The Long Search

On Monday 13th, 2007, Josephine woke up feeling pretty bad. She had a headache, her stomach was hurting, and she felt as if everything around her was turning left every time she walked a step.
"I think you are about to catch a cold," Monica, Jo's mother, said. "You'd better put on your jacket and go to school," she finished. And so did Jo, as she had been told.
Once at school, Josephine started sniffing. But the strangest thing was that it wasn't a normal cold, there was a sniff every 5 seconds! She was so upset, but she didn't know who to be upset with! So Josephine just decided to wait. Time would cure it.
Years went by and one morning, during breakfast, in 2010, she discovered her cold was gone.

María Guadalupe

Our students

My name is Andrea. I´m 14 years old and my birthday is on 28th June. I live in Buenos Aires with my mum, my dad, my sister and my dog, Kimba. My sister is 16 and she goes to the same school as me. I go to Compañia de Maria School. I´m in second year. On Mondays and Wednesdays I go to the Liceo because I want to learn languages. I´m in Intermediate II. In my free time I go out with friends. I like using my computer and waatching TV. I would like to learn to dance hip hop..

Our students

I´m Victoria. I´m 15 and I live in Colegiales in a big house with my mother, my father and my three brothers, who are younger than me. I go to school every day from 7:20 to 1:30 pm. On Mondays and Wednesdays I go to the gym and I have English classes. I like reading, listening to music, playing with the computer, and going out with friends. I also live singing so I take singing classes once a week. I´ve lived in Buenos Aires since I was born but I´ve lived in Colegiales for 11 years and I´ve attended the same school since I was 4 years old! I´ve got a lot of friends and I like going out with them. Sometimes we go shopping, watch videos or go to concerts. I´m in 3rd year at school and when I finish I think I´ll study graphic design at the university.

Our students

My name is Brenda Stell. I´m 15 years old. My birthday is on 27th September. I live with my dad, my dad and my brother Brian. He´s younger than me; he´s 10. I´ve got a cat called Fiona. I live in Belgrano, near Belgrano R railway station and I go to Nuestra Señora del Sagrado Corazon school. I´m in 3rd year. I´ve been going to that school for 11 years. Every day I leave school at midday. I´m in Int II at the Liceo. My teacher is called Maria and I have classes on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:30 pm. In my free time I like listening to music and watching TV. On the weekend I like meeting friends and going to the cinema or staying at home.

Our students

My name is Rocio Diaz. I´m 14 years old. I was born in Corrientes, Argentina, but I live in Buenos Aires with my father, my mother and my sister, who is called Candela and who is 9 years old. I go to Compañia de Maria school.. My favourite subject is biology but I don´t like language. I study at the Liceo bacause I want to learn English. In my free time I usually chat with my friends on the internet and I like listening to music. My favourite bands are Las Pastillas del Abuelo, La 25 and I love Calamar, too.

Our students

I´m Gaston. I´m 14 years old. I live in a flat in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with my father and my two sisters: one is 18 and her name is Belen, and the other is 21 and her name is Celeste. We´ve got a dog. I´ve got a third sister but she doesn´t live with us any more. She´s now old enough to live by herself. I go to F.A.S.T.A. Catherina High School. Every Monday and Wednesday I go to the Liceo from 6:30 to 8 pm to learn Englsih because I like it and because it´s very important for my furture. I also swim at Ciudad de Buenos Aires club every weekend. In my spare time I go out with friends and watch TV. Soemtimes I listen to music, drwaw and play with my Play Station 2.

The Long Sneeze

• I smelled a flower and I didn't stop sneezing

For many people the subject of sneezing is a joke, but for Amanda Writs, a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl from Argentina, it was something quite different.

Her sneeze began one Saturday and continued day and night for one week. After the second day, Amanda was desperate and her mother took her to hospital and the doctor to cure her attack.

Amanda, who is now back at school, described what happened to her. "I began to sneeze after walking in the park with my boyfriend. He gave me a beautiful flower and I smelled this flower. Its scent was interesting and exotic but I started to sneeze and I didn't stop. I drank a glass of water, which my boyfriend gave me, but that didn't do any good. Late in the morning, the sneeze continued. My mother gave me a pill but that didn't do any good. I was desperate! The sneezes didn't go!"

