Goga times 2015

MEET THE STUDENTS‟ PRESIDENT Ana Maria Pletosu

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH THE AMERICANS

HOW TO BECOME A GROWN-UP BLAME IT ON THE MOVIES. Freshmen‟s Ball

“Whoever controls the media, controls the mind.” Jim Morrison CNOG Sibiu, March 2015 ISSN2284 – 8177

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EDITORIAL Editor‟s Note

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fter a long pause Goga Times has pulled itself together and found a team of creative young people to give it a new boost. So here we are launching a new issue in the hope that we could spark an interest in school journalism and stimulate students not only to read their fellows‟ articles, but also to think about contributing for a new issue in the second semester.

You will find out more about this semester‟s news, namely the new Student Council representatives and the new students in school, especially the ones participating in the Freshmen‟s Ball. In response to the ever increasing interest in studying abroad, we have prepared a handy step-by-step guide for you, accompanied by a testimony from a former student who is currently studying in the UK and also by an account from another former student who has been

part of the „Work and Study‟ programme in the USA. More advice on career-related issues as well as on how to stop procrastinating comes from other contributors.

In view of the current interest in „how to‟ articles, we have also prepared a series on issues such as: how to get what you want, how to think positive, how to approach the internet (facebook, online dating ), how to eat healthy, what to wear, which pets to choose and many more. The series of recommendations is completed by film, book and movie reviews. The arts section plunges you into the world of literature, with a review, translations, an essay, a short story and a poem, all written by your talented schoolmates and is completed with two imaginative cartoons. So dive in, enjoy and join us for our next issue!

Cosmina Almăşan

Claudia Coţovanu

Ana Maria Pletosu

Alina Damian

Mădălina Popelca

Flavia Daneş

Alina Maria Roman

Andra Dolana

Iris Rusu

Georgiana Epure

Silviana Slavu

Iulia Ghişe

Sandra Melinda Stanciu

CNOG Managerial Team

CONTRIBUTORS

Coleta Giupana

Stefana Stoica

Head Teacher

Teodora Ancau

Diana Hăprean

Raisa Sucaciu

Denisa Avram

Anca Isaicu

Răzvan Ioan Suciu

Cristina Benghea

Adelina Mărginean

Teodora Anamaria Suciu

Stefan Bernhardt - Radu

Anca Mărginean

Anamaria Tarcea

Dorin Bîrsan

Miron Mărgineanu

Maria Topîrcean

Sandra Bogorin

Diana Merlan

Nicolae Tiganenco

Bianca Bundache

Adelina Miclea

Teodora Octavia Toader

Eugenia Cârstea

Anda Miclea

Ruxandra Virca

Denisa Coman

Ana Maria Pircă

EDITOR IN CHIEF Cosmina Almăşan

SENIOR EDITOR Codruţa Colpoş

DESIGN Valentin Govoreanu Maria Cîmpean Dragos Circa

Laura Dumitru Deputy Head Teachers

Luminiţa Ducu Achim Stoian

Gt GOGA

TIMES

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Table of contents CURRENT ISSUES

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-Student Voice ( Ana Maria Pletosu, X A ) -Meet the Students‟ President: Ana Maria Pletosu ( Nicolae Tiganenco, X A ) - “We are all in this together” - Freshmen‟s Ball ( Silviana Slavu, XII B ) -Blame It on the Movies. Freshmen‟s Ball Winners ( Eugenia Cârstea, IX F ) -Time to Volunteer ( MădălinaPopelca, XI A )

A STUDENT’S LIFE

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-Dream It. Wish It. Do It. A Step-by-step Guide to Studying Abroad ( Flavia Daneş, Diana Hăprean, Stefana Stoica, XII B) -My Journey at the University of Leeds - or How to Become a Grown-up ( Georgiana Epure ) -How to Choose your Career (Sandra Bogorin, XII A) -The 12th Grade - Coming of Age ( Diana Merlan, XII A) -The Moment of stepping Out of Your Childhood ( Miron Mărgineanu, XII B ) -I‟ll Do It Later – A Tale of Procrastination ( Coleta Giupana, XII B ) -History – Utter Waste of Present Time? ( Stefan Bernhardt –Radu, XII B )

EXPERIENCING CULTURE 35

-I‟ll (talk) type to you later… ( Denisa Avram, XI B ) -(un)Virtual Life ( Dorin Bîrsan, XI A ) -10 Perfectly Rational Reasons Why my Father Does Not Need a Smartphone ( Claudia Coţovanu, XII B ) -Facts, Fiction and Family (Claudia Coţovanu, XII B ) -Live to Love ( Anca Mărginean, XI B ) -Eating Healthy Has Never Been This Easy!

(Ruxandra Virca, XI B) -The Raw Side of Life (Denisa Coman, XI B) -Why Girls Love Shopping (Teodora Anamaria Suciu, IX D) -Why Do People Hate Mondays? (Teodora Ancău, IX D) -Beloved Pets (Iulia Ghişe, X F) -Which Pet Suits You? (Iulia Ghişe, Adelina Mărginean, X F)

LEISURE TIME

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-Immortal Songs ( Maria Topîrcean, XII B ) - “Maze Runner” . A Review ( Denisa Avram, XI B ) -Fantastic Malificent ( Cristina Benghea, IX F ) -The Fault in Our Stars ( Cristina Benghea, IX F ) -“The Hunger Games” - Book vs movie ( Anamaria Tarcea, XI B ) -Playing Crusader Kings 2 ( Teodora Octavia Toader, XB ) -Fun in Sibiu ( Teodora Octavia Toader, X B ) -In Transylvania – More than a Music Festival ( Raisa Sucaciu, IX F ) -Sibiu Sporting ( Teodora Octavia Toader, X B ) l

-Up Close and Personal with the Americans ( Andra Dolana) -The Portrait of England ( Sandra Melinda Stanciu, XII B) 79 ARTS -English and Scottish Icons (Ana Maria Pircă, XII E ) -Expressing versus Impressing (Alina Damian, XI B) -Quiz Time:English Issues (Alina Maria Roman,XIIB) -Poetry and Toys (Iris Rusu, XI B) -Facts of English (Teodora Octavia Toader, X) -Our Mirror‟s Strife (Claudia Coţovanu, Stefan Bernhardt-Radu, XII B) 46 LIFESTYLE -Caustic Lament (Răzvan Ioan Suciu, XII B) -How to Get What You Want ( Bianca Bundache, XI B) 86 COMICS -Hope is a Waking Dream (Iris Rusu, Ruxandra Virca, -Anca Isaicu, Sandra Melinda Stanciu Denisa Coman, XI B) -Life‟s a Gift ( Adelina & Anda Miclea XI A)

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Student Voice Did you know that there is a council that is trying to defend your rights and to make your highschool life better ? This structure is called the Student Council and it has the mission to represent all the students in decision bodies and to ensure a favourable environment to their personal and

In our school, CSE CNOG is the representative structure of students and it is subordinated to Student District Council and National Council. The key-words to describe these “stairs” are: young for youth and volunteering. Also, this structure is designed to inform, make aware, motivate and empower the students.

The Student Council is formed of students for students which means that they are involved in their school life. In a health promoting school, pupils have an important part to play in making decisions about the life and work of the school. Every year, elections for the new “voice” of the students and for his/her team are held. This team consists of three vice presidents, one secretary, and five directors of specific departments.

professional development.

First, the Student Council is divided into 3 councils: regional student council, county student council and school student council. These structures are presented as stairs in order to extend the roles of the students and to enrich more and more experience in every stair they ascend . The first stair in Student Council is the Student School Council.

The target of this team has been established in order to create a good strategy for the year that is coming. The vice president Alex Fulea said: “Our target is to think about projects that involve students and to make them come to life.” Some of the directors of departments wanted to present you their opinion about the Student School Council and his benefits.

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How this can help me? Well, it already helped me in so many different ways, I met nice people, I developed my communication and social skills and last but not least, I gained experience. As the director of the "Communication and Public Relations" department I learned how to communicate properly and make myself clear, these qualities are some of the most important you should have in life.

The position as leader, no matter how many you have under control, is one that develops and requires courage and strength of character. Concluding, each experience you accumulate helps you later. My position as a director helped me and hope fully it will help me in the future too.

I‟m the director of department which is called “Students‟ Lawyer”. My role in Student School Council is to help students speak their mind, to make them talk to me and then I would try to stop the things that bother them. I think this role will help me by making me a fighter for students rights, this role will help me develop my skills in listening, understanding and solving the problems other people have and in the end will help me to discover myself and I really do believe that discovering yourself is one of the most important things in a human‟s personality.

(Iulia Bucur, Director of department “Students Lawyer”.)

Ana Maria Pletosu, X A

(Andrei Maris, Director of the "Communication and Public Relations" CSE CNOG).

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Meet the Students‟ President: Ana a Maria Pletosu As we have recently elected a new president of the Student School Council, let us meet her and find out some things about her and how she intends to represent the students from our high school.

Reporter: Hi, Ana! My sincere congratulations on your being elected the Students School Council president! That must require a lot of responsibility of you. However, this would not happen if not for your previous success in your school‟s elections for the Student Council president post. What would be the key-word to describe your activity in the Student Council?

Ana: Hi, and thank you! I think the key-words to describe my function in the Student Council are the involvement and the desire for development. Those were my “creed” when I’ve started my journey towards the Council and they are still now. I really hope thatinvolvement and desire will become the fundamental bricks of what I want to achieve here in the Council.

Reporter: When and how did you manage to approach the Student Council?

Ana: The adventure of getting inside the Council started quite hesitatingly, at the very beginning of the semester. That, I think, was the consequence of my rather antisocial nature. Gladly, I think I have overpassed that vice of mine, thankfully to what has followed. Driven by curiosity and ambition to change, I decided to run for president in my school. I learned a lot about Student Council and their activity in the highschool and aknowledged that some of my development ideas could be both really helpful and enjoyable for the pupils. This determined me to become very excited about being my peers’ „voice” .

Reporter: What are your plans for the near future?

Ana: As the president of the Student School Council, I want to develop the projects that I’ve intended to deploy and also to create, together with the high school’s students, constructive and interesting things for us, not as gears in the educational system, but as human beings , and, surely, for the society in which we live. As for me, I’m looking forward to increasing my leadership skills, teamwork abilities and social capability, as a personality, a student and a part of the Student School Council. I really believe that these structures are able to help the young to define themselves and to be prepared for the adult life and its’ casualties.

Reporter: What would be your message for the pupils of your school.

Ana: Keep on outlining the world you want to live in. You represent the essential particles of the society which we all inhabit. You are the “bunch” that can change something. Retain the idea of “together”ness and show everybody what we are really worth.

Reporter: That‟s great. Thank you very much for your time.

Ana: Thank you.

Nicolae Tiganenco , X A GOGA TIMES Page | 8

‘’We’re all in this together’’ Goga at its peak again: Seniors kick up their heels while freshmen give an outstanding performance.

On 17th November 2014, the high school promoted its most talented and courageous freshmen, in a show that was a unique experience for all. The exciting performance took place at Union Culture Hall and ended up being very appreciated by the audience, especially because of the show guest of honour, Cover Up band.

The Romanian teacher Andra Tischer coordinated the senior team and together they selected, trained and prepared the new little ones for the performance. The events‟ theme was classic movies and there were 8 teams that fought for the title „‟Miss& Mister‟‟.

Good job, rookies, you‟ve won!

This year‟s freshmen were beautiful children with big ideas and a lot of character. They had to face two challenges „‟Q&A‟‟ which prompted funny but heart-felt answers “I would make Sibiu our country‟s capital!„‟ and the test of talent when they danced as if they had been born to do it.

The winners were Ana-Maria Preda and Alexandru Milea while the runner ups were Lorena Manitiu and Cristian Faloba. The second runner-ups for the Miss & Mister position were Lea Trifu si Rares Palatka and the most popular freshmen were Iuliana Cernea and Radu Mohanu.

Seniors, Never give up!

Even if the start was harder than expected, the students stated that throughout this period, they learnt about unity, becoming more responsible and felt the extreme pressure and fatigue that such an event involves. The key to their success is: involvement, determination and communication.

Ms. Andra Tischer, amazed and at the same time proud of her students, said, „‟they made a dream team‟‟.

The event was hosted by Luana Hagiu and Dani Popa who performed the roles of Marlin Monroe and J.F.Kennedy.

Impressions – Opinions

Special guest : Cover-up Band ( keyboard player – Marian Eftenie) This was a very exciting experience for us, the audience was exactly what I expected and I am sure that this has improved our image among the youngsters and increased our popularity. We look forward to being invited to other such events.

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Denisa Raulea - freshmen team coordinator The Freshmen‟s ball was a unique experience and a dream that came true. I was a freshmen team coordinator and I consider myself lucky having such a team, because even if there were misunderstandings, contradictions we managed to get over them and prepare an original routine for the big day. We worked together easily and I can honestly say that from the beginning Lorena drew our attention through her beauty , style and elegance and Rares through his intelligence and attitude. I am proud of our team, of the organizers and I can tell that this ball ended up to be as it was expected. I would like to say thank you to Ms Andra Tischer Podia for all the support and all the trust that she invested in us because we wouldn‟t have done it without her.

Denisa Laicauf - organizer, freshmen team coordinator, dancer This prom was the most beautiful project that we, the senior students, organised; we managed to work together and the results were as we expected. The beginning was harder because, I only knew 20 % of the organizers, but when we finished, surprisingly, we all were friends. Throughout this period I

was mostly under pressure because being the right hand of Ms Tischer I had to make a sensible programme for the event and to ensure that each team has an original routine. I also had to coordinate a freshmen team, but I was lucky enough to have friends who took care of each of my freshmen. I was amazed when I found out that I could contribute to 13 choreographies for this ball including the one for our high school dance team, Eleven. The most difficult moment, to say so, was on Wednesday, before the ball, when I saw that nothing seemed to come together harmoniously.

Interviews

Diana Hăprean - organizer How did you feel being part of the organisation team ?

It was a wonderful experience. Although it was stressful and exhausting, I enjoyed every moment and I will experience it again if I can. We made new friends, we are more united as a group now and what counts the most is that we have learnt a lot through this experience.

Were you nervous during your stage appearances ?

Yes. Even if I had rehearsed a lot beforehand, I was aware of the audience‟ expectations from Goga students.

What determined you to become an organizer?

I‟ve always wished to be a part of the organizers‟ team. I consider that an experience as such should be felt by each high school student because it gives unique memories. Even if there is a lot of work, stress, fatigue, the final satisfaction can‟t be described in words; it‟s huge.

What impression did the freshmen make on you ?

It‟s impossible not to love them. They are extremely talented, hardworking, always aiming at high goals and they know what teamwork means. They are wonderful persons and I am glad that I have had this opportunity to met them.

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Andreea Sebesan - organizer & artist Which was the biggest challenge ? What was the most difficult thing that the organization of this prom involved?

The biggest challenge was the involvement; we had to be 100% involved , we had to be responsibile and hardworking.

It wasn‟t hard, but even if we were a united team there were some contradictions and misunderstandings. We are high achivers who get over every obstacle and I believe that this was seen in the end.

How did it feel to be an organizer as well as an artist on stage ?

It was the most beautiful experience. I was very nervous, but still the moment I saw myself on the stage became magical, I really felt that I had managed to transmit my message . I worked hard and played hard. The result was incredible and it is very satisfying to see that all the work paid off in the end.

We felt elated!

Would you like to repeat an experience like this ? Is there something that you would like to change ?

Yes, anytime. It was a huge

project that connected us more and even if at the beginning we were mocking each other we finally became friends. I don‟t think there is something that I would change. I felt that everything was as it was supposed to be.

What can you tell us about your freshmen?

What can I say? They made me very proud, my team was more than a winner to me. Beside being now Miss Goga 2014 Ana is an extraordinary girl, very talented, hardworking and natural. I believe that this is her biggest strength. She lives through the music and her attitude on the stage proved it.

Cristi demonstrated that he has a passion for our traditional dance, which nowadays is less appreciated. In our team, he always made us smile and I believe that he outdid himself on stage. I appreciate and love them very much and I want to thank them for gaving me the opportunity to meet them.

by extraordinary people, people that gave their best to make a great show. Both the freshmen and us, 12th graders, worked a lot because we wanted everything to be perfect. I am extremely proud and I don‟t regret anything. It was something that I‟ll never forget.

What was harder, to teach the freshmen the choreographies or to teach them how to transmit a message through their dance moves ?

I was lucky enough to have a very hardworking and talented team. Both Lea and Silviu learnt extremely fast all the choreographies. Dance is really important to me so I was very happy; as a teacher I am not mild and I can honestly say that I tortured them a little, but I am very, very proud of them. Not only did they dance well, but they did it as they had been born for it.

Do you believe they did a great job , or could it have been better ?

Doubtless, they did excellently.

They made some little mistakes, I have to admit it, but I am not disappointed because of these. It could have been better, we can always say it could be better, but in this case I am proud of the way they handled

Flavia Danes - dancer, freshmen coordinator How was this experience for you?

It was unique. Iwas surrounded GOGA TIMES Page | 11

What determined you to choose these freshmen?

They drew my attention in the auditions because they were quiet, but I didn‟t think about coordinating them from the start. When the pairs were set up, Sandu Robert wanted to coordinate this team but there wasn‟t any person to help him, so he asked me and I accepted.

I don‟t regret any moment and I couldn‟t be more proud of them.

Dani Popa - host How did it feel to have to deal with so many people, each with his/her own requests?

It is hard to work with so many different people, each with his/ her view regarding how a ball should be but as long as we had a coordinating teacher, everything was considerably easier.

You were the host, so which thing do you consider to be the most challenging?

The most difficult is to draw people‟s attention and make them feel something special.

They need to live together with us, the hosts, the organizers and the freshmen the emotion and the rhythm of the performance.

What can you tell us about your partner’s performance?

Luana was as I expected. She was a remarkable presence on stage and knew how to react, how to involve the audience and how to transmit all those emotions that were reigning on stage. I knew her well and trusted her because we also play theater together.

Luana and you impersonated Marilyn Monroe and J.F.Kennedy on stage. Did this make a difference regarding your emotions or behavior ?

