This afternoon the Gabfest Club session (Window on America center, Dnipro, Ukraine) started with the introduction of the new-comers. The regular club members as always asked them tricky questions about the role of English in their lives.
The official topic of the session was “The First Manned Spaceflight Anniversary”. The group was introduced to such US phenomenon as “Yuri’s Night”. Yuri's Night events "combine space-themed partying with education and outreach". Parties and events are held at NASA centers, museums, schools, bars, houses, and other locations.
The goal of Yuri's Night is to increase public interest in space exploration and to inspire a new generation of explorers. Driven by space-inspired artistic expression and culminating in a worldwide network of annual celebrations and educational events, Yuri's Night creates a global community of young people committed to shaping the future of space exploration while developing responsible leaders and innovators with a global perspective. These global events are a showcase for elements of culture that embrace space including music, dance, fashion, and art.
We have watched several illustrative videos about Yuri’s parties in different US cities and discussed them.
The space topic was welcomed by all participants as they live in the space capital of Ukraine and are proud of that.
Participants number – 30 persons.
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International Fact-Checking Day.
This afternoon the Gabfests session (Window on America center, Dnipro, Ukraine) had a complicated task – to draw attention of the club members to the importance of verifying the information and its sources.
We focused on the basic strategies of fact evaluations and introduced the basic terms used in the exposure of fake news - bot, bot net, troll, spam, etc. The educational videos helped to illustrate the topic and introduce the new terms. Our US volunteer Mrs. Tamara provided explanations for difficult terms or notions.
The session was educational for all the participants of the session.
Participants number – 30 persons.
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The Gabfest session this afternoon was dedicated to the 204th anniversary of the Ukrainian poet T. Shevchenko. The session started with the demonstration of the video by the Ukrainian Museum in New York. The video “TARAS SHEVCHENKO: POET, ARTIST, ICON” was accompanied by a scholarly essay by George G. Grabowicz, Professor of Ukrainian Literature at Harvard University. The group had a chance to enrich their vocabulary with idiomatic phrases to define the role of T. Shevchenko in Ukrainian culture. The second part of the session was dedicated to the events in 2018 that commemorated Kobzar’s anniversary. We discussed the Taras Shevchenko look-alike contest in Lviv. We watched the videos and discussed the national record in song performance. A song by T. Shevchenko was performed by over 1000 singers. The group enjoyed the iconic tune of “Mighty Dnieper roars and bellows” from a YouTube video with English subtitles. The group was also introduced to some fun facts about T. Shevchenko’s descendants. The Ukrainian General Yurko Tutunnyk (1918) and a modern Dnipro scholar M. Trihub are relatives of the iconic poet. The session was educational for all the participants of the session.
Participants number – 35 persons.
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This afternoon the WOA Dnipro’s Gabfest Speaking Club had a session with the topic “Women’s History Month”. The theme for National Women's History Month 2018 is “Nevertheless She Persisted: Honoring Women Who Fight All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.”
The group watched several UN videos that explained why gender equality is important for modern societies. We also translated several complicated quotes about feminism, watched videos about its historical stages. Empowerment of women and girls through entrepreneurial efforts was also mentioned in the debate about gender equality.
In the second part of the session the group was offered a Q&A activity with our American guest – a Peace Corp. volunteer Mr. Austin. He teaches English in the town of Vilnohirsk in Dnipro Oblast and was visiting Dnipro in his free time. The group was very excited to meet an American guest and asked him a lot of questions about his life in the USA and his impressions about Ukraine.
Number of participants – 35.
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This afternoon the Gabfest Club (Window on America center in Dnipro, Ukraine) was dedicated to the Federal holiday that pays tribute to US leaders. We have watched a VOA video editorial and felt the importance of the holiday to the American nation.
As a fun fact presentation we read and translated several articles about the US former presidents and the incomes they earn after the presidency.
The second part of the session was dedicated to the guest speaker and her success story. Mrs. Iryna has graduated from the WOA’s Basic English course and spend two months in western India backpacking. It was her first trip abroad. She survived and fell in love with India. Her basic English skills proved to be useful in Deli and other places.
The session was very diverse and educational for club members.
Participants number – 45 persons.
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Meeting Newcomers and Green Thinking at WOA Dnipro.
