This afternoon the Gabfest Club members practiced the conversation about the Independence Day celebration. The good motivation for the participants was the presence of a guest from abroad – a New-York born Mr. Nathan.
The group explained to our guest the basic things about Ukraine as an independent state – symbolism of the national colors, the national flag, the coat of arms. They have told the guest what happens in Dnipro city during the Independence Day celebrations. They have given the recommendations regarding the best way to spend the long Independence week-end in Dnipro city. The most knowledgeable club members recommended the best authentic souvenirs from Ukraine and Dnipro region.
The foreign guest demonstrated big interest in the facts about Ukraine and expressed his warm feelings towards Ukrainian people and Ukraine.
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Today’s session of the Gabfest Club ("Window on America" (Dnipropetrovsk / Ukraine) was dedicated to the 24th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence.
Our US volunteer Mr. Jason came to congratulate the Club members with this important holiday. His presence allowed the group to demonstrate their knowledge of patriotic symbols and explain them to the foreigner. We have discussed the basic attributes of an independents state: the coat of arms and a national flag, national anthem. Each attribute was illustrated with a relevant video or image. The club members were encouraged to explain the symbolism behind the attributes as well as other controversies. Some artifacts of Ukrainian decorative art where used to provide the topic for conversation about folk art. The modern tradition of celebrating Independence Day was also discussed.
Our surprise guests from Australia Mrs. Irina and Mr. Eric joined the conversation as well. They were given an insight into the Independence Day traditions in Ukraine.
The second part of the session was dedicated to the Australian guests’ presentation. We were told about the national symbols of Australia and their meanings. The Club members put numerous questions to the guests about Australia.
The session was educational for all the participants.
Number of participants – 23 persons.
Today's session of the Gabfest Club Club (at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine) was dedicated to the topic “Independence Day of Ukraine”.
The group highly appreciated that some of the club ladies were dressed in national outfits (embroidered blouses) or in national colors. We were particularly thankful to our American guest Mr. Josh who also wore a Ukrainian shirt for the occasion. Besides Mr. Josh invited his friend Michael to join the club.
The presence of the American guests gave a wonderful opportunity to talk about the Ukraine’s independence in English. The session started with watching the video in which the US Ambassador in Ukraine and the Embassy staff congratulated the Ukrainians with the Independence Day. They have performed the Ukrainian anthem in 17 different languages. The task for the group was to guess why those 17 language were selected. The rest of the session was dedicated to the explanation of the symbolism of the Ukrainian national symbols - the flag, the coat of arms, the anthem, the currency, etc.
The group was asked to tell the American guests any interesting legends about the Independence of Ukraine. They were offered a Ukrainian video and a book trailer as a tip. Two club members recognized the legend about the Hetman’s gold. In 1723, Hetman Pavlo Polubotok was recalled to St. Petersburg by Tsar Peter I of Russia. The story holds that suspecting his imminent arrest, Polubotok secretly deposited 200,000 gold coins (presumably the treasures of the Cossack’s Sich) in the Bank of England, under 7.5% annual interest. The amount, the bank, and the interest vary in different versions: some sources cite two barrels of gold, or 2.5% annual interest, or the Bank of the British East India Company. In his will, Polubotok allegedly bequeathed 80% of the gold to the future independent Ukrainian state, and the rest to his successors.
To wrap up the conversation we told our American guests about the Ukrainian brands that globally market Ukraine and our region – the Cossack heritage and Petrykivka painting. The session was educational both for the Ukrainian and the American Club members.
Number of participants – 22 persons.
Today’s session of the Gabfest speaking club (at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine) started was dedicated to the 22nd anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence.
The session started with the presentation of the new display. The Ukrainian English-speaking magazine “Welcome to Ukraine” was presented to the Club members and visiting guest as a wonderful tool for improving reading and comprehension skills.
We have discussed the basic attributes of an independents state: the coat of arms and a national flag, national anthem, national currency and national heroes. Each attribute was illustrated with a relevant video or image. The club members were encouraged to explain the symbolism behind the attributes as well as other controversies. Some artifacts of Ukrainian decorative art where used to provide the topic for conversation about folk art. The modern tradition of celebrating Independence Day in Kiev was also discussed.
Our surprised guest from USA Ms. Jackie Aguilar was given an insight into the Independence Day traditions in Ukraine.
The second part of the session was dedicated to the American guest’s presentation. We were told about the Texas State: its tourist attractions and other aspects of life. The Club members asked numerous questions to the guest about her project in Ukraine and its objectives. The charismatic Ms. Jackie Aguilar was invited to join other activities of the WOA Center while she is in Ukraine. The session was educational and enjoyable for all the participants.
Participants - 21 persons.
