Friends II

If I could catch a rainbow

I would do it just for you,

And share with you its beauty

On the days you're feeling blue.

If I could build a mountain

You could call your very own,

A place to find serenity,

A place to be alone.

If I could take your troubles

I would toss them in the sea,

But all these things I'm finding

Are impossible for me.

I cannot build a mountain,

Or catch a rainbow fair,

But let me be what I know best,

A friend who's always there.

Kahlil Gibran

What are friends for?

Friends

A friend is someone we turn to

when our spirits need a lift.

A friend is someone we treasure

for our friendship is a gift.

A friend is someone who fills our lives

with beauty, joy and grace.

And makes the whole world we live in

a better and happier place.

Jean Kyler McManus

Teen Poetry II

Love

"Love is like the seeds of life,

to root is full pain and strife.

But to grow it's like a great oak tree.

Straight and strong for eternity.

Love is what I offer you

steadfast, calm and oh, so true!

Love is life between two who shares,

A life between two who really cares.

Love is ours, if you agree,

to spend your life with me."

Jean Edwards

For you...who lives my life!

Teen Poetry

" To fling my arms wide

In the face of the sun,

Dance! Whirl! Whirl!

Till the quick day is done,

Rest at pale evening...

A tall, slim tree...

Night coming tenderly

Black like me."

from I Am the Dark Brother

Being young

Youth at its best!...

Youth

To the aged, young people often seem like a different species ( the feeling is mutual).

Here are some opinions of famous people:

• Never trust anyone over thirty. ( Jerry Rubin, 60's American activist)
• The young always have the same problem- how to rebel and to conform at the same time. (Quentin Crisp)
• Youth is a disease from which we all recover. ( Dorothy Fuldheim- Writer)
• Youth is a religion from which one always ends up being converted.( Andre Malraux - 1901-1976)
• When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant that I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got 21, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years. ( Mark Twain- 1835-1910)

Going To The Theatre

In my opinion, Clever Pants were fantastic.

I liked their performance. I think that they acted quite well.

They roleplayed amusing characters and they have shown us, as the main theme of their play "A day in teenager's life".

Dani,is a teenager with a problematic family. Her father is very strict and wants her to be like her brother. He doesn't allow her to have a normal life and is constantly controlling her life as well as school homework and friends.

She has a dream to have a rock band and be famous. The other member of the band is Alan, a very shy boy, that secretly loves Dani. He tries to tell her his secret feelings, however, he doesn't get the courage.

Then, there is Mr. Sexy, a man that feels very successful with girls and tries to catch Dani's attention. What he doesn't know is that Dani's heart belongs to Alan.

After sOme episodes that make the play funny, the young couple finally decide to tell each other that they are in love.

So, they stay together.

I loved the play. I think the actors were great, fantastic. What else can I say?....

Cláudia Lopes 10ºE nº7

Plastic People

Plastic surgery is a general term for a treatment which is performed for functional or aesthetic reasons.

The word " plastic" derives from the Greek plastikos meaning to mold ot to shape.

The main areas of plastic surgery are:

Reconstructive surgery that focuses on undoing or masking the destructive effects of trauma, or disease.

Cosmetic surgery that is most often performed in order to change features the patients find unflattering.

Endangered Man

The past few decades have seen men become soft, sensitive, and-dare I say?-pretty.

It started in the 1960's with butterfly collars and disco music, when men stopped hitting each other.Since then, macho man has been replaced by metrosexual man, barbers have been replaced by hair stylists, and John Wayne has been replaced by Johnny Depp.

What is a man?

Until recently men were expected to be the sturdier and stronger sex, the ones who squared themselves against the hard realities of life and worked to succeed.

This sort of man has been replaced by a softer, more delicate creature: metrosexual man.

Discussion:

What do you think of men and manhood?

What qualities are important in a man?

Windsor

Windsor Castle
and a Statue of Queen Victoria

Visiting London IX

Today we are leaving...

We are leaving behind "our host families" and leaving behind England.

We say goodbye , but before going to the airport, there are still some places to visit.

