The map of European Citizenship

Euroquiz – How European are you (Answers)

2009-06-05T15:12:00.007+03:00

…so you think you know it all?

1. Do you know how many countries are members of the EU? -> 27
2. Do you know which two countries are the newest members of the EU? -> Bulgaria, Romania Jan 2007
3. Do you know when your country joined the EU? -> See below
4. Do you know in which city you can find the headquarters of the European Commission -> Brussels
5. Is there a European directive about cucumbers being straight?
-> Yes – see below
6. Do you know in which country the European Parliament is based? -> France
7. Can young people in your country vote in European Parliamentary elections? -> Yes, if EU citizens and over 18
8. Can you name your MEP (Member of the European Parliament)?
9. Do you know which organisation represents the views and interests of young people at European level?
-> European Youth Forum
10. In which month are the European elections taking place?
-> June
11. Which country is at the moment chairman of the counsel of Europe? -> Czech republic
12. Do you know of a project or activity in your country, which has been funded by the EU?

3)
1951: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands
1973: Denmark, Ireland, United Kingdom;
1981: Greece
1986: Portugal, Spain;
1995: Austria, Finland, Sweden;
2004: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovak Republic,Slovenia;
2007: Bulgaria, Romania.

6)
yes – in a way: there is legislation relating to the quality and packaging of cucumbers ... you can get more straight ones than curved ones into a box!

Number of ‘YES’s:
10-12 = a well-informed informed European!
7-9 = the EU is definitely on your radar!
4-6 = you’re well on the way!
0-3 = just at the start - hang in there!

Richter – “The Map of “European citizenship”- 2009

2009-06-02T16:43:00.004+03:00

Why play games?

Games are an opportunity for participants
-> to learn through direct experience
-> to learn through task-centred activities
-> to learn from their peers
-> to undertake active learning rather than passively being taught
-> to develop skills in an informal manner which can be applied formally in their broader education.

Simple games and exercises develop connections in the brain which are the same connections required for more complex tasks
-> brain gym has been developed as a support for learning across the curriculum
-> balancing is used as a treatment for dyslexia
-> simple musical exercises help with language development

Games have a multitude of purposes, to develop a range of skills:
-> confidence and self esteem
-> speaking and listening
-> number agility
-> physical skills
-> imagination and creativity
-> speed of reaction
-> appropriate risk taking
-> initiative, problem solving
-> working with others
-> active learning.

Games do not have specific curriculum limited outcomes and participants learn to work in a manner in which they create their own outcomes, rather than aim towards those of others.

Games can be used appropriately to develop specific skills for a group, and can be planned into a workshop/lesson to get participants to experience success in a skill even before they realise they are working on that skill.

Games, as they become more complex, gradually merge imperceptibly with more formal exercises
-> participants shift from subconscious informal learning to subconscious formal learning and are prepared for a later shift to conscious formal learning.

How to play games

If games are used to develop skills through active learning, then we should
-> speak less, ask more
-> under-explain rather than over-explain to encourage thinking by participants
- often “mistakes” can produce better than expected results
-> make it clear which parts of a game have rules, and don’t explain any other parts, which might be open to individual interpretation
-> don’t give examples of what you want people to do
- this limits creativity because it sets minds thinking in a particular direction
-> rarely demonstrate
- this also limits creativity
-> let participants learn by doing rather than listening
-> join in games unless there is a specific health and safety or child protection reason not to
- this makes you a part of the group rather than its leader and encourages members to rely less on you and to be more self deterministic
-> whenever possible get participants to explain and lead games
- this encourages leadership skills, confidence, group work etc

This approach contributes not only to development of drama skills but self-esteem, confidence, critical awareness and self determination.

