A1-A2 LEVELS- SHORT STORIES

CREATIVE STORY-THEME 9 INVITATIONS AND CELEBRATIONS

Writers:Gözde’s student Cihan

              Giovanna’s student Paolo

*Dear students, please don’t forget to use all functions and words of this theme.

                                          MARY’S DAY

Introduction

Mary, a lively 15 year old girl, likes to go to school and enjoy her classes with her teachers and classmates. She is sociable, hardworking and helpful with all her mates. She is a point of reference to everyone especially to Elizabeth, her best friend. Her family loves her; they would like to have a big party for her next birthday, but they can’t afford it. 

When Mary’s mum tells Elizabeth’s mum, about that, a word of mouth begins among all friends. Elizabeth is determined to find a solution

Chapter 1

Word spreads among the friends and they decide to meet at the home of Lila, the oldest friend of the group, and to agree on what to do. Once everyone has arrived, Elizabeth explains the situation better to friends Alexander, Thomas, Kevin and Lila.

A: What are you going to organize for Mary? Do you already have some ideas in mind?

T: We could organize a fast food dinner! How about?

L: Stop it Thomas, you are always the same, you always think about eating! Rather Kevin, you who are very imaginative have any ideas in mind?

K: We could throw a surprise party!

A: Theme maybe!

L: Why not! But what theme do we use? Let’s think of something Mary might like.

E: She loves Halloween, we could throw a scary party!

L: No, what are you saying Elizabeth! Something else would be better…

K: Why don’t we organize a fancy dress party?

L: Great idea! Who agrees?

Everyone: ME!

A: Perfect now we just have to put the money together and with the gain we buy the food! We have to rush, we must be ready for the birthday, it’s tomorrow, time flies fast!

E: Perfect! We have to purchase four kilos of pizza, lots of packets of chips. I can go to the baker’s tomorrow  morning

T: And we have to go to the grocer’s to take drinks…mmh eggs and ham to make sandwiches.

L: I’ll do it!

Once they have purchased everything they need, the boys meet again at Lila’s house to decide the course of the party and who to invite…

L: Well guys! We are ready for a fantastic party, but we are just four.

A: Why don’t we call Martin? He knows a lot of nice teens.

E: Good idea! Let’s call him.

Hello? Elizabeth’s speaking! Is that you Martin?

M: Yes speaking. Hi Elizabeth!

E: Listen Martin, we are organising a fancy dress party for Mary’s birthday.

Would you like to come tomorrow at 8:00 p.m?

M: Why not!

E: Fantastic! Can you bring some friends with you?

M: Of course I can

E: Fine!

Chapter 2

And finally it is the party day! Party team is ready with all preparations such as foods ,decorations and the guest list.By the way; Elizabeth, Alexander, Thomas, Kevin and Lila are making final checks for the fancy dress party.

A:Well, we have a big problem,guys!

E:WHAT? What problem?

A:Mary is going to attend English course today at this time.Do you remember?

L:Right now, I’ll call our English teacher and explain the situation.

E:Great!

Lila is on the phone and talking to their English teacher.

L:Hi, this is Lila.

T:Hello, teacher Sally speaking.

L:We’re going to make a surprise birthday party for Mary today.Could you please delay your course for us?

T:Sure dear.

L:Have a good day!

Twenty minutes later, Mary comes to the party and is very surprised.Mary realizes that all her friends love her very much.

                                                                                                                  THE END

Questions 

1 ) What is Mary like?

2) What’s the trouble with Mary’s family?

3) What does her best friend Elizabeth think to do?

4)Why does Lila phone  their English teacher?

5) How does Mary feel about the surprise party?

REATIVE STORY-MOVIES

Writers:Ivana’s student Marija

              Giovanna’s student Cesario

Dear students, you can write your part of our common story

                             LIKE A DREAM

Chapter 1

 It was a typical rainy evening in London and Sam Ryder was lying on his sofa, watching his favorite TV series.  He was a young ambitious reporter but lately he didn’t have any interesting stories to tell and didn’t have enough money to pay his rent. He had been broke lately. He needed to find something to write about, but what?

