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It was nice to do it :)

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The Discovery (by Lucas)

September 19th

I was too sad when my grandfather died, but being the prince of England, I wouldn´t like the people to take a bad image of me, I wouldn´t like them think I was a sensitive person. But as I was in his castle, I discovered a map he had left to me. It was a map of the new lands of the West, which Columbus had discovered and was explored by Hernan Cortés.

October 2nd

I've been studying the map for some weeks, and I finally reached the conclusion that the map showed a place were Spanish sailors hid all the ores like gold and silver which were extracted from Nueva Granada and from the mines of the West lands. As I heard, my grandfather was conquering the land where beings lived, similar to humans but they weren´t civilized.

November 20th

I haven´t been writing for a long time, but I've been sailing for so many days. I cannot find the Westlands. It has been two weeks since I left from the port.

December 18th

Please help me, I'm writing to ask for some help. Half of my tripulation has died and I'm lost in the middle of the sea. I've seen a big monster...... Please help me...

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Olympic Games (by Macarena Urbina)

During 2012 everyone had the “Olympic Games Fever”. The games were celebrated in London and we were all very excited supporting Argentina.

But do we you know what the Olympic Games are?

The Olympic Games are an international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes from all around the globe participate in different competitions.

Ancient Olympic Games

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They were first held in Olympia, Greece in 776 BC. They were celebrated along with rituals, ceremonies and sacrifices honouring Zeus (the most important god of Greek mythology). The competitors were from all over Greece. And the winners of the events were admired and immortalized in poems and statues. They were thought to be gods.

The ancient games featured running events, pentathlon (jumping, discus and javelin throws, foot race and wrestling), boxing, wrestling, pankration and equestrian events.

The games were held every 4 years, and this period was known as an Olympiad.

Nearly the 5th and 6^th century the Romans started gaining power against the Greeks, and in 393 A.D. the Roman emperor Theodosius I eliminated pagan cults, so the games finished.

Modern Games

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Baron Pierre de Coubertin was the first man who tried to emulate the ancient Olympic Games in France. The competition included not only disciplines from the ancient games but also modern disciplines. Since then different sports competition were held trying to be like the Olympic Games. And in 1894 the first International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded by Coubertin. And the modern games started being celebrated every four years. The disciplines that are part of the event are:

 Archery

 Athletics

 Badminton

 Baseball

 Basketball

 Beach Volleyball

 Boxing

 Canoe /Kayak Flat water

 Canoe /Kayak Slalom

 Cycling BMX

 Cycling Mountain Bike

 Cycling Road

 Cycling Track

 Diving

 Equestrian

 Fencing

 Football

 Gymnastics Artistic

 Gymnastics Rhythmic

 Trampoline

 Handball

 Hockey

 Judo

 Modern Pentathlon

 Rowing

 Sailing

 Shooting

 Softball

 Swimming

 Synchronized Swimming

 Table Tennis

 Taekwondo

 Tennis

 Triathlon

 Volleyball

 Water Polo

 Weightlifting

 Wrestling

The Paralympic Games

This is a sport competition held internationally for disables people. The athletes participate in these events have physical disabilities.

Its origins are in 1948 when Sir Ludwing Guttmann organized a multi-sport event with soldiers from World War II that needed rehabilitation.

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Leighton Meester (text by Camila GC and photos chosen byMilagros)

I really look up to Leighton

Do you look up to somebody? Do you have an idol? Well, I do and I really admire Leighton Meester.

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Leighton was born on April 9th, 1986 in Foth Worth, Texas. Her childhood was really amazing, from the beginning, since her mother gave her birth in jail, because she was serving a sentence because of drug trafficking (as well as his father). So, her  grandmother had to take care of her. At the age of eleven years old, her family moved to New York, where Leighton started theater classes, and during her adolescence she continued doing so.

