Gone with the wind

Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk was visited by a group of high school students from the local school No.141.
The WOA staff prepared for the students a presentation about the American writer Margaret Mitchell whose 115th anniversary was observed on November, 8. 
The session was attended by WOA’s American volunteer Mr. Jason whose presence was a pleasant surprise to the group. He participated in the conversation that initiated the presentation and made some comments throughout the discourse.
 

The group was introduced to the DOUNB Library’s books – the 1938 London edition of the “Gone With the Wind” novel and books on Civil War in the USA. Since its original publication in 1936, Gone With the Wind – winner of the Pulitzer Prize and one of the bestselling novels of all time –has been heralded by readers everywhere as The Great American Novel. The biography of the novelist was presented and illustrated with several Youtube videos. In 2014 the movie based on M. Mitchell’s novel had the 75th anniversary. Widely considered The Great American Novel, it is often remembered for its epic film version.
 

The second part of the session focused on the storing sides of the movie. Gone With the Wind explores the depth of human passions with an intensity as bold as its setting in the red hills of Georgia. A superb piece of storytelling, it vividly depicts the drama of the Civil War and Reconstruction. The WOA staff introduced to the students and illustrated with videos the main character of the book- Scarlett O’Hara, the spoiled, manipulative daughter of a wealthy plantation owner, who arrives at young womanhood just in time to see the Civil War forever change her way of life.
We hope that the presentation will motivate the students to read the book or to watch the movie based on the iconic novel.
Number of participants – 25 persons.
 
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Cowboys and Aliens

“Wednesday Movie Club” at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine.

The film Cowboys & Aliens was presented to all who wish to improve their language skills.
Cowboys & Aliens is a 2011 American-Canadian science fiction Western film directed by Jon Favreau and starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde. The film is based on the 2006 graphic novel of the same name created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg.
The main plot revolves around an amnesiac outlaw (Craig), a wealthy cattleman (Ford), and a mysterious traveler (Wilde) who must ally to save a group of townspeople abducted by aliens. The screenplay was written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, based on a screen story by the latter two along with Steve Oedekerk.
WOA’s patrons enjoyed the film and the discussion that followed.
Number of participants – 16.
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Games, idioms, cartoons

American Teen Club session took place at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk today (Ukraine). The session was attended by our American volunteer Mr. Jason.
The group started the preparation to the “Games at the Library” event. They played “The Game of Unspeakable Fun” – the Taboo. “It’s what you don’t say!” is the slogan of this game.
The American Teen Club’s moderator Ania Akastiolova (FLEX Alumni) offered some vocabulary games as well to memorize popular English idioms.
As a cross cultural activity the Ukrainian teenagers introduced Mr. Jason to the iconic Soviet cartoon and explained the most famous details in English. The cartoon introduced a selfie four decades before taking selfies became an international trend among the young people.
Number of participants – 5 persons.

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To the International Students’ Day

Today’s session of the GABFEST Club (at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine) was attended by our American friends –Mr. Jason and Mr. Kelly. The topic of the session was International Students’ Day.
The Education Fair organized in Dnipropetrovsk by the US department of state and US department of education was introduced to the club members. A book display at the “Window On America” center was presented as an illustration to the educational opportunities in the USA.
 

The Club moderator introduced the American notion of “Ivy League” Universities. We read an article about it and watched a You Tube video about atmosphere in the Ivy League Universities. The Club members were offered several US Universities pennants to illustrated the American tradition.
The Ukrainian club members proudly listed to the American guests the numerous Universities of Dnipropetrovsk and explained which ones of them are prestigious and why. They also enumerated the most prestigious Universities of Ukraine and explained why they rank so high.
 
Our American friends were surprised with the system of giving numbers to high schools (instead of names), the stories about the soviet practices of sending students to the collective farms in autumn to help the farmers with harvesting vegetables and fruits. They asked the students to tell about the life in the Ukrainian dormitories. The conversation was very emotional and enriched the knowledge of all participants.
The session was fun and quite informative. Many club members enquired about the opportunities to study in the USA.
Number of participants – 37 persons.
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It Happened One Night

The film It Happened One Night (1934) was presented to all who wish to improve their language skills.
This movie is one of the greatest romantic comedies in film history, and a film that has endured in popularity.
The escapist theme of the film, appropriate during the Depression Era, is the story of the unlikely romantic pairing of a mis-matched couple – a gruff and indifferent, recently-fired newspaper man (Gable) and a snobbish, superior-acting heiress (Colbert) - a runaway on the lam. It is a reversal of the Cinderella story (the heroine rejects her wealthy lifestyle), a modern tale with light-hearted sex appeal in which courtship and love triumph over class conflicts, socio-economic differences, and verbal battles of wit.
WOA’s patrons enjoyed the film and the discussion that followed.
Number of participants – 12 persons.

U.S. exchange programs

More on Academic Exchange programs "Window on America" center was visited by a group of high school and University students to meet the representatives of the US Embassy in Ukraine. Katie Hallock, Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer, and Victoria Mikhaylenko told the group about exchange programs financed by the US State Department and providing the opportunity to study in American schools, colleges and universities. Young people learned more about the program FLEX (10 months of training in an American high school with accommodation with host families), the Fulbright (for young researchers) and other programs. 

The event was complemented with a book display presenting promotional materials kindly provided by US colleges and universities.

Number of participants – 28 persons.

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Education Fair

Visitors of the "Window on America" Center who are interested in the opportunity to study in American colleges and universities took part in the Education Fair, which was held in the "Grand Hotel Ukraine" (Dnipropetrovsk). American guests (representatives of educational institutions) promoted their schools, explained the procedures (submission of documents, tests timing), focused on challenges and benefits of study in the USA.

If you want to study in the USA

The International Education Week organized by the US department of state and US department of education is showcased to the WOA’s patrons in the November book display «If you want to study in the USA».
The world known programs for academic and professional exchange are introduced to the WOA’s visitors through respective brochures and promotional materials: the Fulbright Program, IREX, the Humphrey fellowship. The book display of the Window On America center illustrates the educational opportunities in the USA. The stand also presents promotional materials about numerous American universities from various states.
WOA’s visitors, clubs’ members and all who want to get tertiary education in the US can learn more about the best educational institutions, the registration procedures, entrance exams timing, tuition fees system, etc.
Ukrainian applicants can learn about the possibility to obtain educational grants through various programs.

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November schedule