      He left his flat to breathe fresh air and let his mind free. He was thinking about his problems when he heard screaming. A couple of youngsters were trying to pickpocket a beautiful well dressed woman!! Instinctively Sam rushed over and forced them to give up. The mysterious woman thanked him and, without speaking any words, disappeared in the rain!

   The next morning he was still sleeping when the phone rang.Slowly he took the phone saying :Hello! Sam Ryder’s  speaking.” No answer from the other end of the phone.He asked again” who’s speaking?”.A firm voice said”Would you like to come and  interview Tanya Bell?” he replied “Do you mean the famous singer?” Yes,yes,Itìs a pleasure!” He accepted and he thought it could be his life occasion!

Chapter 2

The appointment was at 9pm the next day at Excelsior Hotel,but Sam was there about half an hour before.He couldn’t wait to meet Tanya Bell and interview her.At 9.00 a woman,perhaps the secretary,invited Sam to sit on a comfortable sofa…Sam felt excited. When the famous singer entered the room ,Sam recognized the woman he had helped with the two youngsters ! She thanked him for the help and the interview started…

S: Thank you for letting me interview you today.I know how busy you are!

T: It was  a pleasure to meet you! And I want to thank you for helping me last night”

S: Never mind !! Are you working on any new songs these days?

T:  Yes,I’m collecting some ideas for a new album.

S: May I ask some questions about your life?

T: Of course you can!

S: What do you like doing in your free time?

T:I like spending time with my life partner :::we usually relax by the pool…or we watch films …WE really like watching movies!!

S: So, what movie would  you recommend?

 T: I would recommend Spider-Man into the spider verse. Because of the outstanding animation, fantastic soundtracks and intriguing plot.

S: What character is the most annoying in your favorite movie?  

T: The most annoying character Is kingpin. Because he is too selfish and irresponsible.

S: What do you think is the worst scene in your favorite movie and why?

T: The worst scene is when kingpin destroys half a building at the beginning action for a trivial reason. It’s unrealistic and unpleasant.

 S: What is your favorite comedy?

T: I like the comedy film: Jumanji. I think it’s amusing and the characters are really into the role.

S:  I like to watch adventure, horror and sci-fi movies. What is your favorite genre?

T: I prefer to watch adventure movies, like Godzilla. It’s my favourite genre because of the breathtaking atmosphere and fast-paced  actions.

I don’t like horror films because at times there are too many stereotypes.

I don’t mind sci-fi movies because they can be impressing with amazing special effects.

S:  I don’t like  watching  biography and historical drama, they are just boring. Which genres do you not like?

             T: I can’t stand watching biography movies because they are boring and a waste of               

                 time.

I don’t mind historical drama movies, it depends on the historical figure they want to portray. Sometimes they can be extraordinary!! I saw “Selma”, a film set during the height of the american civil right movement. the action takes place in Selma Alabama where Martin Luther King leads a campaign for blacks equal voting rights.

My favorite star is Zendaya, she was one of leading characters in the movie Spider-man: Far from home. I was so addicted to that movie before. What is your favorite star?

My favourite star is Keanu Reeves because he has amazing acting skills, when he is in a movie he always stands out.

S: Which is the most unpleasant movie that you’ve watched and why?

T: I was really disappointed about the first film of harry potter saga, Harry Potter and the philosopher stone . The characters were amateurs, a bit inexperienced.

S:  I like to watch movies at cinema. Where do you prefer to watch movies at home or at cinema?

T: I really like watching movies at home because I feel good and comfortable, but at cinema you can enjoy the vision with your friends and have fun.

S: I heard that there is a new Spider-man movie in the cinema. Would you like to go  watch it with me this Sunday?

T: Sure I would like that. Can I get your phone number, so that we can decide where to meet?

S:  Of course. I can’t wait. See you soon.

T: Goodbye.

