PINEWORD 2022 SEP-NOV issue

PINEWORD

D arya Kostikina

Dear reader,

We’re excited to share our 2022 Fall Issue of Pineword with you! Okay, we know it’s not technically fall anymore, but bear with us It takes a long time to bake cinnamon rolls, watch movies, and hunt down all the new teachers at Pinewood for an interview!

Whether you participated in A21’s Walk for Freedom in October, dressed up for Halloween at Trick or Treat, or simply tried to stay awake while wandering the halls from class to class, we hope the articles, photos, and creative writing in this issue take you back to all the wonderful memories you’ve made so far this school year. And it’s only just begun!

In a word, we’re focusing on all the ways we as a school have built relationships this fall. This topic is especially relevant for all of the students, faculty, and members of the Pinewood community who are new this year like me. Maybe you come from a place that celebrates one of the Worldwide Fall Festivities written about on page 4. Maybe you come from

School Starting!

Alexandra Diamantopoulou

Beginning school is always a new experience for both the teachers and the kids, both new and old. It is filled with emotions of excitement, happiness, anxiety, and more or less bittersweet thoughts. For the old students and teachers, it's a matter of adjustment towards the new curriculums and timetables, while for the new teachers and students, it takes a bit more time to adjust. New surroundings, new people, new everything!

Regarding the new students, they have to find a place that they fit in this mess called school, which is more important than it seems to be. They want to feel welcomed, like they belong. Of course, the job of finding new friends is always difficult, but it also differs from kid to kid. Someone could be an extrovert and make small talk easily, unlike someone who is an introvert and has difficulty speaking up. Besides having the difficulty of socializing, new students may have come from a completely different country, causing them to have difficulty with the use of a certain language or even cultural shock. For instance, Greece and America are two completely different universes. As a result, someone living this experience would feel lost. Suddenly their whole culture doesn’t exist in the present environment. Yet, old students should definitely try to show interest or even sympathy to the new students, and the “buddy” system is an excellent way to integrate newcomers.

Older students, unlike fresh ones, have largely figured out where they belong. They know whom they should avoid and whom they should stay close to. They have even figured out how to handle teachers when they are burning with rage. So, their bittersweet comeback is smoother. However, there are always changes to come people change and there is nothing you can do about it. For better or for worse, they change! A lot of students are forced to re create friendships all over again for personal reasons, which is always a difficult situation to be in. Or maybe new friendships are formed within that small circle someone has created, and that “ group” is fading away since everyone is growing up and starting to have different interests. As a result, returning students are just as anxious as new ones.

New teachers come and go each and every year. How many times have students seen new faces that they didn't recognize from last year? Much like new students, many new teachers experience adjustment difficulties. They have one month to figure things out within a brand new environment with brand new structures, activities, rules, and standards. Additionally, they are under pressure to memorize each child's name, traits, and behaviors, which is a difficult task I, for one, have trouble remem-

a place where you’re served fresh the kabak tatlısı from page 7 with dinner around this time of year. Wherever we came from, we’re all here in the same place together this fall. And, as I say on page 8, at Pinewood you’ll encounter people who are welcoming and who wish to share pieces of their culture with you. It’s important to be grateful for and foster those intercultural relationships.

These are just a few of the thoughts and feelings we ture in this fall’s issue of Pineword. Through the process, we some of the things that make our school such a vivid, diverse community.

Thank you in advance for your enthusiasm and support of the Journalism club. If you feel in any way inspired to contribute, we accept articles, photos, poems, stories, drawings, and more! Honestly, we could also use some help finishing the delicious cinnamon rolls one of our writers makes for us.

We wish you happy readings of Pineword’

bering more than two names. I can't even begin to understand how difficult that must be for them. In addition to mastering the grading scale, new teachers must also keep student management in mind. What are required to speak in front of an audience (which might be students or adults), conceal their anxieties by acting naturally, and endure a few critical looks. Teenagers often pass snap judgment on others!

Old teachers have the upper hand on things. They basically know all the bits and tricks. They have gone through all the stressful experiences in the past and now it's smooth sailing well, most of the time! Even yet, many may struggle to acclimate after a protracted summer break, and teachers are just like students. They must forge new bonds with colleagues; some of these bonds may fail, while others may endure. But that is just the surface of their difficulties as the school year begins once again. You know that platform where everyone uploads homework and assignments? Yes, I am pretty sure you do. Well, that changes every year or so. The entire online platform is run by teachers, and, therefore, they must become proficient in using it before the students start missing all of their due tasks. In essence, they must implement a new learning engagement approach that goes beyond simply providing an online platform for students to upload their work. Everyone would think that after so many times, especially in the post things in one week.

September marks the beginning of the school year across the country and at numerous locations across the globe. It stressful, anxious, or excited. But, at the end of the day, school is school, and you learn how to deal with its repercussions, whether you are pleased or unhappy! Perhaps the only way to prevent sorrow and sadness is to make friends with the other students, or your "fellow inmates." There are many who present this to me as a positive point of the school, advising me not to see everything in black and white. But they don't understand that we have no other choice, that socializing with each other is the only way to even somewhat forget school's constant, excruciating anguish. Yet, even leaving behind all of the intolerable agonies of constantly assigned tasks, you still learn competitiveness at school rather than teamwork and togetherness. Because that's how society is out there! And, rather than teaching us how to question it in order to change it one day, the school, while stirring current and future workforces, remains a small mirror of it, a jungle microcosm similar to the society out there.

And it

Thursday, December 1, 2022 | Pinewood International American School of Thessaloniki

INEWORD

A few of your new teachers!

