Ta teden so devetošolci pri angleškem jeziku urili spretnosti pisnega sporočanja. Učenci so izbirali med dvema pisnima sestavkoma. Nekateri so pisali o tem, kako so en mesec preživeli na samotnem otoku, drugi pa so se prelevili v drzne pomorščake, ki so s Krištofom Kolumbom odkrivali novi svet. Domišljija ne pozna meja. Preberite si besedili naših devetošolk Lane Poboljšaj in Vesne Planinšek. Udobno se namestite, vzemite skodelico vroče kave ali čaja in naj se dogodivščina prične …
Učiteljica angleščine Tina Zupančič Bergant
SAILING WITH COLUMBUS
by Lana Poboljšaj, 9.b
3rd August, 1492
Today it finally happened. I finally got on Santa Maria and we sailed away. I’ve been waiting for this since I heard about Columbus’ expedition. I still think it’s a bit far fetched, but I still hope it’s going to prove to be an interesting experience.
My biggest worry was getting picked for the crew member, since I am a woman, but it wasn’t that hard. I simply cut my hair, used some dirt on my face to look more masculine and find an oversized coat to hide my features. I presented myself under the name Finn and people believed me. I wonder if they accepted me because they couldn’t find candidates, but I’m on the ship. I’m here. They aren’t getting rid of me.
The ship is not really impressive. It’s big, but nothing really. It’s just my luck I’m sharing a ship with Columbus.
So far, I’ve made friends with two other members of the crew, Barney and Aiden. Both are here for the same reason as I am, learning how to sail. I really think this trip will be spectacular.
9th August, 1492
I was so wrong. This trip is absolutely horrendous. There was an outburst of lice the second day we boarded, so we all had to cut our hair. All I’ve been doing is seeking out rats. It’s clear to me this has no plan behind it.
The crew is a good one. We’re by far the fastest ship, although Columbus isn’t a great sailor. He clearly has no idea what he’s doing. The commander is the one to tell him where we are and how fast we’re going, which he writes down in his little booklet. I swear people will praise him centuries later for doing nothing.
But we did reach land, which we all find weird. India was supposed to be months away, but Columbus claims it’s India, so he named the islands the Canary Islands. It’s quite a nice land, with beautiful beaches. We also found out this land is probably inhibited by someone, as we found a small boat.
7th October, 1492
Today was quite a day. We stayed on Canary Islands for some time to explore, repair the ships and refill our food supplies. Then we sailed further. We’ve been sailing for what appears a whole month without seeing any land or living creatures other than fish, dolphins and whales. And then, today happened.
A huge flock of birds passed us and Columbus decided to follow them. So we did. I hope this proves like a reasonable idea, otherwise we’ll end up getting lost in the sea.
But otherwise, it’s not that bad. Sure, we’re all hungry, smelly and full of bug bites, but it’s alright. So far no one knows I’m a woman, although I suspect Aiden knows, but he hasn’t said anything. It’s windy and stormy and beautiful.
12th October, 1492
Today we reached a new set of islands, which proves that following the birds wasn’t such a ludicrous idea. Columbus claimed the islands as Spanish and called them San Salvador.
We also met some native people. They sleep in what they call hammocks. They seem very useful to sleep in so the natives were kind enough to help us install them on our ship. Too bad not everyone can appreciate that.
It seems like Columbus is enjoying his time here too much. He’s constantly following the chief of the tribe around. He seems to have a plan, but I can’t put my finger on it. I’m just hoping it’s a good one.
24th of December, 1492
Oh, how much I wish I never boarded this ship. I was correct, Columbus did have a plan, but not the one I hoped for.
He forced us to hunt down as many Native people as we could, chain them up and lock them somewhere on the ship. People whom we befriended are now scared of us. Aiden, Barney and I warned some of them off, so they could move their tribe away from us. But unfortunately, the rest of the crew captured dozens of them. After Columbus robbed them, we sailed back. Tonight’s sky is looking great, so Columbus decided to let everyone sleep, so no one will be on board. That is kind of worrying but if the commander thinks it’s okay, then I’m not going to argue much.
13th March, 1493
Of course, it proved to be a terrible idea. In the middle of the night, the ship crashed into underwater stones, making all of us wait for Santa Clara, which was behind the schedule for the entire day. It turned out half the crew couldn’t even swim so there was a lot of struggling to stay alive in the incredibly icy water. Some of the crew never returned to the surface.
Santa Clara finally arrived and took us back to Spain, where the king was overjoyed that we brought back gold and hostages. He offered all of us who returned the highest honour he could give us, but I refused. I cannot accept a prize for capturing a bunch of people who didn’t do anything to us.
So, I’m packing my stuff, moving somewhere else. I’m hoping I’d be able to find a job in France, preferably somewhere close to the sea, where I can still fulfill my dreams of sailing.
But this entire expedition with Columbus only proved to me how cruel humans can be. I hope this stops soon, using other people for our own benefits.
LIFE ON A DESERT ISLAND
by Vesna Planinšek, 9.b
My crew and I were on our ship, sailing peacefully. It was a wonderful day out in the ocean. Our trip to the Bermuda triangle was doing great when a storm came and washed all our hope away. The wind took the waves into its hands and crashed them angrily at our ship.
Soon all that was left were its pieces, scattered across the top of the ocean. I made my way to the surface, gasping for air and latching onto the nearest log of wood. As I looked around I couldn’t see anybody near me. Guessing that they all drowned, I slowly made my way to the island I saw in the distance.
When I finally got to the island it was almost night and I was very tired. So all I did was lie on the ground and fall asleep. I woke up to the sound of birds, remembering last day’s events. The moment I remembered, I jumped up and started grabbing all the scraps off the shore and seeing if there were any fruits or berries in the area. When I finally collected all the scraps ˝I still haven’t found ma berries˝ (it’s a Vine), so I went to look for food.
Soon I was holding fruit and walking back to the shore. I set up a camp and wrote S.O.S in the sand with rocks. When I set everything up it was night yet again. Looking up at the stars I thought of my comrades. I missed them. As much as I wished for them to come to this very shore, I knew that that was too much to ask for. Going to bed I closed my eyes and soon fell asleep thinking of each and every one of them.
***
I’ve been here for a week, though, it feels like I’ve been here for months. Not knowing how long it’ll take for them to find me, I almost lost hope. I grew bored a couple of days ago, so I carved faces with rocks on coconuts, pretending that they’re my friends. I feel really stupid, but it’s a bit less lonely.
***
Waking up in the middle of the night, I heard distant noises. I looked around me, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. The noise grew louder by the second. My nerves were going haywire. I looked up, now realising where the sound was coming from. I saw a helicopter. Joy filled me up and I started screaming and jumping. They saw me and rescued me from this horrible place. Wrapping me up in a blanket, I fell asleep once again, but now feeling safe.