Make games progressive
-> start easy and add in more rules
-> or start with an easy game and then move to a similar game which is harder
-> make your own rules up if needs be to ensure progression

Always play a game until you reach the outcome that you have told the group they are aiming for
-> the time taken for this is not important
-> achieving a declared objective, even in a game, is a measure of success and experiencing success is a key feature of why we play games
-> making games progressive allows for lots of small stepwise successes
only allow failure if you can justify it, e.g.
- it’s a hard game, you showed improvement, we’ll finish it next week
- you succeeded in seven steps, the eighth is hard and we’ll do it next time
-> always go back the next time and correct any failures (this is learning to make yourself successful in life, through playing games)

Drama Games

Release of energy games

Tig
A traditional game where one person tries to catch the rest of the group.

Stuck in the Mud/Tunnel Tig
A variation of tig where the person who gets caught makes a tunnel with their legs and is saved by others running under their legs.

Everybody’s It
The title says it all!

Fishing Nets
One person starts the game by placing their arms around another person like a fishing net. This makes two people who then try to catch another person. Continue until there is one big fishing net and everyone has been caught.

Octopus
The whole group stays at one end of the room, except the Octopus. When the octopus shouts ‘swim little fish’ everyone runs to the other side of the room. Those who get caught become seaweed and plant their feet in the ground while moving their arms to help the octopus catch other fish.

Duck Duck Goose
Sitting in a circle. One person taps people in the circle saying duck, duck and finally goose which means that person has to chase them round the circle.

Running Rabbits
Each person is given a number 1 to 3. The 1s are the babies, the 2s are the daddies and the 3s are the mummies. The person in the middle shouts one of the names and they run round the outside of the circle and the remaining family members make an arch so they can run into the middle of the circle. The first person back is the one who calls the next family member. The last person back then joins the family with only 2 members left.

Fruit Bowl/Salad
Each person is given the name of a fruit. When their fruit is called out they run round the circle. The last person back calls out the next fruit. ‘Fruit salad’ means all the fruits move. This can also be done on chairs with one person standing in the middle.

Anyone Who…
As in the second version of Fruit Salad, one person stands in the middle and says, for example, ‘Anyone who likes football’. Anyone who likes football then has to swap seats and the person in the middle tries to get a seat.

Do You Love Your Neighbour?
As before, one person stands in the middle and looks at another member of the group and asks, ‘Do you love your neighbour?’ The person being asked can say ‘No’. Which means the two people either side have to swap seats or they can say ‘Yes I do love my neighbour but I don’t like people who have earrings’ and all those wearing earrings have to swap seats. The person in the middle has to try and get a seat while others are swapping seats.

Pizza Game/Soup
The group is divided into four different ingredients. One person stands in the middle and tells the story of how they made soup. When each ingredient is called out they run clockwise round the circle. When the person in the middle says the word ‘exploded’ they then have to try and catch as many people as possible. This can be adapted to different ingredients.

Cat and Mouse variations
Cat and mouse is like tig. The cat chases the mouse until the mouse links onto a pair or a line and whoever is at the opposite end then becomes the mouse. If the cat catches the mouse the mouse becomes the cat and the cat becomes the mouse. There are variations of this game:
- pairs
- stars
- grid
- budge

Strategy
One person is without a chair. They have to move across the room to get the chair. The rest of the group have to work together to try and prevent that person getting the free chair.

Name games

Malicious Michael
Each person describes themselves with an adjective.

Names with Actions/Creating Initials
Each person does an action while calling out their name. The rest of the group copies.

Likes and dislikes with initials
For example, my name is Joan Wilson. I love jumping but I dislike window shopping.

Speed of reaction games

Dere/Hup
Everyone stands in a circle and when looked at you say ‘Dere’, meaning ‘come here’ in welsh. That person can then walk towards you and you look at another person and wait for them to say ‘Dere’. Continue until everyone has had a turn and then move onto ‘Hup’ which is a faster version.

Rabbit Game
The queen or king rabbit starts by making rabbit ears and the person either side are the servants and have to make ears for them. The king or queen then passes the control on to someone else.

Wizards, Giants and Elves
This is a physical version of ‘Paper Scissors Stone’. Split the group into two teams. Each team decides whether they are going to be giants, wizards or elves. Then the teams meet in the middle and perform their action. The giants beat the elves, the elves beat the wizards and the wizards beat the giants. The winning team has to catch as many people from the opposing team as possible.

