World Health Day: “Small bite, big threat”

Today’s session of the Gabfest Club (at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine) was dedicated to the topic “World Health Day”. This year’s theme is “Small bite, big threat”. We talked about vector-borne diseases. Vectors are organisms that transmit pathogens and parasites from one infected person (or animal) to another, causing serious diseases in human populations. These diseases are commonly found in tropical and sub-tropical regions and places where access to safe drinking-water and sanitation systems is problematic. We watched slide show and several videos about ways to control vector borne diseases. The club members exchanged experiences about vector-borne diseases. We also talked about healthy lifestyles and healthy foods. To illustrate this phenomenon we watched a video about cooking oatmeal breakfast American style. This allowed us to talk about healthy ingredients that can be added to one’s bowl of oatmeal: bananas, raisins, milk, brown sugar, flax seeds.
 

The second part of the session was a conversation with Paul, a guest from France, who speaks good English. He came to Ukraine to collect material for his Master’s thesis about Peace Corp. organization. We shared with him our memories about our Peace Corp. friends. The club members asked him a lot of questions about his trip around Ukraine and his life in Paris. After the session the club’s activists gave Paul the tour of the town. The session was a pleasant surprise for the newcomers.

Number of participants – 23 persons.

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Tortilla Soup

«Wednesday Movie Club» – «A comedy to arouse your appetite».
Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine offered screening of the comedy-drama film Tortilla Soup (2001)  with Hector Elizondo, Jacqueline Obradors, Tamara Mello starring.
Plot: A Mexican-American master chef and father to three daughters has lost his taste for food but not for life.
Director: Maria Ripoll
Writers: Hui-Ling Wang (earlier screenplay), Ang Lee (earlier screenplay)
Stars: Hector Elizondo, Jacqueline Obradors, Tamara Mello
After the screening the club members had an emotional discussion about the film.

The modern American poet - Robert Frost

Today’s session of the Gabfest Club was dedicated to the “National Poetry Month”.
 This gave us a possibility to introduce the most popular modern American poet - Robert Frost. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. He was an inaugural poet for President Robert Kennedy. Frost was honored frequently during his lifetime and received four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. We watched a biographical video about R. Frost.

As a sample of his poetry we have selected a popular poem “Mending Wall”. In “Mending Wall,” the narrator and his neighbor have a conversation over an old, New England stonewall, in which the neighbor extols the merits of building walls to keep others out, and through their symbolic extension, all sorts of boundaries. The neighbor resorts to an old adage: “Good fences make good neighbors.” In our discussion we touched upon the current political situation in Ukraine, problems with a powerful neighbor, absence of a “good fence”.

The other poet (songwriter) that was introduced to the group was a popular in the 1960s rock musician Bob Dylan. His Ukrainian Jewish roots were a surprise for many. We read and translated Dylan’s lyrics to his song “Like a Rolling Stone” and watched the video of the world famous “Rolling Stones” rock band performing it.
At the end of the session we talked about the importance of books and reading in our life. The session was very educational to all participants.
Number of participants – 21.

Inspiring Change - 2

project «Discover USA»
Dnipropetrovsk WOA Centre has a long time partnership with the local school No.28 (majoring in the English language study). On April, 04 the WOA Centre was visited by a big group of the 8th grade students with 2 teachers.
The previous month - March- is celebrated in the USA as the Women’s History Month. The WOA staff member Tamara informed the students about the background of this holiday. She presented the official International Women’s Day site and  discussed with the group the 2014 slogan - ”Inspiring Change”.
We decided to present to the students outstanding American female personalities of the modern time and with Ukrainian roots. We started with the NASA astronauts Heidi Stefanyshyn - Piper and Dr. Roberta Bondar. The group watched videos about these brave women, answered the questions about the ladies’ achievements. Some of the most active students made comments on the change these women introduced into the modern society.
As a musical wrap up to the session we watched and discussed the video of Karina Smirnoff ballroom dancing. Karina was born in Ukraine; her remarkable achievements as a world scale ball room dancer were a big surprise to the students. The session was both educational and funny.
The teachers got interested in further cooperation with the WOA Centre and made plans for the future.
Number of participants – 18 (teacher of English – 2, pupils – 16).

Casablanca

At the Window on America center in Dnipropetrovsk Casablanca (1942) was presented to all who wish to improve their language skills.
Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and based on Murray Burnett and Joan Alison's un-produced stage play Everybody Comes to Rick's. The film stars Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid; and features Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in the words of one character, "love and virtue". He must choose between his love for a woman and helping her Czech Resistance leader husband escape the Vichy-controlled Moroccan city of Casablanca to continue his fight against the Nazis.

Children´s Book Day

Children´s Book Day
Dnipropetrovsk Window on America centre presented a new book display that showcases the highlights of its unique book collection. It would be interesting for the WOA patrons to examine children’s dictionaries and encyclopaedias, kid’s books on geography and US History, children adaptations of classical fiction.
The book display is aimed at kids and their parents; at the beginner’s level English learners.
The books from the display can be borrowed.

Display National Poetry Month

Dnipropetrovsk Window on America centre presented a new book display that is dedicated to the US National Poetry Month.
 
The presented books are beautifully printed volumes of the best American poetry – by Walt Whitman, Henry Longfellow, Edgar Poe, Emily Dickinson and others. 
Literary critics’ books are also displayed.

Schedule for April

Inspiring Change

Today’s session of the Gabfest club (at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine) was dedicated to the Women’s History Month celebrated in the USA in March.  The club members were offered an article from the “American English” website about the background of this holiday.
We started the conversation with the official International Women’s Day site and  discussed the 2014 slogan – ”Inspiring Change”.
To motivate active participation in the discussion we have selected for discussion outstanding female personalities of the modern time and with Ukrainian roots. We started with the NASA astronauts Heidi Stefanyshyn-Piper and Roberta Bondar.

 

The group watched videos about these brave women, shared the information received and commented on the change these ladies introduced into the modern society.
To continue the topic of bravery among women the group  watched and discussed the video of the US ”Women of Courage Award” ceremony where the First Lady  Michelle Obama handed the award to the Ukrainian rock singer Ruslana  for her role in the Ukrainian “Revolution of Dignity”.
 
As a musical wrap up of the session we watched and discussed the videos of Karina Smirnoff ballroom dancing. Unlike Karina her dancing partner is well known in Ukraine due to his participation in popular Ukrainian reality show. But Karina’s achievements as a world scale ball room dancer were a big surprise to the club members.
The session was both educational and funny.
Number of participants – 24 persons.

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