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ISSUE VII - January, 08CONTENTS:IH News............................................. p.1IH Anniversary.................................p.1-2Get to Know More about your Teacher - Adrian Colley.......................................p.2Travelling with IH to France............. p.3Christmas Tree Competition..............p.4Cooking with IH ................................. p.4

(pdf version available on www.ih.kiev.ua)

IH Team welcome you among our friends: present and potential clients. We hope that this year with us will be spent with pleasure and enjoyment. All your opinions, comments and wishes regarding the contents of IH Compass are highly appreciated. We are always trying to become better and stay your favourite Language Guide:) Hanna K., IH Compass Project Coordinator

YourLanguage

Guide

IH KPI Office: 7 Vanda Vasylevska st. T: 238 9870, 236 2264; IH Obolon Office: 24 Heroiv Stalingrada ave, office 126 T: 442 1330, 442 1331

NEWS2007 was a special year for us, with IH celebrating 15 years in Ukraine. Not wanting to let this milestone slip by unnoticed, our 15th anniversary party took place at Strike Bowling Club. On arrival we were all issued with yellow ribbons and yellow definitely seemed to be the in colour this season! We were joined by 150 students and invited guests, and after some speeches and the first instalment of the fantastic buffet we were luckily not too full to exert ourselves, at either billiards or bowling. Competition was intense. This was all followed afterwards by the presentations of various awards, including the winners of the bowling competition. Then, more fantastic food and the disco commenced. Here’s what our students had to say about it: Everything was great. It was a great pleasure to be there. I especially liked bowling because it was the first time I played this game. You are the best!With best wishes, your best student.Nastya Smirnova (Р-3/В) It was a proper, interesting and unexpected party. Such activities are very important, they bond the team and stimulate it for further cooperation.Nino Baramiya (BE-Law )

Everything was very good. It was fun, cool and interesting. I enjoyed talking to interesting people. Was pleased by the bowling.Kostya Fedorenko (ВE ) Everything wasnice and joyful!!!I enjoyed the bowlingcompetition.Yuliya Popkova (I-3)

anniversary

This cake was presented to International House Kyiv by Vena Beleva, the Director of Repriza

Patisserie chain

IH STATISTICS: the fourth term at IH Kyiv is starting with the following numbers of students: 680 at IH KPI and 217 at IH Obolon. Thank you for your devotion and being with IH!IH COMPETITION: IH Kyiv and Job.ua portal ran a competition called “Win a course at International House” and 2 winners (out of more than 400 participants) of this competition won a free course at IH Kyiv, so they will join us from the 4th term. There were also 4 consolation prizes for the most sensible profiles. Read more on www.ih.kiev.ua HAVE ONE TRIAL ONLINE LESSON: an Online English project starts on the 21st January. Please come to the office for more information and to sign up for the trial lesson in February. You can have one trial online lesson if you are a student of Intermediate 3-4 groups. NEW TRAINING PROGRAMMES: The IH Training Department in Obolon is starting its second season of offering training programmes for lawyers and business people from 16th February - Employment Law and 23rd February - Effective Business Presentation Skills.NEW TEACHERS in January: Jonathan Barrow, an experienced teacher, has come to us from England; Olena Taranenko has returned from Singapore after spending 9 years there; Vika Shelest has returned to us from her 4-month Latin American trip. WELCOME to the IH KYIV TEAM!!!BOWLING WITH IH TEACHERS: Do you want to spend some more time with your friends and teachers of IH Kyiv? Don’t plan anything for the 1st March and sign up for the bowling event at Strike Bowling Club. The event will start at 12.00 and can finish any time you decide:) Please sign up till the 16th February at the office and pay the participation fee of 40 UAH, which is for 1 person in a team of 5 for 1 hour of playing and 80 UAH for 2 hours of playing. The winners will get prizes from IH Kyiv and unforgettable memories from this pleasant communication.

