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CHRİSTMAS AND NEW YEAR'S EVE İN PARİS
===Last christmas, my friend and I went to Paris.We were in Paris on 31 December.We settled in the hotel as soon as we went to the streets of Paris.There were open markets on the streets,which would not set up at other times.People struggled with each other to shop.The dining tables at homes were flowing with milk and honey.There were celebrationed on the streets.Firework lightened the city.There was excitement and rush eveywhere.There was ecstasy of christmas and New year's in Paris.We made a boat tour on Seine.We walked under the Arc of Triumph.We made shopping on Champ Avenue.We walked through the world classics in Louvre Museum and then my girlfriend and I went to theworld famous Opera Square.Hundreds of people visited these department.We went to where the squares were decorated on the steets.Our boyfriends gave present and then we met in nice restaurant of France together.We ate a nice meal accompained by French wines.Nicknamed city of love when the clocks hit 12:00 that moment we hugged each other.===

CEYDA AKGÜN
 **Paresh, an Indian carpenter I once hired to help me restore my old farmhouse had just finished a difficult and hard first day on the job. A flat tyre on his lorry made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw packed in, and now his ancient pickup truck refused to start. While I drove him home, Paresh sat in stony, thoughtful silence.** **On arriving, Paresh, in the way of all Indian gentlefolk, invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands.**

**When opening the door to his home, he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.** **After a cup of tea, he walked me to my car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.** **'Oh, that's my trouble tree,' Paresh replied. 'I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing for sure, troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again. Funny thing is', he smiled winningly, 'when I come out in the morning to pick them up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before.'** **İREM AKGUN**

__**PİEGONS ( Canan Aslan )**__
**//There is a small town. there are parks, a cinema, a theatre and some shops in the town. The town is famous for its pigeons. There are a lot of pigeons there. One day the pigeons come together. they hol a meeting.  I like my town, but day by day, it is getting dirty, the old piegon says.  We must do something about it. ''That is true. I can't breathe. The air is very dirty,'' agress another piegon. 'I can't drink the water. The water is dirty, yoo'' a pigeon complains. 'I can not find enough food to eat'' adds another piegon. We should think about some solutions the old piegon finally says. All the piegons think about a solution. They say their ideas one by one. We must go to another city offers one piegon.  We should fight the people in the town says another. The old pigeon is not happy with any of these ideas. After the long meeting, the pigeons leave and go to their homes. The old pigeon thinks about it over and again. '' There are a lot of people in tihs town. They like piegons. They can do something. They can help us '' the old pigeon thinks. The old pigeon has an idea. There is a nice old lady, she likes pigeons a lot. She is very helpful. She gives food to them everyday. The old pigeon lands on the old lady's balcony everday. It wants to tell her about the problem. The old lady gives the piegon some food, and kisses it, but she does not understand the pigeon's language. The pigeon does not stop, though. It visits the old woman for many weeks. The old woman likes the pigeons very much. She wants to do a favour for them. One day, she visits the Rüya of the town. Pigeons are beauty of our town, but their lives are in danger the old lady wanrs the Rüya. ''They haven't got nice homes. There is no good food, clean water or clean air for them. We must help them!  That is good idea. You are right. Thank you very much'' the Rüya agrees. 'They are our town's beauty. We must do something for them.'' The Rüya gives an order to his men. They make good homes, and clean water pools for the pigeons. Now, the pigeons have warm homes, clean water, food and clean air. The old pigeon wants to thank the old lady. It has got a pretty feather to the old lady. It enters the house through the window and lands on the old lady's shoulder. It leaves the feather in her hand. Then, it flies to its home happily.//**

**LOVE AND TİME** ===**// Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold out until the last possible moment.When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help.Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said,"Richness, can you take me with you?Richness answered, "No, I can't. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you.Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel. "Vanity, please help me!I can't help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat," Vanity answered.Sadness was close by so Love asked, Sadness, let me go with you. //****// Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!"Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her.Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come, Love, I will take you." It was an elder. So blessed and overjoyed, Love even forgot to ask the elder where they were going. When they arrived at dry land, the elder went her own way. Realizing how much was owed the elder,Love asked Knowledge, another elder,"Who Helped me?""It was Time," Knowledge answered. //****// "Time?" asked Love. "But why did Time help me?"Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, "Because only Time is capable of understanding how valuable Love is." //**===