Touch games

Glue
The group has to make one big lump of glue and be connected. Two people are nominated to try and free people from the glue.

Killer Slug
The killer slug has to crawl over other people until they catch them. Once caught they then become a killer slug too.

Raft of Medusa/Shark Attack
There are pieces of paper on the floor which represent islands. When ‘Shark attack’ is called out everyone must find a piece of paper to stand on. Those who don’t then become a shark. Continue until there is only one piece of paper left.

Colours
Everyone sitting on chairs is given a colour. When a colour is called out they have to move round the circle one place.

People on Paper
Similar to shark attack. In sub-groups, there is one piece of newspaper that they have to fold in half and then in half again until it gets smaller and smaller while trying to keep all the group members on the piece of paper. The only rules are that everyone must be touching the newspaper and nobody must be touching the floor, the walls or the furniture.

Circle of Knots
The group takes two different people’s hands to make a knot. The group have to work together in untangling the knot.

Partner Duels
In pairs perform a duel. Each person must have one hand behind their back and the aim is to tap the partner on the back. This can be done with knees and feet.

Trust Circles
In small groups, one person stands in the middle and is pushed in different directions with their eyes closed. They have to put their trust in the rest of the group.

Number games

Killer Twelve
Standing in a circle, the group counts up to twelve. The person who has to say the number twelve is out of the game. Each person can say no more than 3 numbers.

1 to 20
The group aims to count to 20 as a team in a random order. If two people say the same number the group has to start from the beginning.

Fizz Buzz
The group counts and each time there is a number that has a three in it or can be multiplied by three is replaced by the word ‘Fizz’. Likewise the number five is replaced by the word ‘Buzz’.

Shoe games

Grand Old Duke of York
Sing the song while moving a shoe round the circle.

Obwisana
As above.

Memory games

When I Went to Market
Each person says an object that they bought and the next person in the circle has to remember all the objects that went before them.

Name memory game
Like the previous exercise but with names.

Stillness

It’s My Time to Die
At any moment anyone can step forward and say, ‘it’s my time to die’ and perform a dramatic death.

Plague Game
Each participant can perform a death at any moment. The remaining two people then pile up everyone in a heap.

The Amazing Hand Game
Everyone puts their hands on the floor and overlap their hands with the person next to them. They then pass a tap round the circle.

Focus games

Wink Murder
The detective leaves the room. A murderer is chosen who then has to wink at other people who consequently have to perform a dramatic death. The detective tries to guess who the murderer is.

Eyes Down
Standing in a circle. Everyone looks down and when they hear the clap of a hand they have to look up and make eye contact with another person. If they are looking at someone else, they can sit down.

Pass the Focus
The focus is passed by the use of eye contact round the circle.

Rhythm

Copy-clap
The group copies the same rhythm. Each member of the group leads the clapping.

Pass the Clap
Standing in a circle, the group passes one clap around the circle. This can be done at different speeds.

Chinese Rhythms
Standing in a line, the group faces one wall. A rhythm is tapped on the first person’s back that they pass on to the next person. The last person taps the rhythm to see if it’s the same as the original.

Matthew Mark Luke & John
In a semi-circle, the group is given a name, ‘Mathew, Mark Luke and John’ and thereafter a number. The last person is the devil. A clapping rhythm is established with the group. Mathew always starts and passes the control onto another person. If people don’t say their name or number in rhythm then they have to go to the devil’s chair and everyone from that point has to move up one place.

Hard concentration

Diddly Dah
The group repeats the following. Diddly dah diddly dah diddly diddly diddly dah. Each person can only say one word at a time. Go round the circle keeping the same rhythm.

Tick Tock
Two objects are passed round the circle named a ‘Tick’ and a ‘Tock’. They are passed in opposite directions and the aim is to have the two objects arrive at the same time.

Zip Zap Bop
A zip gets passed round the circle with a pointing action. A zap goes across the circle and a bop changes direction.

