October Newsletter
Transcription
October Newsletter
President’s Letter Dear IWCK Members, How are you? Have you managed to get over the end-of-summer rush? If you arrived in Kyiv recently, I hope you are beginning to find your way around and are starting to feel more at home. Remember if you have any practical questions or needs, please do contact our Office Coordinator, Liliana: coordinator@iwck.org. She will be happy to help. IWCK is there for all its members and if you have any suggestions as to how we can better support you, please let me know: president@iwck.org Kyiv is lovely in the autumn and I am writing this sitting on a leaf-strewn beach in the Hydro Park. There are lots of sparrows pecking at the sand around me and I imagine they must be preparing for the coming cold. I do feel that the lovely weather we have enjoyed recently has given me extra energy to get myself organized and better prepared for the coming months, and they are going to be busy! The annual IWCK Charity Bazaar which will take place on the 6th of December is the big item on my longer term agenda. Our energetic and creative fundraising team, headed by Valerie and Justyna has already built a very strong foundation for the event at which we hope to raise plenty of money for charity projects. I need to support the team as they build the walls and put the roof of this ‘palace of good will and cooperation’ (This image come to mind because of the fantastic venue which the team has chosen for the Bazaar this year: The Olympiski Stadium Conference Centre.) Perhaps you can help too. I remember when my children were young, the only way I felt able to support IWCK was to give the children extra pocket money and take them along to the Bazaar where they had a great time spending all their money and then more of mine! For us the IWCK Bazaar signaled the start of Christmas. It was a magical time and if this sounds like the phase of life you are at right now, enjoy it! Of course, if you have more time to spare, perhaps you would like to volunteer to help with preparations at the IWCK office or on the day, at the Bazaar. Valerie and Justyna will be very happy to hear from you at fundraising@iwck.org Enjoy the rest of the autumn. Best wishes, Elizabeth October General Meeting Dear members, Thank you very much for participating in our General Meeting on Monday 13th of October! We hope you enjoyed the pleasant atmosphere at the Hilton Hotel. Our meeting was devoted to IWCK interest groups, their activities and the opportunities to participate. After the opening of the meeting by Elizabeth Kourkov, President of IWCK, we started our presentations with an invitation to Monday Morning Coffee which takes place regularly (every Monday!) in B’Artista Caffe on Zhylianyska Street. We enjoy starting the week with a chat with friends in pleasant surroundings. We warmly invite you to join us. Shirley Asjes is the leader of the English Conversation Group which meets on Wednesday afternoons and Thursday mornings. She presented the aims of the group and encouraged ladies to participate on Thursday mornings as there is still some free capacity. Classes are held at the IWCK offices. A new group started on 16th of October! If you are interested in starting to learn, or improving, Russian please don’t hesitate to contact Anastasia Karaer. Her Russian Conversation Group takes place on Thursdays at 12.30. Everybody who likes, and can play, tennis is invited to join the Tennis Group organised by Michele Raffray. Alternatively, if you prefer something more relaxing just come walking with us on Fridays! You can learn how to decorate your apartment with Irina Vykhrystenko, in her Flower Design Group. Also, how to decorate yourselves with beautiful handmade jewellery at Yi Jiang’s Beading Group. Good food makes our lives more colourful – you can join the Culinary Master Classes with Nathalie Gallet. At the classes, you will have the opportunity to learn how to prepare wonderful tasty dishes from (semi) professional Chefs. If you want to meet interesting people in nice restaurants with good food, go out with Nathalia Woloschka and the Gals Night Out Group. She organises a monthly dinner which gives an opportunity to socialise for those of us who don’t have time during the day! You can find information about the interest groups, and how to join them, on the IWCK website http://iwck.org/interest-groups/ Our intention is also to introduce some new activities as singing, drama and golf groups. Our President, Elizabeth Kourkov, invited our members to join a choir and to motivate us she prepared a two-part canon which we all finally sang with her! Valerie Stulíková, Head of Fundraising Committee, informed us about the new venue of Bazaar which looks great! This year’s IWCK Holiday Bazaar will be held on 6th December at Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex. She encouraged members to become volunteers and help with the preparations for the Bazaar. Please put the date into your diary, and start telling your friends and family! Yi Jiang, Head of Communications, provided us with information about changes to IWCK’s communication activities and particularly to our new web site. For example a new section called Members’ space has been inserted - http://iwck.org/members-space/. We wish you sunny and warm autumn days and we are looking forward to seeing you at our next General Meeting, which is to be held on 17th of November in the Hilton Hotel on Tarasa Shevchenka Blvd.! Alena Marková Vice President 22nd Bazaar preparation Bazaar volunteer meeting will take place on Monday 27. 10. 