1

High

School

Merry Christmas December

“Christmas time,

mistletoe and

wine…”

an idea for a

Christmas gift:

Candle Wax Tarts

Christmas

interview: US vs.

Mexico

TEDx – my

experience

Sports: Casillas

missing the world

cup

December: Where to

go?

2

Table of contents

3 “Christmas time, mistletoe and

wine…”

5 an idea for a Christmas gift:

Candle Wax Tarts

6 Christmas interview: US vs.

Mexico

8 December: Where to go?

10 Sports: Casillas missing the

world cup

12 TEDx – my experience

3

“Christmas time, mistletoe

and wine…”

Those colorful lights, bells, holiday advertisements in shops,

music on the radio and… excitement in the air! Yes guys, this is

it. We can feel Christmas is just around the corner. Again!

And obviously, the season is opened with special

ad, as well as “Last Christmas” song, which makes your heart

beat a little bit faster while hearing it for the first time since last

holidays. It makes you a little bit irritated too, when you hear it

for the second and for the umpteen time…But while your

irritation continues, Wham’s masterpiece becomes kind of an

international sign saying that the holiday atmosphere is officially

around and it’s not going to leave you for a looong time,

together with the sound of jingle bells. Like it or not, the

“Christmas madness” has started :)

In my class people prepared the list for “Secret Santa Clause”

a bit more than a month before the actual event. That’s how big

their excitement is ! And to tell you the truth, I’m always very

pleased myself when I see those new street decorations and

think of warm, peaceful atmosphere with lots of food and

Christmas carols. It makes my mind travel in time and imagine

those moments in the nearest future spent with classic and

amazing books like “Love Story” , fluffy blankets and the smell of

green Christmas trees. It all feels a bit like a fairy tale with

a shred of magic in it. This magical moment lasts for a while and

then…Christmas Eve is coming closer, which equals = bigger,

common madness everywhere. Crowded shops, people dressed

up as Santa Clauses on every street corner and children

screaming in the desperate act of last request for this newly

advertised toy in TV. What supposed to be joyous, warm and

peaceful time of the year uniting everyone, suddenly changes in

a total setback - Christmas Paradox :)

For me, this Christmas Paradox is an exact definition of family

holidays. It always make me laugh how all the values are upside

down. Suddenly, I don’t feel like living in this snowy, cold

Christmas atmosphere, but like in one of those hot and sunny

holiday destinations.My crazy house is buzzing with preparations

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and quarrels about what kind of tablecloth is

better or which plates should we use. With

family members shouting at each other you

feel just like in those Greek, noisy families,

ready to have their own way.

And then…here it comes, this beautiful

moment when they forget about all their

quarrels, hug and wish each other merry

Christmas. …Right after that they come back

to quarreling again, making me laugh and

giving me funny and remarkable time we

spend together.

I swear to God, my most hilarious memories

come from Christmas. I could start with my

grandmother’s obsession to put on a

Christmas tree all kinds of existing

decorations, and my grandfather’s obsession

to hide them so she wouldn’t be able to use

as many as she would like. I have a bunch of

stories like this, many of which are even

funnier.

That’s just one of the things making my

Christmas special. This little something can’t

ever be spoiled, no matter how many times

“Last Christmas” will be played on the radio

and how big crowd will be waiting for me on

the train.

I know we all have those kinds of something

that makes Christmas time an extraordinary

moment in the whole year which is worth

waiting for. That Christmas spirit , maybe a

little bit spoiled by commercials or maybe a

little bit more special thanks to it, stays always

the same – positive, full of hope, joy and

happiness. That’s why:

Merry Christmas!

Recommendations for the Christmas break:

TO READ TO WATCH

Kasia Skoneczna

5

Idea for a present: Candle Wax Tarts

I’m no Christmas fanatic. Pumpkin lattes, Christmas songs and winter skating don’t make my heart

go a little bit faster. But there’s this one thing that does – BUYING PRESENTS. I’m the kind of

person that enjoys buying presents more than receiving them, which I guess is generally a good

thing. It is most certainly not good for my bank account, but as Jan Twardowski said “Let us hurry

to love people they depart so quickly”, so to make people I love happy, money is a thing I’m willing

to sacrifice. Which is why I gladly decided to start my Christmas-present-hunting in November as

my very own Christmas treat to myself. If you still need to buy presents for the people you care

about but you are stuck and out of ideas – I’m here to help you.