Honestly, only at the beginning, which was inspired by a well known moment involving this personality, but throughout the performance little by little we started to be ourselves, Luana and Dani.

Luana Hagiu - host Would you repeat this experience if you could?

Even if it is difficult, involving a lot of people, a lot of work, a lot of responsibility, I really would. I would take the risk of being stressed again for a long period of time, but I would do it again if i could.

How did you feel when you sang Happy Birthday to your partner, Dani, aka J.F.Kennedy, particularly because this was the opening moment of the performance?

What did it feel like being Marilyn Monroe? Did this somehow influence your behaviour on stage?

Accepting the „role” of Marilyn didn‟t influence my appearance on stage. Marilyn inspired me and I enjoyed discovering her glamorous world.

At that moment I felt insecure, especially during the first seconds. Then I got used to and it became something beautiful.

Was it difficult to get the right outfit for this character?

The search of the perfect outfit took extremely long! Some days before the ball, I had the chance to talk about this with the representative of Michelle Boutique by Agnes Toma, who agreed to sign a contract with us and to give me that black and elegant dress. The make-up went well, I was quite nervous, but Larisa, from Larissa makeup Art was very patient and did a remarkable job.

If you could experience this again would you change something? What did all this experience mean to you ?

If I could I would definitely do the same. With all that stress, worries, fun rehearsals and non -stop fun. The Freshmen‟s Ball was a proof for me that we can organize high quality events that can delight the audience.

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Blame It on the Movies #1 How do you feel as Miss/Mister?

Miss: I feel excellent , of course!

Mister: Honestly, I don‟t feel very different even if I succeeded in winning.

So, I‟m the same Alex and my friends can confirm that. #2 Did you expect to win?

Miss: From the beginning, I had as a target winning the title, but at that moment, the emotions overwhelmed me and I did not expect to win anymore.

Mister: I allowed to think how it would be if I won, even if I didn't expect to be me the one who will be chosen to wear this title.

For this reason the moment when I was designated winner was more special than I had imagined.

#3 What was your strongest point?

Miss: I think that my voice and my attitude were my strongest points.

Mister: My strongest points are named: Iulian Biris, Paula Bobăilă, Razvan Bogdan, Maria Falamas, Ligiu Frîncu, Vlad Lazar, Mirea Diana, Teodora Patru and Eniko Turoczi. Without them the final result would've been different. #4 Did your life change after winning?

Miss: Yes, it changed quite a lot.

Mister: Even if I succeeded in winning the title of "Mister Goga", my life didn't change so much. #5 What have you learned from this experience?

Miss: I have learned to see the fun despite the tiredness and stress.

Mister: From this unique experience I have learned that to reach high, you have to word and to make some sacrifices. However, you can't get there alone and for that I would love to thank the team once more.

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#6 Now, let's speak about you. Please describe yourself.

Miss: In short, I am sociable and I like to see the good part of everything. I am very ambitious too.

Mister: I am Milea Paul-Alexandru, and I'm 14.I can say that I'm a person who likes meeting new people, even if I am shy and pessimistic. Also, I have the sense of humor and I'm not irritable at all.

#9 What are your plans for the future What do you want to become?

Miss: I have a lot of plans for the future, including becoming an artist and a surgeon.

Mister: For the future I would like to study medicine. I know that this profession involves attention, dedication and a lot of work, but the success brings more benefits to the society thanks to the multitude of lives that these people save.

#7 Do you have a hobby or a passion?

Miss: Music is my hobby and my passion.I have been singing since I was little. I express y feelings trough music.

Mister: My hobby is badminton. I see it like a way to relax and to spend lovely time with my family.

#8 Why did you choose CNOG? Miss: I chose CNOG, because here I had spent my last four years and I think CNOG is the best high school.

Mister: I chose Goga because it's the number one high school from Sibiu and a lot of people aspire to it. I feel proud and lucky to be a student here, because not all children have this possibility.

#10 Thank you for y0ur time! But first, do you have a message for our readers?

Miss: You're welcome! Yes, I do. You have to try to see the good part of life. It is too beautiful to destroy it with our own weapons.

Mister: You're welcome!

Yes, I do have one. Any extracurricular activity is worth being experienced, because it's a new occasion for meeting people and for learning something new, and why not, for testing your skills.

Eugenia C창rstea, IX F

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Time to Volunteer D

o you often hear about volunteering and don‟t know what it means? Do you want to try it?

You're on the right track! You will find volunteering a good way to develop your skills, to find new friends, to enjoy you free time and it may help you in your career. Many students have experienced it and they confessed that being a volunteer is wonderful , relaxing and entertaining.

People volunteer for a wide variety of reasons, especially because they want to help others. And this is very important for our society because nowadays people are mean, malicious and they don‟t help each other anymore. It‟s nice to see that there are still humans that want to give a hand and help this world to be better for us and for future generations without being paid or without expecting something from the others. As a volunteer you get in touch with different people, you gain experience and you learn many things. It doesn‟t come without perks, though. Usually the volunteers receive a diploma which can help you when you apply for college and maybe in the CV for a job because it‟s considered experience. In our city, Sibiu, it is very easy to be a volunteer because here are many concerts and festivals.

If you don‟t know where to apply I‟ll give you some tips. We are the generation which has a great advantage, the internet. It‟s very important for us to know how to make use of this advantage. If you have a facebook account ( I‟m sure that most of you do) you can write in the search bar “Voluntar in Sibiu” or “Voluntar in Romania” and join these communities, these are the main groups where are posted by people almost all the volunteer opportunities and also if you have questions you can ask and the members from that group and they will surely help you. Another option is too search „volunteering‟ on Google or if you want to be part of a specific volunteering group you can search for it and you will probably find it.

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In Sibiu there are some festivals and concerts that are organized every year and they always need volunteers.

The most important event is Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS). It is the most sought for by most prospective volunteers, but it‟s a little hard to be accepted, because you have to pass some tests like making the tour of the city at 6 o‟clock in the morning or taking a written test with information about the festival. Other festivals that you can apply for as a volunteer are Transylvania International Film Festival, ARTmania Festival, Sibiu Jazz Festival, Medieval Festival, Airfield Festival, Astra Film Festival, Arini Fest Cinema and others.

I had some amazing experiences this year. The one that I enjoyed the most was at ARTmania Festival, as I had the possibility to choose in which department I wanted to work. I chose “mobile team” and my responsibilities were in the area of advertising – displaying posters and arranging the place where the concerts took place. It wasn‟t hard because I worked with other peers and we helped each other and we enjoyed the time spent together. When we weren‟t working we went to concerts because we benefited from free entrance as volunteers.

I‟ve learned a lot from this experience because now I know how to work in a team and I‟ve learned how to behave and cooperate with people around me. It was great!

If you want to have your own experience, don‟t wait anymore, start now! You‟re at the age in which you have quite a lot of free time. You have to know how to organize it better and not waste it. You live in Sibiu and here you have many opportunities to be a volunteer . So go for it now! I promise, you won‟t regret it!

Mădălina Popelca, XI A

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DREAM IT. WISH IT. DO IT. A Step-by-step Guide to Studying Abroad „If it’s both terrifying and amazing then you should definitely

pursue it”. That is the proverb that portrays splendidly this trip, the adventure of studying abroad. You find yourself at the point you have to choose your path in life and you don’t know what to do, you’re scared and you keep asking yourself questions, questions that you don’t know the answer to.

That being said, this article is meant to provide for you those answers that you need. We will give you those answers not as teachers but as students who have been in the same spot that you are right now.

Recently many high school students have started thinking about studying abroad, but they don’t know what to do to make this dream turn into reality. They usually get scared at the thought of taking their life in their own hands, by the prospect of being far from home and yes, we have to admit that this thought scared us too, but the best things in life are scary. Those are the things that we should go for, those are the things that make life worth living and studying abroad is definitely one of those things. It is frightening to know that you’ll be on your own, but why is it so great if it’s not unnerving a little?

Studying abroad can be a life changing experience. Besides getting to know a new country, meeting students all over the world, things that you presumably know already, the opportunities that you have abroad are definitely worth getting on this plane. But let’s focus on the journey, a trip with 10 steps and an astonishing destination, your future.

STEP 1: DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT TO DO First of all you need to decide what you want to study. It is a difficult decision to make since it is hard to just close your eyes and see your future job and imagine what kind of life you want to live. This step is the most important one because once you start this journey it is really hard to go back, so you need to start thinking from now what you want to do with your life.

If you can’t find anything you are good at, or you don’t know what you would like to do, the advising center with which you will apply can help you or you could take psychological tests organized by our school.

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STEP 2: ASK QUESTIONS At the beginning of your „journey”, it is obvious that you want to find out as many details as possible about what to expect from your life in the following months. In order to have a clear idea of how you should apply or what life is like in the country where you have decided to study, the best thing you can do is talk to people who have already experienced it. They may be former students from your highschool who are currently studying abroad, people who have already graduated from a university abroad or even students who are applying at the moment.

You can easily contact them on facebook and they will be more than willing to help you because they themselves were in your position once.

STEP 3: LISTEN TO WHAT EACH ADVISING CENTER HAS TO OFFER After having more information about what a great opportunity studying abroad is, you need to decide who is going to help you. In our country there are 2 big advising centers which can ensure you are going to be accepted at the university you choose: Study Abroad Advising Center and UK Study. Both of them are going to come to our school and present to you the advantages of applying with them.

STEP 4: CHOOSE YOUR PARTNER After you have considered all the aspects and all the benefits the organizations offer you, you have to choose the one that is going to be your partner in applying for your dream university.

You will see that all the organizations offer you pretty much the same things and there are few details that make the difference. We have all applied with the help of a foundation called „Study Abroad Advising Center” and we highly recommend it to you. The team that helps you are well-informed and have a lot of experience in this domain and also they guarantee you 100% that you will be accepted by the universities you apply for. We will tell you how we applied to study in the UK with their help, but the steps are very similar at any other organization.

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STEP 5: FIRST TRIP No matter what advising center you choose, a trip to Bucharest will be required. From our experience, there you are going to attend to a general presentation, given by someone who has knowledge of the universities and life there, where you are going to be informed about the lifestyle in the UK, scholarships and student life. A sum of money is necessary, 170 RON, which is the cost of the applications that will be sent to the UK.

STEP 6: THE CONSULTATION This is where you are given the options that are the most suitable for you and for your future career. The consultant will analyze a file that you have previously completed with the things that you are interested in and, based on that, (s)he will recommend the 5 best universities for you. (S)he will give you information about everything you want to know, from what you will study in a specific course to the scholarships available and even to the salaries you might earn if you get a part time job once you move to that country.

STEP 7: THE APPLICATION Now that there is no going back, you need to prepare your application, which, as you well know, has to contain a lot of papers. Well, there aren’t so many, but still enough. As you want to study in the UK, you obviously need an English language Certificate. It is highly recommended that you take it in the 11th grade, when it is organized by our school, because it will be easier for you in the future and you would get rid of a problem.

Unfortunately, the Cambridge Certificate is barely recognized in the UK, so we would suggest that you take the IELTS exam, which, from this year, has started being organised held in Sibiu too. If you didn’t take the exam in the 11 th grade, no worries, you can take them after you started your application too and if you don’t want to have a Certificate of any kind, you can take the tests held by the advising center, which are far easier than an actual exam.

Next, you will need a transcript from your school with the grades you have obtained up until the 12th grade. I was pretty shocked when I was told that the grades from the 11 th grade matter the most. So make sure you learn and take high grades if you want your future secure.

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Of course you also need some nice words from a teacher (it would be best if it were an English teacher) put in a recommendation letter and the most difficult part is yet to come: the Personal Statement or the Motivational Essay. At first it sounds like a piece of cake but it really isn’t. In 600 words you have to convince a stranger you are good enough to study at their university.

With those words you have to persuade them to accept you by telling them why you are worth that seat. And it’s not supposed to be boring. You must catch the reader’s attention and make him want to know you better.

STEP 8: THE WAITING This might be the most difficult part. It is when you have nothing else to do, but wait. The answers from the universities come in aprox. 6-8 weeks, but it can last more or less, depending on the university and on the period of time when you have sent your application. You can not make a final decision until you have received answers from all the universities you have applied for, so arm yourself with a lot of patience because that’s what you will need the most.

STEP 9: THE FINAL CHOICE TO MAKE We are approaching the end of what you have to do in order to ensure your future in the UK. Now that you have been accepted by the universities you have applied for, you need to decide where you are going. They all look appealing and they all seem to be perfect, but you have to analyze all the factors: the city (and not by looking on Google Images, but by actually doing research about the lifestyle and the people living there), how big the opportunity of getting a job is, how good the university is in the domain you have chosen and, last but not least, the climate. It is not as easy as it sounds as you will never find a city and a university which has them all. You have to balance all the factors and decide what risks are worth taking.

STEP 10: THE DEPARTURE Finally, the time for you to leave has arrived! All your work and your waiting has come to an end. Settle the last details, grab your plane tickets and travel to your new life, your new beginning. An amazing experience is waiting for you. Make sure you make the best of it!

Flavia Daneș, XII B Diana Hăprean, XII B GOGA TIMES Page | 20

My Journey at the University of Leeds - or How to Become a Grown-up Do you remember those American teenage movies where little girls dream of becoming ballerinas? That‟s kind of how I pictured my future with regards to my studies. As a very young high school student I‟ve always dreamed of studying abroad after I graduate high school, but it seemed such a faraway achievement. That was not because I did not trust myself or my abilities, but because of the high expenses that studying and living abroad meant. So what did I do? I managed to hide this desire in the back of my mind, thinking that I have plenty of time to figure out something until I graduate. I kept studying hard (because, regardless of where my future university would be, being hardworking and serious was the ingredient for my recipe of „how to get accepted to a very good university‟ – but not the only one!

To cut a long story short, in the 11th grade I became the Secretary of the Education and Communication Department of the Students‟ National Council from Romania. As any other extracurricular activities, this experience opened the door for new opportunities, such as managing the organisation‟s partnerships.

One of these partners was an association from Constanta, UK Study Romania, which was helping students from all over the country to apply to universities in the UK. That‟s how I found out more about the governmental student loan for covering my tuition fees, when and how I would need to pay it back, about accommodation and living costs. UK Study was my „myth-buster‟ so I applied at five universities in the UK. At the beginning, knowing that it would be quite difficult to convince my parents to let me go thousands of miles away, I thought that I would do this just to

see if I would be accepted. I saw this as a way of testing myself. Two months later I had a bunch of five letters from universities from Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham, Bournemouth and Leeds – all five accepting my application. I cannot describe the feeling that I had when I received my first letter of acceptance, then the second… the fifth!

That was when the fun part began – convince my dad to let me go and study for three years in the Queen‟s land (to be read like this: Hey, dad! May I go and study at one of the best universities in the world? By the way, there will be some thousands pounds to be paid by you in the next few years to cover my living expenses! I love you so much!). You can imagine my dad‟s „smile‟. The good thing was that I had mom on my side (me and my mom – the most optimistic human beings on Earth!

For us, there‟s always a way!). You might have called me a dreamer, but I was (and still am) a dreamer with a plan! I knew that once I arrived there, I would find a way to pay for my living costs: get a part time job, get a scholarship, find Harry Potter and ask for a miraGOGA TIMES Page | 21

10 months after I arrived in Leeds and I reached the limit of my parents‟ credit card, more than 70 unsuccessful applications and interviews for part time jobs and hundreds of megabytes full of CVs, application forms and reference letters, there I was, sitting in front of my laptop, filling in (guess what?!) another application! This one was for a research scholarship (aka get money for participating in cutting-edge research, which would give me access to the transformational experience of creating knowledge as well as acquiring it and pay for my accommodation!!!).

Just another application to save in my folder of +70 applications, I thought. But then, 23rd April came.

That‟s the best day of the year – it‟s my birthday! I turned 19 and I got the best present ever – via email! It began with „Dear Georgina‟ (English people never see that extra „a‟ in my name… I thought it would continue as many other e-mails did: we regret to inform you that your application was not successful this time, please bla bla bla..., but instead of we regret, there was a sparkling, wonderful, amazing we are delighted to inform you that your application was selected for the interview. Oh, that joy, that happiness, those high jumps in my bed…my birthday cake (which was a proper Tiramisu, made by my own Italian flat mate – haha!) has never tasted better!

Campus of Leeds

Several days later, in the morning of 7th May I found out, again via e-mail (oh, how I love these e-mails!), that the interview panel has unanimously decided to award me the sole Undergraduate Research and Leadership Scholarship from the whole faculty! And here I am now, a research assistant with the Inter-

vention and International Society Research Group, conducting research on the Responsibility to Protect doctrine (related to humanitarian intervention), focusing on the Central African Republic humanitarian crisis and participating to international conferences and seminars, meeting world leading scholars and experts, and being able to pay for living costs! This is what I call my Xena mood.

Campus of Leeds

Yes, studying in the UK means having a lot of opportunities, but this requires a lot (a loooot) of work, seriousness and ambition. I like to think that I chose the University of Leeds, but the truth is it chose me too.

They‟ve asked for a minimum of 9.50 in each of my Baccalaureate exams and a pretty high mark in the IELTS exam. That translates into A*A*A* in the British marking system. But I understood why they were so selective: the University of Leeds ranks in the top best 100 universities in the world, number 9 in the top research institutions in the UK. They expect their students to have the potential to be high achievers. I have to admit, I had a secret. Being a student for four years at the Octavian Goga High School had already prepared me to become a high achiever. By the time I went to university I had already known how important education is, curricular and extra-curricular, and more importantly how important it is to have the right set of values to guide all the work you do.

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Now, just to give you a glimpse of how the University of Leeds campus looks like, let me tell you a little bit about it: My Course (International Relations) I love my course and enjoy all my modules. Honestly, I congratulate myself every time on having the courage to study IR, after graduating a natural sciences profile in high school. The modules I study are very diverse and give students the chance to study political philosophy, political theories, neocolonialism, human rights, terrorism, political economy, global development challenges and so on, so that later we can choose a specific area to focus on.

One of my favourite modules was Global Development Challenges. We learnt about international development issues such as lack of health care and education, labour, land, poverty and gender inequality.