2014, from 10-11.30 am at IWCK office. Those who are interested in helping before and at the day of Bazaar, please come. We need you!!! Please confirm your participation at fundraising@iwck.org -- Grand Raffle Dear members, Grand Raffle booth starts preparations for the Annual Charity Bazaar. Grand Raffle is a great lottery initiative, which means that we have prizes with value exceeding UAH 150. We hope you can advise us on which companies would be willing to donate such items as gift vouchers, cards or certificates for services/goods, fragrances and perfumes, kitchen appliances, consumer electronics, etc. Such donations may also include some smaller items such as Christmas candles and decorations. All prizes must be new. We kindly ask the Embassy and companies to prepare gift baskets representing their respective country. Such gifts are always welcome and highly appreciated. If you would like to participate in the charity event, please do not forget to buy the lottery tickets, which will be available at the IWCK office, the General and Interest Group Meetings, and the Charity Bazaar. You can drop off your donations to the IWCK office. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Vita Yarmolenko on 067 498 9192 or vitagu@gmail.com. -- La Boutique Dear members, IWCK’s biggest fundraising event, the Christmas Bazaar is approaching fast. There is a lot going on and the Boutique is here to make your life easier. We will help you make space in your wardrobe for future purchases as you, after this lovely, long and totally unexpected Indian summer are finally starting to switch between summer and winter clothing. The Boutique is here to help you – we will happily take all the outgrown/out of fashion/realistically-never-to-be-worn-again precious items and sell them at the Christmas Bazaar on December 6th to raise money for the many charity projects that will benefit children, the elderly, the disabled and women in the Kiev region. It is a small effort on our part and a great blessing for them (each year we raise between 40,000-50,000 UAH). We’re collecting: –Ladies: (including brand-name) dresses, shirts, skirts, trousers, suits, shoes, scarves, belts, handbags; –Men: suits, shirts, neckties, shoes; –Children: any children’s clothes and shoes. All items should be in good condition. Please send them in clean and pressed. PLEASE NO UNDERWEARS OR SOCKS. The IWCK office has kindly offered to act as a drop-off point for the clothes (please label them ‘Boutique’). We will pick them up weekly. You can also drop them off directly at my house (I live in Petropavlovskaya Borshagovka) or at the reception of Kyiv International School. If it is difficult for you to drop them off at the IWCK office or my house, please just call me or email me your address and my driver will come by your place and collect your donation. The deadline for collections is November 21th VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED to sort through the clothes and prepare them for sale. VOLUNTEERS ARE ALSO NEEDED on the day of the Bazaar to work at the Boutique. Please email me if you would like to volunteer (we’ll party – it will be fun!). I thank you in advance for your contribution. Andrea Hak-Kovacs ‘La Boutique’ IWCK-booth coordinator phone number: 096 463 8533 email: andrea.hak.kovacs@gmail.com -- White Elephant White Elephant is the booth on Charity Bazaar that is collecting the used things for household: There are: Children things: toys, books, CD’s, baby carriage, bicycle, baby-chairs, children-chairs, children-dishes, school-things (pens, pencils) Kitchen-things: everything is used in the kitchen Room-things: little tables, chairs, lamps, pictures, candles, decorating things, furnishing, pillows and so on. Please contact Nataliya at novy_den@bigmir.net Cultural event -- Exhibition of paintings By Cathy Tiley From 21st October In the restaurant and bar at The Holiday Inn Hotel, 100 Chervonoarmiiska, Kyiv. A percentage of the proceeds of any work sold will be donated to IWCK charities. -- IWCK Movie Night (Latest Club Events & Achievements!) On October 16th, 2014 IWCK, in partnership with SOTA Cinema Group, presented the movie "With a warm heart,” starring Bohdan Stupka, one of the best Ukrainian actors of all-time, and directed by renowned Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Zanussi. The screening was part of the IWCK Movie Nights fundraising project and was launched by Mr. Oleg Kohan, the film producer and Dmytro Stupka, Bogdan Stupka’s nephew. An exciting Q&A session followed and the audience presented the producer with interesting opinions and questions. “It was a lovely evening. Thank you very much for inviting us and many congratulations on the very successful night” (Yuna de Lannoy, IWCK member). This IWCK event could not have been possible without our partners and sponsors' support. I would like to give big thanks to the DAR Foundation for their ongoing partnership in the project, as well as to SigmaBleyzer, which has always been so generous in hosting us in their beautiful conference hall. Together with the “With a warm heart" movie, our members and guests enjoyed the excellent Ukrainian Cabernet-Merlot, Riesling and Chardonnay offered by the Kolonist winery, and delicious pies donated by the Citronelle restaurant. It gave me great pleasure to see that so many of you came to see this movie, enjoy the company and contribute to a worthy cause. I thank you for joining in and supporting this project! My thanks also go to Liliana Zhylina for translating from Russian and Ukrainian, Neea Barden, our volunteer-photographer, and to Yi Jiang, Ramona Barden and Catalina Gual Vicens for their involvement in the promotion of the IWCK Movie Nights fundraising project! I would also like to express my gratitude to those of you who donated towards the Movie Nights fundraising project, despite not being able to