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The AFS Press
The Official Student Newspaper of the American Farm School
Hungary
ΠΡΟΓΡΑΜΜΑ ΑΝΤΑΛΛΑΓΩΝ -
ΟΥΓΓΑΡΙΑ
Από τις 24/6 έως τις 2/7 του 2010 6
µαθητές της περσινής τάξης Α’ ΓΕΛ µε
συνοδό-καθηγήτρια την κα Χειµάρα,
φιλόλογο, επισκεφτήκαµε ένα γεωργικό
σχολείο στην πόλη Kiskoros, που απέχει δύο
περίπου ώρες από τη Βουδαπέστη. Είχαµε
την ευκαιρία να ξεναγηθούµε σε διάφορα
αξιοθέατα της περιοχής αλλά και της
Βουδαπέστης, να κάνουµε πρακτική άσκηση
στο αγρόκτηµα του σχολείου που πήρε το
όνοµα από τον εθνικό ποιητή της Ουγγαρίας
Petofi.
Γεινκά, οι εντυπώσεις µας ήταν πολύ
όµορφες και ξεχωριστές για όλους µας διότι
ήταν µια καινούρια εµπειρία που δεν είχαµε
ξαναζήσει στο παρελθόν. Συστήνουµε
ανεπιφύλακτα το πρόγραµµα αυτό σε κάθε
µαθητή που τον ενδιαφέρει να γνωρίσει
νέους τόπους και παραδόσεις.
-1-
December 2010
AFS Students Travel
the Globe!
AFS Students Travel to
Sweden
Sweden
In the early morning of August
22nd, Mr. Pougouras, Ms.
Chism, Alex Dimitriou, Debbie
Giadpoudzi, Dina Grigoriadou,
Dina Kaltsidou and I took off
from the Thessaloniki airport, headed to
Stockholm, Sweden. After hours of traveling by
plane, train and minibus, we finally arrived at
Kvinnerstaskolan, a school in the city of Orebro.
Our first thought was to settle into our
rooms. The rules of the dormitory were a little
different than ours. Boys and girls lived in the
same buildings, there was no study hall, and the
students could stay up at night as long as they
wanted.
Our first week passed with meeting the
Kvinnerstaskolan students and staff, touring the
school facilities and nearby areas and attending
lessons like forestry, animal care and gardening.
We also went to a nearby lake for fishing and
swimming. We spent the weekend at the school
all alone because it was closed. It wasn’t the
best experience, but we did have a nice meal at a
Greek restaurant with two Swedish teachers, and
we sang Greek songs on our walk home.
The second week we attended trotting
training (a sport with chariots attached to
horses) and watched a race of the same sport.
We also went to Stockholm and stayed with
different host families, which was wonderful.
Visiting Sweden was an unforgettable
experience. We learned and did so many things
while we were there. But the best thing we all
experienced was the bonding that occurred
between us during those two weeks abroad.
- Alexander Pantazis Miteloudis
 Can
you
imagine
what
would
happen
if
Marianthi
and
 New York
Dimitra
were
in
the
USA
together
for
two
months??
by
Marianthi
Tagili
and
Dimitra
China
We are sure you can’t—
that’s why we are here. Ok, it was
crazy from the first day until the
last. After spending two days
sightseeing (and SHOPPING!) in
New York City, we went to camp.
CRS. A leadership camp for
international campers located at
Clinton, Rhinebeck, New York, 7.838 km away from
Greece. We are not going to lie; The first days were
hard. There were only 4 showers for 62 campers! But
we had each other. We slept in tents and every night
we had fights with millions of mosquitoes.
The hiking trip was a really amazing and
challenging experience for both of us. We hiked two
mountains in four days. After that we felt like we
could do anything.
Mississippi
it? We can!
Can you spell
Our Trip to Mississippi
Tryfon “Thanks to a program of the
says... American Farm School, three other
AFS students and I spent one
month last summer at the University
of Mississippi. I chose to participate in this program
because I wanted a chance to visit the USA and
improve my English. It is an ideal program for
people who want to live in the USA and experience
its culture. The location of the University of
Mississippi is perfect for people who love jazz
because it is in the hometown of this music. The
program fulfilled my expectations; I had a great time
visiting the USA, improving my English and
befriending people from other cultures. Additionally,
the food was great. I would recommend this
program to other students because it is educational
and the staff is kind and helpful. Moreover, it is a
great chance to visit the USA.”
- Tryfon Bouvoukidis
-2-
The most interesting thing at
camp was teaching the rest of the
campers the Greek language (You
cannot imagine how many times
Marianthi felt at home when she
was listening to the phrase
“Marianthi skase!”). By the end of
the camp, Asian, African, European
and American girls were able to sing Greek songs with
us!
Every day, a camper was in charge of the
whole camp—the “sachem” as we called them. It
wasn’t easy, but it was educational and challenging.
Actually, everything was challenging about this
experience. It was life-changing; the problem is that we
can’t explain exactly why. You can only understand it
if you experience it.
“Last summer
Olga
Tryfon Boukouvidis, Vivian Sotiriou,
says...
Panagiotis Topolidis and I visited the
University of Mississippi. The
experience was amazing even though we sometimes
felt homesick. We met new people from other
countries like Venezuela, Afghanistan, China, Korea,
Japan, Brazil, Ecuador and the USA. At the beginning
I was bored, but when the classes started it was
great. We got to know each other and enjoyed
diverse activities on campus like swimming,
basketball and gymnastics. Every night we gathered
in the lobby of our dorms, ordered pizza and had fun
with the other students. We also went to a mall, took
a ride on a riverboat and visited Elvis Presley’s house
“Graceland.” We took lots and lots of pictures. I am
going to miss this place and I will remember it for
ever!”
- Olga Tsioxari
Έλληνας στις Ηνωµένες Πολιτείες

