Portland/Vancouver Welsh meet-up,running and the beard says Da Bo!!

After four weeks of Welsh study and continual increases of grey cell tickling, a milestone has been reached for myself and the Portland/Vancouver area. A group dedicated to speaking and learning the Welsh language has met for the first time, with a goal of expanding these delights to the surrounding communities in hopes of attracting a larger gathering. On Saturday, 25 January, the three of us met up at a NE Portland coffee house and devised a plan to secure future events and meetings. We talked about plans for flyers,Welsh language conversation and a general get to know each other experience.

Hopes are that we will have six to eight folks attending by spring and a good base to get things moving. Many thanks to Jeff and Emily for their efforts and participation. The next meet up is going to be at 6:30 PM at the McMenamins Kennedy School on Monday, 3 February.If anyone is interested in meeting up next time or in the future, the link here takes you to the Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/202761366596727/

 

In addition to this new group, there are so many resources out there for learning as well. Especially valuable is the Say Something in Welsh forum online. Here is the link:

http://www.saysomethingin.com/welsh/index.php 

After the meeting , I moved on to Lesson 5 in the series to gain more insight into this fascinating and delightful language. As I'm taking the South Wales course, there are a few differences between them.

More on that later. For now though, I will be tackling this slightly differently than before. My short term memory is not the best. So Jeff recommended listening to ALL the lessons in the first course and hen going back to listen more intently. As a perfectionist, I need to get over the fact that I won't remember every word 100% and need to move on. And that;s what I shall do! On to lessons forward!

Besides Welsh, running has been most on my mind and legs. For the first time in almost a year, I have run 20+ miles three weeks in a row! The year 2013 was a dismal year for me as far as running is concerned. I mean with speed and distances as both lacked the power and quality of the year before due to sciatica and arthritis. Fortunately, both have been more manageable the last month and 2014 is shaping up to be better. So I will be working on mileage,speed,hill work and home stretching and exercises. I want to lose 15 lbs and also be able to compete in my age group of 45-49. First race is the Ft Vancouver 15K race in March. This is a pic from last year and I hope to only be a fraction as successful!!

Lastly, the beard has been sent packing. It simply is not me for now and I shaved it off last Thursday, preparing myself for the racing season and future running events.With our beautiful weather lately and the sun shining, the beard was not an accoutrement I wanted to continue with. Yes, some were sad it went away. But they will see it again next October 1st as I grow it back for a winter add-on.

Until next time....

Hywl fawr!!!

Learners block and moving on.

                                                                     Learning can prove such a challenge sometimes. I'm certainly not alone in this as we ALL get stuck as we journey the path of knowledge. This last week I have fallen into such a wee hole as lesson three of "Say something in Welsh" proved to be a bit tougher for me. Not that the words or grammar are proving difficult ,as they are simply that: words.
It has been my concentration level as well as a schedule that took my attention away from learning.
So the lesson has proved to be a bit tougher for me. I'm through the first half of it now and can form Welsh sentences in the present and the future,even with a few mutations. This is a good thing.
Now to get past the second half of the lesson and move on to lesson four. If I cannot get them down, I'll try again tomorrow. Sometimes a fresh outlook and new day will be all that is needed.

                                           A fresh brain is a grand thing!!! I love this logo for Fresh Brain. Add the Welsh below these words and one can learn anything desired!!!










When it comes to time management and learning, I have plenty to consider. No matter where I go, these lessons are with me on my phone, tablet and ipod Touch. So no excuses there. How my brain digests them and processes the lessons is a whole different matter altogether. Running is still the best way for me to learn the speaking part. The written and reading part is necessary for me too as I'm very much a visual type and need to see the words themselves and how they are spelled and look in order for my brain to wrap around the language. I wish we had a local chat and learners group for Welsh.  I saw a sign like this online:

   Imagine seeing a sign like this for English here in our America? Not a chance as it would be seen as racist and bigoted. But in Wales, these types of signs are all over,encouraging all to learn the local language and maintain the rich history of the country. Well, I figured I would start my own Portland/Vancouver are Welsh learners group and see if something can be done for local practice. As of now, only a few of us are members but if you are interested in joining up and meeting for real Welsh discussion and learning,please add yourself to our group!! Here is the link:

tps://www.facebook.com/groups/202761366596727/

In addition to Welsh studies,this past week also saw my running totals get back to 20 miles per week (with a goal of 30 by spring) and the weather being delightful.Ran with the What run and Vancouver Marathon group on Wednesday night and then the Clark County Running Club run yesterday morning, at Klineline Park and the Salmon Creek trail.

