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Different and the Same: a Cultural Approach to the European Dimension No. 4 May 2015

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This magazine was issued with the contribution of more than 100 students and 12 teachers who created,

selected and sent over 70 articles (poems, short stories, argumentative essays, letters, fables etc) and 30 drawing

and photos.

The motto for this issue was selected from the pages of this magazine, written by Oana Ciobanu,

student at CNMK Galati, in her essay Who are we?, synthesizing the very idea of this publication:

Most of us don't aspire to be writers but we thought that by sharing our works we could push you to write as

well or maybe just read and relax for a second. We are teenagers on a mission,

who only wish to share and ask for nothing in return. (p. 22)

Editor-in-chief: Violeta Chirea, English teacher, Sf. Cuv. Parascheva School, Smardan,

Galati, Romania

Co-editors:

Nicoleta Agapia, English teacher, St. O. Iosif School, Tecuci, Galati, Romania

Iolanda Bodi, English teacher, Lascar Catargiu School, Schela, Galati, Romania

Daniela Ciobanu, English teacher, Constantin Gh. Marinescu School, Galai, Romania

Aurelia Cucu, English teacher, Elena Doamna Food College, Galati, Romania

Gunilla Harraldsson, English teacher, Lagmansskolan, Mjlby, Sweden

Raluca Ionita, English teacher, Traian Vuia Technical College, Galati, Romania

Marin Oana Maria, English teacher, Calistrat Hogas National College, Tecuci, Galati,

Romania

Doina Obuzic, English teacher, Mihail Kogalniceanu National College, Galati,

Romania

Monica Onica, English teacher, Spiru Haret National College, Tecuci, Galati,

Romania

Camelia Radu, Art teacher, Vasile Alecsandri National College, Galati, Romania

Alina Vlad, English teacher, Al. I. Cuza National College, Galati, Romania

Magazine cover drawing: Firicel Daniela Ionela, student, 8th

grade, Costache Negri

National College, Galati, Romania

Editorial board


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1. Cultural diversity: travelling around the world .

1.1 My travel to Dubai by Eldin Ibrahimbregovic .................................................6

1.2 My English experience by Marian Bocaniala. .................................................7

1.3 Go abroad or stay on the road by Alexia Manole ...........................................8

1.4 My dream country England by Popa Rares ..................................................9

1.5 The Danube Delta by Cezar Popa .................................................................10

1.6 Once in a lifetime experience: Mykonos by ..................................12

1.7 My life in Tesanj by Isac Nytting ..................................................................13

2. Cultural diversity: holidays and celebrations

2.1 Happy Easter by Judit and Melina ...............................................................14

2.2 St. Valentines Day

2.2.1 Love by Wilma Laurell Ranmo ...............................................................15

2.2.2 The Mystery of Love by Anghel Iamandei Lorena ..................................16

2.2.3 St. Valentine Card by Beatrice ................................................................17

2.2.4 Love Poem by Petronela ..........................................................................17

2.2.5 Sadness by Iulia ......................................................................................18

2.2.6 Treason by Daniel ...................................................................................18

2.2.7 Love by Alice ..........................................................................................19

2.2.8 Love in like a battlefield by Vlad ...........................................................19

2.2.9 The sweetest addiction by Irina Gabriela Damache ...............................20

2.3 Halloween: shivers and thrills..

2.3.1 Masks . A poem by Diana Obreja ........................................................21

2.3.2 A Halloween prank by Rebeca Topala ...................................................22

2.3.3 The haunted house by Marius Prodan ....................................................23

2.4 Go green! Environmental concerns

2.4.1 Environment: an issue of modern times by Popoescu Nicolae ..............25

2.4.2 ENO Planting Tree Day by Andrei Catrinoiu .....................................26

Table of contents


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3. Snapshots of a teenagers life See if you can catch the train of thought

3.1 Who are we? by Oana Ciobanu ..................................................................27

3.2 Donts by Alexandra Alexa ........................................................................28

3.3 Just an ordinary day by Emina Trumic .....................................................29

3.4 My thoughts by Mariam Aoryakhel ..........................................................30

3.5 Letters to my friend by Cosmin Nenciu and Sebastian Vrabie ..................31

3.6 Friendship by Silvia Gloteanu ...................................................................32

3.7 Friendship before everything by Iulia Ionescu ..........................................33

3.8 Of human bonding by Cezar Popa .............................................................34

3.9 Self-confidence by Maria Samoila .............................................................35

3.10 Something motivational by Ticu Marina ...................................................36

3.11 My only dream by Amy Axell ...................................................................37

3.12 Spring poem by Lukas Lonn .....................................................................37

3.13 Summer in Sweden by Jessica Andersson and Alice Andersson ...............38

3.14 Why I enjoy the summer holidays by Daniela ...........................................38

3.15 Our summer in Sweden by Ellen Rhedin and Evelina Borg .....................39

4. Teen addictions: games, sports, fashion, Facebook . You name it!

4.1 Games and sports by Nenita Nicusor .......................................................40

4.2 The secret face of games by Mogodan Cristian .......................................41

4.3 GTA, NFS or CS GO? by Septelici Vlad ..................................................42

4.4 SimCity by Teodor Patache ......................................................................43

4.5 To play or not to play video games? by Eugen Frumuzache ...................44

4.6 Sports: past and present by Sabina Stafie ...............................................45

4.7 Taekwando by Anca Adriana Tabacaru ................................................46

4.8 The sports advantages and disadvantages by Neagu Madalina .............47

4.9 Skateboarding by Daniel Peterson .......................................................... 48

4.10 Playing tennis by Alexandru Mandea ......................................................48

4.11 London rivals by Tim Forsman and Max Nilsson ...................................49

4.12 The advantages and disadvantages of social sites by Andrei Catrinoiu ..50

4.13 Spring trends in 2015 by Maria Vargolici ...............................................50


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5. Book/film reviews

5.1 Seraphina by Daniela Ionela Firicel .............................................................52

5.2 The book thief by Andreea Palaghita ............................................................53

5.3 Divergent by Elena Carp ..............................................................................55

5.4 Insurgent by Gabriela Ivascu .......................................................................56

5.5 Hunger games by Aura Voicu .....................................................................57

5.6 X-men: Days of the future past by Alexandra Alexa ...................................58

5.7 Ian Somerhalher my favourite actor by Loriana Nastasache ....................58

6. Creativity and imagination

6.1 Who is my wife? by Loredana Ciocan ..........................................................59

6.2 Lucky me by Clara Tudose ...........................................................................60

6.3 The Griffon and the man by Leonard Chirea ...............................................62

6.4 The story of the Mushroomina by Iuliana Cretu ..........................................62

6.5 The secret of the dark by Ovidiu Vlase .......................................................64

6.6 Caroline by Cosmin Samoila .......................................................................65

6.7 The day that changed my life by Nicolae Popoescu ....................................66

6.8 A memorable wedding by Marina-Alexandra Hristudor .............................67

6.9 My dream house by Nicolae Popoescu ........................................................68

6.10 My favourite cartoon character by Rares-Octav Tanase .............................69

6.11 A sheet of paper and I by Adela-Mioara Ghintuiala ....................................70

6.12 The hare and the elephant by Valentina Sangerzan ....................................70

7. Teachers corner:

7.1 Smithereens by Alina Vlad ..........................................................................71

7.2 Correct Project at Spiru Haret National

College by Monica Onica ............................................................................73


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In 2014 I went to Dubai with my

family. When we came there it was 30

degrees. We went to a hotel called Atlantis

The Palm. That hotel is the best hotel I have

ever been to. When we were about to check

in in the hotel two nice guys who worked

there came and took are luggage to our

room.