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Name ADRIAN COLLEYOrigin CARDIFFWith IH 1st year

The party was very nice. I liked the spirit of the party.Alexandra Kantor (ВЕ) The Best!!!Svitlana Tkachenko (CAE) The festive evening was wonderful. I liked everything.Roman Lytvynenko (P-2/B) Everything was organised very well. It was fun, food and drinks were really good. We had good vibes there.Nina Pronoza (САЕ ) Thank you, IH, for a wonderful night. It was a fantastic time (especially bowling). Wish you good luck in your activities, so that in future you have the opportunity to hold such parties.Mariya Andriyenko (U-2) Generally I liked the party. I’d like to point out especially the friendly atmosphere, amiability to all the guests. Each of us could talk to English-speaking students and I think it was useful. The buffet was very varied, the bowling was really good.Olga Savchuk I-2/B (Obolon) I liked everything: the premises, the warm atmosphere, the well-prepared programme, the food, the contests etc.German Avdalov (P-2/B) The party was organised to a very high standard. The atmosphere was warm and pleasant.Interesting contests. Everybody had fun and enjoyed talking to friends.Valeriya Е-2/Е

My first visit to Kyiv was in 2001 when my country played football at the

Respublikansky Stadium. About 80 Welsh fans came to watch the game. No doubt you all recall Wales drew 1-1 with Ukraine. If you are my student please remember

this, as this question will be in your next test.

I was born at the centre of the universe - Cardiff, the capital of Wales - and hardly left my home country until

after obtaining a Law degree a long time ago.

Anyway after deciding that pursuing a career in Law would ensure I died of boredom, I became a journalist,

working on local newspapers in Wales and England and also, briefly, on a couple of London national

newspapers. This involved covering anything from sport to politics and murder trials in locations like Glasgow, London and for one week only, a trip to Bosnia to report on UN peacekeeping in 1996.

After serving 22 years in the industry, working with several unpleasant people who should have been locked up forever, I decided a break was needed.

I got made redundant after seven years as night editor

at Teletext in London last June. But I was secretly pleased as it meant Plan B could be put into operation.

That was Operation Ukraine and I set about it

with a military zeal, doing a training course here at International House and, luckily, being offered a job

while on the course by the generalissimos here at the school.

People frown and ask me: “Why are you here?” as if it

is possibly the craziest thing anyone could choose to do. Live in Ukraine? Why would anyone want to

do that? I wasn’t kidnapped, I chose to come here. I tell the frowners I like it, which prompts a further frown.

Then I tell them I went to Minsk for Christmas and they look like they’re gonna phone the cops. Over the years, I have been able to travel a lot and have visited maybe 50 countries - even sometimes places where

Wales were not playing football.

And then I tell them, as I tell people back home: “Ukraine is like living on planet Saturn. But in a good

way. Everything is totally different and fresh and a little bit weird and everyone is interesting and, usually, friendly. In every other country I have been to, believe

me (apart from Wales) this is not the case.”

I really believe that. Long may it stay that way.

See you soon

Guests included representatives of our partner-companies, friends of ours and those who were with IH from the moment of its establishment. Among the honourable guests were the following: -director of IH DNK-director of IH Lviv-representative of IH Kharkiv-director and representative of London School of English-official representative of Oxford University Press in Ukraine-financial director of Renaissance Fund-general director of Reprisa-representatives of PrivatBank Ukraine, Brocard- Ukr aine, TNK-BP Ukraine, and many others. Invitations were given to the most loyal clients of our centre: to those who have been our students for more than 2 years, or took part in other programmes arranged by IH Kyiv ( study abroad, seminars, etc), and to those who study with us with their families. The rest of the invitations were raffled off in 65 groups both in KPI and Obolon to find the lucky winners.

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USA

ENGLAND

FRANCE

UKRAINE

TR

AVELLING WITH IH KYIV

to...FRANCEDavid Peluchette

I was just there over the Christmas and New Year holidays, which are a magical time. Everyone knows about the world famous German Christmas Markets, but did you know Alsace also partakes in this tradition? However, unlike in Germany whose Christmas markets close Christmas Eve, Alsace’s Christmas Markets stay open till New Year’s Eve.

Hello, I’ve been asked to share a little something about the beautiful country of France.