Chapter 3

On his way home Sam Ryder was very excited, he couldn’t wait to see Tanya Bell again. The week passed slowly but the day finally arrived. Sam Ryder was waiting for Tanya Bell with flowers in his hands outside the cinema. When he saw her he couldn’t take his eyes off her, she was so beautiful. He gave her flowers and they went inside. During the movie Tanya Bell was watching the movie and Sam Ryder was watching her, he was so in love with her that he couldn’t describe it.

 After the movie they went to a restaurant. At  the restaurant Sam Ryder and Tanya Bell got to know each other better. Sam Ryder was talking about his life and why he loved his job so much and Tanya Bell was talking about how she had become so popular. After dinner Sam Ryder walked her home, and was very sad to part with her, so he suddenly kissed her.

So it was Sam who found his dream interview and his  Dream girlfriend. 

Movies

1. Who is Sam Ryder?
2. Who is Tanya Bell?
3. How did  Sam Ryder and Tanya Bell meet?
4. Where was the appointment?
5. What does Tanya Bell like to do in her free time?
6. Where does Sam Ryder like to watch movies?
7. Where did Sam Ryder and Tanya Bell go after the movie?

Short story 

Theme 7

World heritage 

Chapter 1 

In Portugal history, one of the most important places is the Guimarães castle. It was there that Portugal was created but, nowadays, the castle is a tourist attraction and it’s there that a boy named Otavio is with his father, who is a security guard at the Guimarães castle. 

Chapter 2

Today was the day of a study visit to the Zeugma Mosaic Museum on our trip. The splendid collection of Zeugma Mosaic Museum in Gaziantep alone was probably sufficient to attract enthusiasts of history and culture as well as art historians and archaeologists of the world to visit Turkey. In terms of the floor area of the museum, as well as the surface area of the mosaics exhibited, it is the second largest of its kind in the world. (The largest mosaic museum also is in Turkey).We saw lots of Mosaic Types but we heard some police voices. They said to us “Don’t move!” They said that the famous Mosaic was missing! Gypsy Girl Mosaic! We wondered where it was.

Chapter 3

Over in Portugal, Otávio was wandering around the castle waiting for his father to end his shift so they could finally go home for the day, however this idea was cut short when he saw a weird mosaic with a girl on it in one of the castle rooms. This surprised him as he had been in that room many times before but had never seen a mosaic there. He tried to figure out where it came from but he couldn’t so he called his father to check it out. Up on his arrival his father confirmed it, it wasn’t from the castle.

Chapter 4

One of students, Emka announced the missing Gypsy Girl Mosaic from his social Media accounts. Otávio saw the news from Facebook. When Otavio saw the news, he was shocked. He thinks that it wasn’t from the castle. So it belonged to Turkey mosque. He sent the message to Emka “I found Gypsy Girl Mosaic in our country but I can’t come there.Your country is very far to me.”. and he explained everything to family. 

Chapter 5

Both Emka and Otávio reported the missing mosaic to the authorities and with the collaboration of the Turkish and Portuguese governments, the mosaic was returned to its proper place. Because of this, the two created a good relationship and became interested in each other cultures and heritage.

ESMA & RABİA NUR

TWINMEAL CONTEST

Esmina is 16. She is from India but a student in Turkey. She is going to a high school. She is always stressful and bored because she doesn’t eat every menu. For example, she doesn’t eat greasy food,but she likes salty food. Her favourite food is steak.She thinks it is so delicious. But she doesn’t always eat it because steak is very expensive in Turkey.

One day, she sees a competition called “TwinMeal Contest”. She wonders and reads the text about it. 

In the text;

Calling out to all children and teens around the world! If you’re between ages 16 to 19, we want you to use your imagination and create a poster of your favourite food in any country. The world is full of delicious food, work hard to make sure that food makes its way from farms to our table.Take a photo or scan your poster and submit your entry by filling out the form on our website. The deadline is 20 November 2020.

She decides to join the contest. To her, food should be healthy and delicious but she can’t decide how it is and she decides to ask her friends. Her friends talk about different countries’ foods. 