At night, she and her mother went to the hospital. The doctor took an X-ray of her chest but he couldn't find anything wrong.

"The doctor gave me some tablets and they slowed down, but it was another day before the tablets worked completely and my sneeze stopped."

Amanda was very lucky. The world record holder is the unfortunate American teacher Louise Mendis, who sneezed constantly for two months.

YASMÍN

Insomnia, a world record

It all started without sleep one night but it resulted in no sleep for twenty years!

Many people can't sleep at night. They go to the doctor; he gives them some tablets; and it finishes. But for George, a forty-one-year-old man, it wasn't so easy.

Everything started when he didn't sleep one night. Many people stay awake at night because they are nervous or because something wrong has happened. but George didn't have any of these problems so he didn't go to the doctor that night, because he thought it was going to pass but it didn't happen.

After a month without sleep, he decided to go to the hospital and he saw a doctor. This one told George: "You ought to try to relax." Other doctors gave him different advice but nothing worked.

After twenty year awake, one night he could sleep and he hasn't had any problem since that day.

BÁRBARA R.

The Long Sneeze

Now he is in his house, but he was in hospital. It all began in his new job.

Last week, Mark Cornel, a seventee-year-old schoolboy was in hospital because he had the longest sneeze in the world. He couldn't believe it.

He started sneezing when he went to his new job. He had to sweep the floor that had lots of dust. He is allergic to dust so he started to sneeze. When he finished his job, he continued sneezing but he didn't do anything about it. This continued for one week; he couldn't sleep that week. Hi Mum decided to take him to hospital.

When he went to hospital, he had to stay for one week because the doctors couldn't find anything to help him. They asked him what happened, so he said that it was because of the dust. Finally, the doctors discovered that it was because of his new cat, which was a present for his birthday.

Mark took the cat to a friend's house. Now he is taking tablets and feeling much better.

SOFÍA R. S.

The Long Sneeze

For many people a cat is a partner, but for Jorgelina, a ten-year-old girl from Buenos Aires, it was something totally different.

Her sneezes began one Monday afternoon and continued for one week. The first days Jorgelina thought that she had a cold, but she was wrong.

Jorgelina, who is healthy at home again, told us what the problem was: "My uncle gave maecat for my birthday. I was really happy until I discovered I am allergic to them. That afternoon I couldn't stop sneezing. I realized that I was much better at school. My mother told me that the cat could be related to this. So my uncle's gift was returned."

Now Jorgelina is seriously thinking about having a dog as her next pet.

AGUSTINA

Late at school

Every day Juan arrives late at school because he can't get up. What should he do?
MN

An exhausted student

My friend Nacho goes to gym before school and he feels exhausted. What should he do?
NM

Daddy

My Mum is having an affair with a strange guy. Should I tell my Dad or not?
AELS

Water fright

My friend Patricio is afraid of water. Once, when he was a kid, he almost drowned. What should he do?
AELS

Porky, my cousin

My cousin eats a lot all the time. He's so fat his friends call him 'Porky'. What should he do?
AELS

Sleepy student

Every morning I fall asleep in class so the teacher get angry at me. What should I do?
AFY

When my cousins visit me, they make a mess out ouf my room. What should I do?
AFY

A shy girl in love

One of my friends is in love with a guy from school but she's too shy so she doesn't dare to talk to him. What should she do?
BGS

A poor student needs advice

I'm not a good student and I don't have good marks at school. I have failed most of the subjects. What should I do?

BGS

Our students

Hi! My name's Jimena. I'm 14 years old. I'm from Cordoba, Argentina, but I've lived in Buenos Aires since I was 1 year old. I live with my parents and my sister. She's 9 years old and her name's Florencia. I go to Misericordia school. I'm in second year. Also I go to the Liceo on Mondays and Wednesdays to learn English because it's very important when you travel abroad, and also it's very important to find a good job.
I play volleyball at a club with my friends. We train twice a week and at weekends we play matches.