As always, we had a great time and a fine run as well!!  Many thanks to Energy Events!!!

                                                                      And finally, on the beard front: Day 61 now of the face fur and what a journey it has been. I was so very close to shaving it off two days ago but ,fortunately, was convinced that it looked ok and needed to stay longer. So after much consideration I decided to keep it and see where things go. This photo here,taken at Powell's Books in the isles, is of the beard at day 60. Looks decent I think and better with the clothing choice.

Now to move on this Sunday to more study and some football as well!! One can hope that I succeed in lesson three and that the Seahawks defeat the 49'ers to advance to the Super Bowl!!


   

GO SEAHAWKS!!!!

Dw i'n gallu siarad Cymraeg!!!

                                                               After making it through lesson two of Say something in Welsh, I can finally say with confidence that " Dw i'n gallu siarad Cymraeg!!!". Being able to construct sentences is the basic foundation of any language and these first two lessons have a ton packed into them. I shall continue listening to and working on this lesson through the weekend before tackling lesson three.

                                                                 Now on to what is day fifty of the beard. As mentioned before, I've never grown one past 26 days and now have about doubled it.After a small survey on Facebook and from friends,the girls and others, I think I shall keep it until a minimum of  Super Bowl Sunday. I really enjoy having it as well as the anonymity of not being recognized when I go out into public. Considering I was forbidden to grow one most of my adult life, I consider this a freedom I didn't have before. It makes me feel free in being able to have a choice of whether I want to or not.
The process is natural for men but new for me in this 47th year. The progression has been fun!

 This was on day one.

OMG do I look baby faced.

 To the right is day seven. Came in a little white at first but darkened later.


 Then day number seventeen next, the photograph below, at my writing desk. Getting darker and filling out a bit.

  

Next up is day number 23. As you can see, I prefer flat caps, especially in darker browns.

 

Then a photo at Powell's Books in the travel section. This is day 39.

                    And finally, day number 46. This is a fine shot that I found to be among the best so far.

                 So, there it is. I'm now on day fifty and enjoying the beard experiment. Not sure if I will keep it after winter but at least I know I can grow it and decently. Now to maintain it.

Short term memory and Lesson One.

                                                                           Memory always seems to fade back some as we get older, as we all already know. Mine is no exception and as I approach the half century mark, I find my short term memory to be the worse of the two options. Once I learn something or remember it, usually it sticks for a long time. Getting it IN THE BRAIN is the more difficult part and one I work on every day. With Welsh,there is no difference. So, that being said, the task at hand was Lesson 1 of Say Something in Welsh.

The first encounter with this method of learning a language was with German and French many years ago,primarily with the Pimsleur way of doing things. It never appealed to me though as I really did much better with books and spoken conversation,etc. Now though, things have changed. I find that even though having the books and using them to be very valuable, this language needs to be listened to intently and with a different set of ears than I had before. So I did exactly what the speaker/instructor said in Lesson 1 and didn't look at the notes or written language until I'd listened a few times or when I needed to clarify my pronunciation. This has proved to be a valuable tip and one that is teaching me Welsh better than with just books.

The first lesson crammed a LOT of words into a short half hour. With twelve very useful words and a small amount of building blocks, this method allows the student to learn how to construct sentences and not to simply memorize tourist phrases to get by. And I shall be the first to admit, it has been listened to repeatedly by these ears a LOT over the last five days. At least twice a day since that first hearing. As mentioned, I need a real dowsing of instruction to get it through my thick skull before it sinks in.

