Elena Gioti Language School-Igoumenitsa-story No 6

How to save a life
It was almost Easter when Hope arrived to our school. As soon as the kids saw her, they went bananas. Everyone wanted to take her in their arms and they all immediately noticed how much she looked like Mia…
Well, let's start from the beginning. Our school is on one of the main streets of our town, but on the back side of the school there is a dirt road.  Lately, a lot of dogs have been abandoned by their owners due to the crisis and this little one was not necessarily a victim of abandonment, but her mother and father were, so as a result she was victim of it as well. Sadly, she happened to be the runt of the litter that her mom was caring for in an abandoned car port on that one dirt road in our town.
Nobody would have ever disturbed the female dog from doing her job of taking care of her pups, if it were not for the uncontrollable desire for children to have and hold a beautiful puppy that is so cute and fluffy. So, during our students’ breaks from their language lessons, they would go to visit these puppies. They started taking them food and making makeshift houses for their secretly adopted puppies. Yes, every student had adopted a puppy and would take care of them during their breaks and play with them as well.
These children tried to keep their secret as long as possible until they made the mistake of coming back late to class after their breaks. We started asking questions regarding their whereabouts during their breaks, but they all refused to tell us. After, a few days and the continuous tardiness to class, we decided to secretly follow the children to this dirt road and to our surprise we found around 8 puppies and all sorts of bowls for food and water. The kids were shocked and thought that we would tell them to stop bothering the puppies, but these children were in love.
All the puppies were being taken care of except for the runt. She was off to one side and dirtier than dirt, not to mention a lot skinnier than the other puppies. She had no hope of survival. We felt bad for her, but it was not our responsibility. However, we did not realize that our child had instantly fallen in love with the runt with no hope.
The next weeks to come were filled with tardiness to class and that included my child too. Finally, I went back to the road again and my child begged us to take the runt home because everyone else had already made arrangements to take their puppies home as well. As an adult, I was thinking of all the work and long-term commitment that was demanded, but I could not say no. First of all because she had no chance of survival and secondly because I did not want to deprive my children all this extra love you get by having a pet.
And that is how "Hope" came into our lives and made it even more special.

English 4 fun Rosie Goulis-Kastoria-story No 5

'There's always Hope'

It was a cold and rainy night. A liitle boy called Asmar was standing under a shed waiting for the storm to pass. People with warm coats and umbrellas were passing by bristly ignoring the homeless seven year old boy. His tiny body was shaking while he was trying desperately to find a place to spend the night. Where should he go?How could he keep warm?

He removed his dirty raggy jacket  and placed it above his head. He started running till he reached the end of the street, where he came across an abandoned shack. Asmar opened the door, saw it was empty and decided to spend the night.

He lay down on the cold ground and rolled his wet jacket into a pillow. As his muscles started relaxing and sleep was drawing him away, a snarl startled him. He stood up and tried to locate where the noise was coming from...through the shadows a cute small dog appeared.

-'Hey buddy! You live in the streets too? I 'm Asmar' It tilted its small head and waved its tail happily.

-'You 'll be my new friend. How do you want me to call you?' asked the little boy while caressing the dog.

-'Since you are a girl I 'll name you Hope! How about that?'

Hope jumped on the boy's lap and they soon fell asleep together. The animal's warm fur helped the child forget its hunger but Asmar's health was getting worse. He hadn't had a decent meal for ages.

Next morning, the sunlight sneaked through the cracks of the shackwaking them both up.

-'Let's go find something to eat, shall we?' asked Asmar but was unable to get up.Hope started licking him on the cheeks but the boy was too weak to respond. The little dog barked urging the boy to get up but he was unconscious. Hope immediately knew what to do.  She ran as fast as she couldtowards the centre of the town. She soon saw two policemen patroling the area and found a way to make them understand that she needed them to follow her. Hope managed to lead them to the abandoned shack. She tried her best but was it too late? Was the boy still alive?

The policemen opened the door of the shack and were astonished to see a young boy lying on the wet, filthy ground...

Luckily Asmar was able to recover. hope was there at the right place at the right time and successfully saved the poor boy's life.

....If only she could do the same for all the children in need. The world is so cruel and merciless at times....but there should always be....HOPE 

English4 fun

Rosie Goulis

Koryfi Language Centre- Amynteo Kato kleines story No4

HAPPINESS- A STATE OF MIND

It was an ordinary day at Aminteo and we were about to start our lesson when suddenly Mr Chris came and infirmed us about a trip. We were supposed to visit the lake “Vegoritida” and have a picnic near the lake. Everyone was amazed and excited! We were all waiting for Saturday to come!

We took the bus and in a while we were there! The place was flawless, amazing and the weather was sunny and the sun so bright! The whole scenery was breathtaking and we were all staring at the lake, like we had never seen a lake before. We were walking down the road when we saw something strange. It was a dog and to be more specific it was a talking dog! Her name was “Hope” and she did not lose time! She saw us and she introduced hershelf straightforward. It was such a weird creature! “Nice to meet you”, she said. “Now, I am going to swim! See you later!”,she added happily.