Το καλοκαίρι που µας πέρασε συµµετείχα σε ένα

πρόγραµµα ανταλλαγών που ονοµάζεται 4H. Στο πλαίσιο του
προγράµµατος επισκέφθηκα αγροτικές οικογένειες στη
Μοντάνα και το Κολοράντο και έµεινα µαζί τους έξι
εβδοµάδες. Η εµπειρία αυτή θα µου µείνει αξέχαστη γιατί
γνώρισα καινούργιους ανθρώπους, έκανα νέους φίλους,
βελτίωσα τα αγγλικά µου και έµαθα να χορεύω αµερικάνικους χορούς. Πέρασα θαυµάσια
και κάποιους από αυτούς που γνώρισα στο ταξίδι µου δέθηκα πραγµατικά και
ουσιαστικά. Μάλιστα µου υποσχέθηκαν ότι θα µε επισκεφθούν στην αυτό το καλοκαίρι
στην Ελλάδα.
Montana Με εντυπωσίασε το γεγονός ότι όλοι ήταν χαρούµενοι και
φιλόξενοι. Ποτέ δεν µε άφηναν να κουραστώ και πάντοτε φρόντιζαν
να µη µου λείψει τίποτε. Για’ αυτό και όταν ήρθε η στιγµή να κάνω
τις βαλίτσες µου για να επιστρέψω στην Ελλάδα ένιωσα σα να
επρόκειτο να αφήσω στην Αµερική ένα κοµµάτι από τον εαυτό µου.

- Nikos Bertsimas

Αυστρία 2010

Δύο εβδοµάδες του καλοκαιριού µας τις περάσαµε στην Αυστρία. Austria
Ξεκινήσαµε Δευτέρα µεσηµέρι από το αεροδρόµιο, όλοι µαζί! Ήµασταν
εκεί απογευµατάκι. Μας περίµενε στο αεροδρόµιο ένας καθηγητής τους
ο οποίος µας πήγε στη σχολή, όπου µας περίµενε ένας µπουφές µε
διάφορα φαγητά. Την επόµενη µέρα ξεναγηθήκαµε σε όλους τους
χώρους της σχολής. Επισκεφτήκαµε το γαλακτοκοµείο, το ξυλουργείο και τα δάση που
βρίσκονταν γύρω από τη σχολή. Επίσης, µας δόθηκε η ευκαιρία να φτιάξουµε τυρί.
Κάναµε πολλές εκδροµές και γνωρίσαµε διάφορα µέρη της Αυστρίας, επίσης
επισκεφτήκαµε άλλα χωριά, άλλα σχολεία και την Βιέννη. Η Αυστρία είναι γενικά µια
πολύ όµορφη χώρα και η διαµονή µας στη σχολή ήταν πολύ ευχάριστη, καθώς και τα
παιδιά φέρονταν φιλικά σε µας αλλά και οι καθηγητές µας βοηθούσαν και µας φέρονταν
µε τον καλύτερο τρόπο. Ήταν µια τόσο όµορφη εµπειρία, που πιστεύω πως θα µείνει σε
όλους µας αξέχαστη.
- Artemis Papadopoulou