One Apple Dog
An order of sitting down is established in the group by saying a number and pointing at another person. Then introduce fruits and finally animals. Each topic is passed round the circle in a different order.

Euro quiz – How European are you

2009-06-02T14:27:00.003+03:00

…so you think you know it all?

Euro quiz – How European are you

1. Do you know how many countries are members of the EU?

How many ?? _______

2. Do you know which two countries are the newest members of the EU? Which 2 countries do we mean _________ and _____________

3. Do you know when your country joined the EU?

What year ________

4. Do you know in which city you can find the headquarters of the European Commission

In which city you can find the HQ of the EU_________

5. Is there a European directive about cucumbers being straight?

6. Do you know in which country the European Parliament is based?

Which country ________

7. Can young people in your country vote in European Parliamentary elections?

8. Can you name an MEP (Member of the European Parliament) in your country? What is his/her name _________

9. Do you know which organisation formally represents the views and interests of young people at European level?

What is the name of that organisation ____________

10. In which month are the European elections taking place?

The month is ____________________

11. Which country is at the moment chairman of the counsel of Europe The country is _______________

12. Do you know of a project or activity in your country, which has been funded by the EU?

What kind of projects _____________________________________

Richter – “The Map of “European citizenship”- 2009

sightseeing trip to Svtatogorskaya monastery

2009-04-17T16:02:00.005+03:00

Svyato-Uspensky Svyatogorsky Monastery is one of the main Orthodox relics in the east of Ukraine. It was founded on the right bank of the river Severskiy Donets in the place which in ancient times was called Holly Hills. The first mention of this monastery was in 1624.

The history of this dwelling place roots into far centuries ago. One of the existing versions connects the origin of the monastery with Byzantine monks who tried to escape Emperor's persecution. Some of the monks hid in the Crimea and some of them founded many cave monasteries on the banks of the Don and the Severskiy Donets which exist at present.

On the 29th of December in 2003 the buildings and lands, which the monastery owned since early history, were transmitted to it. There are 54 bells on the 5 monastery belfries, the bigger one weighs more than 6 tons.

2009-04-15T14:24:00.001+03:00

Dear applicants,

in less than a month you will participate in the training “The map of European Citizenship” in Ukraine. Before you are coming over we would like to inform you about a few things. Be careful that the total amounts of your travel tickets (train/plane/bus) are not more than 500 euro. If you spend more than 500 euro than this will be on your own account. To ensure that your travel cost fit in the budget we strongly advice you to fly to Kiev (airport Boryspil). From there you can take the night train to Slavyansk, what is the nearest train stop to the location.

How to get there …...

From the airport, there are 2 buses per hour that brings you to the train station in Kiev. If you arrive earlier in the train station, there are some places where you can leave your luggage and you can go to the city centre of the Ukrainian capital.

If you feel insecure and uncomfortable and not able to find your way to the train station, than you can call one of our participants: Anna Zubenko. Anna is from Kiev and is willing to meet you at the airport. Her phone: 00380979291207 and e-mail: go2anna@gmail.com. Anna will also help you to buy your train tickets.

All participants should be at the HALL OF THE MAIN STATION OF KIEV at 17:40h on Thursday, May 14th.

KIEV to SLAVYANSK: The train departure from Kiev to Slavyansk at 18:24h. You will be sleeping in a comfortable coupe of 4 persons. After arriving in Slavyansk, a bus will take you to the hotel. After arriving in the hotel you can refresh yourself, meet your new roommate, have a (beauty) sleep and maybe discover the beautiful surrounding

SLAVYANSK TO KIEV: After the training, on Wednesday the 20th of May, you will leave Slavyansk by train at 20:50h and you arrive at Kiev Station at 8:06am on the 21st of May.

So please book your flight: arriving 14 May – departure 21 May.

For those that travel with a visa. Please make sure that you have the invitation letter from EURC “Social Partnership” with you. Maybe you need to show this at the border. Unfortunately we cannot refund your insurance and visa costs back since the Council of Europe doesn’t finance these cost.