Argentina Today

Tourists from all over the world say that Argentina is a beautiful country and also that it is cheap for them.

A lot of Latin American people come to Argentina to look for a job.

Some famous Argentinians today are ballet dancers Julio Bocca and Paloma Herrera; sportsmen Maradona, Nalbandián, Vilas, Clerk, Nocioni and Manu Ginobilli; TV host Tinelli; and hostesses Susana Giménez and Mirtha Legrand.

Agustina & Yasmín

Wildlife

Argentina has its own unique species of wildlife. These include condors, llamas, guanacos, tatú carretas, carpinchos, maras, yararás, yacarés and ñandúes.
In the North East you can see tatú-carretas, parrots, humming-birds, carpinchos, yararás and yacarés.
In the North West there are armadillos, condors, llamas and goats.
In the Pampa you can find llamas, ñandúes, owls, guanacos and cows.
And in the Southern region, the Patagonia, there are eagles, sea gulls, penguins, cormorants, condors, otters, seals, maras, whales, foxes and sheep.

Lucio & Sofía B.

Landscapes

There are different landscapes according to the region:

In the centre, there are beautiful, different landscapes, e.g. The Delta is the only one in the planet that is still growing.

In the North East, we can find rainforests and it's very hot. Some nice places are The Iguazú Falls and the Paraná River.

In the North West, the landscapes are arid and hot, and we can find mountains, e.g., the Cerro de los Siete Colores and the Quebrada de Humahuaca.

In the South, the areas are arid and very cold. There are glaciers and lakes, e.g. the Perito Moreno Glacier.

Florencia & Tamara

The Cities

Most of the people in Argentina live in cities. In some cities there are shanty towns.
Buenos Aires is the most important, the largest and also the capital city of Argentina. BA's downtown is similar to Paris. BA is a very nice city.
In BA you can find the longest avenue in Argentina, which is Rivadavia Avenue, and the widest one, 9 de Julio.
In Argentina there are lots of theatres, shopping malls, shopping arcades and stadiums. Cities are well lit.
Usually, people who live in an Argentinian city have a different pace from the people who live in towns or villages.

Dolores, Guadalupe & Sofía R.

People

The Argentinian population is a mix of European, Native American, Latin American and Asian people. Since the nineteenth century and the twentieth century, many people have emigrated to Argentina.

In Argentina more than fifty per cent of the people are poor. And most of the people live in Buenos Aires (fifty per cent).

Argentinian people are friendly with tourists because they are the main source of income.

Joaquín & Nicolás

Argentina's Factfile

ARGENTINA

Location: South America

Size: 2,791,810 square kilometres. It's the eighth biggest country in the world and it has an Antartic share.

Population: 38,970,611 people.

Languages: Mainly Spanish, with Mapuche, Araucano, Guaraní, Quechua and other native languages.

Capital City: Buenos Aires.

Climate: Varieties of hot, temperate and cold, depending on the region.

Nicolás, Tamara, Florencia, Yasmín & Lucio

Hollywood: The best vacations ever

My family and I usually go to Miramar for our summer holidays. But last year, we made an exception and travelled to Hollywood, California, in the USA.

We stayed at the Hilton Hotel in great rooms. From the windows, the view was paradisiacal, but this was not the most important thing to me. I was in California, and I would just stare out the window? No way! I went to visit Hollywood Walk of Fame, of course. I went shopping and bought beautiful things, but the most important thing I did in this trip was that I met HER!

Yeah, I searched like crazy all over California. I asked lots of people, paid lots of money to cabs, and did freaky things, but it was worth it because, after all, I found Paula Julie Abdul.

I told her how much I do admire her, and that she is such an inspiration to me, and the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. She told me really nice things and we were taken a picture together. But, to my surprise, Paula was not alone, and what a company!!! Yes, she was going out on a DATE with Simon Cowell. Finally, after 6 years of using the term "just friends" to define the pure love between them, they were discovering the love they feel for each other.

And I told Simon how much I love him too, and that I have always wanted to marry him, but I promised Paula I will leave him to her. Simon was taken a picture with me, too!

