Crowded public transportation

Ukrainian public transportation system does not often meet westerners’ comfort expectations. It is common for city buses and subways to be packed with passengers, who have to press up against each other in the aisles. Buses are terribly uncomfortable, even exhausting – especially in hot weather. Besides, city bus petty thieves may play bad tricks with purses, wallets and other valuable stuff that can be easily taken out of bags or hip-pockets in over-crowded transport.

Lack of punctuality

Informal (and often formal) meetings in Ukraine often are based on a different understanding of time. 5 “Ukrainian” minutes often turn out to be 20 calendar minutes. Ukrainians tend to think little of having other people wait 10 or 20 minutes for them. It is assumed that you will be able to entertain yourself or will have some extra phone calls to make while you are waiting.

“Deadly” draughts

In Ukraine draughts are widely considered dangerous for your health. For this reason, in many situations where westerners would open the window to let in fresh air, Ukrainians will keep the windows shut and just tolerate the heat and / or stuffiness. Travelers to Ukraine are often surprised by how often they are asked to close windows “for their own good.”

Add some other issues about Ukraine and the Ukrainians, which our foreign friends should be aware of.

TASK 25. Write a narrative essay on the following topic.

A critical analysis of the good and bad points of your own countrymen.

TASK 26. Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Ви працюєте в Італії? 2. Ви живете в Німеччині? 3. Олег працює менеджером з продажу у великій багатонаціональній компанії в Гамбурзі. Він вільно володіє німецькою та англійською мовами. 4. Марія Іванова часто їздить за кордон. Вона працює перекладачем. 5. Коли відправляється потяг? – Потяг відправляється о 12.30. 6. Моя подруга живе в Нью-Йорку. Вона працює у великій міжнародній компанії. 7. Я чекаю на містера Блека. 8. Коли відкривається банк? Я хочу зняти гроші з рахунку. – Банк відкривається о 9⁰⁰.9. Я хочу обміняти долари на євро. 10. Де я можу обміняти гроші? 11. Наш головний виконавчий директор часто їздить за кордон. 12. Скільки бухгалтерів працює у вашій Лондонській компанії. 13. Олег погано розмовляє німецькою, але він добре володіє англійською. 14. Я не знаю як зняти гроші з цього банкомату. Я не розумію що тут написано. 15. Літак прилітає о 9¹⁵. 16. Я завтра лечу до Парижу у справах. 17. Ти купив собі путівник? 18. Ми співпрацюємо з багатьма міжнародними компаніями по всьому світу, зокрема, ми маємо ділові контакти з Британією, Францією, Німеччиною, Австрією, Туреччиною, Іспанією, Італією, Данією та Нідерландами. 19. Я б хотіла відвідати Бразилію одного дня. 20. Ти коли-небудь був у Китаї / Японії / Таїланді / Кореї?

TASK 27. Read the text and answer the questions that follow.

What makes a multicultural person?

Before we discuss the qualities a multicultural person, or multiculturalist, needs to have, it is necessary to explain this term.

A multiculturalist is someone who can easily adapt to living in a culture different from their own, the sort of person that could be described as a citizen of the world, or a member of a global community. There are four key qualities you need in order to be a multiculturalist.

First, you must be open-minded, which means not judging one culture as better than another, or believing that the way things are done in your culture is the best or the only way of doing things, i.e. you should not be “ethnocentric”.

Second, you must be adaptable. To live successfully in another culture, particularly in one that is very different from your own, you have to adapt to differences: not only visible differences of food, climate, customs, but also to the invisible differences – the ways in which people of other cultures understand and interpret the world, and their different values.

Third, you need to be sensitive. That means being able to see things from the other person’s point of view and being careful to avoid doing things that people of other culture might find strange or offensive, even if in your culture such things are quite OK.

Fourth, you need to be interested in other cultures, which are closely related to the three qualities mentioned above.

A multiculturalist is a person who has a genuine interest in people of other cultures, who wants to learn their language, find out about their country and its history, and develop a real understanding of their culture. Perhaps, it’s this quality, more than any other, which best describes a multicultural person.

Answer the following questions:

1. Whom can we call a multiculturalist?

2. What are qualities one needs in order to be called a multiculturalist?

3. Do you consider yourself to be a multiculturalist?

TASK 28. Read the text and compare the relations between fathers and sons in your country.