The location:

We will stay in a location far away from Donetsk. Too far for a city tour, but we have plan other nice free time activities in the surrounding. For the digital junkies, there is Internet connection.

The hotel is called Zeleni

http://www.zeleniy-gay.dn.ua/contact.html

You can take a look at the website!
Even if it’s in Ukrainian language…

General information of what is good to know before departure:

We send you the complete list of applicants. Please check your information and something is not correct than inform us about it.
You will share a room with an other persons.

Earplugs will be good options to bring along >>>>>>>>>>>

No need to bring a sleeping bag or towels with you. Although the hostel provide bed linen, blankets and towels, we advice you to bring an extra towel with you.

Bring 2 copies of your passport (main page including photo and passport details)
Food and drinks: the hotel served 3 meals a day as well the daily coffee/tea break. These are free of charge. Other drinks are for your own account.

We have plan a cultural evening and we want to ask you to bring some typical (folklorist, drinks, food, shinny, kitschy stuff) gifts from your country to the training. To make the other (in) formal evenings attractive we challenge you to bring folk and country music with you.

Presentation of your organization:

In the attachment you find the day-by-day program and as you can see, we only have a short time to realize a lot things. Therefore we suggest that we work efficiently without losing precious time.

In the real world we often have only 5 minutes to explain our work to policy makers, to youngsters and others. Sometimes it’s difficult to explain quickly the objectives of your work, or to give in short terms a description of your target group or to explain in short terms what is so unique in your work and what the priorities are.

To practice this kind of situation we want to challenge you to
prepare at home a 5 minutes presentation of your organization. So leave the power points, the promo videos and other materials at home.

The topics you should speak about are:
- your organization, with a special focus on the involvement in the programYouth in Action in combination with youth work, ideas for cooperation, starting new project, seeking for partners, network;
- your personal background to work with the program Youth
in Action in combination youth work.

Keep it interesting and interactive!!!!.

Refunding the 70% travel cost:

In order to refund you in a proper way, we kindly ask you to copy your ticket and bring the invoice of the payment with you. During the training we will reimbursement on the spot once you have provide us with:
a) invoice from travel agency's
(or printed invoice in case of e-ticket)
b) your boarding passes
c) your tickets

For those who have booked by Internet - we also need a payment receipt (in a lot of cases a copy of your bank note). If you cannot hand over this information, then we cannot refund you. The Council of Europe demands them from us and if it’s not completed than we do not get our money back. No exception can be made.

We kindly ask you to send already the price of your tickets. In this way we can make already the calculation of your cost and during the training we can smoothly refund you

Partners:

The key partners in the delivery of the training will be U-GO, Richter and EURC “Social Partnership”. They will provide experienced trainers and staff of EURC “Social Partnership” will be responsible for accommodation, food, study visits and arranging local transport.

In case that you need as you can call:

Elena - 00380506545621

Peter - 0031615302319

See you all soon in Ukraine.

2009-04-15T12:31:00.001+03:00

“The Map of “European citizenship”

European training sponsored by the Council of Europe.

Ukraine, 15.05.2009 - 21.05.2009

Day by day program

Friday 15 May

Arrival of the participants, travelling to location, checking in hotel, evening free

Saturday 16 May

09.00 - breakfast
10.00 - energizers
10.30 - start of the training

-> getting to know each other games and sharing expectations what to bring and ant to take home

13.00 - lunch
14.30 - start workshop

-> presentation organisations
maximum time for presentation is 5 minutes

18.00 - evaluations
19.00 - dinner
20.30 - free time

-> social informal discussions/games

Sunday 17 May

09.00 - breakfast
10.00 - energizers
10.30 - start workshop

-> introduction program Youth in Action
definition European citizenship

13.00 - lunch
14.30 - start workshop

-> an introduction on games and exercises can be used to
support the personal and social developing of young people