Although Leighton had a very tragic childhood, she moved on and thanks to that she became a really good actress. Leighton has appeared on episodes of “Lay and Order”, “24”, “Veronica Mars” and “Surface”. However, her big success was as Blair Waldorf on the Gossip Girl television drama. Leighton is a very good actress, but she is also a very good singer. 

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She has made electronic pop music such as “Body Control” or “Somebody to love”.

Her latest films are: “Monte Carlo” (2011), “Country Stone”(2010). Besides, she has made films as “Hangman's Cuse” (2003), “Inside”(2006) a thriller, and the comedy “The Beautiful Ordinary” (2007).

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And what about you? Why don't you leave a comment telling us who do you really look up to? Waiting for it!

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The town that changed our lives (by Antonella)

I moved to this town a  few months ago. My parents wanted to be in a quiet place not in a big city. They have always worked in New York, a noisy and big city. Now they are tired.

We moved to a small house in the middle of nowhere. While we were arriving, I tried to remember most of the streets. However, there was only one kind of avenue. Then the others were just tiny spaces for people to walk. As soon as we arrived to the house, an old lady surprisingly appeared. She looked as if she had suffered a lot, she seemed to be a very sad woman. She told us to leave the town quickly and she just left. We didn't understand her until now.

At first, everything was fine. I went to the school every day and my father, who had applied for a job in a supermarket, worked twice a week. My mother usually stayed at home cleaning and doing the housework. After some weeks we started to see the change. Everything went black, dark, scary. The people became rude, unfriendly. It felt like the town was consuming us, taking all our happiness and we were becoming like the other people. We realized we cannot escape from here. Now, we want to know why this is happening...

DUBLIN, A Quick Guide (by Damaris)

Dublin, a city over a 1000 years old, is the cultural and historical capital of Ireland and birthplace of many of the world´s most popular writers and musicians. James Joyce and Oscar Wilde were both born here. But what´s it like?

It has always had a reputation as a vibrant and lively city but since the economic boom of the 1990, Dublin has got even better. Almost as famous for its lively nightlife as for its history, Dublin now looks more like other European cities, and has, in fact, become one of Europe´s most popular destination.

 

So, What can you do there?

The first place to go is Temple Bar. It has a great atmosphere, with shops, bars and cafes full of stylish young Europeans.

One of the best things to see is the Book of Kells. This is one of oldest books in the world (over 1200 years old) and you can see it in the Trinity College Library, at the University of Dublin.

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Moreover, you mustn´t miss the Statue of Molly Malone, the city´s heroine. She was a beautiful youngfishmonger who died in 1636 nobody knows how she died, but a famous song was written about her and many say you can still hear the sound of her ghost walking the streets.

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If you enjoy history, make sure you go to Dublin Castle. This castle, built between 1208 and 1220, lies in the heart of the city, and is surrounded by beautiful gardens.

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Don´t leave without throwing a coin into the River Liffey. Walk across ha´penny bridge, with joins the north and south side of the city, and throw a coin into the river to bring you good luck.

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And finally, you must listen to some live Irish music in Ireland´s famous pubs.  

Whatever you do in Ireland, you´ll certainly "enjoy the craic", as they say in Ireland, (meaning have a good time)

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The Shadow (by Camila G.C.)

I was sitting alone on the only chair that was next to my wooden table where the food I had prepared was served. The entire house was quiet. I could hardly hear the wind knocking the door. With slow movements, I started eating. All of a sudden, the lights went off. I couldn’t see a thing so I went to the kitchen, kicking, trying not to fall, looking for a torch... Suddenly, I heard a noise in the living room. With the torch on hand I went there. I could see a shadow, not clearly, but it was there. On a moment, I could see how the lights were turning on. So, if anything was wrong I decided to return to my chair and continue eating. While returning I could see how there was someone sitting on the chair. I would not know if it was a man or a woman. That someone was dressed in black. It kept looking at me with dark brown eyes. I was scared. I could only think of running, but I couldn’t. In some way, I just couldn’t. I was standing there, and it was becoming nearer and nearer. In a moment, I could hear it saying: “Get up Blair, Time to go to school!”