Well, what can I say? These were the best vacations in my life: so unforgettable!!!

Guadalupe C.

What's up?

What's up? My name is Estéban and I am 12. My birthday is on January, 27. I live with my mother and father; I'm an only child.
I go to Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia. It's a big and very old school. The teachers are always angry and it's kind of boring. I hate it. The good thing is that I've got lots of friends (luckily). My best friend is Patricio. I met him when I was 3 years old (I can barely remember). We used to hate each other; however, on May 5 I bought a gameboy and he did too, and we started speaking to each other.
My favourite sport is football, and my only passion is River Plate; however, my favourite player is Leo Messi. I love listening to music, and I also play the guitar as a hobby. And I also like PC games. I'm now taking guitar lessons and taekwondo. Well, that's it. See you later guys.

I'm Tamara

I'm Tamara and I'm 14 years old. I live with my parents and my sisters. I go to Patrocinio de San José school and I like it very much. I hate studying but I like going to school because I've got a lot of friends. My best friend at school is Sofía; she's an excellent person.
I like chatting on the computer, listening to music and going out with my friends. In my free time, I go to English classes and I play volleyball at school.

My name is María Guadalupe

My name is María Guadalupe and I am 13. I live with my mum, my sister and my two brothers. I am the youngest. My father lives just two blocks away and I see him every Monday, Wednesday and Friday; and I go to sleep to his house every weekend.
I go to Manuel Belgrano School. It is very big. I like it. I am new at the school, but I have lots of friends already. However, my best friend is still Josefina. I met her at kindergarten when we were 3. We hated each other at first, but now, nobody can separate us!! She goes to General San Martín School, but we meet on weekends, anyway.
My favourite sport is hockey. I really love playing it. I used to go to play hockey to a club, since I was 7. But I stopped going there when I was 11 because I hadn’t got enough free time. But now I am playing it again because we play at school every Friday.
In my free time, I love listening to music and dancing. I want to be a famous singer and dancer, by the way.
I am not doing any kind of part-time job at the moment. I would like to, because it will not be that bad to have some extra money, but the real thing is that I have no time, and well, after all, I am just 15!!!

My name is Agustina

My name is Agustina. I’m 15 years old. I live in Belgrano with my parents, my brother and my sister.
I go to Misericordia school. My favourite subject is History because it’s really interesting. I don’t like Maths because it’s hard.
In my free time, I like going out with my friends and sometimes we go to a club. I like playing tennis there. In the afternoon, I go to gym classes twice a week.
I like spending time with my friends. My best friend is Ailin. She is fun and she is a really good friend.
On Mondays and Wednesdays I’m taking English classes. I like learning English!

My name is Sofía R.S.

My name is Sofía R. S. I’m 13 years old. I was born in B.A. on August 6, 1993.
I live with my mum and dad. I don’t have brothers or sisters, I’m an only child. We live in Belgrano.
My school is near my house. I’m in first year. The name of my school is Santa Ana y San Joaquín. It’s very nice. All my friends are from this school. With them I always go out. We go to the cinema, to the pool and we do other things.
In my free time, I listen to music or chat online, or go to the cinema.
At the moment I’m not doing any sports but I’m going to start jazz at Reina Reech’s school.
My hobby is dancing. I love dancing or talking on the phone with friends. I always do that.

My name is Santiago

My name is Santiago. I am thirteen years old. I have got short blond hair and blue eyes. I am tall and thin. In my family there is my mum, my dad and my two brothers. My school is León XII. I am in the first year of technical school. I have got a lot of friends. My primary school was Instituto Virgen del Pilar. I play football and swim. In my free time I go to English classes; sometimes I meet with my friends and go to the shopping centre or to my grandparents’ house. I play with the Play Station 2 or do my homework.

I'm Alejandro

I’m Alejandro. I’m 14 years old. I have got one sister. I go to Nuestra Señora del Rosario School. I have a lot of friends there.
I swim twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays. I like playing football and listening to music. On Fridays, I sometimes go dancing to Non Stop with some friends.