Sema: I think you should join the competition with Lagman. Its a famous food in Uzbekistan. It’s a hearty soup and light pasta. It’s served with a hearty noodle stew that includes lamb and healthy vegetables like onions, carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes, potatoes and garlic. It’s also seasoned with cumin, parsley and basil.

 Esmina: Wow!it’s a really  healthy food since it includes a lot of vegetables in it. But I want something that includes steak because you know it’s my favourite food.

Burak : Then I’m sure you will like charred steak with Chimichurri sauce of Argentine. Argentine is famous with its steak. You need sirloin steaks, olive oil, cumin, coriander and pinch cayenne pepper for the steak and for the sauce you need crushed garlic, roughly chopped  bunch parsley, 3 tbsp white whine and olive oil. Someone who likes steak like you should taste it.

Esmina: Woahh!! I’ll definitely taste it. And I’m going to join the competition with charred steak with chimichurri sauce!

 Today is the day! The results of the competition will be announced today! Esmina was so excited. She was waiting their message announcing that she had won. Finally the expected moment has arrived! SHE HAD WON! 

She was so happy. She immediately went to her friends to tell them she had won.

Esma: Congratulations!!

Esmina: I couldn’t have won if you hadn’t help me. Thank you guys!

Burak: So how about going to eat steak to celebrate it?

Esmina:Sounds great!! 

CREATIVE STORY-THEME 4 HUMAN IN NATURE

Writers:   Gözde’s student Senem

Suzan’s student Zeynep Eylül and BAL Team

 DISASTER AND FAVOUR

CHAPTER 1

Mr. Wanderer is a young, brave, handsome man. He is tall and well-built. He lives in California. He is single and he likes travelling a lot, so he doesn’t want to marry. He is a very talented man. He can play lots of musical instruments such as guitar, violin and piano. He has got a lovely voice. He can sing beautifully. He always goes to the charity concerts and sings for them.

Mr. Wanderer is a professional photographer. He can take really good photos, especially photos of nature. Because he loves nature and he is interested in natural events. For this reason, he travels around the world and takes photos of the natural events. Then, he displays those photos in art exhibitions. He arranges an art exhibition once a year. People love his pictures and they usually buy his pictures by paying millions of dollars. Mr. Wanderer earns his life from these pictures. His pictures are about natural disasters like volcanic eruptions, landslides, forest fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane and tsunami.

CHAPTER 2

Mr.Wanderer is keen on his job however taking photos of natural disasters can be dangerous some time.One day, a stranger from Antalya calls Mr.Wanderer. And this stranger invites him to take photos of a forest fire.Because of his passion of travelling , Mr.Wanderer immediately accepts this offer. After a long journey, he arrives in Antalya and meets the stranger. Mr.Wanderer rents a car and plans to go to the nearest place of fire. The stranger says that ‘It is too dangerous.’ But our photographer doesn’t listen to her. Then Mr.Wanderer is trapped in the middle of the fire.Because his car is broken.

CHAPTER 3

Trapped in the middle of the fire, Mr.Wanderer looks around hurriedly. He thinks he shouldn’t be there anymore. At that time, he begins to hear human voices. He sees the villagers coming with water bottles and hoses. One of the villagers who comes towards him gives him a wet long-sleeved outfit to cover his body. He comes out through the smoke. At that time, fire department sirens are heard. Then, the villagers take Mr. Wanderer to their home.They host him beautifully . The firefighters extinguish the fire with the help of the rain . The villagers help him.  Mr.Wanderer takes very nice photos . He returns to his country a month later. He takes first place in a very famous photograph contest with the photos he has taken in Antalya. He uses the money he has earned in the competition for Antalya. He plants a lot of trees in that arid region and he wants to create a natural forest there. He plans to arrange the forest as as a national park with his own name : John Wanderer National Park

SOCIAL MEDIA 

We use social media and television on daily basis.  

They have a number of connections. I like them both and use them  every day. I think that they are important in our world, but they can also be dangerous.  

Some people can become addicted to them so we have to learn to use them to some extent.  

I think that the worst side-effect of social media and television is that because of them some people can´t see the real world. 

We should be very careful when using them and also enjoy life while using them. 