What I have recently discovered on one of my

many shopping excursions are CANDLE

WAXES. If you, just like me, knew nothing

about them, then I’m informing you of their

existence and assuring you they will make a

lovely and not-too-pricey Christmas gift. What

you should do is buy a special ceramic warmer

for as little as 19 zł and then choose the

preferred wax tarts to melt them inside (each

costs 6 zł). The vast range of smells made by

Yankee Candle differ every season, which

basically means that each year smells come

and smells go (I used to have a “red velvet

cupcake” candle aka my favorite candle in the

whole world and just when I finished off a big

jar and was excited to buy another, the

company decided to abort it and replace it

with a new smell). The thing that makes wax

melts different from ordinary candles is that

you can mix and match the melts making a

customized smell just for yourself. I’ve been

using them for a couple of weeks now and I

must say that it’s the most creative and

economical way to keep the lovely smell in

your room. Right now I am absolutely loving

the mixture of “Pineapple Cilantro” and

“Merry Marshmallow”. In Poland you can find

them in swiatzapachow.pl, which also has a

store in the very center of Warsaw (Central

Railway Station, shop 27), and it actually turns

out cheaper than buying them on

international websites. You can come there,

sniff and chat with the seller who will most

probably take out his special bacon and

popcorn candles and ask if you want to smell

them. Come and give them a try, maybe you’ll

like them enough to buy some as gifts! What I

also like about the waxes, is that you can

make a small gesture of giving a wax tart to a

person you’re close with without any special

occasion. It’s such a small thing to do, but it

can instantly make that person’s day a little bit

better!

Hania Sagan

6

American Christmas Mexican Christmas

“I wouldn’t say I exactly have expectations for

my Polish Christmas except that there is snow.

But I just want my Christmas here to be warm-

hearted and fun!”

“ I really want to feel good, enjoy Christmas

atmosphere, eat yummy food and see what

the traditional Polish Christmas looks like!”

1. How does Christmas look in your country? How many days does it last and what do you do

during them?

My typical Christmas starts basically the day after Thanksgiving where a lot of people

participate in Black Friday shopping. We also set up our Christmas tree and decorate the outside of

our house with Christmas lights and ornaments. I personally drink a lot of eggnog because I love it.

My family also has bonfires and invites friends over. I normally go to my grandmother’s and bake

Christmas cookies. The day before Christmas (Christmas Eve) I am allowed to open one gift. On

Christmas morning I drive to my grandparents and that is where I eat Christmas dinner.

So officially Christmas starts on 16th with “Pasadas” and lasts till 24th of December. It’s a

Mexican tradition influenced by the Church dating back to when the Spanish arrived in Mexico. It

explained the story of Jesus to the native people. During these days people celebrate the birth of

Jesus with music, singing and breaking pinntas filled with candies whose 7 tips represent 7 deadly

sins. On the streets people put up nativity scenes. On the 24th of December families gather for

Christmas Dinner. Then they spend the night together and wait for Santa. In the morning everybody

gets presents.

2. When do you start feeling Christmas atmosphere in your area?

The Christmas atmosphere in my town starts right after Thanksgiving Day which is the last

Thursday of every November. People start putting up trees and lights and that’s when most

Christmas carols start coming on the radio.

About the 10th of December

3. What’s your favorite Christmas memory?

My favorite Christmas memory is when a few days before Christmas I got my French

bulldog, Tug.

My favorite Christmas was when my 2 families joined and everybody who is important for

me was there.

vs..

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4. What’s your funniest Christmas family tradition?

My family’s Christmas tradition would be playing games like White Elephant and Secret

Santa. White Elephant is a game where every family member brings a random gift, wrapped. Then

we all put the gifts in the middle of the room and each person draws a number out of a hat. Number

one has to pick a present from the pile at random and they open the gift and it's theirs. Number two

gets to either trade with number one and steal their gift or they get to pick a new gift! And so on and

so forth! The last number gets to look at all the gifts around the room and steal someone's gift

causing them to pick the last gift from the pile... Or the last person can pick the remaining gift! Also,

every year we make Christmas cookies.

It’s not only my family’s tradition but we sing a lullaby for Jesus and my grandfather hides

money and presents around the house for everybody to find them.

5. Do you help your family with preparing Christmas dishes and decorations?

I help prepare Christmas dinner with my family but normally everyone is assigned a dish

from family and they bring it to my grandma’s for everyone.

I usually help with preparing the meal for Christmas Eve.

6. Are there any traditional dishes served on Christmas Eve at your home?

The typical Christmas dinner consist of stuffing, turkey, roll, ham, cranberry sauce, mashed

potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, and there are always a few random dishes that

my family brings like quiche (spinach pie). We always drink sweet tea because I live in the South.

