folk songs, Welsh folktales, two levels of reading groups (beginner and advanced), and the always entertaining course paper, which was distributed on Saturday much to everyone's delight. The teachers not only motivated and encouraged the participants in learning Welsh, but taught these workshops, held nightly study hall, and attended all the evening events. Rather than fading into the sunset after such a busy day, they were often the most spirited at the singalongs, where teacher Meredith’s song-leading and ever-present smile kept us all going.

Evening activities gave everyone an opportunity to get away from his or her studies and enjoy a variety of events: dancing at the twmpath dawns led by Robin Campbell; a quiz led by Quizmaster Siân Thomas with Welsh prizes; a Welsh movie (subtitled).A special movie, Dal: Yma/Nawr, was also shown, highlighting the centuries of Welsh poetry read by well-known Welsh personalities, including Ioan Gruffudd at the beach in Los Angeles and some of the poets themselves. The poetry was juxtaposed with scenes of the Eisteddfod in Ty Ddewi (St. David's), and for poetry lovers, the words were beautiful. Of course, no evening activity was ever complete until after the singing of Welsh songs and hymns!

A Friday evening eisteddfod celebrated the achievements of beginning, intermediate and advanced Welsh learners, with Sarah Stevenson winning the chair for her short story on the subject "Cymdogion" (neighbors), entitled "Chwedl Ddau Gymydog" (A Tale of Two Neighbors). Sarah will keep the beautifully carved and engraved wooden chair with her until next year, when it will be given to a new winner.

A wonderful banquet complete with Penillion singers, a local Ottawa group called Cantorion Cerdd Dant, preceded our last evening of skits, jokes, music and laughter, the noson lawen. It is always amazing how creative the groups can be . . . and the laughs never quit. There were a number of requests for the words to the "Sound of Cymraeg" song, which will teach us once and for all how to say YES and NO! The final event of the noson lawen was the heavenly sound of the cwrs choir.

Of special note were the participants who were helped by scholarship support to attend Cwrs Cymraeg 2004. In all, fifteen students of Welsh received full or partial scholarships to Cwrs y Ddeilen Goch. Generous grants from the National Welsh American Foundation (NWAF) and the Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association (WNGGA) funded many of those scholarships, and others were endowed by local Welsh societies—the Ottawa Welsh Society, the Welsh American Society of Northern California, and the Saint David's Welsh Society of Georgia. Cymdeithas Madog's own Scholarship Endowment Fund, contributions from other Welsh societies such as the Saint David's Society of Racine and Vicinity, and individual contributors supplemented the financial aid. By bringing to Ottawa many bright students who otherwise might not have been able to attend the course, the generosity of those Welsh organizations and individuals enriched the course for everyone who was there, and they earn the warm thanks of all. Diolch o galon!

It was a great week: beautiful city, pleasant campus, wonderful weather, dedicated teachers, informative lectures, entertainment, and a celebration of “all things Welsh." Our deepest thanks to all who helped make it possible.

Next year's Cwrs Cymraeg is planned for July 17­-24 in Rio Grande, Ohio, at the University of Rio Grande and the Madog Center for Welsh Studies.

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Written by: John Otley

Category: Cyffredinol - General

Published: 15 February 2011

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Cwrs Cymraeg yr Afon Fawr, 2005

This past July 17-24, the annual Cymdeithas Madog Welsh course was held at the University of Rio Grande in Rio Grande, a small town with a large Welsh influence and a very Spanish name located near the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio. As always, the week was packed with Welsh learning and activities. Cwrs Cymraeg yr Afon Fawr (the Rio Grande Welsh Course or the Big River Welsh Course) was hosted by the Madog Center for Welsh Studies at the University of Rio Grande and the Cardigan Club. Jeanne Jindra, president of the Cardigan Club, and Dr. Tim Jilg, director of the Madog Center, were most gracious as the local organizers, and we owe them a big thank you-Diolch yn fawr, Tim and Jeanne!