In the morning we took the elevator

down to have breakfast. You can eat

whatever you want for breakfast. If you

want eggs with onion for breakfast you can

just tell them that and they will fix it for

you.

After breakfast we walked to the beach.

My mom, dad, grandfather and my little

sister were always on the beach. My brother

and I were in a place called Water Land. In

the water land you can feed baby sharks,

swim with dolphins and go sliding and there

was a little park for babies where they can

play. When the time was about half past four

people were starting to go home to the hotel.

When the beach was empty, my brother and

I headed for the beach and started to play

beach football.

When we went to the hotel we took a

shower and then went to the Dubai mall.

Dubai mall is the worlds biggest shopping

center. They have more than 3000 thousands

shops. The mall is so big that they built a

hockey rink in the middle of the mall.

Having walked for a long time it was time

for us to go home. That was an ordinary day

in Dubai.

By Eldin Ibrahimbegovic, 13,

Lagmansskolan, Myolby, Sweden

1. CULTURAL DIVERSITY: TRAVELLING AROUND THE WORLD

1.1 MY TRAVEL TO DUBAI

1.2


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Last summer I went with my parents to

England, to my aunt. First of all, my main

reason was that I had the opportunity to

attend some courses in a high school where I

could study English intensively. Apart from

that, it was an extraordinary chance for me

to have fun with all my family.

After a week, I was announced that I had

failed the exams that I was supposed to pass

in order to attend the classes in that school.

My parents weren't upset with me because I

had done my best So I suppose I just was

not as good as I thought I was... Well,

afterwards, the principal gave me another

chance to pass the exam. This time I was

successful: I was admitted To go to

school there was a real experience

Making new friends Knowing new

people... I realize that in every country

where I have been so far people are

different. I can't tell you how magic it is.

Let's get back to school in England First

of all, teachers were so cool If you were

quiet, teachers were ok with you The

worst thing about English school is that the

students have to go to summer school. I

didn't like this too much Another

surprising thing about England was the

weather. And I mean that at one moment it

is sunny and the next second it's rainy It's

a pretty cool thingAnd now I can figure it

out why everybody was carrying an

umbrella!

In the autumn, I came back to school in

Romania. Before going to England, I used

to complain about my school. But now that

I'm back I realize that I missed my old

school here. Schools in England are pretty

cool but none of them can compare to the

Romanian schools. That's my opinion I

can't wait the summer to go to England to

1.2 MY ENGLISH EXPERIENCE

1.3

Drawing made by Boca Andra from

CNVA, Galati, Romania


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see my old friends there and also my

teachers who made me the person that I am

now: a true English guy It was hard but

finally I succeeded. To be honest, I miss

England, I miss the friends that I made there.

I hope to see them soon. That was my

English experience (in short) and I hope that

one day, everybody will have the chance to

see how magic England is

By Bocaniala Marian, 10th

D form,

Technical College Traian Vuia, Galati

Travelling is the most beautiful thing I

could ever do. I love travelling everyone

does. From the beginning of the time, people

enjoyed seeing more than they had seen

before. It was the biggest accomplishment

they could ever be proud of. So many things

to do, so many things to dream on, so many

places you would just love to feel all over

your body and soul.

Travelling around the world means

finding a place you feel comfortable in. I

could recommend you some places where

you are going to breathe the air of freedom,

the air of the new, that is about to start a new

life in your heart..

My favourite country is Austria. I fell in

love with Austria. That is the place where I

would like to stay forever, to feel chills all

over me. Of course, the most wonderful city

is Vienna that is also called The City of

Music. You can feel the happiness. This

should not be missed by any of you. Promise

me you are going to visit and, tell me how it

is.

1.3. GO ABROAD OR STAY ON THE ROAD

Drawing made by Balan Miruna Bianca

from CNVA, Galati, Romania


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I have been to France. Mmmm Am I the

only one who thinks it smells like good

food? I hope not France means

sophisticated places, sophisticated

restaurants over all, it means sophisticated

life. With its miraculous sights, France is

well known for the Eiffel Tower,

champagne, wine, croissants and

shopping The Lafayette Galleries. This

country is so good better than KFC

food You know the motto: SOO GOOD.

Go there if you want to change your life.

The last country is. Can I hear the

drums please? Thank you! The last one that

impressed me as much as the others did is

Germany. Forget about the fact that German

(as a language) is boring. Forget it and listen

to my advice. This is such a minor fact. This

country expresses the power of changing its

own future In order to change the past,

this big country offers you history,

civilization, and a lot of places you can visit.

Even if the food can be a little bit odd, visit

Germany and see what nature gave us.

I think you realized that I love travelling. I

hope my guide really helps you to

understand the magical past of the

humankind.

By Manole Alexia, 6th

grade, Stefan cel

Mare School, Galati, Romania

England is a country that is part of the

United Kingdom sharing land borders with

Scotland to the north and Wales to the west.

The area now called England takes its name

from the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes

who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries.

England became a unified state in the 10th

century, and since the Age of Discovery,

1.4. MY DREAM COUNTRY - ENGLAND

1.4


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which began during the 15th century, IT has

had a significant cultural and legal impact

on the wider world.

Folklore

English folklore developed over many

centuries: Pixies are generally mischievous,

short of stature and attractively childlike.

Giants are monsters of human appearance

but prodigious size and strength and

Boogeyman is a common allusion to a

mythical creature in many cultures used by

adults or older children to frighten bad

children into good behavior...ETC.

Sports

Sports originating in England include

football, cricket, rugby, tennis, boxing,

badminton, hockey, squash,, billiards, darts,

table tennis and others.

Cricket is generally thought to have been

developed in the early medieval period

among the farming and metalworking

communities. Football is the most popular

of these sports. The England national

football team, won the 1966 FIFA World

Cup against the West Germany national

football team where they won 42, with

Geoff Hurs scoring a hat-trick. That was the

year the country hosted the competition.

By Rares Popa, 8th

grade, Constantin Gh.

Marinescu School, Galati, Romania

Renown all around the world as being one of the

most spectacular and breathtaking places to visit, the

Danube Delta, beautifully-situated where the Danube

river meets the vast Black Sea, is a magnificent

paradise of nature at its best.

Only a couple of hours away from the gorgeous

town of Tulcea, the Delta is, by far, a hidden valley of

absolute splendor. A proof of unexpected human

talent, the picturesque yet simple architecture of the

houses is jaw-dropping. The natural, hardly bright

colours bind harmoniously with the

1.5. THE DANUBE DELTA

1.5


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indomitable nature under the towering sun.

There are scarcely any clouds or rain,

making the scorching weather almost

unbearable, thus forcing the villagers and

tourists alike to flock to the spacious,

endless beaches filled with hot, soft sand.

In the summer, the formerly-empty,

dreary fields grow beautiful, tall grass,

creating a scenery of wonder, along with the

marvelous foliage of the towering trees, a

superb mosaic of various shades of

green. Along the serene, labyrinthine water

canals lie and thrive seemingly-borderless

forests, and a more attentive look will reveal

the nonchalant villagers, enjoying their

fully-deserved break from the chaos that is

home. In the Danube, there is not one

person who worries about their hectic

schedule or frustrating job duties theyre

all laid back, either enjoying the mellifluous

sound of chirping birds, or watching the

squawking seagulls with absolutely charmed

facial expressions. The locals have even

named this effect the Wonder of Nature.

At night, flying fireflies do their usual

dance, creating the illusion of a dance of

stars, an extraterrestrial jubilee.

Perhaps the strangest thing about the

Danube is how different natural elements

co-exist harmoniously, making for a true

piece of Heaven. So, for an unforgettable

experience, try the Danube you wont

regret it!