France is one of my most favorite countries in the world. I have been visiting this country 2 or 3 times a year for the last 15 years. France is such a wide and varied place that one small article would not do this great nation justice. By varied I mean, from the north western cliffs of Normandy and Brittany to the Basque country nestled in the Pyrenees straddling the border with Spain. You have the Cote d’Azur (the blue coast) and Provence with its endless vistas and summer holiday tourists. Of course, who can forget Paris with its haute couture (fashion), its chic restaurants and cafes, the Champs Elysees and the Eiffel Tower. However, I would like to share with you a little bit about my favorite region, Alsace.Alsace is located in the northeast corner of the country bordering Germany along the river Rhine. It has a fascinating history, being fought over by both the French and the Germans. In the past 150 years the region has actually been part of both countries, 3 or 4 times alone. The Alsatians are fiercely French; though walking through some of the quaint villages you can hear many of the local people speaking Alsatian, which is basically a dialect of German. The region does look quite German at first glance with its half timbered houses, names of local towns, cuisine and even the names of the local inhabitants. Very often you’ll meet people with names like Thierry Schmitt or

Heinrich Gauthier. However, soon you’ll plainly see the differences that make Alsace truly French. It’s famous for its beer and local white wines. For example Riesling, nothing beats sitting outside in one of the many outdoor restaurants in Spring surrounded by half timbered houses (of course, painted in a lively variety of different colors, ‘a la francais’) overlooking the canals of Strasbourg (Alsace’s capital) with a cool Riesling and a tart flambée (a sort of pizza cooked in a wood oven, covered with a cream sauce, onions and ham).

We greeted one another with the customary handshakes and double kisses on the cheeks and wished each other ‘Bonne Annee!’ (Happy New Year!). Walking away in the cold winter air, breathing and taking in all the sites and smells of Christmas time in Alsace, I thought “Bonne Annee” indeed,

“Vive la France”.

I stayed in Strasbourg for a few days in a wonderful hotel overlooking the Christmas Market in the Grand Cathedral Square. I spent some of my time just strolling around with a Vin Chaud and an Apple Strudel in hand observing the winter carnival like atmosphere. By chance I saw some old friends; not uncommon as Strasbourg is a small city by Ukrainian standards, just 250,000 people.

Pretty little wooden houses selling an assortment of sweets, local snacks and gifts, but most famous of all is the ‘Vin Chaud’ or hot wine. Also, if you are in France or in most other countries of Western Europe for that matter, just after Christmas, you can take advantage of the shopping opportunities and bargains on clothes etc. with its after Christmas sales.

Yours, David

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cook with

IH

IH

Dear Compass Readers, please send all your comments and wishes re:our

newspaper to marketing@ih.kiev.ua. See U in March! Your Language Guide:)

This recipe has been offered by Ania Lewandowska, a Teacher of English from Poland

VOCABHINT!!!!!

HUNTER’S STEW (bigos)

Melt butter in a saucepan and fry the onions until golden. Rinse the sauerkraut in cold water, drain thoroughly and mix with the onions. Add the tomatoes. Chop the cabbage finely and mix in. Add the stock, stirring well, and then the pork ribs. Slice the sausage and add into the stew. Allow to simmer on low heat for one hour. Season to taste. Remove from heat and leave covered for 24 hours. Refrigerate and reheat before serving. Serves 8.

Poland’s national dish, and one of my favourite dishes. There is a variety of ingredients, some have mushrooms and juniper berries, while others contain apples, venison, lamb or beef. It is best made

two days in advance and reheated on a low heat before serving. This enhances the flavour.

50g butter 2 onions, peeled and chopped

1 jar sauerkraut 1 can tomatoes, peeled 1 small white cabbage

300 ml strong beef stock 250g smoked sausage

5 to 6 pork ribs salt and pepper

sauerkraut - кисла капустаto simmer - кипіти на малому вогніto drain - висушуватиto rinse - полоскати, промиватиa rib - ребро

The 1st Christmas Tree Competition was held at International House Kyiv from 10th December, 2007. The idea of this seasonal event had been brought by Lana and Lena from the YL Conference which took place from November 21st to 24th in Torres Vedras, Portugal. Over 100 students of different age

groups (from both KPI and Obolon) participated in it, that is about 45% of the whole YL Department. All the Christmas trees were creative, amazingly beautiful and the variety of techniques and materials used was just mind-boggling! It was extremely difficult to choose the winners, so the winners were chosen by an independent poll and were rewarded with IH Diplomas and unique IH prizes (such as IH STAR T-shirts, IH gloves, IH diaries, coasters

etc.) for taking part in the competition.Let’s see what our creative teachers will prepare for us for the next New Year:)!

Christmas Tree Competition