The thing that I found most interesting was that we also had to think about policy recommendations, so it‟s not all about learning about these problems, but also thinking about what we can do in order to make steps towards resolving them. This is where I met Alice, one of my seminar tutors, who offered me the role of Communications Coordinator in the Practical Initiatives Network, an online platform for international development NGOs which acts as a knowledge -sharing tool.

Another aspect that I love about my course is that it allows us to shape our degree according to our own interests. We have the chance to choose almost half of our modules. So students have the chance to shape their degree according to their preferences. For example, each year, among compulsory and optional modules, students can choose one elective module – which means you can study any subject you like, regardless

of your area of study. For example, I could have chosen Astronomy or Journalism, which I‟ve always been very interested in, but I chose to study German, hoping that one day I will have a job interview at an EU agency (language skills are so valuable!).

Student Life Leeds University Union is a place that I thought could only exist in movies! It is absolutely fabulous how vivid and dynamic it is and offers a wide range of relaxing extracurricular activities.

The Leeds University Union (LUU) has its own newspaper, radio and television station. It also has a number of over 250 student societies and clubs being the second biggest student union in the country. With over 250 activities to choose from you‟ll be spoilt for a choice. Students can get involved in activities ranging from volleyball to skydiving, street dance to martial arts, and tea club to music. You can even try your hand at Quidditch or become a member of Amnesty International, Against Death Penalty Club, AIESEC, Model United Nations or PIN (the Practical Initiatives Network – the brand new student society that my friends and I run for students with an interest in global development issues). More, there are lots of informal groups such as the Global Café, which brings together international students.

Also, there are lots of festivals organised by students, such as the World Unite Festival which gave me the opportunity to know more about other cultures and even learn some words in other foreign languages. I have also joined the Model United Nations society which perfectly completes my studies as it is about simulating United Nations General Assembly debates, on topics such as: nuclear weapons, transnational terrorism, women‟s rights, human trafficking etc. There are also movie nights and concerts organised by the LUU, which I find perfect for a fun, relaxing evening GOGA TIMES Page | 23

The Careers Centre This support service is amazing. You can have your CV checked, have mock interviews or workshops about how to prepare for an interview, for a Skype or telephone interview, how to improve your LinkedIn profile, how to write and target your CV etc. What is even better is that once you graduate the University of Leeds, you can still have access to all these services ten years after your graduation. Also, there are plenty of part time jobs and summer internships advertised only for students. Yes, it can be pretty competitive to get one, but once you get hired everything becomes so easy. For instance, in my second year in Leeds, I finally got a part time job for organising the Student Engagement Showcase – an event for celebrating the quality and variety of student engagement at Leeds – working from home, with the most flexible programme I could wish for!

The Library (+picture of the Brotherton Library) The library has become my favourite place on campus – it‟s no wonder, it looks like one of those fancy old rooms from Hogwarts. There are so many resources to access and these are not limited to books.

As a University of Leeds student, I have access to a wide range of journal articles and a special collection of rare books and manuscripts. Also, the IT facilities are very helpful.

Student Support Every professor and tutor is very devoted and passionate about their subject. They are always eager to help and their office doors are always open for us

should we need academic support. Also, the student support service is very well organised. They answered every question that I had regarding financial support, studying abroad and accommodation, which really gave me confidence, in the first two months when I arrived there.

Life in Leeds Leeds is twice bigger than Sibiu, which can be a bit overwhelming. It‟s so easy to get lost in the crowd and „lose yourself‟. It has plenty of places to have fun and relax. It‟s impossible to get bored there. I also like the fact that there are so many people from different countries, with different cultures. Get on any bus for 5 minutes and you‟ll hear at least three different languages. The best part of Leeds in one word: squirrels!

Squirrels everywhere!

More, Leeds has a fantastic geographic location. It‟s in the heart of Yorkshire, a magnificent English region, 1 -2 hours away from York, Manchester, Liverpool and Nottingham. I didn‟t get the chance to travel much.

For example, I‟ve been living for a year and a half in the UK and I only know how London looks like from pictures on Google. But I‟ve seen York and fell in love with its old buildings, walls and National Railway Museum. I visited the Beatles Museum and Titanic Museum in Liverpool and now I know that I can finish my studies in peace. I visited Manchester for less than a day, and I saw the best duck (toys) race.

Georgiana Epure

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How to choose your career

“Choose a job you love and you will never job opportunities are in that specific field and what the salaries are to see if they correspond with the have to work a day in your life.�-Confucius When we are little everybody asks us what we want to be when we grow up and usually, for girls at least, the answer is either a doctor, or a teacher. As simple as that: we are inspired by what we see and by the people that around us. In time people realize that there are many professions that they can choose from and there are a lot of aspects to take into consideration such as: abilities, passions, job market, salaries etc.

lifestyle which you want to have. Not everyone can join the mafia or the illegal businesses to earn money easier, so the next thing you should take into consideration is your moral values. It is important to prioritize what comes first in your life (family, work, money, and friends), and then what sacrifices you are willing to make for your job. The ideal situation is to find a balance between everything you want and what you are able to do, if not make smart compromises but donâ€&#x;t lose your main goal.

After you choose your career or at least the field that you want to work in you should make a decision about a university to attend. Fortunately nowadays there are all kinds of programs to support students and to give to them opportunities to study abroad or exchange programs to make your university experience both beneficial and enjoyable.

You should take all these things into consideration before making such a big decision like choosing your path, but if make a wrong decision you have nothing to worry about because nothing is definitive and you can always re-qualify and begin a new adventure.

And the most important is to choose whatever will make you happy because that is what matters at the end of the day: your wellbeing.

The first step should be finding what you are good at and what you like to do. It is beneficial for someone to choose a job that they are natively good at because that means that you will manage to do everything easily. This discovery of your personality usually starts school when everybody decides on a fa- Here is a good place to start: vorite subject. You should take some personality and www.whatcareerisrightforme.com/index.php ability tests in order to see exactly what your incliSandra Bogorin, XII A nations are; sometimes the results could surprise you.

And because doing what you love is not enough to pay the bills you should do some research on what GOGA TIMES Page | 25

When we first entered the gates of high school we thought we had forever to experience the fun, the beauty and the unknown. So…where is all that? Now we‟re in the 12th grade, a few months away from our final exam and we can‟t believe that it‟s nearly over.

Beside being the final year of high school, this year is also the first year of maturity, or at least, the beginning of it. It seems like a game we used to play when we were little, but as time passes, we realise that our childhood remains only in our hearts and in our memories, in our photo albums and in pictures framed by our parents. This is it! This is the moment when all we have been waiting for is really happening…but, are we sure about that? We are still in school and we already have to decide about which universities to apply to, what jobs we would like to have and to make a career out of, in which cafes to spend our time and which pubs will become the place for weekends with friends.

It may sound easy, but if we aren‟t careful enough, we may ruin our chances for a better future.

much time left. We have reached the age when we have the future in our own hands and it‟s like choosing which topping we want on our ice cream, but more important and 100% harder. But think positively!

They all survived and they are still alive, so it‟s not a deadly choice! We just have to think about it seriously and to choose with our hearts!

And…who knows? Maybe one day we will realise that the “true terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country,” like Kurt Vonnegut said. Be brave, but also responsible. Be daring, but also take safety measures.

Have fun, but also study hard. Take chances, but also have a backup plan. Think rationally, but also trust your feelings.

The 12th grade is the gateway to the future. Let’s make the best of it! Now is our time to prove we deserve the benefits that coming of age provides us with!

Diana Merlan, XII A

Coming of age means that we have no more excuses. We have to take responsibility for everything we do, no matter what. Even the trivial driving license is a big deal for us, a simple test reveals the amount of knowledge we have and a simple conversation shows a major part of who we are and what we are capable of.

If we take a look at our parents, at the adults from our lives, everything seems so easy, so…natural…how did they manage to get there? We have all the possibilities that they couldn‟t even dream of but we don‟t have GOGA TIMES Page | 26

The Moment of Stepping Out of Your Childhood What is article all about? Why are you reading this?

For what is it that you‟re reading this, you‟re surely someone who‟s either in the process of maturing or you‟ve already stepped forward from that milestone, either decades ago or just a couple of months ago. Maturing is something that cannot be avoided, and while it‟s an open door to real life, to the smallest extent, it represents for each of us, a cruel welcoming to adulthood. Not only physically, but mentally as well. While some of us accept the change easier or harder, in time we‟ll all accept that nothing will remain the same, that things that we used to do, we used to like, have just lost their magic, and that our range of interests is either in the process of changing or it‟s already gone past that.

What used to be and what is not!

It‟s somewhere around the age of 16 or 18 for most people when they enter this hell, the hell that we earlier called independence, freedom of acting, freedom of choice, or simply freedom of any restrains that our age placed upon us when we were younger. We always wanted to grow big, to have muscles, to drive cars, to get a job, to drink, to party, to stay up late… but when we‟re actually there, we realize that the magic is gone, that once you‟ve touched upon those moments yourself, they don‟t even feel that special anymore. Drinking made others look mature and powerful when you were young, yet in your mental growing period you realize that drinking is only for the weak and it‟s not something to be proud of at all, actually. Driving cars is cool and all, freedom to go

anywhere, but I‟m pretty sure that before you have the legal right to get a license, you will have visited already all places where you would have gone yourself. Staying up late used to be seen by our younger selves as being a maturity symbol, yet you feel like letting it go when you have to wake up for work or school in the morning. As for getting a job, well, you know how it is.

Basically, everything that we wanted before, we only did because of realizing what it gets for us, like the money that we received through working. It‟s so much easier to see your father giving you money than to try to work even a day as hard as he does to get it. Basically, everything maturity brings to you runs on this philosophy. When we were like 6, we only thought of the money when we worked, and that‟s what we associated it with. For everything that we wanted then and somehow have now, we only saw the good part.

But that‟s the brain‟s fault for not making us realize all this, right?

Leaving your shell into reality…

Maturity doesn‟t come like a pizza order, it‟s not just a day when you play in the sand and the next day your read newspapers, Dostoyevsky‟s books or watch political shows. It all happens in time. It‟s like your height growing, your physical growing, from the age 0 up to somewhere around the age of 25 you keep on maturing. Well, this obviously depends on each person and their character and mind, but mostly those are the average years when it all comes to an end, mostly. It all starts with the point where your first toys get boring. When you want to try some new games, when GOGA TIMES Page | 27

you want to have new friends, or see new places.

Basically, each time you get bored of something, anything, you mature up with the slightest step.

There are multiple noticeable maturing levels which however, require years to achieve.

The first step, is obviously when you still want toys, when you still want new cars for your collection, and you wish to get as many as possible.

There is a difference from when you desired a car to play with, or a car to add to your collection, up until you start dreaming of having a certain car when you‟re an adult. This process is pretty vast in all aspects, and considering your ability to read all this up to this point, I imagine you‟re long past this time.

The second step is when you start liking a sport, a TV show or a certain person, when you have a crush for the first time. This is already past the age of 8.

Somehow, you already entered the time when you get to face the bad sides of life. It‟s a big step, from the age of 8 up until the age of 16, when you are exposed to many tests, many traps and also many mistakes. You‟re given jobs and thing to solve, you start being asked about things to be tested about. You start seeing the difference in people, and your range of wishes and dreams from when you were 5 have mostly vanished. You still hold hope for what‟s to come, you revise your present and hold hope for the future years when you‟ll completely mature. It‟s already much easier for you now to understand what it means to receive, but also to offer, what it means to make a mistake, and also pay for it. In all these years, you are forced by destiny to learn, without your desire of course, of everything that means, the dark side of everything. And all this is happening because you start seeing and doing things that lead

you to visualizing the dark side.

The third and final step is when you get to actually start doing things yourself. Unlike the first step when you only saw the good in everything, and the fun as well, and also unlike the second step when you only saw and became aware of the bad in all good, there comes the third step where you actually have to go through everything that isn‟t that nice.

Using the same example about learning to drive, you are now experienced in what it means to see how nice it is to see others drive and how you used to worship this, secondly you are told in the second step about the hardships you encounter while learning to drive and also about all the risks and responsibilities you‟re taking up on yourself, and in the last step you have to go through all this yourself. It happens that you don‟t even want as much as you used to control that car, is it? You surrender and start telling yourself that you were just fine admiring, yet at the same time you don‟t want to look like a scared cow and bite your tongue and go on. Everything about maturing is following more or less this psychology.

Don‟t be IGNORANT! My philosophy is that all the problems in this Universe start because of ignorance. Why are you short?

Because you were ignorant of the genes of your parents. Why are you fat? Because you don‟t have a limit, or that‟s your gene. It all can be avoided if it‟s taken care of from the start. I‟m going to use a harsh example, and that‟s cancer. Cancer CAN be cured should it be detected early on, but it becomes fatal the moment you‟ve gone past a late deadline. See? This is the difference between being ignorant of the small details or not. Why are you in an argument with someone? Because you kept on being ignorant of things they wanted differently, of what they wanted and how they wanted something, of multiple disappointments from your side. Don‟t be ignorant of your career, because in the following decades, that will define you as a person in society, unfortunately. Ignorance is the problem that occurs when you overlook something you don‟t like.

Take a relationship. You don‟t like something about GOGA TIMES Page | 28

Just as we could solve so many problems if we talked to each other and not about each other behind our backs.

In life, this is the most important advice I can give you, try to avoid disappointment, anger and many other negative feelings. Of course, you can‟t be spot on each and every aspect, yet should you spot it at some point, flag it and not ignore it. It will persist until it becomes a big drama and everything will end badly. You don‟t want that, and nobody does. Maturity gives you all the results for the situations you were ignorant, and while you‟re unable to do something about it, about what‟s past, you‟re still not half way through your life, you can change what‟s to come. Just be spot on everything that life will present you with and you‟ll see how things can change in time if you do the right things and make the right decisions at the right time!

at least one girl or boy who liked you, it means that your beauty is beyond question. If you‟re tall enough to wear normal clothes, you have nothing to worry about. Also, muscular-wise, it‟s true that genes do confer you muscles, but you can tune them, can increase them, and it‟s never too late.

What I‟m trying to highlight is that physically, it‟s never too late to change anything. You ONLY have to start this change. Try to do daily some sports, and so you would be more satisfied with yourself, even if the results don‟t come all at once. Try to look in the mirror daily and watch yourself, stare at yourself and look straight into your own eyes. You will fall in love with yourself, and will once and for all realize how beautiful you are. That‟s why we fall in love with others, because we look at them. In order to accept yourself you have to look at yourself, to accept yourself, to love yourself.

More self-care required Encountering all the hardships with the new responsibilities you have to stand up for, there are also many problems that start at some point to pop out of nowhere. You start sweating a lot when it‟s hot, you start getting tired so much easier, you start feeling sick and angry about everything, and simply nothing works the way you wanted. At some point you get all kind of diseases you never had before, you start feeling tired and want to rest more and more. Remember those times when your mother struggled so hard with you to make you sleep? When she kept on telling you to sleep in order to get rest? Now you‟re struggling to sleep and can‟t. This is when maturity happens. You must do sports a lot! It‟s possible that not everybody needs to do sport, since he or she may not be fat or something, but it‟s healthy for you and also keeps you in shape to some extent. It‟s the point when you mature or are in the process when you realize that you‟re not as muscular as you thought you would be at this certain age, you‟re not as tall as you hoped you would be, not as beautiful… but it‟s all wrong! You don‟t need to worry about any of this, all you have to do is just do the usual stuff. You don‟t need to worry about your height, about your face or about anything. The reason is that, if you had

As for exercising, try to see it as homework or as an exam. You have to learn,you MUST learn for an exam, and daily you have to prepare. Don‟t make it too long, and try to understand that what YOU do, helps YOU. Every moved muscle, every little stretch, anything will help you somehow. Start it, start it today, live it. You CAN do it! I trust you, look in the mirror and repeat yourself that you can do it. It will be tough the first day, but try to set yourself a timer, try to make yourself a milestone to achieve. Your dream of having a nicer and sexier body is just a few moves away.

Why wait? Start! It‟s never too late to start, but it might be too late for the results if you keep on waiting for your laziness to go away. Is that what guides your life? I don‟t think so. You don‟t want that, nobody wants that. Yet you allow it. See your laziness and lack of motivation as an enemy. An enemy who huGOGA TIMES Page | 29

to be famous, popular, to look good and to make everything work smoothly. But why? Why doesn‟t all this happen? All your life and everything you‟ve done throughout your entire life has brought you to this very moment you‟re reading this. Looking back you‟re never really impressed with what you‟ve achieved, and looking forward you‟re full of unachievable milestones. What‟s gone wrong up until now?

And why do you believe something will change from now on? Will the situation change or not? Should YOU change, or not? Imagine, you‟re 17 or 18, or even 19. You‟re in the final years of school, and are soon going to step out in society. There‟s nothing now that you can do but small changes that are not going to bring you the long awaited results. Is there anything wrong actually or are you just too ambitious and unrealistic? Well, let me tell you something. At this very moment, you‟ve achieved already your dream to be in the best school of Sibiu, you‟ve achieved in passing all these years, making so many friends, and have earned yourself the slightest respect from your close ones. From the very start, you knew somewhere in your mind that not everything you wanted would turn into reality, and always held hope for the tiniest bit of your dream to come true.

Well, it did! You are awesome just like you wanted, you‟re smart and sexy, and made a lot of friends who trust you. It‟s not that you aren‟t happy with who you are and with what you‟ve got, you just hoped for more. It‟s okay to hope and to wish, and for God‟s sake, it‟s okay to be unhappy with some aspects of your life. But it‟s not too late. You‟re already smarter, a million times smarter than about 65% of the earth‟s population, you have a family who loves you, friends who trust you, a home, and bread on your table, a book to read and paper to write on, a glass of water to drink… you‟re so rich, trust me. The only reason why you probably don‟t feel rich and accomplished is because you don‟t know what you have and what some do not. It‟s your maturity process that hasn‟t finished yet that makes you want more, makes you hungry for superstars‟ fame and all that. But do you want that?

No. You don‟t really care what they do, you just want people to know you. Why do you want that? Nobody

knows that, not even you. Be happy with who you are, you still are young and can still learn, ask the elderly, they know best, what should be done in life, what you should aspire for.