Büşra AKGÜN
**INSPRINING LOVE STORY**

**A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully and before it blossomed, he examined it.**
==== **He saw the bud that would soon blossom, but noticed thorns upon the stem and he thought, "How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns? Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose, and just before it was ready to bloom... it died.** ==== ==== **So it is with many people. Within every soul there is a rose. The God-like qualities planted in us at birth, grow amid the thorns of our faults. Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns, the defects.We despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly come from us. We neglect to water the good within us, and eventually it dies. We never realize our potential.Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone else must show it to them. One of the greatest gifts a person can possess is to be able to reach past the thorns of another, and find the rose within them .This is one of the characteristic of love... to look at a person, know their true faults and accepting that person into your life... all the while recognizing the nobility in their soul. Help others to realize they can overcome their faults. If we show them the "rose" within themselves, they will conquer their thorns. Only then will they blossom many times over. ** ==== ** Hazal Aydöner **

My Last Vacation
===My last vacation was surprising for me. I went to Malta with all my family. First, when I arrived at the hotel. I can know it. Second, when I swam in the pool. I can play with my family. Finally, when I arrived in the beach. I can meet new people. For these reasons my last vacation was very funny for me.When I arrived at the hotel, I didn’t know what I can do. First I decided to know my room. It had a lot of things and a terrace where I can see the beach. Then I went to know the sea. it was beautiful and clean. Then I talked with an employee, and she told me about the activities that I can do there. As a result I knew that this hotel was wonderdful.After, when I was swiming in the sea, it was funny. I played a lot of games with my brother. Next, when I played in the beach, it was relaxing for me. Then I rode a banana in the sea and it was wonderful because I can see fish. Finally, I took the sun and I put a tatoo in my leg. Also I can eat different kinds of fish.To conclude my last vacation was wonderful for me. I am never going to forget it. In particular because my family and I spent glad time full of hapiness and fun. ===

Food for Thought?
A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist, Tony, complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them. 'Not very long,' answered Gener, the fisherman. 'Then why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?' asked Tony. Gener explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family. Tony inquired, 'But what do you do with the rest of your time?' 'I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings I go into the village to see my friends, dance a little, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life.' Tony interrupted rather rudely, 'I have a Business Studies degree and I can help you. You should start by fishing longer every day. You can sell the extra fish you catch. With the revenue, you can buy a bigger boat, catch even more fish. With the extra money you will soon be able to buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Cancun, Acapulco, Los Angeles, or even New York City. From there you can direct your huge enterprise.' 'How long would that take?' wondered Gener, the Mexican fisherman. 'Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,' replied Tony condescendingly. 'And after that?' Gener asked. After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the sea, sleep late, fish a little, play with your grandchildren, take a siesta with your wife, and spend your evenings in the village, dancing, playing the guitar, and singing with your friends.'GÜLŞAH BALTACI


 * Better to be Unlucky

Sam, an unemployed piano tuner, said it was only the second thing he had ever won in his life. The first thing was an Afghan blanket at a church raffle when he was 25 years old. But this was much bigger: it was $120,000! He had won the Big Cube, a state lottery game. To win, a contestant must first guess which number a spinning cube will stop on. The cube has six numbers on it: 1X, 10X, 50X, 100X, 500X, and 1000X. If he is correct, the contestant must then guess which of two selected variables is going to be greater. So, just guessing which number appears on the cube does not guarantee that you will win any money. Sam correctly guessed 1000X, but he still had to choose between two variables. One variable was the number of cars that would run the stop sign at Hill Street and Lake Avenue in six hours. The other variable was the number of times that a teenage boy would change TV channels in a three-hour period. This was a tough decision. Finally, Sam flipped a coin. It came up heads, so Sam picked the teenager. He picked right. The stop sign was run only 76 times, but the teen clicked 120 times. Sixty-year-old Sam jumped for joy, for he had just won 1000 times 120, or $120,000. Sam dreamily left the lottery studio. Talking excitedly on his cell phone while crossing the street, he got hit by a little sports car. Sam is slowly getting better. He was in the hospital for a month. His hospital bill was $110,000. And the insurance company for the little sports car’s owner sued Sam for $9,000 worth of repairs. Also, Sam still has to pay federal taxes on his winnings. Sam doesn’t play the state lottery any more. He says it’s better to be unlucky. ||