18.00 - evaluation
19.30 - dinner
21.00 - cultural evening

-> cultural evening, country presentation

Monday 18 May

09.00 - breakfast
10.00 - energizers

10.30 - excursion to Slavyanogors

-> visiting monastery, caves, Artyoma Mountain

16.00 - end of excursion
18.00 - evaluation
19.00 - dinner
21.00 - free time

-> social informal discussions/games

Tuesday 19 May

09.00 - breakfast
10.00 - energizers
10.30 - start workshop

-> definition and profile of youth work

13.00 - lunch
14.30 - start workshop

-> different simulation games

18.00 - evaluation
19.00 - dinner
21.00 - start workshop

-> debating exercises from a practical point of view

Wednesday 20 May

09.00 - breakfast

10.00 - energizes

10.30 - start workshop

-> how to keep in contact and network developing

13.00 - lunch

14.30 - plenary evaluation

-> evaluation games. You will be encouraged to give feedback to the rest of the group about your development of the training.

17.00 - farewell dinner/party
20.50 - travelling back to Kiev/Donetsk

Thursday 21 May

Departure of all participants

who is taking part in the EU map

2009-04-14T14:48:00.004+03:00

The participants "Map of European Citizenship"

Please answer the 5 questions...

1. What is your Name and where are you from?

2. Tell me 3 things you associate with the Ukraine?

3. What are your unusual habits?

4. What is your life motto?
5. If you where an animal who would you be?

1. my name is chris and i come from holland
2. i think ukraine will be very interesting, a great learning experience, and fun!
3. what isn't!!
4. live for the moment
5. a wolf.

1. Ciao, my name is Gabriele and I came from Italy (Lecco, Lombardia)
2. I have connection with Ukraine for a good reason:
- 24 August is the day of my birthday and is the same Day of Indipendence of Ukraine
- I am expert in History of ex USSR and I gave my degree thesis about "Foreign Policy of Ukraine from 1991 to Orange Revolution"
- like Cossacks centuries ago in this land, I feel myself free and fighter, always willing to have free open space where I can live in peace
3. I have unusual habit to eat nuts like a squirrel and I sleep on the floar like japanese people. I try to go far from sweet flower smell and cynammom or wax's bees and some trees smell after rain that make me feel very nervous
4. My life motto is: Mamento Audere Semper (It's always time to take a risk)
5. Maybe my animal is Bear. Lot of people say that I look like bear. But It's very possible I have some behaviour like this animal...see the picture:)

1. My name is Olga Ilina. I am from Poltava (Poltava region, Ukraine)
2. With Ukraine associated much prophetic, in fact I here gave birth and grew. Foremost: embroidery, because my grandmother and mother of my grandmother and all previous generations with own hands embroidered shirts, embroidered towels and many wonderful things which now are the business card of our country.
A traditional kitchen is also inherent Ukraine, for example borsch, pampushki, dumplings, jellied and other great deal. And, probably, associated with our country of tradition and domestic values, with which parents educated me.
3. If I got it right essence of question, among my unusual fascinations am:
- To make collection of geographical maps from cities, what I visited
- to write down interesting, funny, or useful quotations
- participating in youth actions on the type of Quests and Flashmobs,
- To make collection of pens and sport shirts with unusual inscriptions
4. It is in a most degree possible my vital motto:
If the rules of game do not allow to win – it is needed to change rules
5. On the test of Dalai Lama on the first place for me to be tiger. With zoons before itself did not associate, but at possibility would like to become useful insects

1. my name is Tatiana Omelchenko, I am from Donetsk (Ukraine)
2. sun flowers, snowball tree and tallow
3. to swim in the evening, to walk by rain, hourse riding every Sunday
4. help yourself! life is good and wonderful!
5. swan or bay horse

1. Tamar Pkhakadze from Georgia
2. Ushchenko, Sala, Blon people
3. snailophobia
4. dont worry, be happy
5. dog

1. Mustafa Erman Karaman from turkey
2. FC dynamo kiev ,Odessa and beautiful blonde girls :)
3. when I am watching movie on tv, I try to speak with actors( dont go
there ;thay are gonna kill you )
4. think always simple but not too simple
5. dolphin

1. Anija Johansson from Sweden
2. Hayda Maki (the band), Krim, ?
3. I play the accordian. I´m a belly dancer.
4. The more the merrier!
5. Cat or tiger

1. Karina Garibyan. I am from Shaturtorf-Moscow, but I was born in Erevan.
2. Kievo-Pechorskaya Lavra, Crimea, Juliya Timoshenko.