-3-
 Opinion
Take Care of Our Planet
Nowadays the existence of a huge
environmental crisis is known
worldwide. Our planet is facing a lot of
problems that have been caused by
human action. Although there are some
organizations trying to protect the
environment, the majority of the global
population is not concerned about these
issues.
The Earth’s problems are many.
One basic problem is that of
biodiversity. A lot of species have
disappeared, and nature’s balance has
Finally, ground pollution is the
been disturbed.
Moreover, air pollution is a
serious environmental problem. The
e f fe c t s o f a i r p o l l u t i o n a r e t h e
greenhouse effect, acid rain and ozone
Taking all the above into account, I
depletion. The g reenhouse effect
contributes to global warming. It also
causes the melting of ice and glaciers,
The Truth About Fur
Fur is a cloth often considered to be beautiful.
But most people are not aware of the fact
that animals are suffering so that some
women can feel elegant. These animals are
skinned alive— their fur is taken off them
while they’re still alive, and they suffer in
pain until they finally die. In my view, this
couldn’t be more cruel and inhuman. What
kind of person would do such a thing and why?
It would be much more appropriate if they
killed the animals first and did not torment
them this way. So ladies, next time you want
to buy a re al fur, know that we aring
something that used to be alive is not
fashionable.
- Michaela Orfanidou
resulting in sea level rise and threatening
coastal countries.
Acid rain, rain with polluted gases,
can also cause harm to the environment. It
can destroy ancient monuments and crops,
pollute water and even cause human
health problems.
Seas, lakes and rivers are often
polluted by industries. Industrial waste
containing small amounts of radioactive
materials and heavy metals end up in
bodies of water, causing oil slicks and
health problems for people and animals.
destruction of the earth’s thin layer of
healthy productive soil, where much of our
food is grown. Consequently, we eat
polluted vegetables and fruits.
believe that the Earth faces a lot of
problems. We must think maturely and
help our planet!
- Dimitris Passalidis
Advice from Olga
Here is some advice from me to all
of you:
1) Stay true to yourself.
2) Don’t waste your life for nothing.
Just live your life.
3) Stay bizarre, if you are. To be
strange is good.
4) Don’t hear the others. Do your
job.
5) Learn from your mistakes.
6) Keep your friends close, and your
enemies closer.
- Olga Tialiou
-4-
Foreign Faces on Campus
Hey! My name is Ashley and I'm the
college intern this year at AFS. I am
from Florida. I just graduated in May
from Florida State University with a
degree in Religion and Classics.
When I go back to the United States
I will move to North Carolina and
begin my Masters in Divinity at Duke
University. I love playing sports and
anything to do with the water. I really
love kayaking, swimming, rock
climbing, sewing and exploring the
world.
Merhaba! :) My name is
Nazli. I am from
K i r k l a r e l i , T u r k e y. I
graduated in June 2010
from the English
L a n g u a g e Te a c h i n g
department of Uludag
University in Bursa,
Turkey. I have been in
Greece since October and
I am teaching Turkish at
AFS. I enjoy teaching here
and I love my students! I
believe that I will make my
students more familiar with my culture and interested in
language and we will be speaking only in Turkish by
summer! :)
Γεια σας! I'm Kate from
Montana, and I'm here on
a Fulbright scholarship to
teach English in Greece. I
graduated from Linfield
College in 2009 with a
major in English and a
minor in French, and when
I return to the States, I'll
begin studying for my
Master's in English at
Boise State University. I
like running, reading,
writing, acting, and, most of
all, I love to cook and eat! I’ve had a blast here so far and
am looking forward to many more adventures!!
My name is Kathy Li Yue, and I’m a Masters student at Peking University, China.
Now I’m teaching Chinese language and culture at AFS. It’s a wonderful internship
