29 November, 2014

Thanksgiving Traditions in the USA

Today’s session of the Gabfest Club (at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine) was dedicated to the Thanksgiving Traditions in the USA. The session was especially remarkable for newcomers as it offered them new experiences.
The session started with a slide show.  The Club members had an opportunity to speak about Thanksgiving – they translated the facts and figures about American celebration and described images on the slides.
The most challenging task was given by the Club’s moderator Tamara Gavryliuk.  The presentation was complemented with the demonstration of an art object – a souvenir “A ship in a bottle”. The group was asked to describe the object and comment on the technique used in its production. The group easily recognized the miniature glass copy of the “Mayflower”, but the technique of putting a glass ship into a glass bottle lefts us all puzzled. The second tricky task was to translate the phrase “hereditary society” and discuss it with fellow club members.
 


The official part was followed by an Art-break. The club members were invited to visit the library’s Art department to enjoy the displayed paintings. The Club member Valentina Pogrebniak, a professional musician, performed several piano pieces by George Gershwin.
The second part of the session was arranged as a Thanksgiving party. The Club members prepared traditional American dishes and snacks. The highlight of the menu was baked Turkey breast cooked by the WOA’s Head Ms. Svitlana Usenko. The highlight of the desserts was pumpkin pie baked by Ms. Vlada, the club’s activist.
The Club members thanked the WOA staff – Svitlana and Tamara – for the wonderful conditions created for the English learners. The WOA staff thanked the American people and the US Embassy in Kyiv for their wonderful gifts to the WOA facility and Ukrainian community in Dnipropetrovsk.
In the heartwarming atmosphere of the Thanksgiving dinner the freshmen had a chance to know better the club’s activists. The session was most enjoyable and inspired all to build more bridges between American and Ukrainian people.
Number of participants – 26 persons.
Have a look at more pictures, please

 

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