By Popa Cezar, 11th

grade

CN Mihail Kogalniceanu, Galati,

Romania

Photo taken by Saigau Ionut from CNVA,

Galati, Romania


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As the place was getting more and

more popular, my parents decided that its

time to go to Mykonos, Greece. I will skip

all the details about getting there but I

just have to say this: at landing all the

passengers applauded and a question I will

never be able to answer is why all the

flight attendants look alike??

On the way from the airport (which

was as big as a parking lot) we were on the

point of having an accident about 3 times

because the driver was mad as hell and the

streets were very tight. He kept yelling

malka!! (Later I found out that it means

jerk). The hotel was very nice (white and

blue like all the

other buildings on

the island) and it

was 2 meters away

from the beach. It

was more that we

hoped for but I

almost got killed by

the lack of Wi-Fi

signal. Next to the hotel there was a

restaurant where the best food in the

world was served (I must confess that I

gained 4 kilos in only one week).

You cant imagine how the water

looked like. Seriously you cant. Let me

tell you that one night we went swimming

and we were still able to see our feet in

the water. We went every day in the city

where we visited Little Venice where all

the buildings were on water, went clubbing

and shopping and, most importantly, we

went to the most amazing ice cream shop

ever. They had every possible flavour: *you

want ice cream with pizza taste?? sure, we

got it*. The day before we left we went on

a mini cruise on the sea. The yacht

stopped so we could all jump in the deep

water to swim and I felt like a mermaid

from the old Disney shows. I

didnt enjoy myself as I

should have because I

somehow managed to get

sunscreen in my eyes and I

cried for like half of the

day. It was once in a

lifetime experience. What I

truly appreciated at

Mykonos was the cultural diversity (there

were hundreds of people and all with I

phones..Why?) and the way the people

treated you. I mean..There were lots of

gay couples who didnt feel ashamed or

afraid to show their love in public because

they knew that

1.6. ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE

1.6

Drawing made by Zamfirescu Cristian



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there nobody judges you, moreover the

people were always ready to give a helping

hand, to show you around or to be your

friends.

Tesanj is a little town in Bosnia y

Herzegovina, where I live on a farm during

summers.

The trip to Bosnia takes about 2 to 3 days

by car of course. If you would like to go by

plane it takes about 2 hours. I`ve never

flown to Bosnia in my life. I would really

want to try because its just a long and

boring trip by car.

I travel to Bosnia because my dad and his

family were born in Tesanj. Both\ my uncles

and one of my aunts live near my house in

Tesanj. Well its not my house its actually

my grandma and grandpas house. The

house is on a pretty big mountain with an

amazing view. This is a typical view where I

Just like any other thing in this world, my

trip to Mykonos had its own downsides: the

fact that my parents were there and that

the prices were incredibly high (10 Euros

for a bread).

I hope I will go to Mykonos again

because one week wasnt enough to try all

the things that you find there.

By, from Stefan cel


live in Bosnia. We are actually farmers and

we own a lot of cows, both my grandparents

and my uncle owns cows. My uncle doesnt

own just cows, he also have rabbits, sheep,

chickens and dogs that are trained for

hunting. Last year my uncle got four wolves

and one fox. Two years ago one of the dogs

named Linda got nine puppies, they were so

cute.

Well thats the end of my story.

By Isac Nytting Jahic, 13,

Lagmansskolan, Mjolby, Sweden

1.7. MY LIFE IN TESANJ


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One holiday in Sweden is Easter. We give

each other Easter eggs or the Easter bunny

and we hide eggs for the children. In the

eggs it could be candy or sometimes a little

present. Some eggs are very big and some

are small. People in Sweden eat A LOTS of

candy during Easter.

Easter starts at Maundy Thursday and

then Good Friday. Next day is Easter Eve

and then Easter Sunday. The last day is

Easter Monday. In Sweden we celebrate

Easter on Easter Eve.

Some people like to paint their eggs for

breakfast or dinner. You can paint

whatever you want on your egg. I

like to do dots or lines on my Easter

eggs but sometimes I could draw a

chicken or something like that.

It could be different what you eat

for dinner for Easter. Some families

like to eat ordinary food and other

families like to eat something more

special to celebrate, like eggs, fish,

and potatoes. But it doesnt

really matter what

you eat as long as you have a good time with

your family or friends.

I really like Easter, not just because I am

free from school. I think its a funny holiday

when I can spend lots of time with my

family and friends. But to be free from

school in a whole week is not that bad!

By Judit and Melina, 13,


2. CULTURAL DIVERSITY: HOLIDAYS AND CELEBRATIONS

2.1 HAPPY EASTER

Drawing made by Craciun Andreea

Madalina from CNVA, Galati, Romania

Drawing made by

Cringanu Julia from

CNVA, Galati,

Romania


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Roses are red, violets are blue

But with you sky is blue

Love is difficult but you will succeed!

You will find the one who always

Wants to catch you

That person loves you for

Who you are

He doesn`t want to have someone else

You are cute as a rose leave

You are beautiful like an angel,

He says day and night

Your heart is peeking when he is not there

You will make it!

Your friends and family are there

Even if it does not feel so

It can be pain, but you can do it

You know you are the one everyone wants

to be with!

The one that everyone relies on you

You are always the strong one1

By Wilma Laurell Ranmo , 13,


2.2.1 LOVE

2.2. St. VALENTINES DAY: LOVE IS IN THE AIR

Drawing made by Buruiana Alexandra



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Why is it, when someone hears LOVE, that everybody thinks of butterflies in the stomach,

romantic dates, lovely words, hugs?

Only it really means Love?

Nobody dares to think of quarrels, ugly words spoken angrily, tears rolling down the cheeck so

many times. And yet, they do exist.

And actually, this is what it really means Love: to forget, to forgive, to cry, to hope that

everything will be fine, think first of him/her and then of you.

In love, you will always be on the second place. But thats the only time when you are not feeling

inferior, just because in the eyes of who you love youll be ranked number one.

Yeah, its the strongest feeling that it will ever exist in the Universe, but also the only feeling that

causes most tears and the deepest wound in the soul.

Our whole life revolves around LOVE. We are born to love, we live on love, and we die with

love in our souls.

But... if you really love, why are you hurting so much?

If there is love in your soul, why are there tears on her(his) cheeck?

How is it possible that so many people live for love, live from love, and also so many people die

for the same reason?

By Anghel-Iamandei Lorena, CNSpiru Haret, Tecuci, Galati, Romania.

2.2.2. THE MYSTERY OF LOVE

Drawing made by Dobrota Teodora from



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Sweet Love,

I see the sky in your eyes, the sun rays are your hands that warm me up when it rains. When

I see the sun, I see your laugh, and you shine to me through the night! I lose myself in your love;

Im overwhelmed by your beauty. When I feel lonely, you are with me! Hold me in your arms and

hide me there, offer me your wings, for I'm giving you my heart and all I have within...l*m

bringing it to you. I love you!

Yours forever, Apple

By Beatrice 6B, CNAl. I. Cuza,

Galati, Romania

My body is drained of powers,

I sit alone and cry for hours

The sun comes out and brightly shines

But its a dream which slowly dies.

Sometimes I feel you next to me

Just like the way were meant to be,

Just like the sea which feels the sand,

Just like the ship which reaches land.

By Petronela 9C, CNAl. I. Cuza, Galati, Romania

2.2.3. St. VALENTINE CARD

2.2.4. LOVE POEM

Drawing made by Mihai

Corina from CNVA, Galati,

Romania


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A tear fails down my cheek,

I want to wipe it but Im weak.

Your memory still haunts my mind,

I want to reach it but Im blind.

I write these lines to kill my pain,

To vanish all not to remain,

Because your memory is still the same.

