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A YEAR IN AMERICA

I finished the middle school in Zabierzow last

June. Instead of going into high school in September, I had

the opportunity to attend an American high school for a

year through the Sister City organization. I was lucky

enough to have met all of the members of my host family

before arriving in the US (my host mom and sister were

part of the exchange in 2010 and my host dad and brother

in 2012), but it was still a big step to leave home and live

with another family in another country for a year.

I arrived in Camas, WA at the end of August 2012 and

started high school 5 days later. There are lots of things

that are different about school in the United States: you

have the same classes every day of the week and each class

is one hour long.

More page 3

COMENIUS PM Aleksandra Mazur 3a

From 19th to 25th May our school was the venue

for the fifth Comenius Project Meeting. The teachers and

students from Estonia, England, France, Germany and

Turkey (altogether 50 people) came to Zabierzow to take

part in different activities. The students’ exchange was a

part of the project. I hosted at my home the peers from

Estonia and Germany. It was a great experience not only

for my guests but also for me and my whole family. We

did a lot of funny things together. However, I think one

of the most interesting events of this week was Comenius

Olympic Games.

The oening ceremony of the Comenius Olympic

Games began with a performance prepared by the Polish

students. We could watch a short play, presenting a histo-

ry of the Olympic Games, starting with ancient sport

games and ending with the first Winter Olympics. Then,

there was an original version of “Legend of Wawel Drag-

on” and a traditional dance “Krakowiak”. Our foreign

visitors also prepared some performances. Students from

Turkey and Estonia presented national dances and

students from Germany – the anthem of European Union

“Ode an die Freude”. More page 3

At the Pacific Ocena with my great host family

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CURIOSITIES ABOUT ENGLAND 1st Year School Reporter

Many people think that in England there is only rain, rain, rain and

rain, maybe sometimes fog and rain. It’s quite close to be true. When I was

there, the weather was cloudy and windy and I almoust caught a cold, but

when I’m writing this text in Poland and I’m looking out of my window I

can see clouds and tons of rain. Not very optimistic, I think English and

Polish weathers almost the same (except for strong, cold English wind).

In England there are many kinds of people. There are English, Arabic,

Asian, Hindu and Afroamerican . Many of them are tourists but many of

them live here permanentlly. In Poland there are fewer people from other

nationalities. I think it’s quite good, because a day after we arrived in

Poland, a group of Muslim extremists killed a British soldier in London with a lot of cruelty. What a terrible crime....

Their homes are small but cosy with cheap carpets everywhere. There are often terraced or semi-detached houses with

two floors. There are not many blocks of flats while in Poland we live in blocks of flats or single family houses. In

their bathrooms there are no light switches that look like ours, their switches are strings hanging from the ceiling, you

need to pull them to turn on the light. In Poland there is one tap with cold and hot water and you can mix them to have

right temperature. In England there are two taps, one with hot and one with cold water. It’s not practical, I had to use

only cold water to wash my hands because I didn’t want to burn my hands.

Their roads are left sided , and I always thought that we were going to crash

into other cars. There are special places on the roads where people can cross

the road. All cars MUST stop to let them cross anytime they want, it’s a very

good idea especially when I think about main Cracow’s streets and how hard it

is to cross them .

As you know Poland and England are very diffrent countries, but are they really so much

different ? Your favourite reporter was in England a week ago to check how true our super-

stitions are.

There is much more homework but tests are easier than in Poland. Teachers

usually tell you what to expect on the test. There are also lots of clubs and

activities to participate in after school. I joined the International Club, as does

every exchange student at Camas High School. I am also in the Camas High

School band. All band members participate in the Marching Band, which plays

at football and basketball games as well as marches in parades in nearby

towns. This year the band got to march in a parade in Disneyland over spring

break! We spent the whole week in California and had a lot of fun! My band

director is Italian and he is crazy but I really like him. Band is fun.

Life in America is interesting. My host family takes me somewhere almost

every weekend. Last weekend we went to San Francisco and fortunately they

didn’t leave me in Alcatraz. Two weeks ago we went to central Oregon. I’m

pretty sure we were the only people there but it was a pretty place. Three

weeks ago I was invited for my friend’s 16th birthday party; we rode in a limo

and had lots of fun. See… life in America is interesting :)

There are also a few other things that I discovered this year. Root beer floats

(ice cream floating on the top of root beer) and strawberry lemonade are some

of the best drinks I’ve ever had. Then there are caramel apples. There are

never enough caramel apples.