Staying online too much can also be harmful. Parents always complain about their children’s bad habits but they should be a good model for them,too.  

Unfortunately they use social media for a lot of reasons. They keep in touch with their friends, share photos, download videos or music, they read news, etc. 

Nobody finds time for socializing even with their own family. This is very sad. People should search for other entertainments which are from real life and get rid of the social media addiction. 

TWIN SISTERS

Lucy and Linda are twin sisters. They are 12 years old. They look like each other physically but not so much in personality. They are both blonde and they have green eyes. They are medium-height. they have got wavy hair. Lucy is very successful in school, but Linda is a little lazier than Lucy. She doesn’t like studying. Sometimes she is jealous of Lucy but she loves her sister very much. Because she thinks Lucy is the most helpful and reliable person in the world. Lucy loves Linda very much too. Because Linda is very sincere and easy going. They are in their room now. It is a hot summer night. Lucy is wearing a shirt and shorts. Linda is wearing a pink dress. Lucy is playing her guitar, she is very talented in music. Linda is listening to her and painting a picture. She is talented,too. Suddenly their mother comes in and says:

“ Girls! Are you ready to go?” They are planning to have a great day in the new shopping mall. Their father is waiting in the car outside. He is a good-looking man with brown hair and green eyes and older than his wife. Their mother is slim and middle-height. She has hazel eyes and blonde hair. She is the most  helpful and generous person in the family. Now, they are in the shopping mall and looking for new shoes to buy. Lucy likes putting on loafers but Linda prefers putting on sneakers to loafers. Lucy is looking at loafers while Linda is asking for sneakers. Meanwhile their father and mother are talking about what to eat for dinner. Fish is the best meal for all of them as they all like it. The girls are trying the shoes on and asking for their parents’ idea. At that moment, they hear a sudden phone call. Their father answers the phone and learns that their grandmother is waiting for them at their house! With that news, they finish their shopping immediately and turn their way back home.

STUDYING ABROAD

Chapter 1

            As I look around this busy airport, I start to get apprehensive. I look at my parents for reassurance, they seem excited, even though I can tell that, behind their smiles, they are holding back tears.

         -How are you feeling Maria? – my father asks me, cutting the uncomfortable silence.

         -I am nervous yet I could not be more excited about this new journey.

         -We are very proud of you, I hope you know that! – my mom exclaims, making me smile.

         -I really appreciate your support!

         My parents are always able to calm me down. I will miss them, however I am off to bigger and better things. Four months ago, I was offered the opportunity of a lifetime: to leave Portugal and complete my studies in Romania.  At first it was a very difficult decision but as the time went by I understood that I could not miss this chance, with that, I accepted. I spent the last three months preparing for this trip, reading a lot about the country and culture I am going to encounter and learning about International studies, which is the course I am taking. Everything is falling into place and I am overjoyed with that.

         After I was done with the check-in process I had to say my final goodbyes to my parents and head off to the plane. I know that I will have the most amazing time and I will learn so much but it is always hard to say farewell.

         -I have to go now. I love you mom and dad! – I tell them as I start to feel less nervous and more and more excited.

         -Goodbye sweetheart! Have fun, learn a lot and call us when you have the time! – my mom reminds me.

         -I will, do not worry.

         We all say goodbye to each other and I leave them. I go straight to the boarding gate but I am told that I need to wait thirty minutes to get in the airplane. I use those thirty minutes to organize my thoughts. I come to the conclusion that I am incredibly lucky and privileged to be able to experience something like what I am about to experience. I make the decision that I will appreciate every little thing that happens during this trip. I am going to use my time in Romania to learn as much as I can about their culture and language, maybe even meet new friends and improve my English. I am eager to meet my host family, I have talked with them over the phone before and they seemed very kind, open minded and responsible, which I appreciate. I am certain that I will have the most amazing time with them and that they will tutor me through my new life in an unknown country to me.

         I hear the flight attendant calling for my flight and I get up and head off to the queue that has formed to get in the airplane. I finally get to sit down and look outside the window and say a mental goodbye to my country for the next few months. I am so ready for this new chapter in my life.