Love when it‟s time, have fun and learn and taste out each little slice. It‟s not that bad. You don‟t need fame, you don‟t need to be a superstar, you only have to be happy. You know, we‟re living in a world where people tend to search for their happiness in objects rather than people. You don‟t need an expensive car, but a good friend, which is a thousand times more valuable. And there‟s also a saying that maturity happens the moment you start wishing people for your birthday rather than objects.

Settle down, relax, get off your mind all those ill thoughts and try to be realistic. Try for one second to value your friendship, your relationship if you have one, what you own, you home, you stuff, you family… it‟s all a present from divinity. My belief is that your level of happiness can exceed in this very moment the level of happiness your idol has. It‟s all about feeling good. That‟s why we grow muscles, to attract girls and be HAPPY, that‟s why we do sports, to be healthy and sexy, and live a HAPPY life, that‟s why we learn, to earn decent money and be HAPPY, that‟s why we have friends, to have fun, play games and be HAPPY with them. This is the key to life, happiness.

It‟s all up to you how to find it. My opinion is that you have already found it, you just don‟t know that it‟s that thing that makes you happy when you‟re sad.

That‟s what you should go with. That‟s your happiness. That‟s when complete maturity is correctly achieved.

Miron Mărginean, XII B

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I‟ll Do It Later:

A Tale of Procrastination „‟Good things come to those who wait‟‟ goes an old saying. This is why you only begin working on a project a day before its deadline, you put off writing that essay, you start studying a day before the exam.

You have waited so long to get started with your work and filled that time binge-watching TV shows for hours. You are not procrastinating, you are just waiting for those good things to come. „‟I think they are on their way‟‟, a random thought pops into your head as you stuff your mouth with chips and click on the „‟next episode‟‟ button.

After all, if you can watch a whole season in a day, why wouldn‟t you be able to finish that project in a few hours? You can handle it. You always work better under pressure anyway.

Even if you feel burdened, you will keep putting things off until the last moment. The pile of books and papers on your desk gets bigger every day. Only after the thought of the upcoming deadlines starts to overwhelm you, will you consider doing your work. But of course, you can‟t start working until you have done some online „‟research‟‟.

knowing in fact that you probably your work for the day, you would will not. You are not an organised still do something important. Howperson anyway. You can‟t help it... ever, you should aim to complete at least 75 percent of the tasks on your Wrong. Everyone can change their daily to-do list. habits in order to become more productive and manage their time effi- When you are too tired to work, ciently, with a bit of will power and you are also too tired to watch a with some help from these tips: movie or waste time on the internet . You only have two options: Just start working . Every time finish your work or go to sleep. If you have to do something, promise you choose the latter, you will feel yourself that you will sit down and more energised and will be able to work on it for 15 minutes. That‟s it. work more efficiently.

Only 15 minutes of intense work.

By the time they pass, you will al- Do things step by step .. Do you ready be absorbed in your work and have a whole essay to write? Start will find it more difficult to give by putting some ideas down. Everyup. body can do that. Then write a sentence. It will only take you a miSet your priorities . You know nute. Develop that into a paragraph. what they say: fail to plan, plan to Even a 2nd grader could do that. If fail. This is why it is important to you break your work into smaller make a to-do list at the beginning of pieces that don‟t seem so intimidatthe day and to organise your tasks. ing, you will find it easier to start.

Remember, there are four types of tasks: Try the Pomodoro Technique . „‟Pomodoro‟‟ is the Italian for to-urgent and important mato, as this method was invented -urgent and less important

by Francesco Cirillo, who used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer. This -less urgent and important technique consists in 25 minute ses-less urgent and less important sions of intense work with 5 minute Start with the most urgent and breaks in between. After completimportant task, no matter how ing four pomodori, you should take difficult it is . This way, even if a 15 minute break. Remember, foyou did not manage to finish all cusing on the task and avoiding distractions leads to increased efficiency.

You gather all your strength and end up spending all night studying or doing homework. „‟Next time I‟ll start on time‟‟ you tell yourself, GOGA TIMES Page | 31

Try the „‟Forest‟‟ app . Available on iOS and Android, this app is based on roughly the same principles as the Pomodoro Technique. You get to plant a tree every 30 minutes. In order for your tree to grow, you must not use your phone at all during that interval. If you close the app before 30 minutes had passed, your plant will die. During a day, you get the chance to plant a whole forest. It only depends on you if your forest will have strong, green trees, or bare ones.

If you follow these tips, you will finally be able to overcome procrastination. You will notice that you will work more efficiently and you will also have enough time for the activities you enjoy. Just don‟t go back to watching a whole season of a TV show in one day, and everything will be fine. After all, good things come to those who work hard and know how to manage their time.

%

Coleta-Margareta Giupană, XII B

Prominent Procrastination Techniques

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History Utter Waste of Present Time?

No matter what anybody might say, history represents the past, and the past has undoubtedly passed!

So why should we focus on something boring that does not even concern our present lives? We should be living our own already short lives, not read about what others, dead or not, have done, shouldn‟t we?

What is the point of learning about what Richard the Lionheart or Basarab I did many centuries ago? We live in a different world today, we face radical changes, and so we can‟t learn much from their lives to make our own better. And frankly, how do we know that such personalities learned about their own history in order to make their own present better?

Maybe they didn‟t. So why should we? Answer is – there is no clear answer.

But maybe you‟d like to reflect upon certain aspects before drawing a conclusion. “Don‟t rush into things”, they say. “Do that and don‟t do the other”, some people advise you to. But how do they know?

How could they possibly tell? Because they think of the past. Ever thought that your own life is guided by the experiences of other people? Or by your own experience without you sometimes realizing it? And if so, have you never associated experience with history? You are your own book, but reading other “books” might just give you other impulses about your own „dos‟ and „don‟ts‟. It was never stated anywhere that history has to be only about people, that we should know about everything that happened in their lives or about all the events that have taken place. History was always about the context, the cause and effect. How did it get to that? How could humans even create such a thing as the First World

War? It was a massacre! How could humans even engage into something like that? Why couldn‟t it happen again? Is the human mind so different today for the possibility of something like a World War to be obliterated? We have indeed advanced means of living nowadays, more facilities that bond people from all over the world. People do understand each other better than in the past, or, at least, we don‟t want to gut one another the moment we spot one another. But what would happen should human kind experience another drastic crisis? Can this peace hold? Are our technology and facilities going to keep us together? The human mind has barely changed since the moment we can track our first written works so that we could prove it. Corn was brought to Europe from America. It changed its environment, but the plant remained overall the same.

And so, our political, social and technological contexts have influenced our mind, but not changed it.

The causes of the past may be the causes of the present - for the current effects which resemble the past effects.

To learn about history, the context and, remember, the cause and effect, not every single detail, might help us understand where our actions would lead us, and that once a wound is opened, blood does not have to be shed, once we encounter a problem, we could solve it without violence. You could prevent misery, despair and bloodshed! Think you‟re just a person and you could not change a lot? Think again. These decisions rest on every individuals‟ shoulders. For example, Gavrilo Princip, the man who assassinated the heir to the throne of Austro-Hungary in 1914, was just 19

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years old and he unwillingly created the pretext that would set in motion the forces that would crush each other in the First World War. You could make such a decision as well when the moment arises. Well, if you can‟t acknowledge your own importance, then you can‟t just hopefully expect a peaceful life, can you?

Still think it‟s too boring and you could surely do something a lot more interesting? Probably yes.

Don‟t worry, it can bore even the most passionate of past dwellers. Here‟s a possible remedy for that, if you‟re ambitious. If you wish to learn, don‟t just absorb information, but think logically. Put yourself in the boots of those people who lived long ago, in their context and so, most likely, your feelings will tell you why they did what they did and

why things happened like they did. Think that what was back then was the result of human judgment and that those people were just like us today, only without having at their disposal so many facilities. Human ignorance is something common and natural, but why should you be ignorant, even so, when you can be less ignorant? See things from another perspective, not just from your own and you will, not knowingly, help forge a more intelligible human world. Give history at least 20 minutes per day of your present and you might just change centuries of what will be future history.

Alone, one can‟t convince the other to learn about past experiences, about history. But remember, our mind is not very different in terms of capacities and processes than it was, let‟s say, 3000 thousand years ago. When you realise that what you have today is the result of so much pain, because of not-so-good decisions, and of changes which brought the “better” world we know today to existence, because of rational decisions, you will also realise that you should learn about the past especially because you wish to understand the present better, so that you can predict and aid in changing the future.

Ștefan Bernhardt-Radu, XII B

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I

Up Cl se and Pers nal with the Americans

t started as a joke. My best friend made me promise when we were in the 10th grade that I‟d go with her to the US. I promised, of course. In our second year at university she reminded me of that promise, so we signed up for the “Work and Travel” program. The reality hit us later than you would have expected, not when we made the loan in order to pay for the program and the plane tickets, not when we were being interviewed at the U.S Embassy, not when we got our jobs as waitresses, not even when we were on the plane, but rather when we landed in Washington. There we were, two girls who had never worked before, one step closer to our big adventure.

in the movies. The kind where everybody knows everybody. That was our first lesson there, everybody knows who you are, everybody has questions for these exotic European girls, even more, tell them that you are from Transylvania and watch yourself become a goddess. I am exaggerating of course, but the tips have proven to be bigger once you tell people that you have seen

Dracula‟s castle.

The people

We found jobs on a small island, call Chincoteague, which is located in Virginia Beach, and it‟s completely surrounded by the ocean. The closest city either way was one hour away. It is an idyllic place, voted by the Americans as the happiest place in the US. We found ourselves in an allAmerican small town, the kind you only see

I was told that being a foreigner might be an issue especially in my line of work, which was waitressing, so I braced myself for the worst… which never came. American people are curious, they want to know where you‟re from, how long you have been studying English, how is home, what‟s your impression on the US, if you plan on staying. I would answer all of these questions every day from 04.00 „till 10.30. We only met nice people, who stopped the car one time when I got sick on the side of GOGA TIMES Page | 35

the road and offered me a ride, who gave me a ride once when I was coming back from work and it was raining, who fixed my bike when it broke, again, on the side of the road, who fixed my friend‟s bike when hers broke. You might be tempted to say that it only happened because we lived on a small island, but we got lost in the subway, which is huge, in New York and an American took us to the right station which was 30 minutes away. We might be just lucky, but I left with the feeling that Americans are decent people.

Millenium Park, Chicago

The workplace, a clash of cultures Now, here comes the tricky part. I worked in three different places, for three different employers: an Arab, an Indian and a Turk.

When I left I only had one job, as a waitress at a family diner owned by an Arab. He had to employ us, according to the contract 40 hours a week. That never happened. Once we got there, he realized that he didn‟t really need us there. I worked the night shift, and for the first month he would give me 20 hours a week, which wasn‟t enough to cover my loan or to go and visit New York like I wanted to. So, he found me a second job,

as a housekeeper at a hotel owned by an Indian. So I would work at the hotel in the mornings and at the restaurant in the evening. Which was perfect, until my boss at the restaurant refused to give me days off, and would give me more than 40 hours a week, which meant that I worked for a month and half up to 16 hours a day with no days off. I had the occasional morning off. If anyone wants to sign up for this program you have to know that this is illegal. The employer is legally bound to give one day off a week and no more than 40 hours. Moreover, your boss is not allowed to threaten to cancel your visa, he can‟t do that and it is just intimidation. To cut a long story short, I resigned from the restaurant and I started pedalling towards a new job. I mean I literary grabbed my bike and went from door to door to find a job. And I did, at a different diner owned by a Turk. I mentioned their nationalities because after all, it is a cultural program as well, in which I didn‟t only meet Americans. I ate Indian food made by my mother‟s boss, I had Arab food made by my boss and his brother, I learned that Turkish cuisine is very similar to ours and ate Turkish delight straight from Turkey for the first time. For someone who is into food tourism like me, it made this experience a lot more fun.

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I know that many of you, reading this article wonder about the money. As a waitress I made 2,13$ an hour which meant a 40 $ paycheck at the end of the week because we also paid taxes there. As such, your paycheck is actually the tip. Americans leave at least 20 % tip and in a good restaurant you shouldn‟t go home with less than 100$ a day.

As a housekeeper, I was paid minimum wage, which varies from state to state, but in Virginia it was 7,25 $ an hour. I paid rent 1000 dollars for the whole summer. Taking that into consideration, I made approximately 6000 dollars in three and a half months and I borrowed 2600 dollars in order to get there. It‟s not a lot of profit, but I am proud of it.

The fun!

Now, I will probably surprise you by telling you that working was also part of the fun. At the beginning everything hurt, trays would slip from my hands, I couldn‟t tell which meal was which and I would get confused if I had three tables at the same time. But once I got used to everything, it became so much fun. The customers, the colleagues, the running around - it all became part of my routine for three and a half months and I loved it. Of course, I made a lot of mistakes and was yelled at, but in the end it was worth it. I also made a group of friends: Americans,

Russians, Bulgarians, Turks and with them I celebrated my 21st birthday, I had my first American party, I played beer pong, went karting and rode the Ferris Wheel. With them I swam in the ocean and laughed till dawn.

Also, after I scratched swimming in the ocean off my bucket list I got to fulfill another dream of mine: I went to New York. The great thing about this program is that after the work part is over you are allowed to travel for one month. I only went to New York and Chicago. And the long hours, being tired, the loan, the road there it was all worth it when I watched New York City at night from 86 stories high. The five days that I spent there were amazing: we went on a bike ride through Central Park, we went to the Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, The Flat Iron Building, St Patrick‟s Cathedral, Union Square, Rockefeller Center, Chinatown and my favourite place from New York, the Brooklyn Bridge. It was amazing and what made it even more amazing is that I got my dream vacation on my own money. I came home tired but with a lot of memories and friends.

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The not so much fun part Obviously one of the not-so-much fun parts of my stay in the US was the conflict that I had with my first boss which resulted in my resignation. That shouldn‟t have happened, and it‟s best to know your rights and leave a work environment that is bad for you. No one can force you to stay there, you just have to inform your agency, in the country, of what happened. Another bad thing is that it is a huge no to get sick while on American territory. I had a very high fever which landed me in the hospital for a night via the ambulance. The bill for the ambulance was 1100 $ and for my night in the hospital 600 $. Luckily, we are insured and all we have to do is file a claim to the insurance company.

Also, when you leave the country you have a sponsor in the US who should be available

to answer your questions or help you solve your problems, but you will find that they are very hard to reach.

I would recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat to go to the United States for a summer, not only because you can make money or because you will have fun and make friends but because it‟s an opportunity to meet people from other cultures, you see how another country works because you see how its citizens think and Americans have a “you can do it attitude” that we could learn from. Don‟t let yourselves get scared about what could go wrong, just be ready for that possibility as well so you can deal with it if or when it comes. And if we don‟t go in our big adventures now (although they may have their ups and downs) when are we going to?

Andra Dolana

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THE PORTRA T OF ENGLAND T

odayâ€&#x;s young generation seems to be enchanted by the foggy and rainy streets of England, by the adorable and fancy British accent and the crazy-good music that plays on the radio. Every country is unique and the way we perceive the image of that country depends a lot on some aspects of cultural identity called icons. Some people just do not understand your passion (may I say obsession?) for this amazing country, but hang in there, this article will sketch a portrait of the most eccentric and extraordinary country from Europe, England.

There is no other enduring and imperishable symbol of love and beauty in both art and literature than the red rose. But in England the rose has another significance: the national flower. The rose started being used during the reign of Henry VII who introduced the Tudor Rose, combining a red rose, representing the House of Lancaster, and a white rose, representing the House of York, as a symbol of unity after the English civil wars of the 15th century which, long after, came to be known as the Wars of the Roses.

Be it music or literature, panting or sculpting England has surprised us since the beginning of history and it continues to do so. Allow me to introduce you to a beautiful contemporary sculpture designed by Antony Gormley, The Angel of the North. The steel sculpture of an angel, measures 20 meters in height, with wings measuring 54 meters across. The wings do not stand straight sideways, but are angled 3.5 degrees forward in order “to create a sense of embrace".

According to Gormley, the angel has 3 significances: first, that beneath the site of its construction, coal miners worked for two centuries; second, it grasps the transition from an industrial to information age, and third, it serves as a focus for our evolving hopes and fears.

France may have croissants, but England has roast beef. Roast beef is one of the meats traditionally served at Sunday dinner, although the leftovers can also often be served in sandwiches, along with another traditional side dish, Yorkshire pudding. Admit it! You have always dreamed of going to a 3 Michelin star restaurant to have a big fancy dinner. Well, the British have it in their own home.

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Is there anything more English-like than a nice cup of tea?

With maybe a chocolate biscuit, too? Actually, tea isn't particularly English at all; it's not a native plant, and it only began to be drunk in earnest in the 19th century, when British interests controlled tea production in India. But wherever you go, right across England, you will, for sure, be able to have a good cup of tea.

The tale of Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, antropomorphic creatures has become iconic for England. The tale plays with logic, giving the story lasting popularity with adults as well as with children. Its narrative course and structure, characters and imagery have been enormously influential in both popular culture and literature, especially in the fantasy genre. 'Alice In Wonderland' is probably the first real children's novel. Until Lewis Carroll came along, it was practically unheard of for a publisher to release a book that aimed to entertain children with no secret educational or moral motives.

And now something I know you enjoy-the pub.

There is nothing more English than the pub. Almost every village has one - in fact there are approximately 60,000 pubs throughout the UK. The English have been drinking ale/beer since the Bronze Age, but it was the Romans that first introduced the concept of an actual drinking establishment. It was during the reign of King Richard II in the 14th century that landlords were required to hang a sign outside their pub.

The legislation stated that 'Whosoever shall brew ale in the town with the intention of selling it must hang out a sign, otherwise he shall forfeit his ale'.

Now do you see why we all love England? It‟s not all about One Direction... it‟s the culture, the history, the traditions and the symbols that made us fall in love with this story-like country. England‟s icons are beautifully portrayed on the canvas of history allowing us to engage in its fantasy-like story whenever and wherever we may please.

Sandra Melinda Stanciu, XII B

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English and Scottish Icons

and Park Royal Vehicles.

The first prototype was completed in September 1954 and the last one The Royal Family, golf, pubs, Rolls Royce, the was delivered in Mini, pounds, tea and the perfect accent are 1968. few of the United Kingdom well known emblems we have all heard of. But how about Buckingham Palace is the London residence taking a closer look at each of the best known and principal workplace of the monarchy of icons (while serving a cup of tea)? Great idea the United Kingdom. Located in the City of isnâ€&#x;t it?

Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality.

English Icons

The red telephone box, a telephone kiosk for a public telephone designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, was a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom.

The colour red was chosen to make them easy to spot.

Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, The tower is officially known as the Elizabeth Tower, renamed as such to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II . The tower holds the largest four-faced chimThe AEC Routemaster Is a double-decker ing clock in the world and is the thirdbus designed by London Transport and built tallest free-standing clock tower. by the Associated Equipment Company Royal Mail red post box is a freestanding post box. They are found in the United Kingdom and in most former nations of the British Empire, members of the Commonwealth of Nations and British overseas territories, such as Australia, Cyprus, India, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, the Republic of Ireland, Malta, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

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Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in Wiltshire, England. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is the remains of a ring of standing stones set within earthworks. It is in the middle of the most dense complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred burial mounds.

era. Rooted in beat and 1950srock and roll, the Beatles later experimented with several genres, ranging from pop ballads and Indian music to psychedelic and hard rock, often incorporating classical elements in innovative ways.

Scottish Icons Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A London-based "consulting detective" whose abilities border on the fantastic, Holmes is known for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to adopt almost any disguise and his use of forensic sciDrinking tea became fashionable ence to solve difficult cases. among Britons during the 17th century, who introduced the plant to their possessions The kilt is a knee length in India to bypass a Chinese monopoly. garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traThe James Bond series focuses on a fictionditional dress of men and al British Secret Service agent created in boys in the 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured Scottish Highlands of the him in twelve novels and two short-story 16th century. Since the collections.

19th century it has become associated with the wider The Beatles were an English rock band that culture of Scottish Land in formed in Liverpool, in 1960. With John general, or with Celtic Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harri(and more specific Gaelic) son and Ringo heritage even more broadStarr, they became ly. It is most often made of widely regarded as woolen cloth in a tartan the greatest and pattern. most influential act of the rock GOGA TIMES Page | 42

Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn (maize), rye, and wheat.

Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, generally made of charred white oak.

Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain, begun in AD 122 during the rule of Emperor Hadrian.

In addition to its military role, gates through the wall served as customs posts.

Bagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland bagpipe have the greatest visibility in the English-speaking world, bagpipes have been played for centuries (and continue to be played) throughout large parts of Europe, Turkey, the Caucasus, around the Persian Gulf and in Northern Africa.

The Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid creature whose existence has been suggested but has not been discovered or documented by the scientific The word whisky (or whiskey) is an an- community. It is reputedly a large unglicisation of the Gaelic word uisce/ known animal that inhabits Loch Ness in uisge meaning water. Distilled alcohol the Scottish Highlands.

Ana Maria Pircă, XII E was known in Latin as aqua vitae ("water of life").

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Quiz Time: English Issues 1. In which war was the Battle of Bosworth Field? a) Hundred Years' War b) Wars of the Roses c) Anglo-Spanish War

3. What did Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee invent? a) DNA fingerprinting b) Bowler hat c) World Wide Web 4. The Angel of the North sculpture can be located in which area in the north east of England? a) Northumberland b) Tyne & Wear c) County Durham

2. There is evidence of teaching in The University of Oxford as far back as : a) 1248 b) 1815 c) 1096

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of English you don‟t need to know 1.”Dreamt” is the only English word that ends in the letters g”mt”.

2.There are only 4 words in the English language which end in ”dous” : Tremendous = very big , fast , powerful etc.

Horrendous= frightening , terrible , horrific Stupendous= surprisingly large or impressive ; magnificent Hazardous= dangerous , harmful 3.Tigers have striped skin , not just striped fur.

4.The words racecar and kayak are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left.

5.The sentence ”The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” uses every letter in the English language.

Teodora Octavia Toader, XB

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Lifestyle

How To Get What You Really Want

T

he first step in achieving what you want is deciding exactly what you want. That is, in my opinion, the hardest part, but once you have a dream set, all you have to do is to stick with it. If you believe that certain dream once fulfilled will make you happy, then quitting is not an option, because life is too short to be spent feeling miserable or regretful.

My advice to you is to set small goals, which will help you make progress on your journey to success. Don‟t forget why you started in the first place. It is easy to get caught up in the small and unimportant things or to give up because you don‟t think you‟re good enough, but the truth is you are good enough and as long as you stay focused it is only a matter of time before you reach all your goals. Also, work hard, don‟t be lazy and always give your best. Waiting around for things to happen will get you nowhere.

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You might think “But what if I fail?”

Well, you will fail at some point. Nobody has ever made it at their first attempt, you just got to keep fighting for your dreams. You could see failure as a lesson, rather than a disaster, as an opportunity to grow and not as the end. I believe as well, that you need to have faith, that maybe it‟s all for the best and that better things are coming.

Jim Carrey said “You can fail at what you don‟t want, so you might as well take a chance at doing what you love.” So, I strongly believe that if you do what you love, you will be happy. Don‟t give up on happiness due to fear or practicality. No one said it would be easy, but it will be worth it.

Bianca Bundache, XI B

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Lifestyle

“Hope is a waking dream” Whenever there is something that makes us not succeed in what we were aiming to achieve, whenever we cannot accomplish a goal or a dream, we only think of one thing: we have failed. But is this really the end or are we able to keep going, to fight for what we want?

Sumner Redstone once said “Great success is built on failure, frustration, even catastrophy”, therefore, the path to success is made up of all the attempts that failed. Redstone made a very good point, although a lot of people doubt these words because they see failure as the end of their dreams. But what if we could pull ourselves together, what if we could get over this and keep going?

Failing is natural, even necessary for our development, for growing up. So, whenever you feel that you didn‟t make it, remember: it‟s the mistakes that we learn from. Do you ever think that there is no point in doing something again just because you failed the first time? Of course you do, it‟s naturaldon‟t we all? But once you gain the strength to get up on your feet and start all over with determination and ambition, the chances that you will succeed are way much higher than before, as studies show.

So, remember: never lose hope, even if you may fail, even if nobody believes in you anymore, never give up!

Because, as Aristotle wrote: “Hope is a waking dream” and if there is hope, the way to success is certain, even if sometimes we “stumble” while walking on this road!

Iris Rusu, XI B Think pink! There is no success without failure, but you have to think positive like everything is going OK in the end. Everyone feels moody and bad after failing at something, for example passing an exam. Just drink a nice cup of warm tea, eat chocolate and read a good book. Actually, chocolate contains many antioxidants, which release the feeling of happiness and joy. Trust me, this could work out! After following these steps, for sure you will feel ten times better. Then, again you could focus on what you have to do and try to prove that you are the best.If you ever fail and feel really bad about it, remember that once a wise man sad “Fall nine times, stand ten times!”. After all, we are humans and everybody makes mistakes, why shouldn‟t we make the best of our life, have positive thinking and a body that is in harmony with the mind?!

RuxandraVirca, XI B Few of our failures are fatal. This appeal to all, but we certainly don‟t act like it. When our mistakes stare us in the face, we often find it so upsetting that we miss out on the primary benefit of failing. Yes, benefit! The chance to get over our egos and come back with a stronger and smarter approach. Having this kind of perspective can already solve half of the problem.

Denisa Coman, XI B GOGA TIMES Page | 47

Lifestyle

Life‟s

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More and more people claim that when you believe in something, when you see a challenge more like an opportunity, you are more likely to achieve what you want. In one way I could say that it is true. Do you want to know why?” A negative mind will never give you a positive life”, and by this I think you will understand what I want to tell you. You can‟t just constantly repeat in your head or tell yourself negative things like “you can‟t” , “you are not good enough” , “you are a total mess” and expect to succeed or life to respond you in a positive way. ”What you think you become” so try, just try for a few moments to embrace the life you live, to love who you are and the others around you and maybe ,just maybe a miracle will happen , because miracles happen every day but too often we Do you feel that everything is going wrong in your are too blind to see them. life, that you are not good enough or even a total disappointment in people‟s eyes? Stop with that wrong and negative thinking! Just take a moment, look I am also certain that around because “the world has music for those who besides the inner listen”. voice that usually makes people give up so quickly and stop fighting for what they want, there are the people around us who often contribute to losing one‟s hope.

Society has become an all-too important factor in our everyday life and the way a girl or a boy should grow as a person. So, a good piece of advice would be: don‟t let society turn It is already a well-known fact that a positive mind you into something you are not! Go ahead, take risks always takes you closer to achieving a goal, ensuring a and follow your craziest dreams and goals because good future for yourself. I can tell this because I‟ve this is what life is about. We are not robots or mabeen through hard times, I know what loneliness, low- chines, we are human beings and the fact that every self esteem or underestimation felt like and the most one of us is fighting their own battle makes us special important thing is that I have learned how to move on and beautiful. Therefore, ignoring all the bad words in life. The secret is to trust yourself and always keep and other people‟s ideas of how we should live our in mind words like “I know I can do this”, ”I am good lives will only improve our life quality. What about enough for this”, ”I will succeed” etc. These are the replacing the bad words with the key-words of a hapkeywords which have helped me improve my confi- py life? Maybe this will help! dence and self-esteem and prove to myself that with positive and happy thinking and personality I can achieve my dreams. And if I can, so can everybody else.

aa

Gift

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Lifestyle I know, life‟s hard and bad things happen every day but remember, after every storm the sun rises so maybe not today, not tomorrow but eventually you will be fine, you will radiate love because you are beautiful and you are worth saving. You must be aware of the danger of being depressed, sad and constantly at war with yourself, unhappy or dissatisfied with your life because it stops you from being the opposite- grateful to God for giving you this life.

“Change the way you look at things and the things you look at will change” I promise you! You could ask

www.cnogsibiu.ro “Who is this and why is she telling me these things?”

You could even think that I‟m mad , I can‟t change your opinion but I can assure you that I‟ve been through every single situation ,every single mood and I didn‟t have someone to help me, so that‟s why I am trying to help you.

I know, I don‟t have the power to change your mind, to make you understand how important positive thinking is in your life, your choices but you are and I hope you will succeed in realizing it. In the end you will stop, look at the sky and you will laugh when you see how perfect everything is! Don‟t wait for a miracle because it won‟t happen and life doesn‟t stop for everybody. Shine on, little star!

Adelina & Anda Miclea, XI A

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Lifestyle

I‟ll (talk) type to you later…

(un)Virtual Life

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram…thanks to mobile networks and smartphones, the average teenager spends his entire day hooked to at least one of these social platforms. Now the question that comes naturally is: in a society where “LOL” has become a word in actual, real life conversations, how much of a true necessity are social networks and how much a mere distraction from our daily life?

Once you put something on the internet, it remains there. For ever. I know you've heard many times that if you don't have a facebook account you don't exist. These words really grind my ears. I will give you some advice and tips from my life experience.

It‟s a way of keeping informed about everything that happens around the world, that‟s for sure. If some guy in I don‟t know what country does something unusual he‟s sure to become an internet sensation. Same goes for riots, natural catastrophes or scientific breakthroughs. News travels fast. And that‟s not such a great thing. As a result of the avid need for information, articles that get on social networks are often poorly documented and misleading. We all know how twitter‟s “brilliant” character limit policy can lead to massive confusion.

But an image can never have just dark shapes, can it? There are obviously good aspects about these sites. They do a great deal in motivating the masses towards a common goal, or a certain goodwill campaign. How could we forget the “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge” or this year‟s presidential election when thousands of young people took responsibility and convinced their friends to vote?

So all in all, should you eliminate social media from your life altogether, at all costs? No. It‟s not like we‟re dealing with the plague here. But trust me, more of the actual FACE to face contact, more of actually reading a BOOK will do you a whole lot better than, you know…putting those two words together.

Denisa Avram, XI B

I don't like facebook anymore. I have deleted my account and I try to focus on my daily life and faceto-face relations with other people.

You should try it, too. You can try to "disappear" from the web by deleting your social network accounts and doing other activities like going to the gym, reading a book, cycling, or talking with your family members and friends; when I say "talk", it means face-to-face talk and not messages on facebook, messenger or other types of network communications.

I know that internet invades your social life. But I know that you are strong enough to stop it. As a youngster, there are so many other things you can do and you should know that you will never live these beautiful years again. Obviously, social networks have advantages, too. Facebook helped me meet other people from other cities and spend time with them.

Recently, "facebook generation" won the Presidential elections in Romania by anti-Victor Ponta messages and meetings on private groups on Facebook to discuss going to vote and going to protests against Romanian Prime Minister, throughout the election campaign.

So this is why I don't like facebook and other social network communities. What you do is your choice, but if you continue to upload personal information, you will have no private life. Think about that!

Dorin Bîrsan, XI A GOGA TIMES Page | 50

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Lifestyle

Perfectly Rational Reasons Why my Father Does Not Need

Smartphone

a

1. Because it takes him ages to write “newspaper” on our PC keyboard. Imagine that on a tiny screen.

2. Because he does not know how to spell “apps”, let along how to use one.

3. Because the only two people he ever talks to are me and my mother, and his only two sentences are “your mother is not here” and “why aren‟t you talking to me?”

4. Because my father does not have a Facebook.

My father does not need a Facebook. No matter how much my father tries to convince me that he, indeed, needs a Facebook, he will never get a Facebook.

5. Because my father does not need to know who Kim Kardashian is.

6. Because my father‟s money can be better spent. For example, on his beloved child - me.

7. Because, knowing my father, he will most likely be enslaved by his own smartphone.

8. Because my father‟s soul may be all young and hip, but his comprehension on the latest WhatsApp updates is equivalent to that of all the old men playing chess in our local park.

9. Because I am seriously afraid of the number of Instagram selfies that might be taken. #clau‟sdadrules 10. Because I love him. And because of this love, I refuse to let my father own a better phone than mine.

Claudia Diana Coţovanu, XII B

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Lifestyle

Facts, fiction and family For better or for worse, in sickness and in health – that is how it all begins. Ever since we were little, we have been bombarded with the idea that nothing is more important than family and that without a family, life has no meaning or purpose. But is this the case nowadays?

Times have changed and so have people. With the constant evolution of technology, quality time with loved ones seems to be rather forgotten, or, in most cases, is replaced with a few hours spent in front of the TV every Friday night. We all know it, we all hate it, but we tend to ignore it, hoping that things will change tomorrow, preferably on their own. Today, nothing is more depressing than seeing a fiveyear-old on the playground with an Iphone, with his

www.cnogsibiu.ro The generation gap seems to be getting deeper every year and the only one that can be accused is the lack of communication. Children have stopped talking to their parents and parents have stopped trying to talk to their children. Hectic schedules, stress, anger, desire for freedom and independence have contributed to creating this ticking time bomb between generations that explodes every time there is an argument.

The new trend in raising children is actually a very Spartan one: do it yourself, you are old enough!

Children feel neglected, while parents remain clueless.

Debates can be held over this subject, but in the end we can all agree on one thing: the bond between family members was closer fifty years ago than it is today. So, what can be done about this? We can start by doing what we were supposed to do a long time ago: love, respect, cherish and realize that time has a limit. There might not be another tomorrow for problem solving, but we will always have today for a heartwarming “I love you!”

Claudia Diana Coţovanu, XII B mother closely watching him, while discussing business on her Blackberry.

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LIVE TO LOVE Don't we all want to have a beautiful love story, or someone who can share with us the most important moments? In this article you will find out that the love of your life can be in front of another side of a computer screen.

Dating websites have really created a revolution in the last year. Why? Because people like you, or me or anybody else want to find the secret of eternal happiness.

You don't have to wait for your 45th birthday party to see the "prince on a white horse", or to regret that you didn't push the click button when you had to. We also have seen on TV many couples who succeeded in having a beautiful relationship or marriage just because they were brave enough to start dating after getting to know each other on the internet.

Start with "Hello!". You will never know if that simple word can be transformed later into "Will you marry me?". We all know that sometimes it is really Well, the choice could be made today if you, the one hard to start a conversation with a stranger, so take a who reads this, are ready for a beautiful start of a perbreath, turn on your laptop and make a change. Online fect relationship. dating is the answer to your love problems, because it Anca Mﾄビginean, XI B could be a good start to increase your self-confidence.

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Lifestyle

Eating healthy has never been this easy!

I bet that everyone has ever thought “Oh, I would like to be slim and fit…”, well, in order to begin your trip to becoming healthy, slim or even good looking, first you must read these tips & tricks that I am going to reveal to you!

When people hear about “healthy eating”, the first thing that comes their minds is another useless diet.

But it‟s not! People need to learn that it is a way of living, a lifestyle that can be adopted by anyone. With the help of healthy eating not only can you feel good and be healthy, but you can lose weight and slim down the fat that is unnecessary to the human body.

Everyone should feel better in their own skin, but if you feel like you don‟t like your body, then it‟s time for a change. And this change can be made only if you are motivated to live like this, because after all this lifestyle means that the mind and the body are in harmony, they are connected and both should be pleased.

ther than eating 2 or 3 big meals boosts up the metabolism.

Eating a meal every 3 or 4 hours per day fuels you up, and this way you will always be energized, in a good mood and never hungry. Before and after every meal a glass of water is recommended, as it helps to digest better the food and to be hydrated.

In order to avoid all those “bad” foods you have to replace them with a healthier version. For example, white bread can be replaced with rye bread, wholegrain bread and gluten free bread. Two slices in the morning with peanut butter and jelly (without sugar of course!) and a banana are perfect to give you enough proteins and good fats for the next 3 or 4 hours. If you are a pasta lover, I have good news! It can be replaced with corn pasta, potato pasta or wholegrain pasta. Also, wheat flour can be replaced with oats flour, coconut flour, rye flour, almond flour etc. Cook with anything but wheat flour!