in Greece! During these months, I hope to learn more about my students and
Greek culture. I hope my students can visit China one day!
Yeia sas! I am Micah, one of the
secondary school interns. I grew up in
Kentucky and graduated from Berea
College in 2008 with a degree in
Mathematics. I have three main reasons
for coming to the farm school: I love to
travel and Greece has always been a
country I wanted to see; I love teaching
and interacting with students; and I love
learning about agricultural development in
foreign countries. I also like, reading,
writing, playing the violin and guitar,
playing sports and doing any outdoor
adventure. I look forward to getting to
know the students better and cannot wait to go on more home
visits.
Hi, I’m Matt and I come form Havre,
Montana. I have lived in Montana my
whole life and plan to settle down there
when I get back. I'm here on a 4-H trip
called IFYE. It's an international
exchange program in the States for
young adults. I like to do many things
outdoors. Camping, hiking, fishing, and
hunting are my top interests. I also
hang out a lot with my friends. Lastly, I
work two jobs to keep myself very busy
and entertain myself by working on cars and building metal
sculptures.
Hi! I’m Carrie and I’m one of the high
school interns this year—I help with
classes, coach the girls soccer team,
and organize events for students.
I’m from Connecticut, in the
northeast part of the United States. I
graduated in June from Dartmouth
College in New Hampshire with a
degree in Environmental Studies and
a minor in Geography; my interests
in teaching and sustainable
agriculture are what led me to the
American Farm School. I also love
sports, traveling, reading, writing, playing the guitar, singing and
cooking.
-5-
 Campus Events
Επέτειος 28ης Οκτωβρίου
Η φετινή γιορτή της 28ης Οκτωβρίου
διοργανώθηκε από τους µαθητές των
τελειόφοιτων τάξεων και παρουσιάστηκε στο
Ασέµπλι Χολ. Περιελάµβανε θεατρικά δρώµενα,
βίντεο, ποιήµατα και τραγούδια από τον
καθηγητή και µουσικό κ. Βουρβαχάκη. Στόχοι
της γιορτής ήταν η όσο το δυνατόν καλύτερη
παρουσίαση των γεγονότων του Ελληνοϊταλικού
πολέµου, της γιορτής του Αγίου Δηµητρίου, αλλά
και η συνειδητοποίηση των µαθητών για τη
χρησιµότητα και την αναγκαιότητα των
σχολικών γιορτών για τις οποίες µέρα µε τη µέρα
ατονεί το ενδιαφέρον.
Γιορτή Πολυτεχνείου 2010
Στις 17 Νοεµβρίου πραγµατοποιήθηκε η γιορτή
του Πολυτεχνείου από µαθητές των
τελειόφοιτων τάξεων της Αµερικανικής
Γεωργικής Σχολής. Τα παιδιά µίλησαν µε
ενθουσιασµό για το νόηµα της επετείου, αλλά
και για την ανάγκη της νεολαίας να αγωνιστεί
και σήµερα για καλύτερες συνθήκες διαβίωσης,
καλύτερη εκπαίδευση και δικαίωµα σε µια
δικαιότερη κοινωνία.
-6-
Γιατί µε έφτιαξες έτσι ρε µάνα;
Γιατί µε έφτιαξες έτσι ρε µάνα;
µου έµαθες να περπατάω µε το κεφάλι ψηλά,
µα δεν µου είπες πως µπορεί να σκοντάψω.
Μου επαναλάµβανες συνεχώς πως υπάρχει
µια θέση στην κοινωνία για µένα, µα δεν
µου έδειξες τα στηµένα τείχη της.
Μου είπες πως πρέπει να πετύχω , µα δεν
ανέφερες ποτέ και τίποτα για την απογοήτευση.
Με άφηνες σαν λευκό περιστέρι να δηµιουργώ
τα όνειρα µου, µα δεν µου έµαθες να φτιάχνω την φωλιά
µου.
Με πήγαινες να βηµατίζω στον παράδεισο µα προτίµησες
να µην σχολιάσεις την κόλαση.
Με έβαζες να άκουω τα φτερά των αγγέλων
µα δεν µου µαρτύρησες το ψέµα σου.
Μου έλεγες να ζωγραφίζω µε λαµπερά χρώµατα,
να µισώ το µαύρο, µα ξέχασες να µου πεις για το γκρίζο.
Μου δίδαξες τον δρόµο της εµπιστοσύνης,
µα δεν µε προειδοποίησες για την ασχήµια του κόσµου.
Μου έφερες να κρατήσω την αγάπη στα χέρια µου,
µα προσπέρασες να µου πεις για τον πόνο της.
Μου έδωσες το δικαίωµα να συνοδηγώ τη φιλία,
µα µου έκρυψες τις δονήσεις της προδοσίας.
Μου είπες να ζω µε πάθος το κάθε λεπτό,
µα δεν µου είπες πως είναι φτερά οι στιγµές.
Μου έδειξες το γέλιο, µα αποφάσισες πως έπρεπε να
µάθω µόνη µου για
την απελπισία.
Μου είπες πως υπάρχει χρόνος να διορθώσω τα λάθη µου,
µα η ζωή µου
ψιθύρισε το τέλος της.
Με έκανες να φοβάµαι την πολλή αγάπη µάνα,
µα κανένας δεν την πήρε πίσω.
Γιατί µε έφτιαξες έτσι ρε µάνα;
Βάσω Τσιµπούκα
 Campus Events: Thessaloniki Model United Nations

