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.

The Wrong Decision (by Guest Bloggers)

The Wrong Decision

My nightmare started a week ago when I reported a crime...

Everything started after I withdrew money from an ATM – I needed it to organize my daughter´s 15th birthday. When I was walking back home, I saw a man coming suspiciously towards me. I started walking faster, and then running, but he finally reached me. He stole my wallet and told me to give him my bag. As I started screaming, he threatened me with a knife, and we ended up fighting. After the suspect ran away, I saw a driving license on the floor and immediately recognized the face of the person appearing on it – it was the robber!

I went to the police station to report the crime and after a policeman asked me my personal details, his workmate appeared from behind... I knew something was wrong. I recognized that face for the second time. There was no time for explanations.

Each of them took me by an arm and locked me in a prison cell. But what they did not realize is that I am writing this report from there...

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

Water wating (by Milagros and Lucas)

Do you care about water? Do you close the tap after washing your hands? Well, nowadays water wasting is a crucial issue in the world. Let me tell you more about it...

source

Water is a finite resource, vital to humans and essential to the social and economic development. In recent decades, water scarcity began to be of public awareness, as well as a certain risk of an overall decline in freshwater resources.

70% of the surface water  on the planet is made up of seas and oceans. 97,5% of it is salt water, while only 2,5% is fresh water.

source

Almost 79% of total freshwater is in form of permanent ice, in polar ice and glaciers, which is unavailable for usage. 20% of water in liquid is inaccessible due to the depth in which it is (sometimes 2,000 meters below the sea level). Only 1% is fresh surface water easily accessible, what represents 0,025% of water on Earth.

80% of global evaporation depends on the oceans and only 20% of precipitation over land, feeding lakes, rivers and shallow groundwater.

So, as I told you, water is not an inexhaustible resouse. We must be aware of it.

What do you think we can do to save water....?

 source

source of information 

Is this love? (by Milagros)

This is the story about my sick love.

I'm not a sensible person, so when I fall in love, I get crazy...

Everything began at my work. I worked as a delivery-boy in a pizza shop. One day I took a pizza to an old house, old but nice. A blond-haired young woman lived there. I loved delivering pizzas to Roxanne. Some months later we started going out. I deeply fell in love with her. I loved her so much that I started controlling all the things she did - where she went, who with, when she came back, everything. I was obsessed with her, and sometimes I hit her so much that she burst into tears. She became afraid of me. When I realised what was happening, I had no cure, I could not turn back time. Everything was lost. What I thought it would be a perfect relationship, became an awful situation that nobody could fix.

One day she came with her pretty eyes full of tears and said to me: -'We have to break up'. I became very angry, and before I could hit her, she wasn't there.

What I wanted to protect to be mine, now has left...

Teenagers, alcohol and drugs (by Nicole)

Nowadays, most teenagers in Argentina go with friends to discos to dance and have fun. In many places, they sell alcohol to teenagers under 18, and when they don't, these teenagers go to any house to drink something before going to dance or anywhere. They do it to have fun and laugh a while s;ome others do it to forget their personal problems. The thing is to drink properly and controlled so that you know what you are drinking and are aware of what you do. 

On the other hand, we have the teenagers that consume drugs. A few do it to have fun in a different way, but mostly it is related to their own problems. They usually start buying drugs at the age of 16-18. They know where to buy them because the friends consume drug too. The main problem is that they like it and they get addicted to it. They consume cheap and easy-to-find drugs. 

The best thing you can do if you know someone or a friend who is being in this situation, is to help him think about the future physical and socials problems and if after trying this you don't see any change, try with professional help.

Happy Seasons!

To all the people who were part of this blog in one way or another, I want to thank you for your time and dedication to make it real :)

I wish you Happy Holidays and a fantastic New Year!!

May 2013 be full of good moments 

All the best,

Miss Corina  

image source

There are still some pending posts that will be published during the following weeks. They, as well as those already published, were done during the 2012 school year and were part of a project I carried out with a group of students. Although we will not continue working together from now on, it would be nice if anyone wants to continue publishing in this blog and extending the "Greenfield Roots". Greetings to all of you and, once again, thanks for sharing this interesting blog with us!