A typical Christmas dinner in my family consist of turkey, turrones,baccalo and a Christmas

salad.

7. Without what wouldn’t you feel it’s Christmas?

For me, there wouldn’t be Christmas atmosphere if I didn’t have a Christmas tree, Christmas

lights and Christmas carols.

There wouldn’t be Christmas without Christmas lights, Pasadas and fireworks.

Interviewed by: Ola Szulowska & Agnieszka Chomiak

Answered by: Kaely Banks & Sebastian Gomez Peña

8

and The Labyrinth

of Light

It’s official – winter has come to town. To put it delicately - I quite despise winter. But even for

grumpy winter haters such as myself it can be bearable and maybe even quite nice, as long as we

have cozy coffee shops where we can snuggle in and catch up with friends or just enjoy a pleasant

evening by ourselves with a cup of “winter special” tea in one hand and a great book in the other.

Here are two of my favorites for this season’s in-town chill-out spots.

The first one is kind of a spontaneous re-

discovery which, to be honest, I’m extremely

happy about. Last year, around this time, I

decided to check out MiTo but wasn’t quite

impressed by it. Everything changed when two

weeks ago I had to wait around for a couple of

hours in the area of “Polytechnic Subway” and

decided that popping into MiTo café for a

warm tea, even though I knew I didn’t like the

shop, was a far better idea than freezing

myself to death in sub-zero weather

conditions outside. Lesson learnt – don’t trust

first impressions, they may be deceiving. My

second impression was unquestionably

different than the first one. First things first –

right in there, I drank one of the best teas I

have ever tasted in my life, which actually says

a lot as I’m a bit of a tea fanatic. The second

thing I loved about this place was that it is an

excellent coffee shop, a bookstore, a

newsstand and an art gallery in one. As I said,

it’s absolutely perfect for a wintery evening,

when instead of moving around town to get to

different places, we can just have everything

in one. Coming for a cup of amazing (!) tea –

which is served in the biggest mugs I have

seen in my life- we can enjoy the newest issue

of Vogue, a book (even in English!) of our

choice, such as The Silver Linings Playbook,

The Perks of Being a Wallflower or Lost in

Translation, or brilliant modern art pieces that

are scattered all around the place. A huge

bonus is that you can easily borrow an iPhone

charger – it may seem bizarre, but for extreme

iPhone users, such as myself, who have ruined

their battery life due to many concussions or

contact with water, it can be a life-saver.

Loved and HIGHLY recommended.

9

Sometimes, when first impressions are good,

they just stay good forever. That was the case

with “Niezłe Ziółko”, a fairly newly opened

shop right across the street from our beloved

La Vanille on Krucza Street. The biggest

advantage of this place is their menu, which

tastes absolutely out of this world. “Niezłe

Ziółko” is one of those places, where you

know that whatever you order, it’s going to

taste amazing. Whether it’s green (healthy!)

cocktails, teas, coffees or exclusive bottled

drinks like yerba mate or pink lemonades – it’s

always a good choice. As we come to think

that it just can’t get any better – it does. They

serve hot meals and different soups every day,

which I swear to God are alarmingly delicious.

“Pumpkin Crème Soup with sour cream” and

“Broccoli Crème Soup with a hint of mint”

have easily made their way onto my “Things

To Die For” list. A bonus, which I particularly

love about this place, is a cutesy little second

floor with a giant cozy sofa, where you can

spend hours enjoying drinks, food and chilling

out with friends. Again – adored and

recommended with all my heart.

For slightly tougher souls who don’t mind the

cold of winter and the wetness of snow all

that much there’s something I would highly

suggest, even though it has not (yet!) been

tested by me. I’ve been planning to go there

for so long and I definitely will be going there

before the start of Christmas break but for

now, the information from the web will have

to suffice.

It is called “The Labyrinth of Light” and it’s

basically “a light art installation composed of

approximately 150 thousand colorful lights

arranged in the Wilanów garden on an area of

over 1,000 square meters.”. As I said, I haven’t

been there, but looking at the pictures taken

there – it seems to be an absolutely

breathtaking experience. It’s opened for the

public view every day of the week from 4 pm

to 9 pm (as a student you pay 3 zł, on

Thursdays admittance is free) and will last till

the 15th of March.

It is placed within the Wilanów Palace so it’s

far from our school, but I believe it’s really

worth the trouble. Arrange a family evening

with some nice dinner in your favorite

restaurant and a post dinner walk in “The

Labyrinth of Light” or simply take your friends

for a fun evening stroll. It also seems like a

perfect place for a nice little romantic pre-

Christmas date … A cherry on top would be

taking a polaroid camera, which I can imagine,

will result in amazing pictures and memories

you’ll never forget.