My name is Florencia

My name is Florencia. I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on October 21, 1993. I have three brothers. In 1997 I started kindergarten at Patrocinio de San José school and in 2000 I started primary school at the same school. That year I went to Bariloche with my family. This trip was very emotional and beautiful.
In 2003 I took my First Communion at San Cayetano and in 2006 I went on my graduation trip. It was very beautiful and I did different activities and I was very happy.
I have done skating and gym for eight years. And this year, in March, I started high school and I like it.

My name is Sofía U

My name is Sofía U. and I’m 13 years old. My birthday is on February 26. This is a very happy day in the year. In my house, I live with my parents and with my brother. Sometimes we play some games and I read stories to him.
I live with our cat Pippín. We found it in my grandmother’s house. Pippín was very thin but now he is very fat! He sleeps in the kitchen, but when I wake up, he goes into my bedroom. He’s lovely!
I go to Nuestra Señora del Rosario school. I’m in first year. I must be at school at a quarter to eight but I wake up at 7 o’clock to leave on time for school. My favourite subject is Literature because I love reading.
In my free time, I watch TV, I read some books, I use the computer to play some games and I surf the internet. I meet my friends. We love going to the bowling alley but I never win!
On Sundays I usually go to the club with my parents, my brother, my grandmother, my uncles and aunts, and my cousins. My cousins and I love playing tennis, volleyball and football. I love spending time with my family!

I'm Joaquín

I’m Joaquín. I’m 13 years old. I have one brother, a mother and a father. I live with them.
I’m studying at Nuestra Señora del Sagrado Corazón school. Here I have lots of friends. I speak with all of them. Besides, I have friends at the rugby club and I also speak with them.
I play different sports. One of them is rugby; then, I play football, volleyball and handball at school. Really, I don’t have any hobby.
Now I’m not working, but I’m studying.

My name is Bárbara

My name is Bárbara. I’m 14 years old. I live with my parents and my sister. We live in Colegiales.
I go to Carlos Pellegrini school. I’m in second year. The school is very big and I have a lot of friends.
On Mondays and Wednesdays I go to the Liceo Cultural Británico. There I learn English. But on Tuesdays and Thursdays I go to Reina Reech’s school to learn to dance.
Every Thursday I go to have dinner at my grandparents’ house. On Sundays I go to my grandmother’s house. There I meet with my aunts and uncles.
In my free time, I go out with my friends, sometimes to the club. Before, I went every Saturday, but now I don’t go so often. If I stay in my house, I watch TV, but most of the time I watch films. I love it.
I don’t have any part-time job. I only study.

My name is Yasmín

My name is Yasmín. I’m 17 years old. I live in Argentina with my family. My family consists of my mother, my father and my two brothers. My brothers are fantastic; they are good brothers.
I’m studying at secondary school. The school’s name is ECEA (Escuela Cristiana Evangélica Argentina). My favourite subject is Literature and the Media, because this subject is very interesting.
Twice a week, in the afternoon, I play volleyball at school. I like volleyball. I’m interested in different sports, like football, handball, hockey, swimming and others. I enjoy passing time with my friends. They are excellent friends. My best friend is Fernanda. She is a very good friend. She lives far away from my house and I can’t see her a lot. I met her last summer at a campsite. We went to a campsite at the beach. It was fantastic! And we have a lot of friends now!

Hi! I'm Dolores

Hi! I’m Dolores. I am thirteen years old. I live with my mom and two sisters, and I have a pet. It’s a dog who is called Clara. I go to an institute called Nuestra Señora del Sagrado Corazón. I’m in first year. My best friends are Lola, Nicky, Ceci an Naomi. My hobby is dancing and I like volleyball.
I think that I’m a normal person. I go to Colegio de la Ciudad. I have some friends there. We like going to the cinema or to parties.
I love basketball. I play in Colegiales. It’s a very good team. We have won a lot of times and the basketball players are very good people.
About my family, I don’t have anything to say. I love my mother and my father, and I like fighting with my brother and sister.
At this moment, I’m not doing a part-time job because I want to spend more time with my friends.