My coolest holidays

One of my coolest and unforgettable holidays were spent last Easter, when I went to Egypt with mw parents and my brother. We flew off the airport of Lisbon and the plane landed in Hurghada in the evening.
I stayed in two cities: 5 days in Hurghada and 1 day in Cairo, the capital.
In Hurghada, an old fishermen city at the seaside, we stayed at a resort with two pools, two slides and a beach. During the day we went to the beach or the pool and there we read while we were sunbathing. We had lunch at the beach restaurant, which was a very nice place made of wood and with a great view to the sea. In the evening we usually had dinner in the hotel restaurant and after that we saw the show but there was a special night; we were having dinner and a walk in Hurghada. We had dinner in a restaurant our guide advised us and then had a drink in a special bar where we also smoked “catchimba”. Then we went for a walk and visited Hurghada’s HRC and a store with only handmade stuff: bracelets, boxes and wood sculptures, bags, clothes, etc. we took lots of pictures and bought some souvenirs.
Another thing I loved to do in Egypt was visiting an ancient and old capital of the country, Luxor. In Luxor I went to the Valley of the Kings, where I had the chance to visit the tombs of the mythical Pharaoh Tumtankamon. We also visited the biggest temple of the world, Karnak Temple and the Temple of the Queen Hatshepsut. We went on a little boat ride in the Nile. Our guide told us amazing things about the symbols in the tombs, about the meaning of their old Gods and some egyptian traditions and their costumes as arabian people. We arrived very late at the hotel and we were very tired but we didn’t care because it had been absolutely amazing to be in such a full of History place!
Some days after, we went to Cairo. Being there was a great experience too, because I had the chance to visit fabulous places and see many artefacts. We woke up very early on that day because there were lots of things to do. We caught a taxi and went to the Pyramids of Gize! When we arrived there I just couldn’t believe I was so close to such an important thing, one of the 7 Wonders of the World! I took lots of pictures and there I went on a camel ride around the Pyramids and the Sphinx. We climbed up the monument and from there we could see a part of the city. In the afternoon, we went to the Cairo Museum, a place full of artefacts, sculptures and other treasures of the egyptian civilization. The main “attraction” of the museum is the Tumtankamon’s room, where they put all the things they found in their tomb in Luxor: gold, bracelets, clothes, his war stuff, food, his mask and sarcophagus. It was like a travel to the ancient Egypt! Then we got back to reality and went to the hotel, after passing the confusing Cairo traffic.
We got back to Portugal on the next day but I know I’ll never, ever forget these holidays because I met new amazing places, learnt lots of things and had awesome experiences. Being in Egypt and going to all those fabulous places was like being in a mummies movie! I loved Egypt!


Sara Daniela Machado de Sousa, 902

We are disconnected

I disagree with the statement “We are disconnected” because I think that nowadays we, teenagers, use technologies a lot, to do everything. Everyone watches TV, everyone listens to music, everyone plays videogames; for instance, I can’t do my homework without listening to music and can’t spend one afternoon without playing a game. The Internet is indispensable for a student’s routine. I learn a lot when I’m using new technologies. A good example of this is the Internet. First, I can find everything about what’s going on in the world on the Internet. Second, I
can talk with a lot of people in chats or on any social network like Facebook., hi5 and Twitter. Third we can use the Internet to send school assignments to our teachers, for example, last week, me and my friend Helena sent our piece of work to our Information Technology teacher by mail. However, some people don’t have access to new technologies, because they don’t have much money to spend. For instance, a friend of mine doesn’t have a cell phone and this is a thing that teens can’t do without. Without your cell phone during one week? No way!
I think that our life is good with technologies.

Beatriz Sampaio – Class 902

Technologies are isolating us from the world

We partly agree with the statement “Technologies are isolating us from the world” because when we are listening to music, watching TV, playing computer games,… we don’t know what is going on around us, for example, our friend Peter never talks with us when he is listening to music on his IPod.
The ones who are hooked on technologies rarely talk face-to-face with other people. That’s the case of Sofia, who usually talks to me on the phone or on the Internet. However, technologies are a very good way to relax a little bit and to do research. A good example of this is us - when we have to do some research, we usually use the Internet and when we want to enjoy ourselves, we play computer games or we listen to music.
We think technologies nowadays may have a bad influence on teens and children, particularly because they prefer playing computer games or listening to music to going for a walk or talking face-to-face with friends. Nevertheless, we can’t forget the importance of technologies in today’s society.
Ana Isabel Fernandes
Ana Carolina Passos – Class 902

Miss Dirtiness

Hello my name is Miss Dirtiness and I live in a landfill. You can’t imagine the big amount of waste that people dump into my house. For example, two days ago I was searching for food when a lot of rubbish was dumped on my hair by the men who drive the big truck.
Few years ago, at nightfall I loved to stay on my couch appreciating the starry sky. However, at the present time, there are only a few stars at the sky.
Near my house there is a river and last summer I used to refresh there, but this summer it was impossible to have a shower because the river had a new colour everyday. The responsible for this is a big industry that exists in the top of my residence. Since they have influenced people, the family of Lord Mayor, no one did anything or accuse them to the police.
My cousin that lives in the North Pole, has written to me all the news, and says that his home is decreasing everyday, due to the melting Polar Regions caused by global warming. He says that the Humans ratified the Kyoto Protocol, the climate treaty was finally agreed at Marrakech in November 2001, and it was a crucial big step. The problem is that the countries are for behind to achieve the targets agreed. So, the problem still exists.
The consequences of the melting of the Polar Regions are related to the rising sea levels, causing floods in regions that are under sea levels.
For more than a century, people have used fossil fuels as their first source. The burnt of fuels has been very harmful to the planet, because of the emissions of CO2 (responsible gas for the greenhouse effect). So, it’s time to prefer renewable energy sources such as wind and solar that offer abundant clean energy that is safe for the environment and good for the economy.
In my house there are many different types of waste as plastic, metal, glass... people need to recycle, re-use and reduce. If they acquire these simple habits the world could be much better as well as the life of Earth’s inhabitants.
This way listen to the old big rat and you will see that it’s wonderful to live in this planet.

Bárbara Machado, 1101

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Pros and Cons of Online Shopping

Online shopping has both advantages and disadvantages to the consumer.
I can shop from my home or office, at any hour, and I can save time. I can also compare prices and shop from distant places and I can choose from a great variety of products.
The disadvantages of online shopping are that I can´t neither feel, nor smell, nor taste nor try on products. I might also waste hours looking for the right site. In most cases I have to pay delivery charges.
I prefer not to shop online. I love wandering through shops.

Claúdia Pereira, 12.16