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.