attend. The IWCK Movie Nights project also welcomes your family members and friends! We look forward to watching amazing movies together. Nadia Mosanu IWCK MN coordinator -- Tartar Art Exhibition We are pleased to invite you to the exhibition of Tatar Art to be held next Monday October 27 in the Opera Hotel - Restaurant Theatre from 12h to 15h EXPOSICION ART TARTAR SKIBIM Rusten : Pottery ELMIRA SEIT - AMETOVA : Painting on silk The artists exhibit and offer for sale their works. We also accept orders with limited workload date. For those wishing to stay for lunch, the restaurant at Hotel Opera Theatre, proposes to taste its fantastic Business -Lunch. (10% discount for membres IWCK) Outdoors activities -- Monday Morning Coffee Each Monday morning (except on Ukrainian holidays), there is a (pay your own) Coffee Gathering at Café Bartista near the Olimpiska Metro Station, from 10:00 until about noon. The address is Shzulianska Street 5/60 and the café's phone number is 050-321-1616. It is located on the opposite side of the street from the Operetta Theater, next door to the Zepter shop (which is at the corner of Chervonoarmiska and Shzulianska streets). If you don't see the IWCK group upstairs, check in the lower level where there is additional seating. Whether you are new to Kyiv or a long term resident, this is a good group to meet and discuss issues of the day as well as find out more about life in the city! You can email judyminier@earthlink.net for further information. -- Mezhyhoria villa We all met outside Yolanda's apartment building. We had our packed lunches in our bags, we had our good moods and off we rode in the bus. Most of the seat belts were ok. Very important. We had arranged to meet our guide outside the gym. He wasn't there. Phone calls were made... Eventually we found him. The tour started in the gym -- a large 3 storey building. There were many 'treatment' rooms, all very elaborate, some with strange cubicles for unknown purposes. We were shown a boxing ring, lots of gym equipment, massage beds, saunas, bathtubs etc. Then we walked through the secret tunnel and emerged into the main house, Honka – the world’s largest log cabin. We were shown around more and more elaborately decorated rooms, with carved wooden ceilings, complex parquetry floors, mosaics, and crystal chandeliers. Each surface was as decorated as it could possibly be. There were suits of armour, vast dining suites, huge sofas, birds in gilded cages, a complete chapel with icons, and even a mosaic portrait of God. And, in almost every room an enormous flat screen television. We walked down to the river through the beautiful gardens. We emerged after a steep climb through the woods onto the perfectly manicured golf course. Some of us visited the zoo. Goats, cows, ostriches, some deer, antelopes, ducks, geese etc. And available to buy from the greenhouses was lettuce, rocket, cucumbers, paprikas, and quail eggs. That night we ate a Yanukovich salad. A very interesting experience. -- By Cathy -- Radomysl castle Dear all, You are invited for the Radomysl Castle Museum trip on Wednesday 29th of October. Radomysl houses a large collection of unique Ukrainian Icons from all regions. Departure time: 09:15am Meeting point: Shota Rusatvelli 44, (Olympiisky Metro) Return in Kiev around 16:00 hrs. Approximate cost of outing including transport, tour, admission and lunch: 350 UAH. Please register in advance: Yolandadinjens@gmail.com Please consult below website for more information: Photo of Radomysl trip in June 2014 http://www.radozamok.com.ua/en Regards, Yolanda (Head of Hospitality) Special Reminder This Sunday (26th October), winter time starts. Don’t forget to set your clock 1 hour back. Divers -- Nanny and Housekeeper My name is Alona, I have been working for 18 years for expat families in Kiev. I have basic knowledge of English and German languages. My main responsibility was to take care of children of different ages. I am unfailingly cheerful and have positive outlook on live. I am a very friendly, flexible and sensitive person when it comes to dealing with children. I respect families' personal philosophies while being confident enough to independently make day-to-day decisions regarding kids. I'm also a resourceful and diligent, hardworking housekeeper, ensure that everything runs smoothly and attend to every problem without needing to ask. My responsibilities were to clean apartments, the ironing and washing the laundry. In all household tasks I was competent and accurate. I'm also an excellent cook. Please contact: +38-096-906-9806 ******************************************************************************* My name is Anna Mariot. I am a well-qualified nanny and I am currently searching for a family to work for. I have good recommendations from my previous employers. I have the Certificate of Completion of the Security Seminar at the US Embassy. My phone number: 098 822 43 34. My e-mail address: mariot_2009@ukr.net -- Russian class Larisa Vacetskaya (Лариса Васецкая) AN EXPERIENCED ENGLISH SPEAKING TUTOR OF RUSSIAN AND/OR UKRAINIAN Entrance from 25, Pushkinska Str.Tel. 050 334 82 56 -- Companies advertisements www.europbrokers.com/cigna office@slgroup.com.ua www.slgroup.com.ua Beautiful, cozy, open space apartments in central part of Kyiv are waiting for their Tenants. 15-20 min driving to International Schools, apartment sizes 180-300 sq.m., one or two levels, 3-5 bedrooms, panoramic views, with private parking space. Bank transfer and registration – if needed. For additional information: office@slgroup.com.ua Home Search to be conducted by Soft Landing Group LLC. We are co-operating with all real estate agencies and individual brokers - to cover 100% of rental properties in Kyiv.