What happens during the week at Cwrs Cymraeg? To put it simply, lots of learning and fun. The course officially starts with a reception given by the local organizers on the first Sunday evening. With nearly 70 students, young and old (though young at heart), from all over North America, our old friends greet one another and meet the wide-eyed newbies. Here we meet the board of directors, who oversee the scope and details of the course, as well as the tutors, all fluent Welsh speakers and patient teachers.

The daily routine begins early Monday morning with a plenary session led by the three lead tutors (Kevin Rottet, Meredith Roberts Rehbach, and Marta Diaz). We receive announcements, instructions about the day's or week's events, a Welsh song or two, and the daily Welsh proverb such as "Gorau cam, cam cyntaf " ("The best step is the first step").

On to our classes in which we study the Welsh Language. We had seven levels this year from beginners to fluent speakers; the beginners' class was by far the largest and only such an experienced and dedicated tutor as Meredith Roberts Rehbach could have managed to bring everyone along making great strides during one short week. As one student put it, Meredith kept everyone "active and involved." We had two new tutors on the course this year: Annette Evans from Toronto and Winston Evans from Chicago, both of whom are recent arrivals to North America from Wales. Students again appreciated the skill, enthusiasm, and humor all the tutors bring to the classes.

The classes met in the morning and afternoon with a break for lunch and a midday plenary session. These sessions are an interesting mix of speakers and performers on a variety of Welsh-related topics. For example, Welsh poets were extolled. In conjunction with his photographic exhibit on display in the Greer Museum on campus, Rev. Gregory Griffith spoke of the "The Poetry of R.S. Thomas and the Landscape of Wales." In addition, highly acclaimed Welsh poet, Menna Elfyn, was beamed into our auditorium in a video conference straight from Trinity College Carmarthen in Wales where she teaches creative writing. She spoke about her latest work, Perffaith Nam (Perfect Blemish), which explores imperfection in search for completion and answered questions from the audience. All very high-tech, and we have board member and tutor Kara Lewis to thank for arranging the event.

After the afternoon class, students can attend special workshops offered by the tutors. The topics vary but include reading Welsh, learning about contemporary Welsh music, and working on the Course Newspaper.

On Wednesday, we have a special tour of the setting of the course; in this case, the land where many Welsh immigrants chose to settle. This year we had a bus ride through the Welsh Scenic Byway, stopping at the Welsh American Heritage Museum in Oak Hill, Ohio, where Docent Mildred Bangert showed us the collection of Welsh books, bibles, photographs, clothing, etc. We moved on the Tyn Rhos Church where spontaneous singing broke out among the group. The tour ended with supper served at the home of our guide, Dr. Bill Thomas who is a descendent of John Jones Tyn Rhos, one of the many Welsh immigrants who settled in this area.

The evening activities are always great fun. On the first night we dance at the Twmpath; then we stir competitive emotions at Quiz night. Thursday evening we watch a Welsh film, and on Friday, the Eisteddfod, an odd mix of the sublime and the ridiculous in which we celebrate our own great poets and writers. Winners this year were Betty Belanus (beginners' level), Bill Roberts (intermediate level), and Rebecca Redmile (fluent level). Saturday, we have yet another class, a banquet commemorating the week, and finally the Noson Lawen-a joyous medley of laughter and performance with class skits, singing, a science lesson, the lively and lovely sounds of the dulcimer, ending with the superb Cwrs Choir singing "Dim Ond Gair" and "Clychau Aberdyfi," directed by Meredith Roberts Rehbach.

Sunday is a time for goodbyes. Some of us attend the nondenominational church service, a quiet time of worship and song led by Meredith. When we leave, we are all exhausted yet exhilarated by the adventure.

Remember:"Gorau cam, cam cyntaf" for learning Welsh, so come to Cwrs Y Cwm Canol (The Central Valley Course), Cymdeithas Madog's all Welsh all week, next July 16-23 at the University of the Pacific's beautiful campus in Stockton California.