This afternoon the Gabfest English-speaking Club (Dnipro, Ukraine) was visited by a big number of the newcomers. That’s why we started with the introductions of the WOA Dnipro staff members and after that gave the floor to the first timers. The introductions of three different generations highlighted the typical mistakes even in the fluent English speakers. The regular Club members had a chance to ask the newcomers about their background.
The official topic of the session was “Green Thinking”. We started with the descriptions and discussions of the eco pictograms and symbols. The challenging task was to watch and comprehend the video about the social responsibility of the US corporations and their investment into the ecological projects.
The session was educational for all generations of Club members.
Participants number – 67 persons.
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This afternoon the session of the Gabfest Speaking Club was dedicated to the topic “Colors. Live Life Brighter”.
For a warm up the group was familiarized with several idioms in which the word “colors” and color names are used. The group had to find the Ukrainian equivalents for the idioms. As a more complicated task the group had to explore the table of matching colors and emotions and learn what human qualities different colors symbolize in the English-speaking cultures.
The next task was to watch YouTube videos that explained the basics of the color theory and gave tips on using colors in the home interiors.
The highlight of the session was a video that focused on the use of color by modern film directors. It was a real eye-opener for many club members. From now on while watching movies we will pay more attention to the color scheme used by the famous directors.
The session was educational for all generations of Club members.
Participants number – 45 persons.
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The session of the Gabfest Club (at Window on America center Dnipro, Ukraine) started with a warm-up activity – to read and translate popular phrases about the importance of “Good Manners”.
The group was introduced to the cross-cultural aspect of manners. We have focused on the TripAdvisor’s article about politeness in the USA. Some other sources were offered with info about appropriate behavior for visitors in the USA.
The topic was illustrated with a video about the love story of the US actress Meghan Markle and the British Prince Harry. The group was impressed with the difference in manners among the English-speaking countries.
The session was educational for all generations of Club members.
Participants number – 32 persons.
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This afternoon the Gabfest Club members (at Window on America center Dnipro, Ukraine) were offered a topic about clay and its use in our everyday life. The Club members shared the ways they use clay. Our American guest Mr. Jason was told that clay was used as a building material in traditional Ukrainian village houses. But our focus was on the esthetical use of clay in porcelain production. The group was asked to memorize several idiomatic phrases with the word “clay” (feet of clay, breaking clay, etc.).
Clays exhibit plasticity when mixed with water in certain proportions, it becomes firm and when fired in a kiln it becomes a ceramic material. The group was offered several illustrative videos that introduced the fine bone china tableware invented by Chinese artisans, the process of making a porcelain teapot. The highlight was a video about Lenox dinnerware. It is used in the White House. Lenox is a company that is the only major manufacturer of bone china in the United States.
In the second part of the session the group had a Q&A session with our US guest Mr. Jason. He told the group a few fun facts about his home state Indiana. The Ukrainian club members recommended him places to visit in Dnipro and the best buy for souvenirs from Ukraine.
After the session the IT students had a private conversation with Mr. Jason about the US IT jobs market checking their own chances to work in the USA.
Participants number – 29 persons.
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This afternoon the Gabfest Club session (Window on America center Dnipro, Ukraine) attracted several new people and for a warm up they were asked to introduce themselves.
The official topic of the conversation was MLK Day which is a federal holiday in the USA and is observed on the third Monday of January. We started the topic with reading, translating several popular M.L.King’s quotes. In their comments of the quotes the Club members admired how in simple language M.L.King managed to speak about complex issues. The observance of the MLK day in the USA was illustrated with an educational EFL video that introduced important vocabulary. The real highlight of the session was a Moyo video that uncovered several unknown facts about the events in which M.L. King participated.
The session was educational and reminded the club members about the importance of the civil rights.
The session was very educational and was enjoyed by all the participants.
Participants number – 24 persons.
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This afternoon the Gabfest Club (Window on America center Dnipro, Ukraine) had a big number of first-comers. The new people introduced themselves and explained why they need English skills. Several newcomers were fluent in English, some of them have interesting back grounds. So the introductions took a lot of time as the regular club members asked the first-comers a lot of questions.