Afterwards, instead of having our picnic, we were just staring at the dog wondering what was going on. Were we dreaming? Was it possible? Soon, Hope was at the beach. We wanted to talk with her. Who is she? Where does she come from? She just replied “I have never been in such a beautiful place before! But, there is so much rubbish that make me sad!”. We decided to take bus and pick all the rubbish so as to transform the place into a clean one. We did so! Then, we gathered all around and she told us the story of her life.

-So Hope, where do you come from?, we asked.

-I come from a city. My city is so beautiful and I love it. But do you realize how lucky you are living in such a unique place and so close to nature? If only I could stay here forever!, she said.

That was the moment we realized how important nature is. Hope was a dog, coming from a faraway place only to admire the picturesque and flawless scenery our area has to offer. And what about all of us living here? Have we ever thought that we should take care of the environment? Have we ever thought of volunteering in some group? We wake up every morning and we breath in fresh air, if it isn’t a miracle, then what? Hope’s words made us appreciate some gifts nature has offered to us which we are taking for granted! However, we shouldn’t! If we as individuals don’t take care of the place we line and act selfishly, who will protect it?

Then, we decided to show Hope around. The next day went at Vigla, we did skiing and snowboarding. We enjoyed ourselves and we were laughing loudly. We took many photos, Hope took many photos as well! She said she had never seen snow before and she really loved it! She suggested that we organize trips every week and we invite her! We have already talked with Mr Chris and he agreed! Hope made us appreciate so many simple things which we uses to take for granted!

Finally, the day had come. Hope had to leave Aminteo and continue her mission. She thanked us and she advised us to take care if the place, to take care of the environment as it is valuable! She took the next bus and she left. She said that she wants to travel all around Greece and meet as many people as she can! Her main purpose is to awaken people and make them feel full and happy with what they have! Money do not bring happiness, Happiness is a state of mind everybody can reach! We said goodbye and we really miss her now! “Good luck!”, we all whispered.

We are looking forward to hearing from you soon! Keep on following your dream! Make people laugh, make them dream, make them fell blissful!

Xinta Language Centre- Skidra story No3

A dash of Hope in the plastic soup

Elated that her mission had been accomplished, Hope decided to indulge in some kind of restful recession. She thought that life couldn’t have been so disappointing and bleak, and that the harrowing scenes of war should be replaced at once with fond images and people thriving.
She had heard that London was the perfect destination for someone who wanted to let off steam and taste the experience of a multi-cultural society. A bustling city, teeming with shops, eateries, glamorous theatres, striking landmarks, lush parks, and entertainment facilities that cater to all tastes.
As soon as she landed, she set about strolling along Thames, the Royal River which flows through the city. There it stood, Thames reigned noble and posh, with its bridges and floating vessels dashing up and down the river. While she was walking she heard a muffled sound. She stepped closer and she saw a bird which looked like a seagull. It was covered with a plastic bag and it could barely breathe. Hope decisively pulled the bag off its body and rubbed its wings so that it would get warmer. After taking care of it for two consecutive days in the biting cold, the bird finally regained its consciousness. It then went on to explain to Hope how inconsiderate people had been and how factories and industries had tipping their contents into the rivers, not to mention the floating means of transport which had been producing noxious gases at the expense of residents and marine creatures. Fortunately, over the last two decades, thanks to the joint effort of both the residents and the government, pollution had been deterred.
“Would you care for a flying tour?” the gull asked. In the meantime, hundreds of other birds had gathered and were listening to the gull’s gripping account. Hope nodded and they all decided to take her to a faraway place, where she would see up close a rare sight. In a matter of a few hours they were flying over the pacific coast.
-“Wow!” hope exclaimed. “This is like a floating toy factory! Let’s go and explore it! There are so many colourful objects up above!”
-“Don’t jump to conclusions cutie!” the gull said. “Wait until we get closer. Welcome to the pacific garbage patch!”
-“Oh my God! What is all this? This is so massive! So inconceivable! And it seems to be endless.” Hope muttered.
-“It is, and guess what? All this plastic soup contains bottles and any type of plastic trash you can imagine! It is a floating marine debris which is stationary and is getting bigger and bigger every day.” The gull replied.
Hope could hardly believe what the gull was describing to her and could not get over the extent of the damage. She was now aware that so many marine animals die, since these long-lasting plastics end up in their stomachs. And to make matters worse, this ecological disaster was bound to stay there as human greediness would always be something that prevailed this planet.
-“But there must be something we can do.” Hope cried. “I have got an idea! What if each one of you picked one piece of plastic and carried it in one place so that we can help people gather all the plastic patches? Quickly my friends! We have to let the other birds know! It is never too late and we can do it all together! There are millions of you up there! I can be your captain. Let’s go and polish off this horrendous sight!”
The birds were thrilled at Hope’s idea. Soon enough, thousands of birds were soaring above the pacific coast and were carrying in their beaks bits of plastic.
-“Mission accomplished” said Hope. “At least one part of the problem was addressed. Now humans must take charge! I have to dash off and let them know.”

Mitsiou Language Centre-Veria story No2

Be Hope-ful

It was a snowy Christmas Eve and all the kids at Mitsiou school of English were happily making pinwheels. They were having fun but suddenly someone knocked at the door. A little dog entered the classroom and all the kids turned to look at the puppy.      

