Oksana from Kiev

 
 
 
Oksana invites viewers into her living room.

Vocabulary

crane	fix it up	living room
cozy	heirloom	comfortable
vase	field (2)	right now
hope	come in	long time
nest	far flung	wallpaper
land	woods	talisman
nip	turtle	all the best
fun	poem	all the best

 
 
 

 
 
 

Video

 

 
 
 
 

Transcript

Hello. Please come in. I’m Oksana. This is our apartment. We’ve lived here for ten years.

This is our living room. We’re fixing it up at bit now. We’ve lived here a long time, but we’ve just now gotten the money together to make the place a bit more comfortable.

So it doesn’t look very cozy right now — no drapes. And we’ve really have to repaper it.

This is my husband’s grandfather. He was a famous movie director in the Soviet Union.

His name was Timofey Levchuk. He got this vase for his seventieth birthday. And since then it’s been a kind of heirloom.

This is my daughter Tina. She is seven years old. And here’s is my husband Victor. And we won’t say how old he is.

Say the poem of the Crane for us.

Tina: “The crane comes home from far away. He flies across woods and seas far flung. What are these fields, these woods, if I may?

They’re Ukraine. My land, my nest, and my town.”

And this is our talisman, our turtle, Salomon.

This is Hosha. He’s a boy and he’s turning four years old. And he always nips me. And sits he on my head.

Good bye. All the best. Thanks a lot for being our guest. I hope it’s been interesting. We had lots of fun. Bye.

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Questions

1. Who is this person? Where does she live?

2. They have been living in their apartment all their lives. True or false? How long have they been living there?

3. What does she plan to do with her apartment?

4. Oksana’s husband’s grandfather was famous. Yes or no? What was his birthday present?

5. How old are Tina and Victor?

6. What did Tina say?

7. Do they have pets? What kind of pets do they have

 
 

A. I read and write poetry. Yes or no?

B. Do you have any pets? If yes, what are their names?

C. Are you from Ukraine? Do you live in Kiev? Have you been to Ukraine?

D. Have you met anyone from Ukraine? Who were they? What were they doing?

E. Describe the geography and climate of Ukraine.

F. Describe the economy of Ukraine. What does it import and export?

G. Does Ukraine have any problems or challenges?

H. What is the food of Ukraine like? Describe Ukrainian cuisine.

I. What are some tourist attractions (cultural, historical, natural)?

J. What comes to mind when you think of Ukraine? What do you associate with Ukraine?