Kazan schoolchildren taught WorldSkills participants from Finland to sing “Kalinka-Malinka” and the Tatar song “Epipe”

Acquaintance with the culture of Russia and Tatarstan took place in the framework of the project “One School, One Country”.

(KZN.RU, August 22, Alina Berezhnaya). Today, participants in the WorldSkills Kazan 2019 from Finland visited the school №39 of the Vakhitovsky district of Kazan. Kazan schoolchildren introduced foreign guests to the culture of Russia and Tatarstan. The meeting took place within the framework of the project “One School, One Country”, where young people exchange the cultural traditions of their countries.

Acquaintance with customs began already at the doorstep of the school. The guests from Finland were met by girls in Russian and Tatar costumes with chak-chak and bread and salt.

Galina Nazipova, the director of School №39, addressed the participants of WorldSkills with a welcoming speech. She told the guests about the features of the institution. “We are glad to see you in the walls of our school. Your arrival is very important to us. This is an exchange of cultural values and traditions. Our school is of considerable age, this year it turned 85 years old. During this time, we graduated more than 8 thousand worthy students. We attach particular importance to the in-depth study of the English language in the educational program”, said G. Nazipova. As it turned out, foreign visitors to this school are not uncommon. Since 2008, young people from other countries come to the exchange educational institution to study Russian.

Finns also plunged into the national color. For a couple of hours, they became students of a Russian school and sat at their desks. In one of the study rooms, they were taught to sing the Russian folk song “Kalinka-Malinka” and the Tatar “Epipe”. Foreigners enthusiastically accepted this lesson, and some even knocked on wooden spoons and rattles to the beat of the song. “Russian culture is unusual. People are very kind, sympathetic, always cheerful and friendly. I am glad to be in Russia, in Kazan. This is something new and unknown to me. When I come to Finland, I’ll definitely sing to my friends Kalinka-Malinka”, Junatan Niko Henrik Kivelae, a participant in the WorldSkills Championship from Finland, shared his impressions.

Young people from Finland taught Kazan schoolchildren a children's Finnish dance. “It's a great idea to get acquainted with the culture of another country in a couple of hours. I only knew about Russia that it was very cold here, bears and balalaikas. It turns out that this is a very large, interesting country with amazing people and beautiful dances and songs”, said Elina Lapinozha-Pitkaenen, a participant in the WorldSkills Championship from Finland.

Further, acquaintance with the culture continued in the dining room, where guests from Finland tried local dishes: peremyach, chak-chak, pancakes and dried fruit tea.

The meeting ended in Leo Tolstoy’s Manor. The guests were given a tour and taught to paint plates with Tatar and Russian ornaments.

A similar cultural exchange took place today in 49 schools of Kazan. National teams of WorldSkills member countries visited educational institutions. And in the days of the championship, students of Kazan schools will visit the world championship competitions at the “Kazan Expo”.

The 45th WorldSkills Kazan 2019 will be held in the capital of the RT from 22 to 27 of August. The opening ceremony will take place today at the stadium “Kazan Arena”. Free shuttles will run to the stadium.

Photo report

Participants of the WorldSkills Kazan 2019 from Finland attended the school №39