Officer Security Officer

This year, I decided to take part in the TMUN as an
Officer. Officers are important to keep the whole conference
under control and to manage the committees. My co-chair
and I were in the Human Rights Council and we supervised
the debates on affirmative action, discrimination, and
refugees.
Generally, I love the whole TMUN philosophy: dressing up
in formal clothes like a real diplomat, making decisions that
can change our future, using only English… all these make
you feel different for 3 days.
I have participated in 3 MUN conferences. To be an officer
you need a good attitude, knowledge of the rules of the
Conference and a few things about the United Nations in
general. After your selection, a number of training sessions
will be held prior to the conference. If you’re interested, don’t
forget to apply during the summer at the following address:
"http://www.hmuno.org."
Despoina Giapoudzi
The first thing that comes to mind after my
experience as a Security Officer is my
aching feet and waist after standing up for
eight hours every day for a whole
weekend! When I think about the whole
experience more carefully though, I realize
that it wasn't bad. I had the opportunity to
take part in a unique event, without the
stress of having to talk in front of an
audience. The three days passed quickly
and smoothly. Although the Administrative
staff was one member short, we managed
to get by just fine. The Chairs and
Delegates were very polite and
cooperative. Generally T.M.U.N was a
really pleasant and memorable experience,
and I hope that I can take part again next
year.
Alexandros-Pantazis Miteloudis

Delegate
As a delegate, it was my job to work with others to develop policies on global issues such as
unsustainable consumption patterns, the demilitarization of the Arctic, racism and discrimination, territorial
disputes in the East China Sea and the global economic crisis. All of these and many more were the “hot
subjects” of this year’s TMUN.
A must-see experience, the MUN as a whole is a remarkable event. Who wouldn’t want to spend
24 hours in a weekend debating? Well I wouldn’t have in the beginning, but once you actually begin, you’ll
be sad it ended so fast. Why do it? For starters, it gives you the opportunity to speak English and “only”
English for three days in a row. You also get to meet new people, uncover the beauty of debating and
engage in some very strenuous research, which serves as great preparation for college.
As a delegate, you are representing a country in a certain committee and you have to learn your
country’s policy. It is hard work but who knows— it might prove to be helpful information later in the future. I
mean, did you know that a person in Nigeria can literally lose his life for stealing 20 naira = 16 U.S cents!!!
It’s amazing what the MUN has to offer in such a short span of time. You might want to consider
applying for next year. It’s an event you don’t want to miss. Trust me, you’re going to regret it if you do!

- Antony Tsiakmakis -Representative of Nigeria in the Social Humanitarian and Cultural Committee

-7-
Campus Events
ΣΧΟΛΙΚΟ ΤΟΥΡΝΟΥΑ ANATOLIA COLLEGE
Ένα πολύ όµορφο γεγονός έλαβε χώρα από την Τετάρτη 17 έως την Κυριακή 21
Νοεµβρίου στο Κολέγιο Ανατόλια, το οποίο και το οργάνωσε. Κάποια απ’ τα
σχολεία που συµµετείχαν ήταν τα εξής: American Farm School, Γερµανικό,
Πάινγουντ, Μαντουλίδη, Αθηναϊκό Αµερικάνικο Κολέγιο, Αρσάκειο, Άξιον κ.α.
Τα αθλήµατα στα οποία συµµετείχαν ήταν το ποδόσφαιρο, το µπάσκετ, το βόλεϊ
και ο στίβος.
Οι οµάδες της Αµερικάνικης Γεωργικής Σχολής ήταν: ποδόσφαιρο αγοριών και
κοριτσιών, µπάσκετ αγοριών και κοριτσιών και βόλεϊ κοριτσιών. Οι
συµµετέχοντες τα πήγαν περίφηµα, αν και δεν κατάφεραν να κατακτήσουν κάποια
απ’ τις θέσεις του βάθρου. Συγχαρητήρια θα έπρεπε να δώσουµε και στα παιδιά
που πήραν µέρος στα αθλήµατα του στίβου: Αναστασία Στάη, Κατερίνα
Διδασκάλου, Φίλιππος Αντωνιάδης. Η κερκίδα µας κατάφερε όχι µόνο να
εµψυχώσει τους παίκτες µε συνθήµατα, πανό και τύµπανα, αλλά και να
δηµιουργήσει µια πανηγυρική ατµόσφαιρα, στην οποία νικητές και ηττηµένοι
ένιωθαν την ίδια ικανοποίηση. Συνοψίζοντας, όλοι οι µαθητές που συµµετείχαν
στο τουρνουά, έδωσαν τον καλύτερό τους εαυτό και διασκέδασαν µε την ψυχή
τους.

