And so it begins

Well, today is the first day - or at least the first half day - of the Wlpan course at Aberystwyth. It's probably best to provide a little bit of information to you, dear non-existent reader, before I begin in ernest.

Who are you?

OK, no specifics as I know full well that blogs can come back and bite you on the arse. Imagination is always better than reality anyway.

What's an Wlpan?

Wlpan is an intensive way of learning (from the Hebrew apparently). In this case it refers to the Wlpan Awst Welsh Course held at Aberystwyth. You say it: ul-pan.

Why both blogging it?

I guess because I'm going. Yep. Heddiw (today). And when I first found out I was going I tried to find out information, experiences, anything, from the web.

Dim (nothing).

Info on the Wlpan Awst course is pretty lacking so here I am, adding content - this makes me cutting edge according to my mum.

You're learning Welsh? Isn't it dead/spoken by 5 people in a hovel near Blaenau Ffestiniog?

Despite the misheld beliefs of those living on the wrong side of the border Welsh is alive and well. Vibrant you might say. It's pretty fair to say that Welsh would be a useful skill to have but more than that, I want to be able to interact more fully with pobl Cymraeg (Welsh-speaking people).

I am not learning after hearing it spoken in Big Brother. Although I probably will make bad BB jokes.

Which brings me on to another point. Welsh rocks if only for one reason - Cymraeg/Cymreig. Welsh separates the difference between a Welsh person (ie. me) and a Welsh-speaker (ie. not me). Yes you can be Cymraeg but not Cymreig and Cymreig but not Cymraeg.