-“Hi kids. My name is Hope!” she introduced herself popping her tongue out happily.  The kids stared at her in confusion since they had never seen a talking dog before.         

 -“Don’t be afraid of me. I want to be your friend” she said as she was walking into the colorful classroom. The students introduced themselves and then Hope said               

-“I’m glad that you’re here. But it’s Christmas Eve, why are you at school?”                  -

“This Christmas Eve is different because we gathered together to offer our help to the children in need.”

Hope looked around the place. How excited she felt looking at all these bright colors around her.                                                                               -”What are you doing?” she asked.                                                           

 -”We are making pinwheels to donate money to the Syrian children.

 Will you help us?”, the children said.                                                                                -”But why do you have to do this? What happened to them?”                             Her face dropped a little at the thought of little kids getting hurt in every possible way.

Suddenly a loud noise was heard and the hot air balloon, which was drawn on the wall, came into life. The kids got shocked but Hope was calm.                                    -”Let’s get into it, we have to find out what’s happening”.                               She jumped in it, nodding to the students to follow her. The children couldn’t understand what was happening but the hot-air- balloon was hiding a secret…           And suddenly…

Children: “Where are we?”                                                                         Hope: “I’m afraid this is Syria”

What they saw was shocking. They expected the hot-air-balloon to stop in the middle of a clear, blue sky but there was the complete opposite. The sky was dark, grey, hiding the sun that gives life to people. There were dead bodies lying lifeless on the ground. People were shooting everyone around them, making the scenery even more dreadful for the kids at the hot-air-balloon. Buildings, houses, stores everything was destroyed and covered by the shooting sound of the guns and the bombs.                                                                                       Hope:”Oh, no that’s terrible! We must do something!”.                                       Child 1:“But what can we do? We’re just children.”                                           Suddenly the children felt something strange and a bright light covered Hope.

Child 2: “I wish the war was over!”

Child 3: “I wish the plane stopped throwing bombs!”

Child 4: “If only they threw balloons!!!”

Child : “…and confetti.”

The bright light covered everything and then colorful balloons started falling on the ground instead of bombs and the guns became pinwheels throwing confetti not bullets. The clouds disappeared and a colorful rainbow appeared in the sky.

Syria wasn’t the same any longer. It was like a fun-fair and people there, were in heaven. Everybody started laughing merrily.  Love and peace were all around Syria. Children couldn’t believe their eyes.

-“Oh, what an adventure!” Hope said amused.                                              They made it. They believed that anything can change if we try hard enough and they made it. All the kids were laughing and singing merrily.                                     -”Where is Hope?” they asked being unable to see her anymore.                         The only thing they found was a note..                                                                         ”Nothing is impossible if you believe it” was written on the note.”Be Hope-ful!”

The balloon slid on the rainbow and…                                                         They lived happily ever after…

                     Mitsiou Κέντρο Ξένων Γλωσσών

                        Κονίτσης 18 – ΒΕΡΟΙΑ

                             Τ.Κ 59131

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tzaikou Language centre Thessaloniki story No1

Last week, we organized a school trip with our language class in the centre of Thessaloniki.  As we were walking in a small alley, we heard the desperate cries of a puppy which was abandoned in a cardboard box  near a huge rubbish container.

After approaching, we saw a cute, tiny creature which was injured. It was limping because its limbs seemed broken.... We felt sorry for her because she was hungry  and thirsty and after some serious consideration, we decided to adopt her and keep her in our school.

At the beginning, she was scared and slept all day long because she was tired, but day after day she became friendlier and her condition was getting better and better. We were astonished to find out that she could understand English and we allowed her to attend our English classes.

One day, our course was devoted to "positive thinking" and we were watching a film about it. The main idea was that our dreams can come true if we really believe in them and persist. In the follow-up discussion we talked about our dreams and ambitions and the dog told us that her dream was to travel around Greece and why not Europe... While watching the film we decided to name our little friend "HOPE" . She was excited.

-Oh, positive thinking! Yes, that's exactly what I had in mind when you guys found me, said Hope.

Then, she went on to tell us her story. She explained that a man had bought her from a pet-shop as a gift for his spoilt son. The boy was thrilled at the beginning but then he got bored of grooming the dog and he neglected her.

One day, her tummy was hurt and she was ill. She was crying and the boy couldn't sleep. So, he beat her badly and took her out in the cold. She spent an entire afternoon outside and then we found her and took her to safety. She was hoping that someone would come to her rescue. She never stopped believing for once!  Then we actually saved her life!

Being overly happy and grateful she told us that she wished to help others and more specifically children.We all agreed to set up a charity project to help kids. We came up with an amazing idea of a caravan project that would enable Hope to live her dream at the same time. So we arranged her destinations and scheduled her visiting weeks. She was looking forward to attending more English classes and learning interesting facts about different places, social issues and local traditions and customs.

Then we organized a farewell party, packed her luggage with love and sent her  to her first host-family!

Tzaikou Language Centre-Egnatia 100 Thessaloniki P.O BOX 54623