Chapter 2

I am so excited to meet my host family, I’m very sure that they’ll be very kind and sweet. I went to the bathroom because I couldn’t wait till I arrive in Romania, after I watched some movies on my laptop. I had thirty spare minutes until landing and I felt calm knowing that I was wearing my lucky bracelet. When I looked carefully around, I realized that I had lost my bracelet.  I couldn’t believe that!!  “I am rather nervous, what should I do ?” That bracelet had a special significance to me because it was a gift from my grandmom. The bracelet was made of gold with small shiny crystals, it was a family heirloom, my grandmother had received it from her grandmother and so on. I always thought the bracelet brought me luck, and the fact that I had misplaced it was a bad sign. It made me believe that the idea of going to Romania was a bad decision.    

I notified the stewardess what had happened and she saw that I was panicked, so she announced the passengers. After 15 minutes everybody was looking around for my bracelet, and nobody had found it yet. Suddenly, a young girl with big green eyes came up to me and informed me that she had found my bracelet in the washbasin, I must have left it there when I went to the bathroom. I was so happy, noting else mattered and I thanked her and informed the other passengers to stop looking for it. Now, I am very calm, I wear my bracelet nothing bad can happen. The plane can land successfully. My mother would probably be annoyed and scold me to be more careful, she claims that I am always with my head in the clouds. I profusely apologised for the inconvenience. The plane was full only after I realized what chaos I had brought about. 

The girl with big green eyes moved next to me and waveringly,  she said:

-I love your bracelet and hair, I would do anything to have your curly hair!! 

-Thank you!! Why are you going to Romania? 

-I am going to Romania to visit my grandparents and see my cousins. What about you ?

  – Cool! I originate from Portugal and I have this amazing opportunity to continue my studies in Romania.  

-You’re cute, I hope we’ll meet again!!

  -I’m glad we have met!

  I had some souvenirs for the family in my backpack and I decided to offer her one of them in order to thank her for retrieving my most cherished bracelet.

As soon as  the plane landed, everybody clapped. Everybody was so sweet with me, even though I may well have annoyed some of them. Everything was good overall. I liked flying by plane, the first time I flew I was 5 years old and I remember clearly that I lost one of my dolls.

When I got off the plane, I saw a nice family with a banner that said “Welcome, Maria!”. I went  straight to them and introduced myself: 

-Hello !! I am Maria . I am very happy to meet you !! 

-Hi, I am Claudiu,  this is my wife, Ana, those are our children,  Alex and Sara, she’s gonna be your classmate. We’re very glad to finally meet you in the flesh!

-Let’s take a picture! Sara said genuinely excitedly.

We took a photo, then I accounted them what had happened on the plane. Alex laughed at me, but I didn’t mind, as Sara totally understood me. Ana gave me permission to address her by her first name, and complimented my jewelry as well.

Finally,  I had to retrieve my luggage, but I found out that it had been lost. When everything goes wrong, something good will follow, at least I hope so. This situation makes me feel a little skeptical about this journey in Romania and everything that will happen in the forthcoming months. Claudiu and Ana spoke with the company and they assured us that everything would be resolved shortly. In the next few weeks I’m gonna receive my luggage with all my stuff. Luckily I had my smartphone, charger, laptop and some personal belongings in my backpack.

Chapter 3 

Studying abroad

The car drive is not long, thirty minutes at most but they went by pretty fast because we engaged in interesting conversations about me, my country and how I am feeling about this big change in my life. I couldn’t have asked for a more welcoming host family. The parents are very nice and affable which makes it so much easier to trust them. Their kids were excellent too, we all got along really well, I think it helps that we are all close in age.

We finally arrive home and they show me around the house and I think it is a stunning house including my room for the next few months. My room has a lot of space and a private bathroom, I am thrilled with it. Sara comes into my room and asks me if I am comfortable or if I need anything, I tell her that I am just fine and I ask her to tell me things about Romania.

-Well, I think you would like to know that we have a lot of electronic music festivals, maybe I could take you to one someday.