Now,though, I have finally been able to remember a good 90% of the words in lesson one and to make up sentences using them. Words that will enable me to move on to lesson two in hopes of adding to it. Words and verbs such as Trio, siarad, gwneud, rhywbeth, moyn, mynd as well as the very necessary Dw i'n... and Dw i ddim yn.... These are essential and it makes me happy to have finally remembered them. My concentration levels are nothing like they were as a younger man though. So, I find that listening while I RUN is a grand and very fine way of learning Welsh. Experimenting with this method as well as trying to listen at home in a quiet room or noisy coffee shoppe tells me it is the optimum way to achieve this. I simply have a difficult time with languages now compared to my younger days. So I adjust,like we all do. :-)

Lesson 1 is in the books for me now. I shall move on to lesson 2 and go back to the first when I need to refresh the brain: which means once a week. As these are half hour lessons, they can be knocked out a few times a day and eventually the sub-conscious picks up enough to make the rest hang on. In the meantime, I listen to BBC Cymru and also some Welsh videos on YouTube.

My Welsh journey begins.

                        
                                            The new year has arrived!! And, as mentioned in the last blog post, my concentration now lies in two areas for this year. Sounds like I'm really limiting myself on what I study or do but these are the primary subjects on my agenda. Welsh and running. Sometimes together, as I have been introduced to a program that seems to work better with my wee brain. It is called Say something in Welsh and boasts a large number of users online.

https://site.saysomethingin.com/communities/welsh-for-english-speakers/pages/home-cyen

                                              Now, it is not to say that books and audio,video and other media don't work. They do,in smaller doses. But the way this is presented....wow. It was easier for my sub-conscious to grasp it and retain. I don't have the best short term memory and this might help.
Another series I like is produced by Jason Shepherd and is called Learn Welsh Podcast. This is also installed on all of my devices and accessible at all times. This makes immersion a bit easier in a part of the world with no Welsh groups or local places to share and chat/learn. Still looking into that though as I'm sure SOMEWHERE in the Portland area there has to be a group or a few folks that speak welsh and would love to practice. Otherwise,it is online for now.
                                                I was going to use Skype for language lessons and practice but,before signing up,found out today there was a massive hacking breach. This makes me very cautious when using online audio services now. Looking into other audio options. In the meantime, the audio from Say something in Welsh will be my companion when driving,running and while at home. Add to the the BBC's Welsh radio broadcasts and I have enough for the ears to get adjusted.
                       
                                                  http://www.bbc.co.uk/cymru/

                                          
                                                      (LOVE that station emblem! )

                               
                                            With the two stations that the BBC airs, I have something useful to study with in addition to vocabulary and grammar. Wales also has a TV station,although watching it here in the states is all but impossible. I have ways to do it but the quality is poor. The station can be found here:                    http://www.s4c.co.uk/hafan/c_index.shtml

So, there are some ways I shall be aiding my study of Welsh. Since 30 December, I have been on Lesson 1 of the SSIW audio program and learned five new verbs and ways to construct quite a few sentences easily.This is really how the brain works as opposed to memorizing lines as a tourist

This is day 2 of a 365 day study program. Wish me luck as I travel the path of Welsh!!!

Oh, an in addition to the language, I shall be reading everything Welsh I can get my hands on,including my ancestors histories,dates,locations and all that pertains to the family tree.

As mentioned above, running will also be my other area of concentration. The last six months have been tough in this area and I'm back on the road to speeding up and getting out for more miles. My goal is to run 25-30 miles a week minimum and stay injury free. Yesterday, I started the year off right with the Clark County Running Club's Hangover 5K race and really enjoyed it. Over 250 people ran and I was able to achieve my goal of a sub 7:40/mi pace, clocking in at 23:01 for a 7:26. I placed 28th in total runners and tied for third in my age group. Feeling rather good about the new start to the year!! Now to make sure I get out every other day for a run,no matter whether a mile of ten. Running every day or multiple days in a row does not work for me and this body so the plan of every other puts me on the road four days a week. Hoping I will race better this spring!! Looking forward to the Vancouver Marathon half most of all as we race it for the fourth year in a row!!