The first stop, that morning, is in the Chelsea's stadium. We are Portuguese and because of that we had a need to see the Club run by José Mourinho... the best football coach in the world.

To remember it, more photos are taken.

Then, we are taken to Windsor.

The city is very nice and looks cosy, even if the rain starts falling down.

The Windsor Castle is a major attraction for tourists. And it is a second home for Queen Elizabeth II. By the way, she was at the castle. Her royal standart was blowing in the tower and I was told so by the guards at the castle.

One last opportunity to spend some pounds and so we take home a few more souvenirs.

Later we arrive at the airport.

Our flight TP387 to Oporto is delayed . We have to wait. However, we don't care. Its time to start chating about our visit and making plans for a new one.

Once in the plane, it takes us almost two hours to get home - Oporto in Portugal.

Here is the end of this "SAGA".

Students and teachers are now good friends....

Felgueiras is waiting for us all.

When we arrive, we are greeted by happy parents.

The end...

Visiting London VIII

Can you see them?
Guess who's there...

Visiting LondonVII

Changing of the Guard! That's a tradition to keep

Visiting London VI

Monday morning...

The sun is shining and we have a stop at Trafalgar Square. It's time to see the place, and to try a cup of coffee at Costa's. Here, in Trafalgar, the Costa Cafe is in the upper stage of a big bookstore. The atmosphere is relaxed and quite intellectual at the same time.

Then, we walk through The Mall, a very large avenue that takes us to Buckingham Palace.

Once there, we find that tourists from all over the world try to find the best place to see the Changing of the Guard.

We do the same and watch a nice ceremony.

After, Madame Tussauds is our next stop. Students enjoy the place, hundreds of photos are taken next to famous" people"

Mourinho is one of the most wanted...

After a " delicious " lunch, other museums are waiting.

Natural History Museum or Science Museum...Students are given the chance to decide which one they want to visit.

I decided to go to the Natural History Museum, one of the main reasons is that I love the subject and because I've already visited the Science Museum before.

In the afternoon , we all have time to go shopping. However, there's so much to see that's impossible not have a sense of frustration... we wished for more time. Picadilly, Oxford Street are the places to shop.

See you tomorrow...

Visiting London V

English food!...
It's easy to understand Why students complain so much about their food...

Shakespeare's Sonnet

This poem is dedicated to Women

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds os May,

And summer's lease hath all too short a date:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimmed.

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed:

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,

Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou grw'st,

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee."

Mother's Day

Today we celebrate Mother's Day.

This is dedicated to all the mothers in the world. For their courage, for their love for all they do...for being there.

To my mother I say I Love you.

"Happy Ending"

Yesterday, our students went to the theatre.

We, had the Clever Pants, an English theatre company that tours the country with funny and interactive plays for leaners of English.

It's certainly a wonderful way to learn and to have fun...Laughter, music and great interaction between the audience and the actors.

Students are invited to join and change the play. As usual, our students have been great. They're nice kids and the actors loved them. ( I was told, but that I already knew...)

Students had a great time, they loved the play and they said it was easy to understand.

Next year we'll try to have them again.

Happy End(ing)

Visiting IV

Day three.
Today it's Sunday , the sun is shinning and we're going to the beach.
We must be crazy .... going to the beach in April...in England. That's right! Gods are on our side and even the weather has been fantastic.
Brighton is our next stop.
Brigton is considered to be a Kind of a French Riviera, an aristocratic place where the rich and famous usually go.
Queen Victoria had a palace built there as the Royal Family summer house. It is a fine building.
If you let your imagination flow, you can find yourselves in India.
The Royal Pavillion looks like the famous Thaj Mahal. Inside, it's decorated as a chinese palace.
Beautiful gardens surround this emblematic monument.
Today the Royal Pavillion belongs to Brighton people. That's right, you read it well.
The Queen didn't like it and it was sold to the people.
Then, we walked towards the beach. Brighton Pier is one of the best known atractions.
It's a fun park over the sea. Lovely place to go if you wish to experience strong emotions and breathtaking adventure.
I daren't try none of them.
The city is quiet, beautiful very clean and the people are warm-hearted. If you ever go there, remember to walk through the Lanes. Ancient, medieval and narrow streets in the city centre. You'll discover lovely shops, jewellery, antiques, fashion as well as lots of restaurants and cafes.
By the way, I miss the Portuguese coffee.
The day went by very quickly.....at four we gathered all to go to London.
The rest of our visit is going to be spent in the centre . Picadilly, Leicester Square , Trafalgar are worth a visit.
We are all eager to go shopping. The bad news is that rain welcomes us. It's time to start shopping and a quick choice of...umbrellas.
The English weather doesn't discourage us and everybody looks happy to be here.
See you tomorrow.
The bus drivers say we must hurry to go " home"