-Yes, I think that would be a lot of fun- I say very excited.

-Christmas are really important here, oh, and also, every region of the country has their own folk costume, we have a lot of bears and foxes and…

Sara goes into an amazing rant about her country and their traditions and I am loving the passionate way she talks about her culture. I pay a lot of attention to everything she tells me and I try to absorb some of the different habits and traditions they have. I have to admit, it has been a little bit of a culture shock so far, but I think I can get used to the different things. From what I have read and what Sara has been telling me, Romania seems like a great country to live in, and they have a very rich culture that I hope to learn from. 

Sara tells me about touristic places that she wants to take me, like the Herastrau Park and the Palace of the Parliament. To be honest, I can’t wait to go out and see the country and everything they have to offer and I am sure that Sara and I are going to be great friends.

-Hello girls, sorry to interrupt but it is time for dinner- Ana, Sara´s mom reminds us.

We go downstairs to the dining room and they tell me that they decided to make traditional Romanian food for me to try and get more exposure to their culture. I am nervous about that but excited at the same time.

-I made sarmale, which are cabbage rolls; Ciorbă de burtă, a beef tripe soup and a Moldavian stew. I really hope you like it, I know it is probably very different from what you eat in Portugal but give it a try.

-Thank you so much, it looks and smells amazing. I think I am going to like it. Maybe someday I can cook you some traditional Portuguese food too! 

-Yes, please do, I really want to try it- Alex says genuinely really happy.

-I will!

We eat dinner and talk the whole time. It feels amazing to be in such a good environment with people I just met. They are all incredible and the bad signs that I have been getting were wrong after all because I am having the time of my life. 

Chapter 4  

  Although I was having the time of my life, I felt … empty. Emptier than I have ever felt. I knew everyone cared about me, and I knew they would do anything for me to enjoy my time here in Romania, but that’s precisely the reason I kept quiet. This was my decision, and so I decided I would keep every bad thought I had – to myself.  
  I know this story is about me studying in Romania, but… I didn’t have the best sleeping patterns while I was there. I usually go to sleep at 10 PM and wake up at 7 AM, but I just couldn’t fall asleep. Also, I may have… forgotten to set my alarm… but let’s not talk about that! My host family pampered me all day, so I was most likely too tired of all the attention. 
  As you probably guessed already, I overslept by about half an hour. I didn’t realise it then, but as soon as I woke up and checked my phone, my heart sank. I hastily changed out of my pyjamas and into my school uniform, possibly setting a new world record for “Fastest a person has ever changed out of their pyjamas into their school uniform after oversleeping for 30 minutes on a sunny Monday” and skipped breakfast to run to school. As nobody woke me up and I forgot to charge my phone, I was on my own. Dead phone with no signal and no knowledge on my surroundings, I just kept running forward. Every step felt redundant, like I was running towards a perpetually expanding line. After a few minutes (which felt like hours, mind you), I sat down at a bench, giving me some much-needed time to relax. I sighed and rested my hand on the bench. Unbeknownst to me, someone sitting next to me, and I accidentally grabbed their hand. As soon as I felt their touch, I immediately apologised to them and retracted my hand. I then silently looked at them.
As I directed my gaze at the stranger, it felt like time stopped. Their dreamy blue eyes were the only thing I could focus on. At that moment, I didn’t care about what the rest of their body looked like, as I had already fallen in love with their eyes.
– Are you okay? You seem kind of out of it. – they asked, in a concerned tone.
I hadn’t realised that they were talking to me, since I was too busy staring at them. I eventually averted my gaze from their eyes and scanned the rest of their body. He was a relatively tall man, around 1.9 meters, he had a blonde blowout, (hairstyle)  dreamy eyes, and he was wearing a school uniform. Come to think of it, I’m wea-
– Hello? Can you hear me? – he asked again, this time waving his hand in front of my face.
– I… Yeah, I can hear……… you. – I respond. Are you… from here? I see that you… are wearing a school uniform.
– Is that a trick question? I go to school here. Didn’t quite catch your name, though.
– It’s… Maria.
– Maria? That’s a pleasant name. My name’s Mike. I’m not from Romania, but neither are you, right?
– How did you… know?
– I didn’t. That was a guess.
– Oh… So… can you tell me where… my school is?
– Well, I don’t know what school you go to, but judging by the emblem on your school uniform, you go to the same school as me.
– Is that… so?
– Yeah. Well, you can come with me if you’d like. I don’t mind. A little company now and then is nice.
– But… isn’t it late?
– Better late than never.
– Why aren’t you at school already…?
– Because I don’t want to. You coming with me or not?
– Of… course I am!