3. I have't unusual habits (((

4. It's never late to start everything since begining
5. Tigress.

1. in Russian - Aleksandra, in Ukraine - Oleksandra and I am from Donetsk, Ukraine

2. wheat, Carpathian Mountains and Kiev

3. every day do my morning exercise and 3 time a week I am jogging

4. through hardship to the stars

5. sometime rabbit, sometime cat

1. Larysa, Ukraine
2. 1)I live in Ukraine 2) I am a Ukrainian 3)I love Ukraine
3. Every day I read a book before bedtime.
4. All that did not happen - all the better!
5. Monkey

1. My name is Arevik. I am from Armenia
2. cossack, Yulia Timoshenko, salo
3. sleeping (unusual), photography (usual):))))
4. If you decide to do something, do it perfectly.
5. Wild and free horse

1. Peter Keijzer - the Netherlands
2. Tsjernobil - orange revolution - Jalta conference
3. never leave the table without finishing the bottle of wine
4. I wish that I was not so pretty, but that I had more money
5. Ursus arctors horriblis

1. I am from the most picturesque and hospitable country – UKRAINE.
My name is Elena in Russian and Olena in Ukrainian.
2. Endless sunflower fields, Blue sky, Native home
3. Doing a lot of things at the same time
4. Everything what happens is only for the best
5. emerald green lizard
1. Kalinin Nicolas from Belarus
2. Ukraine associating with Salo, Gogol, Orange revolution
3. Unusual habits are: play piano
4. Life motto is: there is away out
5. I want to be a shark

1. My name is Michael Richardson and I am from Scotland
(actualy originally English but now living in Edinburgh Scotland).
2. The lions of Lviv. Traditional Ukrainian dance. Snack food made form raw pork (?) fat
3. I'm very very tidy e.g. keep boks and CDs in alphabetical order!
4. Go for it!
5. A lion.

1. My name is Olga Conop but close persons call me also Ola, Olha or even Wolha :-)It`s hard to define in one word from where am I? Since 2007 my home - is Poland, but originally i`m from Moldova and Transnistria
2. Rock-group "Vopli Vidopliassova", cycle of Gogol`s tells about Dikanka, ukranian folksongs singing by my mother
3. I like to notice detailes, especially in human faces
4. It`s quite changeable :-) But in general it could be: "Just try it..."
5. Black independent and smart cat

welcome to the Ukraine

2009-04-14T11:25:00.002+03:00

Location: Eastern Europe
Population: 48 Million
Area: 603.000 km² (largest European country)
Capital: Kiev
Language: Ukrainian and Russian
Climate: temperate continental
Currency: Hryvnia
Government structure: Republic
Date of independence: 24 August 1991
Economy: Principal exports are metals, minerals, electronics, chemicals, and vegetables

Ukraine is situated in the south-eastern part of Central Europe and has its own territory, government, national emblem, flag and anthem. It borders on Russia, Byelorussia, Moldova, Slovakia, Roumania, Hungary and Poland on land and Russia, Georgia, Bulgaria, Roumania and Turkey on sea.

The territory of Ukraine is mostly a level, treeless plain, calls "steppe". There are the Crimean Mountains in the Crimean peninsula and the Carpathians in the west, but they are not very high. Mixed forests of pine and fir-trees, beeches, limes, oaks and elms cover the mountains, but the thickest woods can still be found in the northern part of the country.
The main Ukrainian river is the Dnieper. It is one of the longest European rivers and one of the republic's main source of hydroelectric power. The Dnieper and its tributary the Ross had been the cradle of the Ukrainian and Russian people in time immemorial.

Language

Ukraine and Russian are used roughly equally across Ukraine. While the official state language of Ukraine is Ukrainian, the preferred spoken language in most cities of southern, eastern, and northern Ukraine is Russian.

