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[Help] What would you teach someone from abroad about British Culture?



Albion in the north

Well-known member
Jul 13, 2012
1,556
Ooop North
Hi all. If you follow the "Russia invades Ukraine" thread at all, you will know that my wife and I are going to Ukraine on the 20th to volunteering in an orphanage for a week. The orphanage is for 14-18 year olds and they live and study in a college learning different trades and skills. There are 24 females and 53 males. One of the things that they have suggested we might be able to do for them is to teach the young adults something about British culture. Their level of speaking English is quite low. My wife does speak Ukrainian as well as English. So I am looking for ideas and any pointers to online resources to highlight the best that this sceptred Isle has to offer. Anyone that has worked as an ESOL teacher? I will be taking a BHAFC shirt with me!
 








Albion in the north

Well-known member
Jul 13, 2012
1,556
Ooop North
I was looking at things like refreshers and love hearts. Is 3kg to heavy? Uno is a good shout, other card games like beat your neighbour or sevens might be good. Victoria sponge might be a good thing to cook. Pot Noodles might be a good thing to demonstrate about teenagers lunch eating habits & beans on toast & marmite.
Re the music you don't have to 'teach' them about it, just play it while they're doing something like having dinner. You can go through eras from The Beatles, Sex Pistols, Wham, Rave Music, Take That, Fatboy Slim (obviously), up to whatever is in the charts now.
Power bank ordered, I can't decide whether your Amazon delivery guy is going to love you for it all being in one place or just wonder what on earth is being delivered. :lolol:
Cheers buddy. Much appreciated. We did have 11 packets of powerbanks arrive just after christmas! And those big bags of mini packs of sweets might be a good shout.
 










Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
73,888
West west west Sussex
So what's going on with this thread first post at the top of each page and 'up vote' whatever that is.
 




Cotton Socks

Skint Supporter
Feb 20, 2017
2,158
So what's going on with this thread first post at the top of each page and 'up vote' whatever that is.
Use the upvote to agree with an answer.
My 1st thoughts about British teenage culture was vaping! :lolol:
Then false eyelashes for girls & still far too much (or not enough) Lynx for boys. That should be a down vote as it's not something you'd want to mention to kids abroad about British teens. ;)
 






Shuggie

Well-known member
Sep 19, 2003
685
East Sussex coast
Been talking to my wife about the whole "Winnie-the-Pooh thing and , yes, they ALL will know the story. What I am struggling with is how do I make that interesting to a group of 14-18 year olds? I dont want to just sit and talk at them, some of them might not understand what Im saying. Would prefer somethinginteractive.

Stick these in Mrs AitN’s toaster and see if anything pops up*

- recall happier times: where was your favourite place for Pooh-sticks; who did you play with?

- where does honey feature in Ukrainian food and drink? We’ve lost the taste for mead and honey cakes and nowadays …

- Ask them to suggest ways of exploring cultural nuances in character portrayal, storytelling style and values by comparing both versions. Eeyore as the epitome of lugubrious British humour.

- If they’re a bit older: encourage them to share their perspectives on how cultural differences influence the interpretation of the same character across different cultures. The adaptations presumably make the stories relatable and culturally relevant whilst keeping the warmth of the original tales and integrating them into the local narrative tradition at the same time (and you can stick that in Pseuds’ corner if you like)

Leave it to you to assess whether there’s any mileage in this but, if it has, you ought to be prepared with the British / your personal perspective to give them a starting point … and rehearse with Mrs AitN.

* courtesy Gus Hedges, Drop the dead donkey c.1989 (IIRC)
 
















raymondo

Well-known member
Apr 26, 2017
7,377
Wiltshire
Apologies if fixtures but...my wife (and my step son) took the Life in the UK Test some years ago, part of qualifying for British Citizenship. I believe we gave the detailed workbook away to a friend in the village.
Anyway, I've found something on line (subscription free) which is a summary resource that might provide some useful prompts for you.
Link is: https://lifeintheuktestweb.co.uk/study-materials/

Also, I have a DVD, "A Picture of Britain"... '...a celebration of the British landscape as seen through the eyes of artists, writers and composers' written and presented by David Dimbleby. It's 6 hours long so might give you a rest for a day 😏. No idea if it will play on Ukrainian equipment, as it's 'Region 2 PAL UK', but perhaps you'll have a laptop/dvd player or something with you (?).
Anyways...I'll post it to you tomorrow.
Good luck on your trip 👍👏👍
 








Gabbafella

Well-known member
Aug 22, 2012
4,907
Deleted for some reason.
 
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