Its raining or its only dew

Everything is black and dirty

I wish a new world

But everything is in vain.

I hate, I love

And I feel Im going crazy

Who is responsible?

And who is wrong?

Its a nightmare!

Or maybe a bad dream

I wish I could vanish

Tears on my face are flowing

I dont know, I cant forget!

By Daniel 9C, CNAIC, Galati, Romania

...I feel it driving me insane.

By Iulia 9C, CNAIC, Galati, Romania

2.2.6. TREASON

2.2.5. SADNESS

Drawing made by Bulai Sanziana from





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Love is patient

Love does not envy or boast

It is not arrogant or rude.

It does not insist on its own way.

It is not irritable or resentful;

It does not rejoice at wrong doing,

Love bears all things

Believes all things,

Endures all things.

By Alice 9C, CNAIC,

Galati, Romania

Love is like a battlefield.it is full of mines, tanks and

soldiers. It is a very dangerous placealways be careful with it. The

soldiers (competition) will do anything to get the PRIZE from you!!!

They will drop bombs, grenades (flowers and candies) to stop you

from achieving it.and they will make you CROSS BARRIERS

and watch you FALL. It is very hard to listen to your bosses

(parents) and do the things they tell you to do. And they insist they

tell the truth. And some teachers come sometimes in your life and

make this life even harder.

But there will always be a winner and a loser

Drawing made by Diana Ciobotariu


2.2.7. LOVE

2.2.8. IN THE WORLD OF A TROUBLED TEENAGER

LOVE IS LIKE A BATTLEFIELD

Drawing made by Temelie Cristiana



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And you have to use some deadly plans to your advantage and some tricks because

winning a war means you have to be bloody clever, right, dude?

Under these conditions if love is like a battlefield I prefer the hatred that is like a field full

of flowers, what do you reckon?

What do you want to write in this story? The title is enough to express my

feelingsforgot my point, dude.

By Vlad 6B,CNAIC, Galati, Romania

Hes the sweetest addiction.

When he smiles, every cell of my

body thrills up and down. He looks at me

and a flame appears in his blue eyes. The

Sea would be jealous if She realised I love

him more than Her blue waves.

He looks again, the edges of his tiny

smile run up slowly...slowly...and the devils

inside myself play Hide and seek. I clench

my hands around my stomach. They want

him closer and closer

Hes a little piece of me, I guess. He

drives me crazy, makes me furious and

sometimes I want to break everything

around me, but he is the same boy that gives

me the Universe at my feet. He blows the

spring on my lips and the rain between my

fingers. I prop my life on him like hes a

stone because I know he wont give up on

me. He runs in my veins faster than my

blood and walks into my chest like he is on

his way to Eden.

Hes my hiding place, my

breathtaking, my inhale and exhale,

everything I have and I am. Hes my

sweetest addiction.

By Damache Irina Gabriela, CN

Spiru Haret, Tecuci, Galati, Romania

Drawing made by Craciun Andreea


2.2.9. THE SWEETEST ADDICTION


21 | P a g e

Shivers cold as ice

Veils your body,

While you are walking

On the dark alley of the world.

Pumpkins and zucchini

Monstrously carved,

Smile at you diabolically

Near the smoke filled houses.

Bats, vampires and zombie,

Look at you with the hunger

Of your delicious fear.

When you wander from house to house

Among fairies ,princes and princesses

Deep sobbing .

The Wax queen calls for

Her furry children

Creeping through the houses,

Stealing with their claws

Innocents screams.

By Obreja Diana, 7th

grade, Lascar Catargiu School, Schela, Galati, Romania

2.3. HALLOWEEN: SHIVERS AND THRILLS

2.3.1. MASKS . A POEM

Drawing made by Balan Radu from



22 | P a g e

It was a Friday night and it was

Halloween! I was invited to a party of a

good friend of mine who wanted to have it

in a haunted house, to be exactly like a scary

movie, and to my surprise, it was more than

that! When I entered the yard of the house I

felt a hair-raising

sensation!!! I knew it

was something wrong

with that house and

that something bad

had happened

there. Inside,

Julian, had

redecorated

everything from the

floor to the ceiling and that

really calmed me down, but just for a

moment.

The party was great! I danced a lot, I

drank punch with zombie eyes and vampire

teeth and the food was yummy.

At the end of the party, Julien and

his friends invited me and some girls to

sleep over. All the girls slept in a room and

the boys in the next room. It was very cold

inside our room so we started looking for

blankets and pillows. Suddenly, I heard a

scream. I got scared, but when I turned

around I saw Sara was actually happy as she

had just found a game. But not a normal

game. a game with spiritualistic forces!

We thought it would be fun to play it and

that was exactly what we did. The first rule

said that all people in the room should

keep a hand on the game

and, the second rule,

said that nobody

could raise their

hands. So, the

game started. The

spirits could only

answer Yes and No

questions. We asked a lot

of stupid things, but the

strangest one was about the

confirmation that someone had actually dies

in that room. Some girls laughed, but I got

actually scared and I thought I would feel

more comfortable to have the boys with us

so I offered to go and invite them.

When I entered the boys room

nobody was there! I started to scream and I

turned back to our room and everybody had

Drawing made by Chitic Roxana from


2.3.2. A HALLOWEEN PRANK


23 | P a g e

just vanished into thin air! I heard a noise on

the next floor. I ran to our room and I started

to cry. Someone or something hit the door,

but soon it stopped. I came out of the room

to see if there was someone at

the door and when I opened the door

everybody was there laughing at my scared

face! To my relief, it was just a Halloween

prank!

By Topala Rebeca, Sf. Cuv.

Parascheva School, Smardan, Galati,

Romania.

Not a long time ago, in the little and

peaceful city of Saint Davids, a true legend

was on everyones lips. The legend evolved

around a medieval house on the citys

outskirts, and especially about its first

owner, an old wicked woman that was

caught doing witchcraft during the witch

hunt era and punished by her king with

burning on a stake on the 31st of October.

The legend says that with her last breath, she

cursed every child that would enter her

house, because a few kids exposed her

incantation to the kings guards.

Since those times, there were a few

families that tried to move in and to make

that house their home. One of those was the

family of Amily Watson, a small family

coming from a nearby village to take their

chances in the city. Amily had two children:

a boy called Paul and a little girl called

Milly. Amily was a widow, her husband

died in the First World War, so she was

forced to move to earn more money to

sustain her kids. They moved in on a lovely

2.3.3. THE HAUNTED HOUSE

Drawing made by Andrei Iarina from



24 | P a g e

day of October. All seemed to be perfect;

they had a big house at a low price, that just

needed some improvements and maybe a

new paint, but nobody told them about the

secrets of that house.

Her first day at work was wonderful.

She met Wendy that lived a few hundred

meters away from her house, and she was

kind to help her out with the renovation. But

on 30th

of October, when the kids were at

school and Amily went to a shop to buy

some paint, Wendy was alone in the house

trying to clean the ceiling of Millys room,

when a whisper came to her ears:Get out of

my house. Initially Wendy thought that it

was just her imagination, but suddenly the

ladder which she stood on broke and Wendy

fell breaking her left arm on the bed. While

she was lying on the bed in terrible pain, the

door shut and she could feel a presence

staring at her, ready to attack.

Wendy was truly terrified, she closed

her eyes and started praying, but when she

opened her eyes, she saw the witch

levitating in the center of the room with a

really angry look on her face. It said:If you

remain in my house much longer youll die,

and with a terrible scream, the wicked thing

disappeared into thin air.

Wendy rushed to Amily to warn, but

Amily thought that Wendy had hurt her head

when she fell and she was maybe

hallucinating.