The Positive Look (text by Camila G.C. and illustration by Macarena D.B.)

The Positive Look

I get up early in the morning, brush my teeth and go to work almost in a rush while having a cup of coffee on the go. I am a nurse. It may not be the best job, but it lets me witness nice and bad moments that occur at the hospital.

Today is visitors' day, so every patient is happy. Everyone except Lucy, who is not used to receiving guests anymore since her husband died. But today I will spend some time with her, so that she doesn't feel lonely and, luckily, finds a reason to smile.

I open Lucy’s room door and ask her how she is feeling. Although she says she's doing well I know she is not - being the only one who doesn't have any guest cannot be nice. She asks me: “What is it like outside?” So, I tell her it’s a wonderful sunny day, so children are playing, couples are strolling and flowers are blooming under a colorful rainbow. She smiles and thanks me.

I hug her and leave the room after taking my umbrella to go back home in such a stormy weather.

NOTE: The previous story and illustration were submitted to the "Cuentos de mi Ciudad" Contest, organised by The Bristish Council and KEL Ediciones.

 

Public transport in Argentina (by Antonella)

There are different ways of traveling in Argentina. The most used is the public transport because workers, and people in general think this way is cheaper and in some cases, such as subways and trains, faster. There are also buses, which were used to be paid with coins but there was a problem with them and started to disappear, so it was difficult to find the change to travel. Due to that problem, the government created a new system that includes a rechargeable card called SUBE. This can be used in trains, subways and buses.

In addition to this, there are some problems too. The public transport in general, is in a very bad condition. Why? Because the government doesn't invest money in them, meaning that they are old and work with difficulties. Another reason is that people throw rubbish and break it. Furthermore, in the rush hours there are more people who travel in them than they can take, which causes delays and accidents.

Now, thinking about the pros and cons of  public transport, there are some important things to solve, but in my opinion we don't have to overlook the new system that has been installed on them, which is a good way to start. 

Just a Different Way (text by Florencia and illustration by Ruth)

Clara was the typical intelligent student of the class. She didn’t go out with friends nor at night to clubs. But that didn’t mean that she spent the whole year studying, sitting all day reading piles and piles of books. She had another life apart from school, apart from her classmates’ jokes, which made her feel bad. A different life. After school, she went by bus to dance classes everyday, where she trained six hours a day. That was what she loved; that was her real life, where she could be perfect. While she danced, her classmates’ teasing disappeared from her mind and she could be what she loved most. The great day was coming and her talent was going to be shown. For the first time, her classmates went to the theater to see her dance,with the intention of racking her. She walked out through the curtain, and left them all speechless. She was excellent doing what she did. They realized that and were immediately sorry for everything. In the last part of the show, she fainted and was taken to hospital. When her classmates arrived there to apologize, it was too late...

NOTE: The previous story and illustration were submitted to the "Cuentos de mi Ciudad" Contest, organised by The Bristish Council and KEL Ediciones.

Trying to Free Myself (text by Antonella and illustration by Milagros)

Trying to Free Myself

My life is hard. I am the youngest of eight siblings and we live with our parents and grandmother in a very small house. Although I am the only one who goes to school and is very affectionate, my parents usually hit me and I don't understand why.

I study in a public school near home. There, I have 3 teachers but I find Miss Noelia special - she is very nice to me and treats me well, not as my schoolmates, who constantly laugh at me because of my old clothes and my odd smell. They exclude me. I try to ignore them but I find it more and more difficult. I'm getting tired of it.

Being 8 years old, I feel under a lot of pressure both at home and at school and I really don't feel comfortable anywhere. I am about to take a dramatic decision. Before doing so, I'm leaving a goodbye letter to my favorite teacher, who is the only one who gives me some love and attention. She is the only one that deserves an explanation...

NOTE:The previous story and illustration were submitted to the "Cuentos de mi Ciudad" Contest, organised by The Bristish Council and KEL Ediciones.