And one other thing that I learned is that Americans actually don’t eat ham-

burgers and pizza every day. They eat chips and salsa every day and burritos at

least once a week (well, at least my host family does)!

It has been a really good year.

From Camas

Julia D.

A YEAR IN AMERICA

The Camas High School Band

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Comenius PM

Finally, it was a time for the official opening. After a run with the Olympic

torch and a parade with flags, the Olympic Games started. There were many

disciplines: hurdles, rope jumping, bowling or medicine ball throwing. Every

person had a chance to get some points for their team. When the competition

finished, there was a closing ceremony. The winners and other contestants got

some gifts.

The Comenius exchange was a fantastic time. Although the project is com-

ing to the end, we hope it’s not the end of international cooperation, exchanges

and new friendships.

Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in

which a diver uses an underwater breathing apparatus to

breathe under the water. "SCUBA" means "self con-

tained underwater breathing apparatus".

Every diver has a degree, depending on the age and the

organization in which the course is made (there are dif-

ferent degrees in different organizations).

I'm doing my courses in organization called

CMAS. I'm 13 years old, so I'm able to have a "gold

grade youth" certificate and I can go under the water up

to 12 meters deep. Next year when I'll be 14 years old I

will make a course called "P1" and with that degree I

will be able to go under the water up to 20 meters deep.

In Poland the best place to dive is Zakrzowek in Cracow,

Hancza Lake and " Koparki" in Jaworzno. Of course the best diving base is my uncle's base called "Hancza Tech" at

Hancza Lake :)

This sport it's not easy, it's really dangerous, because if you can't dive well you can hurt yourself. It is a partnership

sport, so you never can be alone, and you always have to remember about you and your partner. I really love it, and

I recommend it to everyone.

Why not to take up scuba diving on holidays? by Zofia Surdziel 1a

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POPULAR HOLIDAY DESTINATIONS

We are looking forward for vacation! Find out where

Poles often travel in summertime.

I want to show you some interesting places for holiday in Greece. This country is beautiful and

you won’t be bored there. There are a lot of places which are worth visiting.

The first is Acropolis in Athens. It

is a hill where you can see the

ruins of the Parthenon, Erechthe-

um, Apteros, a sanctuary of Arte-

mis Brauronia and Propylaea. On

a hillside you can enjoy all of Ath-

ens from the top. It is amazing

because when you are there you

feel the smell of the ancient world.

Next place is Meteora. In

Greek it means "the monasteries

suspended in the sky". It is an

unbelievable view. On the top of

the sandstone cliffs, rising to

more than half a kilometre into

the sky, the band Orthodox mon-

asteries are situated. I just won-

der, how they built it.

The last place is Corinthian ca-

nal. Canal seemingly seems to be

a narrow strip of water, but in

reality its size is impressive, es-

pecially when you see a boat in

this place. A superstition exists

that says that if you see a boat in

the canal it will bring you good

I have been to these places. Go there, relax on the beach

and see the beauty of Acient Greece. Natalia Rachtan 1a

If you want to have an unforgettable vacation, you can go to Croatia.

It is a very interesting and beautiful country by the Adriatic Sea. In Croatia there are a lot of

amazing natural places like Krka National Park, Kornati and old city with a lot of monuments

like Split or Zadar.

In Plitvice Lakes National Park

there are 20 caves, 16 turquoise

lakes combined by 92 waterfalls.

The Big Waterfall is 80 meters

high. In 1970 this place joined the

UNESCO list of World. If you

want to see everything very well,

you should spend 2 days there.

Dubrovnik is called Pearls of the Adriatic. It is surrounded by big

defense walls. You can walk on them. The view is amazing. Du-

brovnik has a population of 47 thousand people, and of course

there are a lot of tourists, who come to admire this gorgeous city. If

you are in Dubrovnik, you should see Restor’s Palace, St. Saviour

Church and Big Fountain of Onofrio. Probably, if you drink from

all 16 water intakes, and think your wish, it will come true.

Of course, in Croatia there is a beautiful coast with

pure and crystalline sea.

It is a perfect place for holiday ! by Justyna Puchała 1a

Editional board: Anna Brudkiewcz, Katarzyna Dela, Renata Pędrys, Olga Pędrys