Fearless or maybe foolish, Amily

went running towards the witch holding a

piece of wood she had found on the ground,

but the witch with only one move of her

fingers split the ground in two and pushed

Amily into hell.

The next day, Wendy, frightened by

the fact that the family was nowhere to be

found called the police, but they couldnt

find anything.

Since then the land owners tried to

sell it, but the story petrified everyone who

even considered entering the house.

Even now the neighbors say that on

Halloween night they can see strange lights

in the house, they hear windows shaking and

loud screams from inside, but nobody has

the courage to go and take a look inside.

By Prodan Marius, 12th

grade, CN

Calistrat Hogas, Tecuci, Galati


25 | P a g e

Life on Planet Earth is a far more

complicated subject than some may claim.

The human population rapidly uses up most

of natures resources for its own gain,

leaving the future generations aside.

Over the years, our planet has been

faced with numerous difficulties on a

worldwide basis. Pollution, global warming

and the greenhouse effect are just some of

the problems humanity has caused and must

solve as fast as possible to avoid its own

obliteration.

Sustainability is the key. The time of

past environmentally-hostile endeavours is

gone. The day has come when we all need to

face the consequences together. The change

ought to be imminent and global. From

industrial activity reduction or reconversion

to promoting eco-friendly attitudes in our

schools, driving electric cars to rationalizing

food and water, there are plenty of

alternatives to our current rather greedy

habits.

My personal opinion on the subject

of using natural resources without polluting

the environment would be simply resumed

in an unfortunately hard idea even to

conceive: world peace. As far as Im

concerned, wars have led to greater

pollution than any of mans previous

enterprises. To be honest, I consider a

lifetime of driving a regular car cannot

compare to the effect of chemical and/or

atomic warfare.

Acting green isnt a matter of choice,

its a matter of correct living. You dont

need to recycle paper, eat organically or

teach children ecology, you simply have to

behave with nature the way you behave with

yourself.

By Popoescu Nicolae, XI G, CN Calistrat

Hogas, Tecuci, Galati, Romania

2.4. GO GREEN! ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

2.4.1. ENVIRONMENT: AN ISSUE OF

MODERN TIMES


26 | P a g e

We, at School no. 2 Galati, Constantin Marinescu, were part of the world wide activity

called Planting Tree Day or ENO (Environment Online), where schools around the world

gather to plant lots of trees!

Around one hundred or more students went outside, in the schoolyard to plant trees. My

classmates and I planted over ten trees, with our form master, Tobias Silvia, and our school

mechanic that helped us a lot while planting them. I watered the seeds while my classmates, Vlad

and Dragos made the holes to put them in.

This activity took place in over 150 countries. This year it was the 10th

anniversary of

planting trees for peace! The International Day of Peace was on 22nd

September, but it was

celebrated by all ENO schools on 23rd

September. It was fun!

By Andrei Catrinoiu, 8th

grade, Constantin Gh. Marinescu School, Galati, Romania

2.4.2. ENO PLANTING TREE DAY


27 | P a g e

"Who are we?" We have all asked ourselves this question at one point in our lives.

As different as we all are, we are often uncertain of our worth and of who we really

are. We, the students who have spent countless hours on this project, have

undoubtedly been stumped by this question recently.

Many of us are going through a time in our lives where everything is uncertain:

we don't know who we want to be or who we really are and we just now realize that

life is difficult. We have become self-aware and at times like these, answering such

questions is often difficult.

Maybe it would have been better to

lie, to tell you, brave reader, that we are

strong-willed students who have set their

goals a long time ago, that we are in

control and confident in who we are. But

why should we lie? Indeed, we are hard-

working teenagers, sorting through the

million thoughts that we have in our minds. Our imaginations are working over-time

nowadays because we see the true colors of the world and because of this we feel the

need to release the pressure of these ideas onto paper. Writing has become for us a

means to escape reality, to live in a world that is continuously changing before our

eyes. Most of us don't aspire to be writers but we thought that by sharing our works

we could push you to write as well or maybe just read and relax for a second. We

are teenagers on a mission, who only wish to share and ask for nothing in return.

We would now like to enjoy the next essays and works of literature, keeping in mind

that the people that wrote them have put a lot of effort into their works.

By Oana Ciobanu, 11th grade, CN Mihail

Koglniceanu, Galai, Romnia

3. snapshots of a teenagers life

!See if you CAN catch the train of thought

3.1. WHO ARE WE?

Drawing made by Munteanu Madalina



28 | P a g e

Stop from whatever youre doing and

pay attention to what I would like to tell

you. Firstly, get rid of all the bad thoughts

that keep you away from boosting your

confidence. A hero lies in you, and its a

challenge to bring him to light. Create a

positive mindset and do NOT let other

people bring you down. Starting today,

forget all people who made you suffer and

close the chapter in which youre captured

and unable to escape. Go on to the next

chapter or write another book. Its your

choice. And do NOT forget that every breath

you take, every laugh you have, everything

that makes your soul tremble, are gifts and

youre lucky if you have received these.

Do NOT ever feel ashamed of who

you are. Do NOT let your voice be tamed

because you may have the power to change

something. You are a bless for someone and

do NOT ever try to deny that.

Set a daily objective: everyday when

you wake up, tell yourself Today, its

going to be a good day! and promise to

yourself that you wont let anyone destroy

your inner peace. Only weak people would

give anything to see you down. But youre a

fighter; do NOT let any failure take your

self-esteem away.

Remember that the path to happiness is

covered with hurdles, but do NOT let them

block your way.

Now, write down on a piece of paper

everything that has an atrocious impact on

you: fickle people, broken promises, and the

ones who lied to you, your regrets or what

destroyed you emotionally. After that, tear

that piece into many parts and throw them

away. This means a restart your system,

something you could do each and every time

you feel overwhelmed, snowed under

problems.

And finally, give yourself time to

heal. Follow your dreams and give birth

only to good things. Take care of your soul,

because once you have come down with this

kind of illness, you may hardly ever be the

person youve wanted. And remember:

when it rains, look for the rainbows, and

when its dark, look for the stars.

By Alexandra Alexa, 11th

grade, CN

Mihail Koglniceanu, Galai, Romnia

3.2. DONTS

Drawing made by Gheorghiu Larisa



29 | P a g e

For breakfast today, I had dinosaurs legs

and toast with hot melting nutella. I hate to

go to school so early. I had to wake up at

6.00 in the morning. First time I woke up I

fell asleep again. When I realized that I was

late I flew from my bed to my bike and rode

off. I biked so fast and my heart was

pounding, my lungs were on fire and my

legs were full of knives. I ran to the second

floor. I was lucky, Gunilla, my teacher, was

late too. The English class started when

Gunilla realised that she had forgotten

homework!

Gunilla NEVER forgets homework.

My class was happy with that.

We start at 8.00 am and then we have three

lessons in the midmorning, then we go and

eat lunch. After that we have two more

lessons.

We finish at 15:30. I think that is a really

long day!

Our school is quiet

big compared to

others. I live in a

small town called

Mjlby. In Mjlby

there are 5 schools

including my

school, Lagmansskolan. My school is bigger

than three of the other schools. In my school

there is one school rule I really hate and I

dont understand it. It says that you cant eat

bubble gum in class. I mean why not?

I like the food in my school, it is delicious! I

believe that todays food is hot dog and

potatoes. I am going to eat now. See you

later!

Aaa that was very tasty! Now I have to go to

more lessons and then bike my way home. I

will text you when I am home.

I have eaten, done my homework and now it

is 5.00 pm. Around 6.00 pm I have to get

ready for my football training. Its time to

leave!

See you later alligator! ( That is a

colloquial in Sweden)

By: Emina Trumic,13,

Lagmansskolan,

Mjlby,Sweden

3.3. JUST AN ORDINARY DAY

Drawing made by

Craciun Andreea from



30 | P a g e

I don't think there are many pupils who

like school. Yes I do, I love going to school.