Hania Sagan

10

CASILLAS missing WORLD CUP? BETTER BELIEVE IT

If someone had asked who was the best goalkeeper in the world a year ago, I would have

answered without a second thought. It was Iker Casillas. Just look at his achievements :

fivefold Spanish League's champion, the double winner of Champions League and Euro

Cup, the world's champion in 2010, Spain's and Real Madrid's leader for over 10 years. But

in the beginning of this year we unexpectedly witnessed a slump in his great form.

José Mourinho shook Casillas' deep

conviction that he was undeniable No 1

goalkeeper when he controversially picked

Antonio Adan ahead of Casillas in a

handful of matches in Januray 2013. But

the real problems started when Casillas

was injured during Copa del Rey clash with

Valencia on January 23. Innocuous though

it looked at first, the Real Madrit's captain

was taken to hospital. "After carrying out

initial x-rays at the La Moraleja Sanitas

Hospital it has been confirmed that the

footballer Iker Casillas has suffered a

fracture at the base of the first metacarpal

on his left hand," the statement read.

Initially Casillias's absence meant return to

the goal for back-up Antonio Adan.

However, Mourinho decided to sign for

Diego López from Sewilla. It turned out to

be a great move, because since then the

new goalkeeper has been playing

wonderfully.

After a long break, Casillas came back but he found himself warming the bench. In summer,

José Mourinho was replaced by Carlo

Ancelotti, which seemed to be a ray of

hope for Casillias to get back the begone

glory. Hope often blinks at a fool, the new

manager continued to put his rival in the

Real's goal. But Ancelotti was at least

more generous than Mourinho and

permitted Casillas to play in Madrid's

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match against Galatasaray. It marked the

return of the Spanish player to the starting

lineup to an official game after 238 days

(!). However, bad luck seemed not to

leave him. Casillas was forced off after

just 14 minutes when his friend, Ramos,

accidentally bumped into the goalkeeper

who came from his line to catch a ball.

Fortunately, he "only" bruised his rib.

Although he recovered quite quickly, now

he finds himself limited to Champions

League and Copa del Rey appearances.

His November Champions League

performance against Juventus was good—

but, with World Cup approaching, does he

deserve to go to Brazil in summer 2014 in

such a form and a small number of games

played ?

So far, Del Bosque (Spain's manager) has

been inviting Casillas to his team,

independently of his form. But who

knows, maybe he is going to change his

mind, especially when the Casillas'

competitors have recently been giving

superb performances of their skills. The

first one is Victor Valdes who did not

appear for Spain until 2010 World Cup,

but is now the second choice for his

country. Although he is now temporarily

injured, Del Bosque must remember his

saved penalties in games against Ajax .

Meanwhile, Pepe Reina - the Liverpool

goalkeeper on loan in Napoli has also

rediscovered his very best form. He

produced a stunning show in the win over

AC Milan on Sunday, when he became the

first goalkeeper to save a Mario Balotelli

penalty (the Italian striker had scored all

of his previous 22). And there's Diego

López of course who jumped into Casillas'

place in Real Madrid. Why not try in

Spain?

So may something that just a year ago was unthinkable become a reality ? Is Casillias, called

the best goalkeeper in the Spain's history, going to spend World Cup 2014 sitting on the

bench? Well, there are many reasons to think he is.

Marcin Nalepa

12

It’s said that TED is a place to give the talk of

your life. It proves that carefully prepared

presentation can have an astonishing impact.

Moreover it’s a great time to listen, open

your mind and let yourself be inspired. For

me it was an incredible adventure and one of

rare opportunities to share my experience,

thoughts and ideas with others.

I consider myself pretty talkative, yet it was

the very first time I took part in that sort of

event. At first I felt it’s going to be a piece of a

cake, tell the audience my story – not a big

deal. However, it was nothing like a

multimedia presentation or a debate, which I

had had contact with before.

My talk was about following my greatest

passion, which is dance. I must admit, it was

very personal, hence risky; because: a) I could

get too emotional b) there was a risk that

people just won’t understand … but it felt so

good to let it all out though. I regret nothing

and feel satisfied.

It was worth to work hard on my speech and

attend rehearsal meetings. I learnt how to

act on the stage, how to sound convincing

enough to gain the audience’s attention. I find

it really encouraging. It certainly developed

my self – confidence and helped to overcome

the stage fright. I think this is why, I am so glad

I had a chance to perform. I am looking

Weronika Płóciennik