  He grabbed my hand, and we silently walked to school together. When we were walking together, I felt… happy. I no longer felt that overwhelming emotion, or lack thereof. Instead, happiness took its place. I didn’t want us to stop walking, but lo-and-behold, we split up after reaching the school. I couldn’t focus on my classes; all I could think of was him. I couldn’t wait for classes to end, so I could see him again.

Chapter 5

I have spent the past few months studying, spending time with my host family and getting to know Mike, but now I have to leave and go back to Portugal. As much as I do not want to leave Romania, I do miss my family back home. I could say that the main reason I am feeling so down about returning to my home country is the fact that I will not get to see Mike almost every day like I am used to. Ever since we met, I felt the strongest connection I have ever felt with anyone and I am almost sure he feels the same. I guess this is part of studying in a different country, unfortunately I have to say goodbye and face the fact that I will not get to spend more time with the amazing people I have met over my time here. 

I look at my computer and decide that I should send an email to Mike, even though he knows I am leaving we did not talk about the future of our friendship, so I do not know if he wants to stay in contact, I really hope he does. I send him the following email:

Hello Mike. How are you?

Just wanted to remind you that I am leaving today. I want to thank you for everything you have done for me in the past months, from helping me the first day we met to becoming my best company the rest of my stay in Romania. 

I also want to tell you that I think we have a great friendship and I do not want to lose that. I feel very connected to you, in ways that I cannot explain, I hope you feel the same and that we can stay in contact until we meet again in person. 

I am hopeful that we will meet again someday, maybe you could come to Portugal someday, for a visit. I know you would have a lot of fun here, I could show you around, you could taste our amazing food and we could explore the main cities from the entire country, for example, Lisbon, our capital, Oporto (my favorite city), Algarve, that has amazing beaches, and others of your liking. I am looking forward to this.

I am so happy that I met you at the right time and place.

Looking forward to your reply and know that I am going to miss spending time and laughing with you.

All the love, 

Maria. 

Although I am nervous about his reply, I also feel very confident that he feels the same way about me. 

I sit on my bed and reflect about my life during this time.  I have learned so much during this stay in Romania. I finished my studies, which makes me feel very proud of myself, my English has definitely gotten better and I can even keep up a conversation in Romanian, even if I do not speak it fluently. I also learned a lot from my host family. In the beginning it was a cultural shock, but now I feel that I have a more open mind because I was able to see the world from a different perspective, other than the Portuguese one. 

I only have a couple days here before I have to go to the airport and I definitely need to think about what I am going to do once I get back. 

Chapter 6.

Today I am leaving Romania. I am very excited because I will see my family, but in the other hand, I don’t want to leave. I have learnt a lot since I was here :  I improved my English, I got to know a lot of people and I learnt a lot about Romanian culture.

When I arrive, my family waits me in the airport. I missed them very much and all the way home we talk about my Romanian experience. They are very proud of me and they encourage me with everything.

After I had dinner with my family, I came up in my room, which I missed, and  open my laptop. I saw an email from Mike.  He said that he will definitely come to Portugal to see me in the near future and he will never forget me and the special moments we spent together. We promised that we won’t stop talking to eachother on Facetime or by email. 

After this time spent in Romania, I feel the best. I can’t believe that I had courage to leave my country and go somewhere extremely different. Because of this experience, I decided what I want to do in the future and I am very excited about it. I am going to study a lot for what I want and  I am sure that I will succeed.