I think very much about school, how to

make my dreams come true. The only way is

to learn.

Every day when I learn something new,

there are more questions that I would like to

have an answer to.

I like taking everything seriously.

School is the most serious thing in our life.

Everything in our life is a gift, school is one

of them. Animals can't think, it is the best

example of how important we are. We,

humans, are really lucky to be able to think,

learn and create new things.

Sometimes it can be boring in school but in

the future we will understand how important

it is to go to school. If astronauts had not

learnt about the Moon, the humans would

have believed until today that Moon is a

god. All people become one year older after

every year. Time never stops it just goes like

water in the sea.

The best way, is to take everything

seriously. That is just what I think. Everyone

has different thoughts, and they think in

different ways, and the best thing to do is to

respect everybodys opinion.

OUR DREAMS ARE ALWAYS A

DREAM UNTIL WE DECIDE TO

MAKE IT REAL!

By Mariam Aoryakhel, Lagmansskolan,

Mjlby, Sweden

3.4. MY THOUGHTS

Drawing made by Felea

Andreea Emilia from



31 | P a g e

Dear Friend,

Hello, my name is Nenciu Cosmin and I

am your new pen friend.

I am Romanian. I live in Galati, in the

south-east of Romania. My fathers name is

Marian. He is an economist and my mother

is an economist too. Her name is Paulina. I

dont have any sisters or brothers. I am a

boy with brown hair. I have got a dog whose

name is Tessa.

I like tennis, but I do not like football. I

like rock music. I like dogs but I dont like

cats.

Please write soon and tell me about

yourself .

Best wishes,

Cosmin Nenciu, class 6C,Ctin. Gh.


Dear Friend,

Hello! My name is Sebastian and I am

your new pen-friend. I am twelve years old

and I am Romanian. I live in Galati,

Romania.

These are the members of my family.

My father's name is Florentin. He's a show

director. My mother's name is Elena. She's

an accountant. My cat's name is Miau. I also

have two parrots: Mim and Tim.

I like sweets but I don't like spinach. I

like badminton, but I don't like handball. My

favourite subject is Biology, but I don't like

Technology, because it's difficult.

I love pop music, but I don't like rock. I

like cats but, I don't like insects. My

favourite singer is Indila and my favourite

actor is Bruce Willis.

What about you? What do you like?

Who is your favourite singer? Please write

soon and tell me about yourself.

Best wishes,

Sebastian Vrabie, class 6C, Ctin Gh.


3.5. LETTERS TO MY FRIEND

Drawing made by Chirea Leonard Mihai

from Miron Costin School, Galati, Romania


32 | P a g e

Friendship is one of the most beautiful things that life offers us. A man with no friends is a

poor man and his life is a desert one. Each and every person has more or less friends in a

lifetime. However, it is said that true friends are very rare. They are those persons who stay next

to you all along, when you are happy or when you are sad .Nevertheless, it is up to us to keep our

friendships alive as long as possible, because friendship is like a flower: it needs to be taken care

of, it needs attention and time.

Me, I like having a lot of friends, being surrounded by

them all the time. Some of my friends have been with me

since my, or better said, our childhood. We shared so

great moments together, and we still are! Some other

friends of mine are my classmates. We enjoy

ourselves every day at school; we help and support

each other when we need it. I remember one time when I

got a very bad mark in Geography. I was very upset

but my friends tried to encourage me and they

managed to make me feel better. That was a true

example of good friendship. Without them, I am sure that I

would have mourned all day long!

Last but not least in my list of friends is my mother. She is so great! I can talk with her about

everything, or almost everything. In any case, I can talk to her about things that can be told to a

mother! Whenever I have a problem, I go to my mother and she always finds a solution to any of

my problems. I like talking to my mom because she has a lot of patience, she knows how to

listen and I think she gives me the best advice.

As far as I am concerned, I consider myself to be a good friend for my friends. I like listening

to them whenever they need it and I try to help and support them in any kind of situation. I think

that one quality that a true friend should have is that of keeping a secret. Not all of us have this

quality. Some are more talkative than others and they reveal even things that are not supposed

Drawing made by Dima Ioana Claudia from


3.6. FRIENDSHIP


33 | P a g e

to be revealed. I am certainly not one of them because my lips know to remain sealed as long as

it takes!

In conclusion, I must say that in my opinion, friends are a second family and we should treat

them like this, we should offer them our help whenever they need it, because, in their turn, they

are our support, they are like an umbrella to us: be it during a rainy day or, during a sunny one,

or, to put it more simply, they protect and support us through good or bad times.

By Gloteanu Silvia, 12th

G form, Technical College Traian Vuia, Galati, Romania

Every day we hear about friendship

and how friends improve our life to be better

than yesterday. Parents tell us to be careful

in choosing our friends because we become

as good or as bad as they are. Is that true?

On the one hand a friend is very

important for a melancholic person. That

friend can be whenever you want close to

you, to wipe your tears when someone hurts

you, to make you laugh when the life is too

difficult, to take your hand and to keep it

tight till she or he will be sure that your hand

deserves someone else. Then there will be

that moment when your friendship will

come to an end. There will be a moment

when you must choose between what you

want to have in the future and what you had

in the past. I know that is hard to choose

between memories with a special person and

future activities with someone else. Maybe

that someone else wouldnt be close to

you like your ex-best friend. You will be in

the middle: memories or future. If you

choose the memories I guarantee youll be

happy and that friend will help you till the

end of time. If youll choose the future you

risk to find a good person but not just as you

expected or a bad person who will make you

feel bad.

Treat your friends like theyre a gift

from God because those people bear with

you even if youre the craziest, the worst,

the ugliest, the foulest man in the world,

saying that youre the most wonderful, the

most beautiful, the smartest and the best girl

or boy in the world. Love your friends if

they love you and your weakness.

By Iulia Ionescu, CN Spiru Haret,

Tecuci, Galati, Romania

3.7. FRIENDSHIP BEFORE EVERYTHING


34 | P a g e

From the slightest, most nave wonder,

born from the clueless curiosity of a child, to

the ostensibly seamless theories of

existentialism, the origins of our very kin

should be a matter of urgency, its vastness

depriving us of nightly sleep. The thirst for

knowledge is tangible, alive now more than

ever, lightening a spark that is bound to

replenish our weary souls. As life itself

dawns upon us, what is our place in this

supposedly barren cosmos?

The spectrum of shared conceptions is

assorted in ways we can scarcely grasp.

Along with the freedom of expression,

restraintless self-reflection was born. The

incredibly tricky instrument that is our brain

imagined our roots grounded farther into this

Universe. Modern theories speak of our

world as made out of stardust, the same way

water is two parts hydrogen married with

one part oxygen. As baffling as this belief is,

that we were born out of cosmic explosions,

that we share the same roots as our planet, it

does bring an inexplicable comfort. It is,

perhaps, our human need to belong to

something greater than our petty selves.

Troubling and intensely brutal, our lack

of intel is somewhat diminished by the

belief that, as humans, we also share a

connection with one another, a string of

humanity that travels beyond geographical

borders. While this may prove erroneous,

the mere concept of a copious family can be

a metaphorical band-aid, relieving the pain

of alienation. No self-inflicted limitation, be

it racial, cultural or linguistic, may ever

weaken our bond. Unable to soar among the

stars, we find comfort with each other, and

most importantly, within ourselves.

By Popa Cezar, 11th

grade, CN Mihail


3.8. OF HUMAN BONDING

Drawing made by Mateescu Irina from



35 | P a g e

Our self-confidence is the difference

between feeling unstoppable and feeling

scared out of your wits. The perception of

yourself has a big impact on how others

perceive us . Perception is reality the more

self-confident you are , the more likely it is

for you to succeed.

