Tetyana's Posts (19)

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Happy Old New Year!

You'll be surprised but we are celebrating the coming of the new year again. In Ukraine this holiday is called Old New Year.

 Today we're having a holiday which is called Malanka. 

 On that evening Ukrainians  have a very important meal which is called "rich supper". We cook TWELVE traditional Ukrainian dishes, but the main dish on the festive table iskutia, a kind of porridge  from whole-wheat kernels, poppy seeds, nuts, and honey, a custom what dated to ancient times.

 

For the New Year and Christmas we decorate our homes with Christmas tree, but in western Ukraine, where I live, we've got a tradition to decorate our houses withdidukh,  a wheat or rye sheaf.

 

 On today's night in Ukraine the carolers traditionally  go from house to house playing tricks and acting out a small play. I like this tradition very much. The carolers first have to ask for permission to sing. If the answer yes, they enter the house and sing carols for each member of the family, even for the smallest child. I like our Ukrainian carols very much, they are fantastic!

And finally... Tomorrow we'll greet each other "Happy New year" again, because we celebrate the coming of the new year in accordance with the Julian calendar. There's one more tradition. Early in the morning the small boys(and only boys) go from home to home wishing Happy New Year and throwing about seeds of wheat or rye...

Happy Old  New Year to all the members of my EC and their families!!!! 

 

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Windows......

I had a very busy week full of work problems. Every day I came back late. I was tired, even exhausted. On my way home while I was on the bus I was looking inside the yellow squares of windows on both sides of the street. I must confess that these uncurtained windows always drew my attention. I don't know how to treat this wish.....Hope it's not something very bad.....So....some windows were decorated (Christmas is coming). Some rooms offered a Christmas tree in a corner or by the window. In some rooms I could see people sitting in front of the blue screens and watching banal TV shows.... I saw a little girl playing the violin.....The old couple having supper..... Lives of other people were flying past me....And at last..... the most important windows in the world..... the shining windows of MY house. I'm lucky that there are people in this cruel world who are waiting for me....making me a cup of hot tea.....ready to listen to me.... Welcome home! 

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To Lie or not to Lie.....

     The problem of lying has bothered me since I was a little girl. I was taught to tell the truth and only the truth.... Even now, after so many years, whenever I'm on the point of telling a lie, even the mildest one, I seem to feel uncomfortable.

     There are lies and lies, of course. I don't want to speak here about the problem of whether doctors should tell the truth to a patient who is about to die... No, I don't want to concentrate on such serious issues. I'd like to have a talk about little everyday lies. Don't you agree with me that we tell lies very often? And we do it for different reasons: to avoid long explanations, to avoid offending people or hurting their feelings, to save time, etc.... How often we say  " You look very nice in this dress" to the person who has absolutely no clothes' sense!!!! Or you don't want to visit someone, because you consider him/her an awful bore and you say "Sorry, I can't possibly come and see you today. I'm awfully busy!" I can give you more and more examples....And you can....I'm sure for one-hundred percent!!!!

     On the other hand... Do we always want to know the truth: the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Perhaps lies are a necessary evil. 

     It's very interesting for me to find out your points of view. So, TO LIE OR NOT TO LIE?

      

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The Roles We Play in Our Life

     Commenting on Jenny's blog "Career or Marriage" I've suddenly  realized that I played so many different roles in my life!!!!! I'm a daughter,a sister, a wife, a mother........Some roles are the main ones and I'm doing my best to act perfectly..... Some of then are secondary..... I'm a neighbor, a buyer, a patient etc... And sometimes I even pay no attention to them.

     I can't say that I'm excellent in any of these roles (I mean the most important ones). I often forget the text, I sometimes don't know what to do and where to go, how to act....Poor me! It's so difficult. But I try!!!!! And this notorious generation gap! My mother and me.... Misunderstanding between us. The years passed and then the story repeats..... My daughter and me.... Sometimes I'm about to fail my most important roles.

     And I think that so few people in the world play their roles in a proper way. Irresponsible presidents, corrupt politicians......oh, it seems to me that I'm too far from my topic. So... What roles do you play in your life and in which ones are you the best?

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The Most Important Invention

     I had an accident this morning. I was in a terrible hurry and lost one of my contact lenses. Oh, my God! While I was nervously looking for it on the floor, I was thinking about the importance of different useful inventions and gadgets. And I came to the conclusion that the most important invention for me (not only at the present moment ) was my lost contact lens. I don't know whose head had been struck by the idea of this device ( I'll Google later ), but he (or she?) was a genius. For sure!

     I was lucky enough to find my valuable lens. (Thanks God!) I was really happy!

     And you? Are there any inventions or gadgets you can't live without?

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I HATE SUNDAY!!!!!

     Do you like Sunday? I don't. To be fair Sunday is my least favourite day of the week.I like Friday most of all. Especially Friday's evening. It's so nice to be in the waiting for the weekend. You're so relax, happy and satisfied....You dream of your weekend, you plan it. Maybe you'll spend it with your family or visit some friends. Or how wonderful it'll be to have a long lie-in in the morning and spend a lazy day reading books or watching old films...

     But unfortunately it's Sunday today. (Haven't I told you that I hate Sunday?) Monday is so close. Get ready for the new working week with all its challenges, problems....

     I don't like Sunday. And you?

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TIME FLIES LIKE AN ARROW.....

Do you remember yourselves being a child? The days were so long !!!! We could do a lot of different things discovering the world. And now....

Yesterday I had a very busy day (as usual). But I didn't do everything I'd planned. THE DAY WAS TOO SHORT! Time goes by too fast.

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I'm new here!

Hi all!

The main reason I'm here is to improve my English. I live in the small village and have no possibilities to communicate with native speakers or any people who know English pretty well. What is more this is my first experience in joining social net works like this. I  know nothing about how it works. I realize that it sounds ridiculous but it's true. That's why I'd like to improve my computer skills. And the last but not least is to friend some new people and to find out a lot of interesting information about everything - places, people, traditions.....

I'm looking forward to learning a lot of fabulous things!

Thanks!!!

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