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: [email protected]. 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: [email protected]
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 [email protected]
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 [email protected]
-- 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
[email protected].
-- 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: [email protected]
-- 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 [email protected]
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 [email protected] 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: [email protected]
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: [email protected]
-- 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
[email protected]
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: [email protected]
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.