Although many of the

factors affecting self-

confidence are beyond your

control, there are a number of

things you can do to build self-

confidence. By using different

strategies you can get the

mental edge you need to reach

your potential.

First of all, you must

identify your talents. Everyone

is good at something, so discover the things

at which you excel , and then focus on them.

Give yourself permission to take pride in

them. The next step is to take pride in your

good qualities. Not only should you feel

proud of your talents or your skills, but you

should also think about the things that make

your personality great. It can be your sense

of humor, your sense of compassion, your

listening skills, or your ability to cope under

stress. Revel them and write them down.

Youll be on your way to boost your self-

confidence. Once youve done this you must

admit to your insecurities. What does that

voice in the back of your mind say? What

makes you uncomfortable

or ashamed of yourself?

This could be anything

from acne, to regrets,

friends at school or a

negative experience.

Whatever is making you

feel unworthy, ashamed,

or inferior, identify it, give

it a name and write it

down. Now, it should be

great talking to a friend or

with your beloved one about all this things.

Just having someone to talk about your

problems can make you feel more confident,

even if that person cant help you find a

solution.

3.9. SELF-CONFIDENCE




36 | P a g e

In the end, adopt a more positive

mindset. Never allow others to make you

feel inferior, they can only do so if you let

them. Speak positively about yourself, about

your future, and about your progress and

never compare with others. Do not be afraid

to project your strengths and qualities on

others. By doing so, you reinforce those

ideas in your mind and encourage your

growth in a positive direction.

To put it in a nutshell, all these tips

worked for me and now I can proudly say

that I feel more self-confident. I hope they

will help everyone that has problems with

their self-confidence.

By Maria Samoil, 11th grade, CN Mihail


Most people have succeeded in life because they

were motivated and they thought positive thoughts.

The secret of success is to stay like a proton,

always positive, and don't care about what other people

think of you because you have this one life, don't spend it

regretting or hating yourself.

My favourile motivational quotes are: "Do it for the people who want to see you fail" and

"Whatever you decide to do, make sure it makes you happy" .

If you're not motivated, you don't try and at the same time you fail because you don't try.

It's very nice to love someone but the nicest thing is to fall in love with yourself. One day

you will be the only one you will have.

Your life is your mark in this world. Try to leave behind you something beautiful. Try to

have a positive life, be the person that inspires and motivates people! Help people and be the best

one!

By Ticu Marina, 9F, CN Spriru Haret, Tecuci, Galati, Romania

3.10. SOMETHING MOTIVATIONAL

Drawing made by Manea Antonela

From CNVA, Galati, Romania


37 | P a g e

My biggest dream is to be a singer. I have wanted to become that since I was 10 years old

and I still want.

People say that you never should give up on your dreams without fighting for it. I think they

are right. When I am on stage I feel that nothing can stop me. It is a wonderful feeling!

My mom says it is difficult to break through. Maybe one day its my turn! I sing a lot at

home. I play the guitar when I sing. I sing on birthdays and holidays at home for the family.

This I my dream and I will continue to fight for it and I still have hope for me to succeed!

By Emmy Axell, 13, Lagmansskolan, Mjolby, Sweden

It is spring. I know that because I see flowers

outside I can also see green leaves on the trees.

I can even hear the birds tweet

The days become longer and the nights become

shorter

It gets warmer outside in spring.

By Lukas Lnn, 13, Lagmansskolan, Mjolby,

Sweden

3.11. MY ONLY DREAM

3.12. SPRING POEM

Drawing made by Paraschiv Gabriela

From CNVA, Galati, Romania


38 | P a g e

The summer in Sweden is hot but short. The

summer is about 3 months. The weather is from 25

to 30 degrees C. In the summer when it is warmest

we usually bike to Forest Lake and swim with

friends. When we finish school will we go to

Liseberg with our friends. On Liseberg we can go

many carousels ex. Flumride, Helix and Cannon.

We look forward to the summer because we have vacation. No school is life. We can sleep

longer in the morning. We dont have any homework. We can do whatever we want without

thinking about school.

The summer is lovely, but when it is just a week left you want to stop the time. It is so

much work before school starts. You have to fix your bag and look after clothes.

Good luck when your school starts again.

By Jessica Andersson and Alice Andersson from Lagmanskolan, Mjolby, Sweden

There are many things I enjoy doing while I am on

holiday. The best part of my holiday is that I get no

homework. The summer holidays are like a big

break, a lot of excitement and quality time.

First of all, what I like most on holiday is that

I dont have to got to school. Another thing is that I

can sleep as late as I want. I can read any book or I can watch

TV or I can invite my friends over.

3.14. WHY I ENJOY THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS

3.13. SUMMER IN SEWDEN


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Relaxation with my family, my relatives and friends are other advantages why it is good to

be on holiday. My parents organize short trips to historical places or relaxation holidays in

spectacular places. Once a year, usually during the summer, we leave the country and visit other

cities. On each holiday I visit my grandma. She loves me and she is very happy to have me

around. She bakes cookies and gives me great presents.

The worst part of holidays is that I cant meet all my friends from school daily. Anyway, we

keep in touch over the phone or using the Internet.

Considering the opportunity of using our free time as I do, I recommend that we all should take a

long holiday! I love being on holiday!!!

By Daniela from Sf. Cuv. Parascheva School, Smardan, Galati, Romania

Swedish summer start in May and ends in August. The days are hot but even on the summer

it rains a lot. The water is very cold but we swim anyway. It is about 20-30 degrees in the water.

One special holiday in Sweden is Midsummer Eve. On this day we ate lots of food like

strawberry cake and herring. We also do many activities like dancing and singing around a tree.

The songs we sing are called Little frogs and The bear is sleeping. Midsummer Eve is a very

funny holiday!

If you are in Sweden during summer, you can do these things:

Grnalund or Liseberg: They are amusement parks,

Smultronstllet: It is an ice-cream shop there

you can buy huge ice-creams,

Skara sommarland: Its a huge waterpark,

Stockholm: Its our capital where you can shop,

visit the royal family and lots of other things.

By Ellen Rhedin and Evelina Borg, 13, Lagmansskolan, Mjolby, Sweden

3.15. OUR SUMMER IN SWEDEN


40 | P a g e

In my opinion, sports and games

nowadays have become, somehow, a part of

almost every teenager or youngsters life.

They can make you feel healthy, relaxed and

keep you fit.

Sports are practiced for fun or for

performance. Some of them are very

promoted on TV and on the Internet, such as

football, handball, tennis, hockey or even

baseball. Sports are also a way to socialize

with other people and to make new friends.

Performing a sport can make you very

popular, only if you are very good at it. It

can make you also very rich, since its one

of the most shown things on TV.

Video games are something you

never get too old to do. If you can recognize

some keys and arrows you can become one

of the best gamers ever seen. They create a

happy state of mind and entertain you and

your friends and make you want more. And

if you feel like you play better than the

normal players you can go to different

tournaments with your friends, as a team,

and win some cool stuff, like a new

keyboard, a new mouse, a webcam or even

money. Nevertheless, video games are not

the right thing to get addicted to; it can

cause you health problems, such as eye

problems or even headaches.

As far as I am concerned, on the one

hand, I like practicing sports in my free

time. Whenever I get the chance, I play

football or basketball with my friends. It

relaxes me. If I am tired and stressed after a

school day, I feel much better after a match

4. Teen addictions: games, sports, fashion,

facebook YOU NAME IT

4.1. GAMES AND SPORTS

Drawing made by Firicel Daniela Ionela

from CN Costachi Negri, Galati, Romania


41 | P a g e

with my friends. On the other hand, I also

enjoy playing video games. I even think Im

pretty good at doing it. When I play video

games, I have a lot of fun, on my own or

with my friends. Video games make me

explore new worlds, new feelings. Its just

wonderful!