Essentially, “healthy eating” means eating lots of fresh fruits and veggies, avoiding processed foods like sweets, pizza, white bread, fast food etc. Also it means drinking a lot of water, 2-3 liters per day, eating small amounts of food, but often. Specialists in nutrition have shown that eating 4 or 5 small meals per day raGOGA TIMES Page | 54

Lifestyle

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Now let‟s talk about sugar, which is the first enemy of Chocolate or cocoa the human body. Not only does it cause diseases and is is not to be avoided fattening, but it seriously damages our skin. as many of you may think! Sure, Did you know that chocolate that conin most cases of tains a lot of sugar acne, sugar is the should be restricted, main cause? But but there is chocowatch out, I have late that doesn‟t the solution! Sugar contain sugar or can be replaced additives. In a recent study it has been proven that with stevia (0 calochocolate contains many antioxidants that help our ries!!), honey, maskin look bright and young. Also, it reduces stress and ple syrup or cocoprevents depression. So, eat chocolate, but make sure nut sugar. If you it‟s a dark type and sugar free. like to cook cakes or candy, then go Another food that gets in the way of becoming healthy ahead and replace is sunflower oil. It contains a lot of bad fats for our the flour and sugar with what I have recommended to bodies, makes us feel bloated, it is all processed, but you, as there are so many options! Of course, sweets wait… this oil can also be replaced. Use instead cocoare not really recommended in a healthy lifestyle, just nut oil, which has almost the same benefits as chocoonce or twice per week they are acceptable. But if you late, also it is said to be anti-aging. That‟s why a lot of feel like eating something to satisfy your sweet tooth, women use it on their bodies instead of body lotions better choose dates, which are very sweet and 7 per and cream. Another substitute can be palm oil, which day give you the nutrients and carbs for a whole day. can be used when frying potatoes or another vegetaOr you can choose snacking on some seeds, like nuts, bles. caju, almonds, sunflower seeds. These give you some very good fats that the human body needs to be ener- Another tip which I can give you is that from now on, gized in every moment of the day. An interesting fact you should never combine mashed potatoes with is that a handful of almonds consumed first thing in meat! Not a lot of people know that with this combination you can add a lot of weight because potatoes the morning helps get rid of the belly fat! mean carbohydrates and meat means proteins. Just remember: if you want to eat meat with vegetables, never use potatoes. Use instead mushrooms, broccoli, aubergine or anything that is green and vegetable.

RuxandraVirca, XI B

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Lifestyle

The Raw d

Side of

Life Have you ever thought about the fact that cooked food takes longer to digest? Well, it was proven that cooked food clogs up our digestive system and arteries with partially digested fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Some specialists have found that there is a solution which can put an end to those problems. It is called raw food. Yes! I am talking about uncooked food at all!

g

Even if it requires a lot of organization this kind of diet could be very useful for your health. Donâ€&#x;t forget that motivation is the key. It is very hard to keep it up, especially when you go out to eat, but all you have to think about are the benefits which are involved in this kind of lifestyle. You will lose weight and also the risk of developing heart and cardiovascular disease will significantly came down. I also have to mention the beneficial influence that this kind of diet brings to our skin. It will be brighter, healthier and would have a much better appearance.

I am not saying that it would be easy, all I am saying is that it would be worth trying it. Happiness only comes to those who suffer.

Denisa Coman, XI B

If you want to go in for a raw vegan diet you should know that there are a lot of benefits? I think that the most important thing is that you will have more energy during the day. Energy that could be used for a variety of reasons and on many tasks. We all live in a world where our time is limited and we have to know how to divide it.

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Lifestyle

Even though marin blue is a cold colour, the fashion designers propose it to be worn this spring.

Dedicated to strong and nonconformist women, the clothes in this shade will make you reach the There are a milion reasons why girls love shopping. top.

Most of them because they are bored, stressed or angry, or because they have too much money and want all the brand-new things, or because they find A combination between the original green and mintyshopping a good reason to meet new people and make green, the pastel green is a fresh shade that seduces irremediably. Like a methaphor of life, the green will friends.

Shooping is an interesting thing for every girl around be everywhere: clothes, accesories and shoes. the world, but it musn't become an obsession.

Now it's winter, but very soon the spring will keep the Earth alive so we must prepare to welcome this season right?

Well, the fashion week just finished, and the most important fashion designers chose the palette of colours for the new season. They chose pastel shades for sensitive and fragile women, and bright shades for bold and extravagant women.

Why Girls

Love

Shopping

These are the colour shades we should wear: The first one we should take into consideration is light blue. Expression of freshness and fragility, light blue is a colour that can be worn in any outfit.

An elegant, chic and classic colour that is your wardrobe's must have is classic blue. It becomes a cromatic alternative shade for the eternal black, for the evening outfits.

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Lifestyle The colour that makes us think of the estival season and the beach's hot sand is beige, a shade that lights our outfit.

Beige is created for adventurous and sophisticated women.

Don't forget about the intense red and its adjacent shades. Classic, rafinate, seducer and sophisticated, that's how fashion designers describe the outfits including red pieces.

Pink, the colour of spring fruits, is a strong vibration wave for the new collections. The pastel clothes, impregnated with this shade are dedicated to feminity and teenage spirit.

The spring keeps the khaki in its chromatic palette.

An ephitet of military trend, khaki means sobriety and strictness.

From this palette of colours, the pale yellow couldn't miss. Bright shade of dynamism and optimism, pale yellow gives off a lot of elegance.

The shades of brown and chocolate-like are shining in the new collections.

Colours of romanticism, passion and fine-taste, they can be assorted to evening or office outfits.

Among these colours, there will always exist the combination between black and white, which was and will be one of the most wonderful combinations.

So if you wanna be that girl who is going to welcome the spring in the best way, you might have an outfit ĂŽn one of the shades mentioned in the article and you will reach the top.

And a piece of advice, go shopping!

Do it for your soul, not only for material things!

Teodora AnamariaSuciu, IX D

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Lifestyle

total relaxation). So living the terror of having an alarm clock waking you up at 6:30 am after 2 days of sleeping until noon and laying around in bed all day, doesn't really make you love Monday. And just thinking about how difficult it is to roll out of bed, and hit the floor running, faced with other 4 days of work Well it's a really good question, and to answer it I schedules, school requirements, and family and housethink I'll need to make some research. When did peo- hold obligations ... Yaack!! It's just exhausting... And ple start hating Mondays? And where does this hatred as we manage to drag our heads off the pillows, the come from? first thing that pops into our mind is a bunch of tasks that we brilliantly postponed from Friday to Monday.

Some studies show So on Monday mornings everybody drowns themthat we develop this selves in coffee and tries to be as productive as possihatred somewhere ble. around middle-school.

When we start having And then there is the unanswerable question: Why is to work at home for Monday so far from Friday, and Friday so close to projects and special Monday? It's just unfair. Some even say that God gave assignments, so basically (Warning: I'm about to use us Monday to punish us for what we've done during the H word): Homework. the weekend.

Why Do People Hate Mondays?

If we ask high school students, theyâ€&#x;ll say the same thing, they hate those days so much because they usually have a lot of homework. But I personally think that there's more to it than just the work we have to do.

So in conclusion, Monday generally sucks for everybody (excuse the language) from middle school students to adults who have extremely tiring jobs. We just have to live with it, and just see the bright side of it:

Monday only happens once a week!

Teodora Ancău, IX D

The hatred is also fueled by the fact that Monday is the first day after the weekend (2 days in which we just explore how lazy we could be, and enter a state of GOGA TIMES Page | 59

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Lifestyle

B

ts e P d e elov

Everyone needs a special someone or rather something even from the early stages of their life, not to mention when moving further in life; someone to listen to whatever you have to say is a nice thing to have. In any case there are no better listeners than the voiceless creatures of the earth.

Be they as common as cats, dogs or parrots or even more exotic, such as lizards, snakes or spiders, these little, or large in some cases, creatures brighten up their owners‟ day by just doing what they do best… and that is to love unconditionally.

Let‟s take for example dogs, as these furry, happy go lucky creatures are always loving, protective and ready to put a smile on their owner‟s face whenever they need it. Dogs love without any condition, they are grateful for anything they get, but they are also smart and understanding, often giving the impression that they actually understand what you have to tell them.

They can also be very protective when it comes to the safety of their masters and they will never bite the hand that feeds them.

Cats are another common example of household pets, but unlike dogs they offer love in small doses and often get irritated quickly and for no apparent reason.

Nevertheless, these furry, cute little felines brighten the day of their owners just as much. Purring whenever they are happy, they like getting much attention and will often actively seek it from the owners, making for great playmates.

Whatever your choice may be: furry, cute little kittens, loving canines or maybe you‟re more inclined to the exotic side and prefer a reptilian friend, everyone needs a loyal friend that will never disappoint them.

Happy people, maybe the happiest of people are pet owners. That is what a study conveys, that pets significantly enhance people‟s quality of life, especially emotionally. Here are a few students that are extremely pleased with their little “friends”:

I have a Havanese Bichon. She is one and a half years old, and her name is Maya. She‟s a smiling and playful girl and she always makes me happy. She makes me laugh especially when I eat. She sits near me, she leans her head on one side and she seems that she‟s begging me to give her a little part of my food.

Sergiu Rus, XI D

My pet is a little more exotic. I had a three year old deer and her name was Miri, but unfortunately she died. I will always keep her in my memory because she amused me when she climbed the stairs and she came in my room. She always stayed behind me, following me everywhere. She came with me even in the bathroom.

Antonia-Maria Frăţilă, XI B

I want to introduce you to Kassi. She‟s a turtle, who is almost 3 months old and she‟s really sweet. Even though most of the time, she sleeps or eats, when she‟s hungry and I don‟t give her food, she exits the aquarium and she walks around. The most beautiful moment was when I taught her to eat from my hand.

Dacian Iamu Andrei, XI E

I had an Agama Lizard with beard, which was bought by my brother when it was one and a half years old, and now, of course, I miss her. It was really funny everytime I washed her. It played with the water and in the summer, when I took her out, it stayed in the sun where it was warm. Usually, when we stayed in, it was always over me, when I was watching TV or when I was at my computer. Even though it had cold blood, its attitude was very warm.

Silvana Lotrean, XII D Iulia Ghişe, X F GOGA TIMES Page | 60

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Which Pet Suits You?

1: What destinations do you prefer for your holiday? a) Places of maximum entertainment b) Places of relaxation c ) Exotic destinations d) Historical places 2: What do you do when you‟re sad? a)I go out with my friends b)I listen to music, I watch some movies c)I eat sweets d)I find an escape in work 3: What would you prefer to give to you your lover? a)A journey in the mountains b)A love letter c)A ticket at your favourite movie d)A romantic dinner at your place 4: How do you react when your rights are being a violated? a)I do something immediately b)I fight, regardless of the consequences c)I analyze the problem on all sides d)It makes me upset, I discourage myself 5: Why do you want a pet? a)I want to play with him, to teach him some elementary tricks b)I want an animal which I can pet and I can hug him c)I want a pet to entertain me d)I want to watch him, to see his behavior 6: What kind of movies do you like? a)Action movies b)Romantic and psychological movies c)Thriller movies d)Documentaries 7: Who will take care of your pet, when you‟re out? a)I never travel far away, I can take him with me b)I have many friends who also have pets and can take care of mine too, for the time I‟m away c) I could ask my friends or neighbours, but they don‟t have experience with the animals d) I haven‟t thought about this aspect before.

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Lifestyle Count the number of answers with the same letter.

If you have chosen predominantly a), your ideal animal is the DOG. You are dynamic and energetic. You like to get involved in many activities and on different plans. That‟s why you hate the monotony and you are never bored, because you always find something to do.

Your life rhythm is an alert one. Usually you do not think before you act, and that‟s why, sometimes your decisions are made in a rush.

You‟re brave, and because most of the time you have the ideas and you are excited, you can mobilize the others.

If you have chosen predominantly b), your ideal animal is the CAT. You‟re caring and you like to give or receive affection.

You care about the spiritual warmth you give the others. You are quite a discreet person. That‟s why you like to talk just about the general things, not about personal details.

You are a sensible, an emotional and a very easy to impress person. You are preoccupied just with your thoughts and feelings.

If you have chosen predominantly c), your ideal animals are the BIRDS (parrots, parakeets, pigeons, etc.)

You are a romantic type. You are very sensitive and you are impressed by every love story.

You need love in your life and you don‟t like loneliness. You want a partner which can spoil you, and you can do the same thing for him/ her. You put great emphasis on fidelity, yours and your partner.

You are a spontaneous and very communicative person.

If you have chosen predominantly d), your ideal animal is the FISH (+turtle/ lizards/ other exotic animals) You have great imagination and you always have a solution to your problems. You don‟t like the simple things without sense, because you are quite likely to get bored very easily.

Regarding the people that surround you, you choose very carefully your close friends. They know you are a serious person and can count on you, if they need help.

You like the exotic destinations and the really special events.

Iulia Ghişe &AdelinaMărginean, X F

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Leisure Time

Immortal Songs

M

usic. It is a language. It gets under your skin and influences your feelings. If we weren‟t talking about music, the last part would sound a bit evil. But what is it really that makes it so special? Besides giving us an identity and always sticking with us through hard times like an invisible best friend, one of the best attributes of music is that it can‟t be forgotten.

Good music never dies and in one way or another it always remains around, etched into people‟s hearts and minds, for it takes no more than a few seconds to recall the lyrics or at least the melody of well-liked songs. I will now give a shout-out to ten„70s to „90s songs that we all know and still love.

Queen‟s most popular hits at his home in Holland Road, Kensington, West London. But maybe that is the most special part of this song, that it leaves you thinking and allows you to come up with your own meaning. Of course, this single is not all about the lyrics. Being the most expensive song ever made at that time, it consists of several sections: a cappella, ballad followed by a guitar solo, opera and hard rock. At 5 minutes and 55 seconds it was also lengthy for a song and various executives suggested that it would never become a hit. Against all odds, it was successfully released in 1975 and included in the album A Night at the Opera.

Knockin’ on Heaven’s Doorby Bob Dylan

Beat It by Michael Jackson

The song was written and sung by Bob Dylan, initially for the film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. After being released as a single in 1973, we can judge how popular it was by the number of bands that covered it alone. And they were not the kind of bands that played in the back of the garage either, but popular ones like Guns N‟Roses or U2. The song reached #12 on the BillboardHot 100 singles chart but leaving that aside, we can tell how popular it still is by the number of times a week we hear it on Goga Radio.

The list couldn‟t be complete without one song from the King of Pop and Beat It is probably one of his most acclaimed and loved hits. The cornerstone of the singer‟s 1982 album Thriller, Beat It received the Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, making Thriller become the best-selling album of all time. Frequently listed in greatest song polling lists, Beat It had a large impact on pop culture and it has been covered by many popular singers decades after its release, most notably Eminem, Fall Out Boy and Pierce the Veil.

Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen You‟ve probably never heard a song that makes so much sense.

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How Am I Supposed to Live without You by Michael Livin’ on a Prayer by Bon Jovi Bolton It‟s hard to believe that Jon Bon Jovi did not initially It‟s safe to say that Michael Bolton is one of the most like the song we all love today. Luckily for the fans, famous ballad singers of all time, although he original- he was convinced otherwise and ended up including ly debuted as a hard rock musician. At this point, fans the chart-topping single in the band‟s 1986 album all over the world are grateful for this radical change Slippery when Wet. Livin’ on a Prayer was wellof path. Although How Am I Supposed to Live with- received on the radio and hit nr. 1 in Billboard Hot out You was written by Bolton in 1983, it was first 100, thus becoming the band‟s signature song. Decperformed by actress Lisa Hartman followed by singer ades after its release, it is still placed high on online Laura Branigan. However, when he finally recorded charts, its popularity resurfacing again in 2013 due to his own version in 1989, it instantly became his big- a viral video. gest hit, reaching first place on several charts.

Wind of Change by Scorpions By listening to the lyrics of this song, we can all more or less tell what it is about. When Klaus Meine, the Co-written and sung by vocalist of the band visited Moscow in 1989, he was Jennifer Rush in 1984 , inspired to write this song talking about hope after the the song became a fall of Communist-run governments. However, it did worldwide hit after not become a hit until 1991, a year after its release, reaching nr. 1 in several just after the fall of the European charts, CanaSoviet Communist party. da, New Zealand and Topping various charts Australia. It became a across Europe and pop standard as it was America and selling miltranslated into various lions of copies worldlanguages and covered by popular artists such as wide, it became one of Celine Dion. Despite its overall success, it failed to the best-selling singles gain much popularity in America because, the produc- of all time. ers felt, it was “too European”.

The Power of Love by Jennifer Rush

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My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion

Ti-am dat un inel (I gave you a ring) by Holograf

We can all surely remember the movie Titanic, not just for its actors but also for its main theme song. Originally released in 1997, My Heart Will Go On went straight to the top of various charts all over the world, thus becoming Dion‟s signature song.

Even though it enjoyed widespread popularity, not everyone enjoyed it, including Kate Winslet who played the role of Rose DeWitt Bukater, due to the fact that everyone she knew would start playing it whenever she was around.

Holograf is one of the most outstanding Romanian bands and it has been actively performing since 1978.

It‟s very rare for a band, especially a Romanian one, to last for this long but Holograf keeps surprising us with new hits every once in a while. Ti-am dat un inel is part of the 1998 album Supersonic and it‟s one of the songs everyone can easily remember as being one of Holograf‟s most catchy hits.

… and the list could go on forever. Because the music culture is so immense, we can‟t do it justice with one article. But every song, even those not mentioned, continues to live through us because we remember them.

When it comes to music, fans are never wrong.

Maria Topîrcean, XII B

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The Maze Runner. A Review The more I tell myself that I should devote classical literature a greater part of my reading time, the more I get lost in the sea of young-adult novels. My latest distraction is called “The Maze Runner”, the eldest sister in the trilogy, written by James Dashner.

I‟ve started reading this book in the best way you can, that being with zero expectations and no idea whatsoever what it was about. I picked it up, not because it was said to be “the next Hunger Games” (we‟ll get more into that later) but solely because of the title: 1). Mazes are cool and 2). I despise running. Reading about it however…far more convenient. And, indeed, it turned out to be a really pleasant surprise.

What we‟re dealing with is a work of postapocalyptic fiction (you know, the ones that approach the possible scenarios of life on Earth after it goes BOOM for one reason or another). That also falls, naturally, in the Science Fiction and Dystopia genres.

