Skype connection with Window on America center in Vinnytsa

At 13.00 a Skype connection with the Vinnitsa WOA was planned ( director Yulia Kashparuk). Technically connection was perfect.  WOA  visitors introduced themselves  to each other and exchanged thanksgiving greetings. The Vinnitsa group included American volunteers and ESC activists. They told us about the tourist attractions of Vinnitsa, their hobbies, we exchanged  jokes and ideas about future contacts.
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Thanksgiving Day

At 14.00   started the Thanksgiving slide show. It was prepared and presented by the English Language lecturer Tamara Gavryluk.  In the presentation she focused on  certain historical aspects of the celebration and curious facts: how the  Pilgrims reached the American continent on the ship “Mayflower”(miniature model was displayed). It was  interesting to learn about American hereditary Mayflower Society which unites all the descendants of the first settlers. 

The participants of the club read a classical Felicia Hemans’s poem «The Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers» and the texts of the grace prayers.

The historic details of the First Thanksgiving Dinner were depicted on several  pictures of the classical artists. It turned out that at the first Thanksgiving Indians were among the guests of the Pilgrims. So it was logical to initiate a competition – who will make the best Indian head gear with real feathers. The Atlas of American Indians helped the participants to decide about the meanings of the different shapes and colors of feathers. The winner was Kyril Galaburda. 
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Tamara Gavrylyuk  presented the outfit of the lady Pilgrim. On the photos one can see the active efforts of the English Speaking Club members to reproduce the atmosphere of the First Thanksgiving dinner.

In the second part of the function the English Speaking Club members refreshed in the memory the traditional  ceremony of Thanksgiving celebration. They  recollected the names of food staffs for  dinner and tried the following refreshments: baked turkey meat with cranberry sauce, pumpkin pies, seafood, red devil boiled eggs, green peas, corn, beet, seasonal fruits.

Katerina Ivchenko presented her version of a song “Only you”.
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The participants highly appreciated the efforts of the Window on America center Head - Svitlana Usenko. She created the scenario, managed the preparation and guided the running of the most successful event of this year so far.
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Movie Club

The students of the National Mining University of Ukraine together with their teacher Olesya Cherkaschenko visited the center.

They saw slide show dedicated to the Window on America history and  its job activities. After they saw movie and discussed it.   

The students received advertising materials.

English Speaking club - World Television Day

The meeting was dedicated to International Day of Television and International Day of Philosophy. The topic was “A philosophical view on television”.

At first there was an introduction as always to get acquainted with new club-members.

Then watched a slide-show prepared by Svitlana Kolesnykova. The presentation showed the history of inventing television, told about the people, whose inventions gave a way of television towards people. 

The questions were discussed: What are the advantages and disadvantages of television? Does television prevent people from communicating in the family? Which of two will win: Television or Internet?

Club-members learnt new information about the history of Television, determined the role of television in their life.

In March 1998 the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21 November as World Television Day commemorating the date on which the first World Television Forum was held in 1996.

Since inception in the U.S. in 1940, TV commercials have become one of the most effective, persuasive, and popular method of selling products of many sorts, especially consumer goods. During the 1940s and into the 1950s, programs were hosted by single advertisers. This, in turn, gave great creative license to the advertisers over the content of the show.
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English Speaking club - Gone with the Wind

The meeting was dedicated to the birthday of Margaret Mitchell, an American writer (1900-1949). She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 for her epic novel Gone with the Wind.

The club-members watched a slide-show dedicated to the writer, they learnt heroes of the novel, read some quotes of them.

The people who read this novel shared their impressions with each another. We discussed the characters of Scarlett O’Hara and other heroes, discussed the war in this novel and its influence on the actions of the heroes, and the role of the woman in the novel.

We discussed the quotes of the heroes of the novel Gone with the Wind.

The book-exhibit to the 175-anniversary of Mark Twain

The book-exhibit was presented dedicated to the 175-anniversary of American writer, humorist, writer of political essays, founder of critical realism direction in American Literature Mark Twain.

English Speaking club - American Education System

This meeting was prepared and held by a volunteer of our center Yekateryna Ivchenko.

The main task of the meeting was to give more information on educational system of the USA and to show the opportunities to get high education there.

The club-members read the text and watched a few videos on YouTube. They learnt that American educational system has difficult problems. These problems were compared with ones in Ukraine, a lot of common things were found. Children know mathematics and geography badly, they read little, teachers are complaining of their little salaries, students – of the high fee.

The club-members told what kind of a profession they wanted to get in their childhood and what education they have now.

It was interesting to discuss the quotes of famous people of the past and modern times. Many people liked the words of John F. Kennedy and Nelson Mandela.

John F. Kennedy: The goal of education is the advancement of knowledge and the dissemination of truth.

Nelson Mandela: Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

The meeting had a funny break: everyone watched a video, the main hero of which was a winner of beauty contest but a not very intelligent girl.

The topic of home education was touched. People recalled about drawing and music. Helen showed her drawings.

At the end of the discussion we understood that education is never-ending process. Education continues all our life.

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