The official topic of the session was the Nativity story. We have watched several videos that told the Xmas story in a simple way and introduced the basic vocabulary. The group practiced to explain in English why the Orthodox Xmas is celebrated on a different date.
Speed English game allowed the Gabfest Club members to practice their Xmas conversations and share the experiences about Xmas celebration. After this conversation the club members will be able to speak about Ukrainian Christmas traditions.
The session was very educational and was enjoyed by all the participants.
Participants number – 27 persons.
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This afternoon the GABFEST speaking club session (Window on America center in Dnipro, Ukraine) was attended by our American volunteer – Mr. Jason.
As the topic of the session was “International Students’ Day” we have asked our guest about his work with students in Ukraine. Mr. Jason spend a lot of time as a native-speaking teacher of English with young and adult learners. We asked him to name the most striking differences between the students in Ukraine and in the USA. Once a difference was named the club members tried to explain to our foreign guest why that particular difference exists. University students present at the session named the most typical features of a Ukrainian student and explained them to our US guest.
Another guest at the session was Mr. Mikhail who shared his experiences about the student exchange “Work and Travel USA” several years ago. The Club members had fun listening to the stories about work opportunities in Alaska at fish processing plants.
The session was educational as well as: the participants learned quite a few idiomatic phrases and new words relevant to the topic.
Participants number – 35 person.
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This afternoon the topic of the English Club conversation in Dnipro Window on America center was World Tourism Day. It is a UN observance on September, 27. In the framework of the “International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017” the theme for this day was «Sustainable Tourism – a Tool for Development".
The group started with the easy discussion about the Tourism Day logo and its symbolism. We further moved to more complicated topics – global tourism statistics, what is sustainable tourism, what a responsible tourist should do when visiting other countries, etc.
The highlight of the session was the visit of the US guest to Ukraine Mr. Nathan. The group watched the Ukraine’s Tourism promotional video and explained to him the unique things shown in the film – the culture of Hutsuls, the Odessa Opera house, the Welcome ceremony with bread and salt.
The session was educational both for fluent speakers and the beginners.
Participants number – 33 persons.
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This afternoon the aim of the Gabfest Club’s session was to share the summer travel experiences. The highlight of the session was the visit of our US volunteers – Mr. Tanner and Mr. Isaiah. They have made a slide presentation about the most popular national parks in the USA. The group recommended the American guests a couple of popular national parks in Ukraine and asked many questions about visiting US national parks. The Ukrainians were interested in the entrance fees, safety rules, garbage disposal, camping opportunities, wildlife, traffic jams, etc.
The club member Viacheslav shared his experiences of travelling to such exotic destination for Ukrainians as Lebanon. He visited the ruins of Roman Temples in Baalbek on the Lebanon-Syria boarder. The group asked him numerous questions about his itinerary, the cheap flights, accommodation, safety and food in Lebanon. The Club member Valentina shared her impressions of visiting a unique destination in Ukraine - the town of Cherkassy which is up the river from Dnipro city.
Participants number – 29 persons.
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This afternoon the Gabfest Club’s session in Dnipro Window on America center started with the introductions of the first-timers. Half a dozen new-comers presented themselves to the regular club members and answered their questions.
The official topic of the session was “Hispanic Heritage Month in the USA”. We discussed infographics about the role of Hispanic community in the US society. The group watched and discussed several YouTube videos about Hispanic Festival in Miami. Our US Volunteer Mr. Joseph added his own impressions about visiting Miami.
The group was introduced to the music popular with Hispanic Americans – Tejano. Tejano music or Tex-Mex music (Texan-Mexican music) is the name given to various forms of folk and popular music originating among the Mexican-American populations of Central and Southern Texas. Central to the evolution of Tejano music was the blend of traditional forms and Continental European styles, such as polka introduced by German and Czech settlers in the late 19th century. In particular, the accordion was adopted by Tejano folk musicians at the turn of the 20th century, and it became a popular instrument for amateur musicians in Texas and Northern Mexico.
The group was presented with the dramatic story of “the Queen of Tejano” – Selena Quintanilla-Pérez. The group managed to establish quite a few Hispanic elements even in the everyday life of modern Ukraine – mostly food and animal world.