The book starts off highly confusing with Thomas, the curious, brave and kind of reckless protagonist, who wakes up inside a maze, with no memory of his past besides his name. There he finds an entire community established by other boys whose memories are also gone. They live in a part of the maze called the Glade and each individual is given different tasks like gardening, building, butchering and yes, you‟ve guessed it: running. The Runners explore the labyrinth looking for a way out, while trying not to get murdered by vicious creatures called Grievers.

names you‟ll come upon the most being Alby – big boss, Newt – second in command and a true joy, Minho – leader of the Runners and king of sarcasm (no, seriously, that kid‟s got a witty remark for anything) and Teresa – aka the special delivery, the only girl in the Glade whose arrival is meant to bring a terrifying message.

As concerns the originality, is this other Divergent (about which you can easily say, was written by someone who read “The Hunger Games” and thought: “Well, I could change that slightly and make a ton of money”)? The answer is obvious: no.

The premise, the typology of the characters, the plot are all different, to define an entire genre based on a single, otherwise brilliant, series of books shows ignorance, to say the least. The author admitted however, being inspired by “Lord of the Flies”, since that book made him want to create a piece that would have a similar idea as a starting point.

The book is a real page turner that somehow manages to still keep you hanging, with many unanswered questions after 374 pages. That being said, you will feel the need to read the sequel like I feel the need to have tissues around, whenever I watch “The Fault In Our Stars”.

And what better way to end this review than by quoting the publisher himself: “Thanks, James! It’s not like I wanted to sleep for a week anyway!”

Denisa Avram, XIB

Basically, this book is like a giant puzzle that you get to solve along with the characters and so it offers a really insightful perspective despite the 3rd person narration, with a lot of unexpected twists and turns that are sure to keep you intrigued. Does it sound confusing? Great. Because it should.

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FANTASTIC „MALIFICENT”

M

alificent is a Walt Disney dark- fantasy she tries to take care of her . But when Aurora finds production which takes after „Sleeping out about Malificent’s true colours she runs at the Beauty” but it is written from the witch perspective. castle where she falls in an endless sleep that even the prince’s kiss couldn’t wake her up.Only when The action takes place in a fiction world which is Malificent kisses her forehead she wakes up and after that Aurora gives her wings back so that she could defeat Stefan.

Even though Malificent seems to be a witch without a heart no one seems to understand her feelings when Stefan lied to her and cut her wings so that she became a cold person who was actually heartbroken by him.

divided in two worlds: the human kingdom that isjealous of the Moore kingdon that is populated with magical beings.

At the beginning Malificent is a fairy but after Stefan’s betrayal , a boy she met a few years ago and later fell in love with , she declares herself Queen of

With the help of Aurora she returns at her old self and continues her life and Aurora is named Queen of both worlds united with Philip , her prince at her side.

This movie is not only a movie about the magical world but also about the power a person has over someone’s feelings and how easy they can be destroyed.

Moore .Diaval is a raven that she saved and made him human to serve as her own companion. He is the one who tells her about the birth of Stefan’s daughter . She appears uninvited at the newborn christening and curses the princess. In the end while she begins to get to know Aurora she feels guilty for what she did and

Cristina Benghea, IX F

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THE FAULT IN OUR STARS All of us dream of a perfect love story, just like in a fairy tale , but even if we met the love of our life sometimes fate has another thought so we don‟t get our happy ending.

and together they learn about love and their life after they were diagnosed with cancer which Gus associated with a cigarette: “It's a metaphor, see: You put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you don't give it the power to do its killing.”

At first she didn‟t want to start a relationship with him because she was a ”grenade and at some point I'm going to blow up and I would like to minimize the casualties, okay?” Gus‟s answer convinced her “Oh, I wouldn't mind, Hazel Grace. It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you.” You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world...but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices.”

Their love meets another obstacle when they go to Hazel , played by Shaylene Woodley experienced that Amsterdam to meet Hazel‟s favorite author who unfirst hand with Gus played by Ansel Elgort in the movie “The fault in our stars” based on the colossal young fortunately proves to be different from what she thought. But they don‟t let that ruin their vacation so adult bestseller by Josh Green. they continue to visit the city and make new memories.

In the end fate still can‟t be delayed so when Gus tells her that he only has a few months to live she is devastated. At his request she reads her funeral speech in which she tells him that” There are infinite numbers between 0 and 1. Some infinities are bigger than other infinities./ But, Gus, my love, I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity. I wouldn't trade it for the world. You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I'm grateful.”

In his last days they try to enjoy life at maximum so they wouldn‟t have regrets. At his funeral the author they visited came to give her the end of his book Both of them know the consequences of cancer. While written by Augustus in Hazel needs a portable oxygen tank to breath, Augus- which he portrays his tus has had his leg amputated in order to fight the dis- feelings for her. ease.

The fault in our stars in The name of the movie is taken from Cassius in not only a movie about Shakespeare‟s Julius Caesar: “The fault , dear Brutus cancer but also about is not in our stars / But in ourselves, that we are under- romance and our first lings”. love that will always be unforgettable.

Hazel‟s life takes a sudden change when she meets Gus at a support group which her mother forced her to attend.

Cristina Benghea, IX F

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The book author brings the reader into an unimaginable science fiction world charged with poverty, lack of food, and oppression. People are disrespected by the authorities and violence is on the agenda. In an interview the author, Suzane Collins, pointed out that she ”tackles issues like severe poverty, starvation, oppression, and the effects of war among others.” Even Yes! We were so anxious to see the premiere of the though the plot is absolutely fantastic, the ending was most expected movie of the year. Mockingjay part 1 is pretty disappointing. the third movie from the trilogy “The Hunger Games” and after the huge success that the books had, we couldn‟t expect anything less coming from the movie adaptation. The first two novels have been made into films, but the third one is currently being divided into two parts.

The Hunger Games Book versus movie

The first book “The Hunger Games” was released in 2008, followed by “Catching Fire” in 2009 and “Mockingjay” in 2010. The books present a postapocalyptic future and the action takes place in Panem, established in North America. The nation is The first movie directed by Gary Rose was released in divide into twelve districts under the domination of 2012 and set the record of earning 67 million dollars on opening day. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence the Capitol.

(Katniss) and Josh Hutcherson (Peeta), as main characters, but brings also other important names from Hollywood such as Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland in the role of controversial president Snow.

The main character is a 16-year old girl, who begins her adventure offering herself as a volunteer, when her beloved sister is chosen as a tribute for the 74‟s edition of Hunger Games. Along with Peeta Melark, the boy who is also chosen from her district to be a tribute, KatnissEverdeen goes through a very controversial situation when they are the last two tributes remaining in Arena and have to kill each other in order for one of them to win The Hunger Games.

Through their defiance the two tributes give rise to a riot in the districts. People start understanding that the Capitol should not run their lives.

In 2013 was released the second movie “Catching Fire”and in 2014 the first part from “Mockingjay”.

The director risked a lot when he decided to follow the action as in the books, but had a lot to win. The special effects used were absolutely incredible and made everything look so real! Some scenes from the book were developed into an impressive in the movie.

There were additions that brought an advantage as compared to the book.

The film not only rose up to the expectations but exceeded them. The drama, action, love, everything was magnificent! The last part from Mockingjay had better bring us in tears!

Anamaria Tarcea, XI B

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PLAYING CRUSADER KINGS 2 ”We don’t stop playing because we grow old .We grow old because we stop playing .”

– Geroge Bernard Shaw Video games are part of our daily lives. Whether we have been playing them since childhood or not, we all know that it will always be a real pleasure to spend time playing them. It is said and it is true that there are many disadvantages to playing video games. But at the same time there are also benefits. We are too focused on what we play to think about the harmful effects of the video games on ourselves. Nobody says that it is forbidden to play video games, but we should be aware of the fact that everything has a limit. It is normal for parents and teachers to worry about games having negative effects on children as many of them lead to violent behavior and addiction, but we should not overreact. When playing video games our mind is distracted from pain and discomfort if we are ill or injured , our communication skills are developed by us being part of a team in a multiplayer game. So it is possible for a student to go to school , study , make new friends and live a healthy life while spending a short period of time of his/her free time playing video games . As many games are based on history, city building, governance and so on, they indirectly teach the player about various aspects of life on earth. A good example is the game called “Crusader Kings 2”.

Broadly speaking , ”Crusader Kings 2 ” is a PC strategy game , a dynasty simulator where the player controls a Medieval dynasty. The in-game objective is to obtain as many prestige points as possible in order to surpass the various historically relevant European dynasties in a fictional prestige ranking. The game ends when the player‟s character dies without an heir of the same dynasty to succeed him/her.

There are five levels of authority in the game; the four highest of which are playable at the start, each of them with its variations : 

Emperor, Kaiser , Basileus , Samrat , Shahansah , Padishah etc.



King , Shah , Despot , Sultan , Khan etc.



Duke , Doux , Satrap , Emir , Grand Mayor etc.



Count – the second lowest rank in the game



Baron– the lowest rank in the game

The basic provincial unit of the game is the ”county”. Each county contains a limited number of holdings ( maximum 7 holdings) . The holdings can be of three types: castle (ruled by a baron), city (ruled by a Mayor) or temple holding (ruled by a bishop). The demense is the collection of holdings controlled by one character, which is also limited.

Each ruler has a council of five members who perform specific functions: 

The Chancellor – handles diplomacy and has the ability to fabricate claims for their liege upon counties and duchies held by other characters



The Marshal – is the overall commander of the liege‟s military forces in the battlefield; during peacetime he can train troops, suppress revolts and help research military technology



The Steward – can collect taxes, oversee the construction of new buildings and help research economyrelated technology



The Spymaster – can discover plots, steal technology from foreign people and build spy networks



The Court Chaplain – can be placed in a county to convert its populace to the liege‟s religion, improve diplomatic relations with religious heads such as the Pope or help re-

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Leisure Time There are also laws in the game : The Tax – which determines the taxes your vassal must pay The Levy law – which determines the number of levies they must provide

The Succession Laws : Gender laws (3) – Agnatic ( only males inherit) - Agnatic-Cognatic( females can inherit only if there are no eligible male heirs) - Absolute Cognatic (women inherit on the same grounds as men do and this law is available only to a certain culture, to Basque)

Inheritance laws (12). The five most important laws are : Gavelkind – the inheritance is divided among all eligible children, the oldest inheriting the primary title Feudal Elective –The heir, elected by vassals holding elector titles, inherits the primary title.

Primogeniture – the firstborn child inherits all titles Tanistry– open to Celtic Culture group, like the Elective system allows vassals to choose the heir but restricts the choice to members of the current holder‟s dynasty.

Ultimogeniture– the youngest child of the ruler inherits all the ruler‟s titles upon their death.

Warfare is waged by three types of soldiers: retinue troops, levies and mercenaries. Retinues only cost money during their creations and while having their losses replenished. Levies permanently cost money while raised. Mercenaries receive a monthly payment while raised and if the ruler is unable to afford their services, they either disband automatically or declare war against the former employer, settling in a province if they conquer it.

Wars cannot be declared freely, but rather demand a casus belli that justifies it. ( Casus belli is a Latin expresion meaning “An act or event that provokes or is used to justify war ”).

When you first start playing ”Crusader Kings 2” there is just so much that is unknown that you can feel like you have no control . But if you are interested in it, you‟ll definitely learn quickly. I wish you lots of patience and fun.

For more information - Crusader Kings Official WebPage :http://www.crusaderkings.com/ Teodora Octavia Toader, X B

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Fun

in

Sibiu Having fun means feeling good being somewhere with someone or alone. And when you feel good, you do good, and when you do good, you might just inspire others to do the same. Smile, sing, laugh, dance, shake hands, smile again, be kind, say ”hello” , ”please” and ”thank you” , respect, try to listen , not just hear, trust, believe, dream, go on an adventure, visit, enjoy life and have fun .

In Sibiu teenagers have fun by simply going to parties, shopping, meeting each other, going for walks in the park, watching movies together at home or at the cinema, taking photos, volunteering, playing video games or games in general, practising sports, making new friends, sightseeing, etc.

1.Shopping They don‟t necessarily spend a lot of money on shopping , but they surely spend pretty much quality time together. They try on clothes, take pictures,laugh, have fun .

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Leisure Time 2.Pubs, cafes and clubs On Nicolae Bălcescu Boulevard and in the Small Square there are a lot of pubs which are pleasantly decorated and the prices are acceptable, where teenagers and young people have fun every single day.They are welcome early in the morning, during the day and at night. They go there and enjoy the friendly atmosphere while drinking coffee, tea or different other drinks.

mon. The walls and the colors of the furniture look alike.

Harp Pub

Oldies Pub

Among pubs, in the center of Sibiu are to be found also a few library-cafes, such as Humanitas, Erasmus and Habitus. Not only can you read books and do your homework in peace while listening to relaxing music in background, but you can also enjoy flavored tea and coffee.

Music Pub

Bohemian Flow Pub

Some of the most popular pubs are: Oldies Pub, Music Pub, Old Friends Pub, Bohemian Flow.

On Zaharia Boiu Street is located Vintage Pub , on 9, Doctor Ion Rațiu Street is located Cotton Pub and on Hipodromului Street is located The Harp Pub. As you can see, the pubs have a few design elements in com-

Humanitas

Habitus

Erasmus Vintage Pub

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Leisure Time A short guide to Sibiu‟s nightlife highlights the beauty of being young and full of life and full of love. In every neighbourhood you can find a club or a pub. Some popular and frequently visited clubs are Liquid The Club(on Somesului Street), Resident Society Club (on MihaiViteazu Boulevard , Bl. V5) and Bizzare Club (1A, Emil Cioran Street) .

Liquid the club

Teenagers, students and not only alsospend their free time going to the theatre or to the cinema.

The cinema is called ARTA Cinema and is located on 1, Aurel Vlaicu Street.Thalia Hall is located on Cetății Street and RaduStanca National Theatre is located on 1, Corneliu Coposu Boulevard.

Radu Stanca National Theatre

Resident Society Club

Thalia Hall

Arta Cinema

Bizarre Club

The program of the plays from Radu Stanca National Theatre http://www.tnrs.ro/program and more information.

More information about Thalia www.filarmonicasibiu.ro/index.php

Hall:http://

The program of the movies from Cinema ARTA http://cinemaartasibiu.ro/ and also more information.

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Leisure Time 4. Fast food restaurants It is well known that eating fast food is not healthy but nowadays people do not eat only burgers and French Fries anymore. In Sibiu there are not too many fast food restaurants, but even so they are always full.

Super Mamma can be found in four locations. On Nicolae Bălcescu Boulevard, on Doctor Ion Ratiu Street, on Calea Dumbrăvii and in Piata Unirii.

Yummy Yang is a Chinese restaurant located in Grand Square and also at Promenada Mall.

More information about Yummy Yang http:// www.yummyyang.ro/

KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is located on 5, Sos-

eaua Sibiului Street, near Shopping City area.

More information about KFC http:www.kfc.ro/ McDonald’s can be found at the junction of Alba Iulia Street and Autogării Street and also on 1, SoseauaSibiului Street where you are allowed to throw birthday parties.

More information about McDonald‟s mcdonalds.ro/acasa

http://

Bun de tot is a fast food restaurant located on 34, Oituz Street and it is frequently visited by teenagers, students who study at George Baritiu high school because it is on the other side of the street, but not only.

More information about www.bundetotsibiu.ro/

Bun

de

tot

http://

TIP: You shouldn’t listen to your stomach when it’s bored, but when it’s hungry, when it growls.

Visiting Sibiu and living in Sibiu is a real pleasure.

Whether you are a teenager, a student or not, you have the opportunity to have fun anywhere in this city. It‟s true that in the end you‟ll get bored of seeing the same places, but if you think like that you‟ll definitely never have fun. If you feel like going somewhere, go, if you don‟t, then don‟t go.It‟s as simple as that. But don‟t forget that life is too short to leave beautiful places un visited.

Teodora Octavia Toader, X B

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IN TRANSYLVANIA „More than a Music Festival” ”In Transylvania” is a music festival which first launched on July 10th 2014.It took place in the Sâmbăta-Drăguş touristic area from Brasov County,on a ski slope.It was the first festival in our counry to take place in such a unique space.

Between 10th and 13th of July important names of the national and international music industry performed on the stage of In Transylvania.Kiril Djaikovski ft. TK Wonder (Macedonia), Dubioza Kolektiv (Bosnia), Alternosfera and Zdob şi Zdub (The Republic of Moldova), Operenzia (Hungary), Iva Nova (Russia), Nico de Transilvania (England),Suie Paparude and Subcarpati(Romania) are some of the artists that turned the event into a real show.

The tourists could choose whether to sleep in a pension or under the starry sky, a camping area being created near the slope.They also had the opportunity to participate in a sports competition with two independent races: MTB Cross Country and Trail Running.Each race had two tracksintermediate and advanced.

The Adventure Park Drăguş was there for the adrenaline passionates.It offered 4 tracks with different difficulty, a climbing panel for both children and adults, a mini golf field,archery and paintball space.

The acces was authorized based on the invitation ticket,day pass or festival subscription.Each buyer received a wristband which guaranteed free entrance and exit from the festival area.

In Transylvania is going to take place again this summer between the 20-23rd of August.To stay tuned go and check their website http://www.intransylvania.ro/

Raisa Sucaciu, IX F

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Sibiu Sporting Practising a sport can help a person develop skills such as confidence, teamwork, communication, qualities essential in a person‟s daily life. By practising a sport we also become healthier.

In Sibiu there are many places where people can practise sports such as swimming, tennis, football, jogging, basketball and where they can work out. In case you don‟t know which sport to take up and where to practice it, here are some suggestions:

www.cnogsibiu.ro Pamira Sports Club The Club is located at a distance of less than 2 km from the centre of Sibiu on 39, CaleaȘuriiMici. It offers its members the opportunity to play tennis and soccer using modern facilities and in a professional environment. It has 6 outdoor tennis courts , two of them being covered during winter and a soccer field.

Along with sport facilities, Pamira Sports Club offers excellent entertaining facilities, including a Sport Cafe, a terrace, a dining and lounge area, a games room and playgrounds for kids.

The Public Bath The Public Bath ( Neptun) is one of the oldest buildings in Sibiu. It is located on 2, Andrei Șaguna Street.

The building hosts a swimming pool and the Romanian-Irish steam bath, unique in the country due to the complexity of its facilities: gym, massage rooms, showers.