In conclusion, I should say that both

sports and video games are among my

favourite leisure activities, and if I were to

choose, I wouldnt know which one to

choose. They are both part of my life and I

think I couldnt live without any of them!

By Nenita Nicusor, 9th

C form, Technical

College Traian Vuia Galati, Romania

Computer games. Well ,we have all

heard of them. They are a part of todays

modern world. The sensation of euphoria

that is given by the fact that you just leveled

up, or that you killed a boss, is like a drug.

In my opinion computer games have

a lot of disadvantages:

Firstly they are addictive; they can

isolate you from your family and friends for

many hours;

Secondly games increase the risk of

many diseases such as heart attack or high

blood pressure.

In addition, they increase

aggressivity. Most of them have a lot of

shooting and killing.

I used to play Wolfenstein: The

New Order. A friend told me about it. Now

that guy has become my worst enemy. It

seemed very cool in a trailer I watched on

the Internet. It was about killing German

soldiers in future times, where the Nazis

have won the Second World War. Your

character was a member of a rebel resistance

group, called The KreisauCircle. Later

that day I went to a computer games shop

and I bought it. Big mistake. In a day I

4.2. THE SECRET FACE OF GAMES


42 | P a g e

began to like it. In a week I loved it. In a

month I became addicted.

I shall say that I usually get very

good marks. From B+ upwards. But after I

started playing this game, I tottaly forgot the

purpose of school. For me, it was a place

where I could tell my friends how many

Nazis I killed and how many upgrades I got.

And then I got my first F. I was tottaly

shocked. How could that have happened?

My parents were very angry with me when

they found out. They took all my games, put

a password on my computer, and let me use

the internet only when I needed information

about a particular project.And I love that

they did that.

Now, I am in the eighth grade. I have

gradually got to be appreciated by all the

teachers. I get a lot of good marks again. I

rarely play computer games, just when I am

very bored, and that is a rare ocasion,

because I do a lot of exercises to be prepared

for my exam in June.

What else can I say? If you are a student,

leave your computer on the desk for a while,

lets say for two months, and you will see

that you can survive without your favourite

games.

By Mogodan Cristian, 8th grade, Lascar

Catargiu School ,Schela, Galati, Romania

I spend my free time playing computer games. I

just love them.

When a new game appears, I'm anxious to

play it. Games are interactive and useful for

your imagination but, if you play too much, you

might have bad health. First you will have vision problems,

and you will have to wear glasses. You can become dependent and

you can lose all your friends. You can suffer much because of games.

4.3. GTA, NFS OR CS GO?


43 | P a g e

My favourite game is Grand Theft

Auto 5 (GTA 5) because it is an action

game with good graphics and it has the

online where you have to play with other

players. You can also drive cars and fly

planes. For me, it is the best game ever!

In my opinion, on the second place

would be Need for Speed Rivals (NFS

Rivals). In this game you have to race with

cars. You can be a cop or a racer. In the cop

position, you have to find the racer and

catch him but in the racer position you have

to earn money by making races and escaping

the cops.

On the third place is Counter-Strike

Global Offensive (CS GO) wich is a

shooting game. You can choose to be a

Counter Terrorist Force or Terrorist. It takes

a lot of skill and speed to be the best.

I like action, driving, interactive

games because it represents me and my

spirit. I know that I shouldn't abuse of video

games, so I play them only at the weekend.

after Ive done my homework.

By Septelici Vlad, 5th grade, Stefan cel


It is a game about building cities and

expanding them. The

game is very harsh

for newplayers and it

has a lot of FUN

built into it. Im

writing this as Im

playing and Ill try to

make it as simple as

possible.

First, you need to connect to the

highway and start drawing residential zones

or plopping houses. The sims NEED stores

so that they can buy stuff so they can live.

So, you will need a commercial zone. Sims

will work at the stores and they earn money

there (simeleons). But stores need goods and

the way you make goods is through

industrial factories. Lots of sims will work

there. But theres a limitation: simoleons

(money). If you run out of money, then you

have some choices: increasing taxes, turn off

buildings or start a new city. But that

shouldnt worry you, because you will make

money in the beginning.

4.4. SimCity


44 | P a g e

Sims need water, power and

somewhere to pump their sewage. They also

need a garbage dump, a fire station, a police

station and a clinic, but power, water and

sewage are the most important.

If you want to be a simoleonase, than

you should think about specializing your

city. There are five specializations: mining,

drilling, electronics, tourism and gambling, I

will not go into them because they are too

complicated and if you make one little

mistake, youll be having lots of problems.

Every building you place will provide jobs,

except for parks.

Land value is an extremely important

thing. You need sims of different wealth:

Low/ Mid/ High Wealth. You can increase

land value by placing parks of different

types of wealth.

I hope you enjoyed reading it!

P.S.: Its a game for nerds because you

need to keep lots of numbers in your mind!

By Patache Teodor, Sf. Cuv. Parascheva

School, Smardan, Galati, Romania

I like video games a lot, I learned English by playing them. They

are fun, and some of them can teach you a lot of useful things.

Whenever I have time, I dont hesitate to play video games. Some of

them are very relaxing but some can make your day a bad one.

Some people make a lot of money by playing video games. They

just have a YouTube channel and they record while playing, and

then, they just have to upload the video on YouTube. Some of these

YouTubers are millionaires.

In my opinion video games are good, but if you play too much, they

can become addictive. If someone wants to play video games, I recommend him or her to play

single player games, because in multiplayer games you can meet really bad people that get angry

and tell you bad words without a reason. There are some very violent games that unfortunately I

played and I think that someone should do something about this, because little kids can play

them too, and these games can destroy their childhood. People can download pirated games from

the Internet for free and I think this is a bad thing. They should do something so you could play

4.5. TO PLAY OR NOT TO PLAY VIDEO GAMES?


45 | P a g e

games only if you buy them. In this way, parents can see the game before buying it for their

children. These games are violent and can make kids become violent in life. I dont say that I

would rather buy games than play them for free but I think that they should do something to

verify if you are 18 years old when you download pirated games. In the end I want to say that

video games are good as long as you dont play them too often.

By Frumuzache Eugen, 10th

D form Technical College Traian Vuia Galati, Romania

Sport is very

good for health.

Most of the time

when you have the desire to take off your

low energy it is very good to keep moving

or start doing any physical activity. You can

play volleyball, football, baseball and so on.

We all see that sport develops character and

team spirit. People who like being part of a

team are better, friendlier, in good shape

because they share feelings, emotions, the

desire of challenge. In Romania the most

popular games are football, tennis,

swimming and oina (its a Traditional

Romanian game). There are clubs in almost

every town. There are public courts where

you can enjoy.

Television has a huge influence on

sports and we can watch football matches on

almost every T.V.

channel. Thanks to

T.V. many sports came into national games

and theyve won lots of fans.

Nowadays more and more people

take exercises to keep fit and sports are

turning people from spectators to doers.

Its an old public school tradition. It

dates from the 19th

century, when people

thought sport developed character and team

spirit. (Richard Musman - British today).

People played just for the sake of playing

the game - They were all amateurs. But

today, being a sportsman is a profession and

top players can make a lot of money. Team

games are more popular today than they

were in the past and that is for sure.

By Stafie Sabina, 6th

grade, Stefan

cel Mare School, Galati, Romania

4.6. SPORTS: PAST AND PRESENT


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My parents have always wanted to

have an active ch

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