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This afternoon the Gabfest Club session was dedicated to the Anniversary of the Dnipro City foundation. To start the ball rolling the group was asked to tell our American volunteers about such tourist attractions of the city as fortresses. The group briefed the guests on the fun historical facts about the fortresses and recommended the interesting events that take place there (Rock festivals, Cossack festivals, medieval festivals, etc.).
In the official part of the session we have decided to tell our American guests about the City’s international partners. This allowed us to introduce the topic of “sister city”. Sister cities are a form of legal or social agreement between towns, cities, counties, oblasts, prefectures, provinces, regions, states, and even countries in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties. We have watched a video about the Sister Cities International and the friendship between the US and China capital cities. The group told the American guests about the present Dnipro’s sister cities and suggested the sister city for Dnipro in the USA. The suggestions ranged from Washington to Houston and Detroit. We also analyzed the list of sister cities in Ukraine and USA and talked about the benefits of such friendship.
In the second part of the session our US volunteer Mr. Jason shared his travel experiences around Baltic and Scandinavian countries. The Club members asked Jason many questions as many of them visited the Baltic capitals earlier.
Number of participants – 23 persons.
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Window on America center in Dnipro city. This afternoon at English-speaking club Gabfest we introduced the UN observance – International Day of Charity. It was established in 2012 to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa of Calcutta on September, 5. Every year charities all over the world help to save and improve people’s lives, fighting disease, protecting children, and giving hope to many thousands of people. Education and giving are the essence of this special day.
The Gabfest Club members were thrilled today as two foreign guests joined the session today. Our long-time US volunteer Mr. Jason commented on the charity traditions of the USA. He explained for the group such American phenomena as “Food Banks” and “Charity Navigator”. The modern charity event was also introduced – the so called #GivingTuesday. “Giving Tuesday” refers to the Tuesday after U.S. Thanksgiving celebration. It is a movement to create an international day of giving at the beginning of the Christmas and holiday season. Giving Tuesday was started in 2012 as a response to commercialization and consumerism in the post-Thanksgiving season (Black Friday and Cyber Monday). Our second foreign guest was an English-speaking professor from Austria. He told the group about his charity projects in Asian countries.
The group had a Q@A session with the Austrian guest. It was very challenging for the majority of the club members to understand the native and non-native fluent speakers in one session.
Participant number – 32 persons.
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Speed English session was dedicated to the topic SPORT. The club members discussed the sport they like to watch or play, their attitudes to professional sportsmen and unusual sports. Mr. Nathan actively participated in the conversations.
Participants number – 21 persons.
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The session of the Gabfest Club in Dnipro Window on America center started with the introductions of the first-timers who explained why they decided to join the Club.
To warm up the group shared their experiences of the Ukraine’s Independence week-end with our foreign guest Mr. Nathan. Some people travelled, some people stayed in town or at home. But everyone enjoyed the celebration of the Independence Day.
The official topic of the session was “Graffiti in the USA and in Ukraine”. We have watched several videos about the place of graffiti in the modern American art. Some people think it is vandalism. The graffiti artists think it’s art. The group had to watch a video about street art festival in Dnipro city and render into English for Mr. Nathan the fun facts about graffiti artists and vandals.
Participants number – 21 persons.
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This afternoon the members of English speaking club Gabfest talked about modern and classical American art focusing on two genres: typographic portrait and impressionism.
The modern American art was represented by the works of Ohio-based artists John Sokol. His so called “word portraits” of classical writers were presented to the patrons in the DOUNB Library book and image display. The display showcased the books from the DOUNB Library collection and their authors’ portraits by J.Sokol. John Sokol is also a poet. The group was offered a John Sokol’s poem about August – “Kissing the bees”. This free verse piece was translated and analyzed by the Club members. The highlight of this activity was the line from the poem about the Scythian kings.
The group was also introduced to the works of American impressionists – John French Sloan and Robert Lewis Reid. John French Sloan was associated with the Ashcan School. The artists of this school rebelled against with the classical American Impressionism. In contrast to the Impressionists' emphasis on light their works were generally darker in tone. Sloan’s works often presented the daily realities of New York City urban life and tended to be more realistic. Robert Reid is an important American impressionist best known for his large-scale murals and glowing figural scenes depicting young women and flowers.
The session was quite educational for all participants.
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