Sub Arini Park Sub Arini Park is one of the oldest parks in Transylvania having been founded in 1856.

It is located on Victoriei Boulevard and it stretches on over 22 hectares, boasting 68 tree species, among which 30 exotic species and 38 local species. The older trees are over 150 years old and in this corner of nature95 species of birds found shelter.

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Leisure Time There can be found a bicycle track, a huge soccer stadium, a soccer field, areas where people can jog and walk their dogs and play with them.

www.cnogsibiu.ro Aria Sports Centre Aria Sports Centeris an indoor area which has six branches: 1.Aria Clinic 2.Aria Recovery 3.Aria Sports 4.Aria Aqua 5.Aria Spa and Wellness 6.Aria Fun Only three of them are now being used and they stretch over 4500 square metres. They provide high quality sport and medical services. They host five gyms and also a pregnancy gym and not only. Aria Sports is located on 100, Alba Iulia Road. Among many other gyms in Sibiu, Aria Sports Centre is the most developed.

Transylvania Hall Transylvania Hallis located on 1, Octavian Goga Street and it has 1812 seats. Sports like soccer, basketball, handball, volleyball, karate, tennis and table tennis can be played as it is specially designed to accommodate them all.

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Arts

Expressing versus Impressing Poetry has gone from being something that you did in order to write your name in large letters across the sky as a form of rebellion against all life and cultural patterns and boundaries. Everybody can actually write poetry nowadays, not with feelings, but with a pen in their hands. I‟m not going to tell you the history of poetry because I know you wouldn‟t want to waste your time with something like that, neither would I. Still I think there are questions to be asked.

Can a poem still change anything? Can you read a poem and then decide that you‟re able to do something similar or even better? I‟m going to tell you a part of my experience with poetry.

I started as an anonymous high school girl who likes and thinks she knows how to write – because I‟m not going to call myself a poet. Poetry isn‟t supposed to be something you want to do in order to draw attention – it wasn‟t for me. Of course, I liked it when teachers, friends, school mates admired my so-called work of art and encouraged me to be spontaneous and do something with my talent. But it‟s not that easy, you know? I‟m not saying it‟s hard to become a licensed poet, but it‟s not the flawlessness of your work that will bring you to the point where poetry is something that you‟ll do for a living. Let‟s be honest, if you want to have a decent lifestyle, do not do poetry. Treat poetry as a hobby. You might be considered to be a selfish mysterious writer, but let‟s face it, you can‟t reach the top on an empty stomach. I think that the greatest dream a poet has is to have his own volume of poems published. What I was trying to say is that not publishing anything will not make you less of a poet. The main reason I wouldn‟t like to have anything published (for now) is the fact that –whether

you believe it or not – the people around you (I‟m referring to the ones working in this area) will never completely support you if you‟re not going to do as they please, meaning if you don‟t write in the same manner as they do. Nobody will want to see you above them – and I‟m not talking about being better than the others, but about being different. They will lie to you saying that if you really want do to something with your work you need to do it in their way, because this is what sells. I‟ve been through that and I‟m not judging anyone, because they might have their reasons that I‟m pretty sure I didn‟t understand 100% , but I think I made my point clear.

If you‟re touched by literature, go on and write poems or whatever you feel like writing. For me poetry is a limp and fangless thing. I don‟t trust anybody who tells me he or she likes my poetry and I‟m not taking into consideration people who tell me they don‟t like it. Everybody has the right to express their feeling – it‟s a democracy after all. What I mean is that I can‟t avoid criticism and I don‟t want to either – because I don‟t write poems for myself only, so I‟ll consider everything that comes from outside. The thing with poetry is that you don‟t have to let yourself be influenced in order to “progress” (like you will probably hear from a lot of people). You know why? Because without even noticing it, you will lose the little YOU that lives within your poems. Take it as a little piece of advice. It‟s all I can give you. As a specific example, take Lana del Rey, who, and I quote, is “firstly a writer, then a singer”. Her inspiring attitude might be just the cure that the writers society needs. She has pure and utter talent derived directly from emotions and experiences; she writes using simple words and traumatizing pictures which set an individual onto an insurrection of the poem itself regarding one‟s own perception. WRITE TO EXPRESS, NOT TO IMPRESS. I know it may sound a little bit cliché but I really believe that a writer is simply a photographer of thoughts. A witness of perception and deception who himself becomes the judge in the opulence of his force which lingers in the pen guided by the heart (or so it should be).

Alina Damian, XI B GOGA TIMES Page | 79

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Poetry and Toys I have sadly noticed that, during the last years, poetry has lost ground, especially among the youth. The reason this happens is simple: fewer and fewer people read nowadays and most of those who still practice this activity have no interest in contemporary literature. But why is that?

Contemporary poetry authors have almost nothing to do with the classical ones that we are taught in school. So, a lot of students and adults who are not used to this certain type of literature are quite skeptical about it. The future of poetry has already grown roots and it needs support if we want it to survive.

There are plenty of young authors who want to make themselves heard through their books, but who is there left to read them? The world needs to know that the literature goes on, even if it has changed, even if it is no longer what we are used to. One such promising poet is Constantin Acosmei, with his volume, “Dead Man’s Toy”.

The book is made up of five parts, each one having a different structure and a different approach of the ideas shared, as you will be able to see for yourselves in the translations bellow.

Acosmei uses ordinary objects and words to describe his feelings, he is not trying to be too “poetic” or romantic. His visual and aural images are, at first glance, simple and easy to digest but, paradoxically, the poems he writes are quite deep, making the reader think twice before getting to a final idea concerning the text.

First love (Every night I drink a glass of black tea I lie on my bed facing downwards I listen to my heart beating and pretend I‟m in love)

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Over to you I lie on my back bearing my own company over to you.

I limp on the mattress

What happened what is it nothing what are you doing nothing what are you looking for nothing what do you want nothing

I spruce up by hand

what‟s wrong nothing what hurts nothing

one trifle next to another

what do you feel nothing what are you saying nothing

over to you.

I sneeze out of sadness when it gets dark and all the flies fly off my mouth

Has anybody asked you anything? a traitor will turn up among you he will confess- his life wasted in a furnished room

The confession of a man It was in the dead of night. I got out of my bed and put on my waterproof jacket. I left the room, leaving the light still on. I plodded down the stairs and stepped into the street. I walked for a while among the cars parked on the sidewalk, then I headed for the children‟s playground and stuffed my pockets with rocks. I turned around and started to throw them, aiming at the lighted window of my room on the third floor. When I hit it, the window broke and glass shards fell off with a crash. A few lights were turned on and a neighbour came out on his balcony swearing. It was then that I bolted away through the working people‟s neighbourhood.

Iris Rusu, XI B

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Our Mirror’s Strife Sun suddenly dawned on a day which belonged to mid April and started to dry the damp pavement drenched the night before by clouds of storm. Up with the sun was a man, tall and stout, with his dark hair fighting against a strong wind as the canvas of the hoisted sails of a ship, marching through the rays of morning and eager to besiege his target. With eyes as black as a summer night’s eclipse, the man gazed upon a shadowy figure in the far distance, its rough edges contouring a shape that resembled an old, estranged building. It was looming, rising up and up until its shadow covered his gaze. The streets were desolate and grim after the storm, the houses were asleep under the mists of this sad morning, and so was this building, clad in bricks buried deep beneath the paint, and the paint drowned in water. He gave little importance to the precarious state of the building, as he only wanted to stay there long enough to choke his pain in a bottle of cold spirit. Drowsy and ready to dose off anywhere, he soon reached the stairs of what he merrily realised was a hostel, and the thought of sleep roused him from his woken dreams.

At the front desk, an unusually small man, wrapped up in an overly large wrinkled sweater vest greeted his guest with nothing but a disinterested handshake and the keys to the only room that remained unwanted.

The man took a minute to examine his host: a tiny man, half-bald, beneath whose nose grew a slightly gray moustache and whose rosy cheeks had been enhanced by a pair of black oversized glasses. He was no more than 50, but uttered in such a manner, slow and yet loud, that made one think he was talking to an old man with extreme hearing problems. Barely did he care to mention the price of renting this room, nor was he asked, and hurried up some stairs with the dark-eyed man who was excited to finally be getting in a place that would grant him the long-awaited opportunity of sleeping.

But, while on the stairs, the tiny employee seemed to mumble more than some mere words: “Hope you get a good sleep, mate. But I don’t wanna be seeing something stolen from that room again, so keep your pockets as they are.” The dark-eyed man was intrigued, and definitely vexed and after asking, he was answered “Every single time something seems to be missing from that place. Take that freaking lamp, for example. I brought a new one for this whole place last week, fancy and good-looking it was, and now there’s no trace of it! The maids said the darn room was locked and I know no one rented it. Who knows how that bastard made off with it. The same was two weeks ago, when a woman said someone stole her phone. How the hell am I responsible because she couldn’t keep her freaking things safe, huh? That witch must have lost her phone because there was no one on the camera entering that room! No one! Other than her! Pfft… what accursed waste of my screwed time.” he stopped, drew a deep breath and resumed “Just don’t be coming to me with stuff like this, will you? I have my hands full already.“ The small man’s cheeks got even rosier, his eyes, swollen to their limits, seemed to want to escape through the thick lenses of his glasses and his voice acquired a pitch that could not have been heard prior and would most likely never be heard again. He threw the key in his guest’s hand with such disgust as if he were the root of all evil and it was he who stole the hostel’s most new and precious lamp. “Enjoy your stay. And close those darn windows while you’re there. I’m tired of coming up here with those goddamn buckets and sponges to collect rain water”. He limped down the hallway with the grace of a disabled elefant and wouldn’t even consider stopping talking to himself until he reached the point when he was forced to take a turn left. And even after, he continued to yell. “My wife got me that lamp. I really liked that darn lamp. And I really hate my wife!”. The man looked for the keyhole of the old door, and as soon as he found it, twisted the key twice in it, pressed the handle and got in. The curtains prevented any entrance of light so that it could illuminate the clear clean green walls painted with small daffodils.

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The air was stiff and the atmosphere old but he did not care. He threw his bag near something which resembled a wardrobe and buried himself under the white sheets of the bed, falling in the haze of his sleep. Hours passed, many and long, and he did not wake up. No one knocked on his door, no one bothered him, so he did not bother to wake up. Then, a sound fell onto his serenity like a drop of water on a calm lake, something cold and weary… something alluringly frigthening.

He started moving in his sleep as if he was stressed by something, by sounds, whispers in the dark. “I felt like dying, Dimitri… I wanted to die.” a voice whispered out of nowhere. “Adore me…”

He woke up trembling, his entire being sunk in the depths of its own despair. Afraid but earnest and somehow familiar with the voice, he mumbled controlled by an unknown will.

“I’d worship you - if you’d only let me.” he whispered softly into the darkness, with nobody around to hear but his only sin. Stillness fell in the chamber again, and nothing could be heard, nor could he say a word as he was afraid to scare off the calmness, to see what was behind it.

Yet, a moment after, breaking the silent darkness was an echo which scratched what seemed as old glass, standing between the gloom and the stormy cold drops. Hiding under a thick layer of dense shadow was his figure embedded in the gloom like ink on a paper, staring endlessly as if he was dissecting it with his eyes, at a shape faintly outlined by lunar light lying in his front, which gradually resembled an aged wall, trying to find the secrets carven somewhere on it. His dark gaze was now merged with the shadow, his mouth dry and his shadow suddenly started trembling under a shallow flicker of a dying candle, emerged on the drawer. Dimitri sat there quietly, as if nothing could ever harm him, nor could he ever harm anything, drowned in a seemingly calm bliss, waiting for his senses to recover from their desperate thirst for life. Yet, before him, swift and decisive, there seemed to be another flash of light chocked by the apparent blankness of the chamber, another presence trying to make its senses be heard.

“Where are you?” he asked softly, as the green walls began to rot conspicuously, and amasingly the rot outlined shapes of old, dead and sharp boughs which seemed to stab every corner of the chamber.

A voice emerged from the bare unclear whispers that plagued his ears up until then. A soft voice, a beautiful calm voice, or so he thought, the voice of a woman that made his mind kneel like a subject before a queen, petrified by such pure and somehow divine sounds.

“Not there” she said slowly “Come here, come closer, Dimitri. Let me see you. See me…”

He stood frozen, his eyes gleaming, his heart racing and his mind longing for tenderness. He seemed restless, yet he let himself be guided by this angelic voice, until his feet reached an unbearably putrid corner. He did not care much of it, as in this corner stood a mirror and in this mirror the silhouette of a young woman’s body that gradually, like the thick, dense smoke of a freshly lit fire, caught shape.

“You… You’re here.” he said mesmerised “Do you still love her, Dimitri?” she paused “Do you?”

“Yes.” the candle flickered, darkness set in for a mere second. When the light came about again, she was not there anymore. “What? Where are you?”

“Do you know what became of the lamp, Dimitri?” she asked from inside the walls, very feminine and alluring “It’s here, with me. Why?” she said stretching the last letter so that it could sink in his ears. “Because I don’t want light. Other than dying light” she made a long pause and continued “I wish to see you adore me... under shadow.” A gust of wind emerged from the floor and forced Dimitri to close his eyes. When he looked again, she was there, standing right before him, and yet so intangible, so far...

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“You’re beautiful, Ariana.’’ he said, gazing upon the captive creature that stood almost petrified in front of him. Her hair was long and white, her marble skin soaked in cold milk, her lips full, but cracked, longing to stay alive long enough to catch again the will to die. Her blue irises perished in the whiteness of her eyes, hidden behind a thick layer of white lashes. She looked as if her soul was fractured, but her body untouched. Her heart screamed a silent melody, rushing blood through her transparent veins and yet, she remained frozen, with her thin dress glued to her chest, moving in tune with her every breath. She remained silent, a statue waiting to be carved by her master but not wanting to be finished.

“Am I?” she finally said. “Then why? Why did you let me fade?”

“Stupid child…” he laughed. “I am here now, aren’t I?” “You were. But you are never…” she paused, her eyes silently begging.

“I’m here to fix you, aren’t I?” “Fix me?!” the feathery paintings of daffodils fell like rainbow streams as the rot covered the entire walls.

“Fix me?” she repeated. “You think you can fix me? Do I look like I need to be fixed? Do I look broken?”

“You are broken” he said “Broken from here. You are there.” and then it looked as if he needed to gather up strength for what he had in mind to say “Can you come here? Can you unbreak yourself?” She giggled, a childlike giggle.

“If I kiss you, would you die? Would you bleed? Would your eyes close and your knees tremble? Would you beg for another? ” she replied “I cannot go anywhere until you allow me to.’’

He stretches his arm almost to touch the mirror, opens his palm and waits “I’d bleed to death for one kiss.” he said “Would you offer me one?”

From the mirror emerged a beautiful, pale hand with bony and delicate fingers that fell onto his. “Yes”. The next second, Dimitri tried to pull her out. In vain. She could not be moved, her hand was light, yet the mirror was heavy. The glass hid a frozen world, that could not move, that could not be moved. “I can’t come there fully, Dimitri.” Gradually, from the surface of the mirror came forth the face his soul bonded to, white and pure, with a dark, and long hair drapping down to her bony hips.

Dimitri was staggered by her. “I can’t step out of the mirror more than this, Dimitri.” He could not say anything at first, but then he thought to himself that this chance might never come again. He raised his other hand, placing it on her left cheek and looked into her eyes, and she into his, letting themselves be absorbed with no chance of breaking the tight merging of their souls. He leaned forward, ever thinking that he should stop, ever feeling like he should not. His lips approached hers and there he stopped. He looked deep intp her eyes, now closer than ever before. They said nothing, merely whispered their feelings through their chained eyes. Another moment passed and she broke the chain, looking at his lips, and then he did not hesitate anymore, but kissed her. And with that, a small eternity went by.

“Remember what you promised you’d do for me? Can you?” she gasped “You said you’d be with me, forever. Now come be with me... with you.”

The woman grasped his hand and almost efortlessly, dragged his entire body into the mirror, where he entered willingly, but fallen in despair. Yet, he could not find the will to fight back. There did not seem to be any reason for it.

“What have you done?!” he shouted, but his words became silent. “What have you done to me?!”

“I’ve done nothing but bring you where you’ve always longed to be. You lived for thirty summers wandering and wondering where lifewould take you. You wanted to leave. I have brought you home. Here, where none other could ever harm you but me, but you. Here you can be free from any manifestation of humanity’s rage.

Your wounds were never something one could heal with a mere kiss, but it only took one kiss for you to decide where you wanted to be. And now, you are here, enchained with me, away from them. We’ll be frozen, my love, but we’ll be safe.”

He looked about him, and all was crystal clear and a stream of pale light flowed and flew up and down on invisible courses. Nothing could be heard, nor be smelt, but images of his memories could be felt in the air, some old, some recent. He looked at her again, but he could not mutter a word and nor could she. Yet, they could move their arms and slowly and steadily, they reached each other and joined their hands. Day became night and dawn became dusk, light became void, and his memory became present, mirror became glass. She became him.

Stefan Bernhardt-Radu, XII B Claudia Diana Coțovanu, XII B GOGA TIMES Page | 84

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Caustic Lament I hear of Epicurus and his beauteous garden, That you could study there with heart and soul in tandem; Where in knowledge there was pleasure, no resentment sought, Today we find distaste and a repudiating thought.

Disremembering the music; Oh, sweet Apotheosis!

The system with its many flaws is just sapped oasis.

All too human seem they - Who come to teach us truth, The only thing I feel: disdain; the more I keep aloof.

Feeling empty and yet filled by them with petty sight, As though engulfed by timeless rifts of worlds without a light.

Lost unmoored, I guidance seek in dusty old chronicles; I lament, I cry, I weep: Oh, CLASSICS WHERE ARE YOU? Watching those around me, earthenware like creatures Who see miserable flatterers for nothing but preachers, Simpletons in nature, they may seem banal, The only thing they bring; Undoing of us all!

You look now with clouded eyes upon entangled phrase Not knowing what to do with it: Is it just to daze?

Thus a thought conjured in mind: He's insane and wretched!

A simple truth as it may seem leaves me unaffected.

To enclose, a final line, that says what I conceive: A world carrying a petty sight with no end or reprieve!

Rﾄホvan Ioan Suciu, XII B

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