U.S. Presidential Elections

Today many excited club members of the GABFEST speaking club (at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine) came for the presentation on U.S. Presidential Elections by PCVs Brandon Platt and Samantha Sachs.
As an introduction to the topic the club-members were offered  a selection of center's books on democracy, elections and voting procedures.
The phenomenon of American  editorial cartoons was introduced to the audience and several  samples were analyzed in detail.
The participants discussed the difference between the Republicans and Democrats parties. It was interesting to see the debates videos and the promo campaigns advertising. We spoke about the history and advertisements of political campaigns.
People spoke, debated and discussed the topic. Everyone was very happy and energetic!

Marina R.: We discussed the difference between advertising and propaganda and lots of different facts from history. The Americans were so open for communication, and inspired us to ask questions, to communicate with them more. We had a great time just to talk to them, discuss lots of  other things not related to the Presidential Elections. They said they’re going to do another session, like we had today, the only problem was for us to choose the next topic for the future discussion. So for now we’re just looking forward to it to have a great time talking to American native speakers to enhance cultural exchange and friendship between Americans and Ukrainians!

We couldn’t have a big photo of all the club members today, because our group was too big, but anyway we’re all happy to gather for today’s discussion.
The number of visitors – 48 persons.
Have a look at more pictures, please 

 

Inspiration in the Library

Dnipropetrovsk WOA staff member Ms. Tamara Gavryliuk has been representing Ukraine  on the 3^rd  national Congress of Polish librarians which took place in Warsaw on October, 11-12, 2012.

Ms. Gavryliuk was the second winner of the Ukrainian contest “Inspiration in the Library” with her project “Foreign Language Speaking Clubs”.

Among the foreign guests of the congress were library contest winners from Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania.

The participation in the Polish Library Congress allowed to share the best practice for librarians and build bridges among colleagues from other countries.

Election

“Wednesday Movie Club”.

At the Window on America center in Dnipropetrovsk the film “Election” (1999) was presented to all who wish to improve their language skills.

It’s a Comedy/Drama.

Plot: A high school teacher's personal life becomes complicated as he works with students during the school elections.

Director: Alexander Payne

Writers: Tom Perrotta (novel), Alexander Payne (screenplay)

Stars: Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon and Chris Klein.

Columbus Day in USA

Today’s session of the GABFEST speaking club (at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine) started with a surprise visit of our American friends - Mr. Keith and his sons Jacob and Anis. The club members have introduced our guests to the Ukrainian tradition of celebrating professional days.
We have paid tribute to the Teacher’s Day that is celebrated in Ukraine on the first weekend of October by listening to the impressions of Jacob and Anis about their school teachers. Several Club members announced the dates of their professional holidays and the way they celebrate them. The interesting story by Vlad about the space industry holiday triggered the discussion about the terms “cosmonaut” and “astronaut”, “sputnik” and “satellite”. Other club members told about the celebration of Miner’s Day, Metallurgy Day, Library’s Day. We have warned our guests about the problems they may encounter on the Paratrooper’s Day and Boarder Guard’s Day in Ukraine. We have told them about the controversy of the Navy Day celebrations in Ukraine.
The official topic was “Columbus Day in USA”. We have watched several videos about Columbus and the way he changed history of America. The discussion was about the style of narration in several videos. The club members learned to understand sarcastic style in documentaries.
The session ended with a lively exchange of opinions with the American guests about the life in a big city like Dnipropetrovsk.
The session was a success and enjoyed by all the participants.
Participants – 33 persons.

Pride and Prejudice

“Wednesday Movie Club”.
At the Window on America center in Dnipropetrovsk the film «Pride and Prejudice» (2005) was presented to all who wish to improve their language skills.

Drama | Romance, 127 min.
Plot: Sparks fly when spirited Elizabeth Bennet meets single, rich, and proud Mr. Darcy. But Mr. Darcy reluctantly finds himself falling in love with a woman beneath his class. Can each overcome their own pride and prejudice?

Director: Joe Wright
Writers: Jane Austen (novel), Deborah Moggach (screenplay)
Stars: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen and Brenda Blethyn   

Tourism and Sustainable Energy

Today’s session of the Gabfest Club (Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk) started with a surprise visit of our Peace Corp friend Patrick. He greeted all the new comers and told them about his projects in Ukraine.

The official topic of the session was World Tourism Day. World Tourism Day (WTD) 2012 is being held under the theme Tourism & Sustainable Energy: Powering Sustainable Development. Official celebrations took place in Maspalomas, Spain on September 27.

This year’s theme aims to highlight tourism’s role in a brighter energy future; a future in which the world’s entire population has access to modern, efficient and affordable energy services.

Tourism today is at the forefront of some of the world’s most ambitious and innovative clean energy solutions:

the aviation industry is implementing cutting-edge technologies to make aircraft lighter than ever before;

commercial flights are beginning to use bio fuels in their fuel mix;

 key card systems and energy saving light bulbs are increasingly being implemented in hotel rooms worldwide;

 tour operators are asking for energy efficiency throughout their supply chains.

We have watched and discussed several videos about hotels using green technologies. The most impressive was a row of videos about the USA hotel chain MARRIOTT and its efforts to run sustainable hotels. The details of eco technologies in all the hotel departments revealed new amazing facts to the club members who do not travel much.

During the second part of the session the club members combined their introductions with the brief stories about their summer travels. The most surprising fact was that the new club member Eugene during his Work & Travel trip to the USA was employed at a Marriott hotel as a pool lifeguard. He shared some of his impressions with the club.

Once again the session attracted so many people that the room could hardly accommodate the audience.

Number of participants – 35 persons.
Have a look at more pictures, please 

Avatar

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

The film  Avatar (2009) 162 min. was presented to all who wish to improve their language skills.

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

Plot: A paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.

Director: James Cameron

Writer: James Cameron

Stars: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver

Healthy lifestyle – walking

Today’s session of the “GABFEST” was remarkable for the amount of newcomers who arrived to join the club.

The introduction ritual revealed the fact that the majority of the newcomers deal with economics – students or professionals.

The topic for the discussion was: “Healthy lifestyle – walking”. We discussed many aspects of this fitness activity. Several quotes about walking were translated and discussed.

The guest lecturer Igor presented a variety of walking called “Nordic Pole Walking”. We watched a video about the development of this sport in the USA. The lecturer told us important facts about the positive effect of Nordic Pole Walking on the body and its systems, especially cardio-vascular one.

The Ukrainian school of Nordic walking that is based in Dnipropetrovsk. The success stories of the ladies who practice Nordic Walking impressed the audience.

After the lecture a master-class was offered for those who were interested in trying the new equipment. It was very educational and a lot of fun. Both younger and older generations   of the club members tried it and will consider practicing Nordic Pole Walking as part of their healthy lifestyles.

Number of participants –  39 persons.

 Have a look at more pictures, please