Στάθης Σπηλιόπουλος,
Μόρφη Χατζηφωτίου,
Κατερίνα Διδασκάλου

-8-
Campus Events

25 N
ovem
ber

Thanksgiving
Students performing Western line dances

er
mb
ve
No
13
Panigiri
Traditional dancing, church service and
student family bazaar

-9-
Christmas is Here!
Christmas can be confusing and stressful for many people. We rush out to buy expensive gifts, meet
relatives or stay at home alone. These are some of the sad facts about Christmas. But how does this
celebration unite people all over the world? Since the beginning of the first millennium, Christian
communities celebrated Christmas as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus, their spiritual leader and
teacher, whose lessons form the basis of their religion. Among others, popular customs during
Christmas include gift exchanges and the decoration of Christmas trees. But if we look back on those
communities of the first Christmas years, their celebrations were based on a completely different and
fundamental concept. For them, Christmas was sharing meals with their families and friends and all
together praising and thanking their God for the gifts that He gave to us: love, compassion, and
support from the people that really matter. We should keep this spirit of Christmas in mind today!
- Theodosis Dimitrasopoulos

Christmas Through Five Continents
Africa: Ethiopia
Christmas in Ethiopia is known as Ganna, and is
celebrated on January 7th. In church, men sit separately
from the women. Everyone lights candles and walks
through the church three times before standing during a
3 hour mass. The traditional foods served are Injera, a
type of bread, and Doro wat, a spicy chicken dish. In
contrast to other countries, gift giving is not that
important and children usually receive very simple
presents. The whole Christmas day in Ethiopia is full of
praying, dancing, playing sports and feasting.
America: Argentina
In Argentina people go to church, and then have a family
gathering. At midnight, adults dance and children go to
see the fireworks. Before going to sleep they open their
presents. The food usually is pork or turkey. The table is
full of sweet things and drinks. Their houses are
decorated with red and white garlands and they put
Father Christmas boots on the doors. The Christmas
tree has colored lights, ornaments and Father Christmas
is placed on top of it.
Asia: China
In China there is no Santa Claus— they have the "Dun
Che Lao Ren," which means "Christmas Old Man." They
call their trees "Trees of Light" and children decorate
them with colorful ornaments made from paper in the
shapes of flowers, chains and lanterns. They hang
stockings, waiting for the Christmas Old Man to fill them
with gifts and treats. The non-Christian Chinese call this
season the Spring Festival. They have delicious meals
and pay respect to their ancestors. This season is
devoted to kids so they receive lots of gifts and watch
firecracker displays.
Europe: Bulgaria
In Bulgaria, Christmas Eve is as important as Christmas
day. They have at least 12 dishes for a special dinner.
All of these dishes are without meat and represent a
month of the year. One unique tradition is that they eat
blood sausages while making Christmas wishes around
the fire.
Oceania: Australia
In some parts of Australia, Christmas is very hot. It is
usual to have a 30 degrees Celsius Christmas Day. The
dinner includes turkey and pork. A Christmas plum
pudding is the dessert and has a small favor baked
inside. Whoever finds it will have good luck through the
year. Another treat is Mince Pies. Some people have
their Christmas Dinner at midday on a local beach.
Some beaches attract thousands of people on
Christmas Day. Australians surround themselves
with Christmas Bush, a native plant which has little red
flowered leaves. Carols by candlelight are sung every
year on Christmas Eve.
- Theodore Saroglou

On the book Truce, by Jim Murphy

With World War I raging on the battlefields of Europe, one unexpected and miraculous event
unfolded one Christmas evening: in defiance of their commanding officer’s orders, a truce was
declared by soliders on opposing sides, who stopped fighting to engage in a spontaneous
Christmas celebration with their “enemies.” This act, which can only be described as a miracle,
reminds everyone how love and brotherhood for each other can surpass war and politics.
- Theodosis Dimitrasopoulos
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