Visiting London III

Remenber this?
Write your comments.

Visiting London II

Next day ....
Some students feel a little disappointed. They felt uncomfortable during their first night stay with their new families.
What a cultural shock...very different uses and very different ways of life. Everything was strange, it all looked weird.
The next minutes were spent speaking to each other , comparisons were made, feelings and thoughts expressed. Emotions were hard to control ... some over reacted.
Once everybody settled in the bus, the day begins with a visit to the Tower of London. One of the most important collection to see is "The Crown Jewels". What a wonderful sight...millions of pounds " closed" in a highly guarded fortress. Enormous, brilliant and the most perfect precious stone embedded in gold objects.
Then , time to visit other exhibitions in the Tower.
Outside in the surroundings, lots of tourists and guards.
Many photos were taken.
Then, its time to have our " delicious " home-made sandwiches, and snacks.
The afternoon promises more adventure as we are going to see one of the most picturesque street markets. Camden Town.
Camden Town is a crowded place. There its possible to see "all the looks". Variety and
exquisite are good words to descriBe the atmosphere and the people we met. It's possible to buy and seel all types of articles and objects. In short , let's say that the Market is dominated by colour, smells of food and inhabited by interesting" beings".
Two hours later, again we move into the city centre.
St. Paul's Cathedral, Millenium Bridge and a quick visit to the Tate Modern Gallery.
The rest of the afternoon is spent in Convent Garden.
Convent Garden had been, in the past, a market. Today it is place to meet artists performing on the street, lots oF shops and cafes. Again, the multicultural Britain is at its best . People from everywhere, from every race are populating the surroundings, along with tourists from all over the world, just like us.
However, something bad happens. It's time to go back to the host families.
This is the worst part. Going to those "odd families".
Nevertheless, the odd starts to become familiar, after all, odd is the best way to describe some people we saw in London streets.
By the way, the weather has been great, some wind and cold...not enough to discourage our spirit.

Visiting London

Easter Holidays... Great time to forget school, assignments as well as teachers. Time for fun and relax.

However, last Easter holidays have been a little different.

We, me and some colleagues, have organized a school trip to London. Our adventure has been share by sixty, young, bright and nice students.

The journey started early in the morning at Escola Secundária de Felgueiras with many parents sobbing and showing some tears. For us only excitiment.

At the airport, after a long check-in we were all finally ready to get on the plane.

The journey took an hour and fifty-five minutes. Long minutes as for most students it was their first visit to one of the most cosmopolitan capitals in Europe.

Still in the plane we got the first glimpses of the city, some clouds covering the majestic and always impressive city. Some, such as Francisco, my nine year old son, could identify many famous monuments and places such as Tower Bridge, The Thames, The London Eye.

Once at Heathrow, bags packed on the coach and the mini-bus we headed to Central London and our first stop was at the London Eye, a giant wheel built by British Airways to celebrate the coming of the new milleniun. Each capsule takes twenty-eight people and the tour takes thirty slow-motion minutes. It is time to watch the city, to take photographs and to tell each other's first impressions.

Then, time to visit Westminster, Houses of Parliament, the famous Big Ben and time to enjoy British multiculturalism.

Later in the afternoon, we were left at Iceland car park, in Croydon to meet host families. Here some students started feeling "shocked" by the looks of their hosts. Many were negroes, others from Asia and some apparently British.

Our host families represented, quite well, multicultural England and the mixture of races.

The story goes on...