Ukraine's population

Ukraine has five cities with one million habitants or more: Kiev (2.6 million), Kharkiv (1.5 million), Donetsk (1.1 million), Dnipropetrovsk (1.1 million), and Odessa (1.0 million). Western Ukraine has more densely populated rural areas, but its largest city, Lviv, has only 790 thousand habitants. Life expectancy for men is around 60-65 years, and for women 70-75 years. Low male life expectancy is tied mainly to alcohol and drug abuse and work accidents. Ukraine has one of the highest women-to-men ratios in the world. The population has dropped a few million since 1990 due to emigration and low birth rates, both due to economic instability.

Religion

The dominant religion in Ukraine is Eastern Orthodox Christianity, which is currently split between three Church bodies.
The distant second is the Eastern Rite Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which practices the same liturgical and spiritual tradition as Eastern Orthodoxy, but is in communion with the See of Peter and recognizes the primacy of the Pope of Rome.

There are also smaller Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim communities.

Timezone

Ukraine is situated between 44 and 52 degrees latitude in the continental temperate zone in Eastern Europe and has an area of 603,000 km2. It borders Belarus on the north, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova on the west, and Russia on the East. Ukraine's time zone is 2 hours ahead of London, 7 hours ahead of New York City, 10 hours ahead of Los Angeles, and 3 hours 40 minutes behind Kathmandu.

GMT + 1.00

Money and Currency Exchange

Above is a sample of Ukraine's currency, the "hryvnia" (abbreviation: UAH). Bills come in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 hryvnias (higher values exist but are impractical as cash money), and coins exist in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 kopecks, as well as 1 hryvnia, where 100 kopecks = 1 hryvnia. Bills show historical figures on the front and famous buildings on the back. In late 2004 new bills were emitted, causing a bit of confusion among both natives and foreigners.
Exchange rates

1 US dollar = 8,2 UAH
1 Euro = 10,8 UAH

Exchanging money in Ukraine

Because of the amount of US dollars and euros in circulation in Ukraine, exchange booths can be found all over any busy section of town. Rates are generally as good or better than in banks, and the service is quicker. Take note of the different exchange rates offered; beware of things like a faded "0" slipped between digits on exchange rate signs in touristy areas. No documents are necessary to exchange money at exchange booths, but passports are required in many banks, where the procedure can take a bit longer. Count the money at the window in plain sight of the money changer before walking away. More central areas tend to have better exchange rates unless their main clients are tourists. If you enter Ukraine through Kyiv's Boryspil airport, bring some smaller dollar or euro bills if you will need to pay for a taxi; the exchange point in the airport has poor exchange rates.

Temperatures and best time to visit Ukraine

Average temperatures in January range from 0 degrees Celsius (32° F) on Crimea's South Shore to -8° C (17.6° F) on the northeast border with Russia and between 18 (64.4° F) and 23° C (73.4° F) in July. Ideal sunny months to visit are mid-April through June when everything is in bloom and the sun isn't too hot and September and early October when the temperatures are ideal and the leaves are changing. Throughout most of Ukraine be prepared for heat with thunderstorms and brief downpours in July and August, frequent rain in late October and November, and snow December through March.

Ukrainian Cuisine

· Ukrainian cuisine shows a sophisticated simplicity based on combinations of fresh, pickled, and smoked ingredients
· Food is neither highly spiced nor bland, but skillfully seasoned to perfection
· Bread is, of course, the mainstay of the Ukrainian diet The country’s reputation as of the “breadbasket of Europe”is well deserved (77 ways of preparing bread)

The most popular Ukrainian meals:

· “Borshch” – Ukrainian beet soup
· “Varenyky” – dough pockets filled with potato,or sauerkraut, or cottage cheese, or blueberries, or cherries
· “Holubtsi” – Ukrainian cabbage rolls
· “Nalysnyky” – super thin pancakes stuffed with cottage cheese, or poppy, or apples, or honey and walnut