What is your teaching style/philosophy?

I do my best teaching when I can display my own curiosity and passion for English. My favorite lessons, and those which students are often most engaged in, feel like conversations, where my students and I mutually come to a new understanding of a

means that I always give students the opportunity to discover new knowledge by investigating patterns, as Math is the science of patterns. I also like using group work in my lessons that allows students’ collaboration, active participation and ‘hands on learning’. Finally, I base my teaching on question-

What are your strengths as a teacher?

I have always connected deeply with students from varied cultures due to not only my own unique, multicultural background, but also my commitment to lifelong learning. I look for opportunities to be a student myself and learn from those around me, whether it be words in my students’ native languages, literature from different cultures, or new teaching practices all of which can be incorporated into my lessons to deepen my connection with students.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

It’s hard to imagine! I’ve lived in three different countries in the past three years. However, I’m sure I’ll still be trying to get the most out of life no matter where I am in the future.

What do you like best about teaching?

I love my interactions with students. They can be so incredibly funny, but at the same time, can teach me a lot as well even if they don’t realize it.

Describe a funny incident that happened during class. Cows are one of my favorite animals. During my birthday one year during COVID, all of my students in one class changed their photos on Zoom to different pictures of cows. Needless to say, I was quite surprised! It amazed me to see how you could still connect and have fun with students over zoom, and definitely made remote teaching less dull that day.

How do you motivate students to learn?

I try to diversify the authors I use in my classes and center female, BIPOC, refugee or immigrant narratives, a practice which motivates students who may not have previously been as engaged with literature.

What is your favorite subject?

English, of course! But it’s probably no surprise that I also love learning other languages.

What’s your educational background?

I earned a B.A. in English (with teaching licensure) from Wellesley College as well as an M.A. in Education Policy at Teachers College Columbia University.

My name is Maria Tsavdaridou and I am 30 years old. I was born and raised in Thessaloniki where I studied Math from 2010 2014. In my free time, I love playing tennis and walking Lilly, my amazing labrador. My favorite food is spaghetti bolognese and my favorite color is blue.

What are your strengths as a teacher?

I think that my strengths as a teacher are my patience and persistence to make math enjoyable and accessible to all.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I like setting realistic and achievable goals, so, in 5 years time I could imagine myself teaching at Pinewood.

What do you like best about teaching?

What I like most about teaching is seeing that smile on my students’ faces after every lesson. A smile that reflects confidence and the excitement of learning something new.

Describe a funny incident that happened during class. A funny incident that happened in my class was in the UK, 3 years ago, when during a Grade 10 lesson on Golden Ratio I accidentally said ‘Leonardo Di Cabrio’ instead of ‘Leonardo Da Vinci’.

How do you motivate your students to learn?

I always try to inspire my students to love Mathematics by demonstrating real life applications. This allows us to see the presence of Math in our everyday lives and develop creativity and critical thinking skills.

What is your favorite subject?

My favorite subject? MATH of course! OK, apart from Math I also like Ancient Greek and Geography.

What is your educational background?

I have a BA in Math from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, a Master's Degree in Teaching Math and Science and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from the Canterbury Christ Church University in the UK.

What is your teaching style/philosophy?

My teaching philosophy is based on guided discovery. This

world. It is hard to say what is my favourite dish, but one of them is certainly Portuguese caldeirada. I love to walk, to dance, to move all the time (literally or figuratively) and I think we should never stop moving because we are designed for it. My favourite color is green because it reminds me of life, of spring, of reborn nature... and of the beautiful poem of Federico García Lorca which says "Verde que te quiero verde..." (Green I love you green...)

What do you like best about teaching?

I like teaching because I like to transmit knowledge, I like to exchange, to inspire young people, but I constantly learn from them as well.

What are your strengths as a

teacher?

I care about my students, I feel empathy for them and I try to do my best to understand their needs and to help them learn.

How do you motivate your students to learn?

I think that teachers are there not only to teach them, but to inspire them how to think in an independent way as well. I might be a bit demanding and strict sometimes, but I always find a way to implement some creative activities and let them enjoy and feel relaxed at my subject.

What is your favorite subject?

My favourite subject is... hard to say because I love to learn about many things (from languages, art, history to chemistry!), but if I could make a combo subject of literature cinema I would opt for that one as my favourite.

What is your educational background?

I finished Spanish Language and Hispanic Literature at the University of Belgrade (Serbia) and my MA in Portuguese literature at the University of Lisbon (Portugal). I attended the Greek language for foreigners at the Aristotle University in Greece as well.

Thursday, December 1, 2022 | Pinewood International American School of Thessaloniki

INEWORD

Worldwide Fall Festivities

M arina Nazeraki

Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest is an annual festival that takes place in Munich, Germany. It usually lasts for 16 18 days and runs from mid september until the first Sunday of October. The festival first occurred on October 12, 1810 as a wedding celebration when Bavaria’s Crown Prince married Princess Therese of Saxony Hildburghausen. Back then, the festival lasted 5 days and it included horse races and a lot of drinking. Nowadays, Oktoberfest includes a lot of beer, traditional food such as pretzels, Kartoffelpuffer (potato pancakes), Bratwurst, and black forest cake for desert. Delicious, right? Most people dress up in their dirndl (a traditional Bavarian costume) that include for women, a white blouse under a tight fitting Bavarian dirndl dress with an apron tied around it, and, for men, a button up shirt (either white or checkered), leather Lederhosen shorts with suspenders, an Alpine hat, classic socks, and sturdy Bavarian shoes.

Day of the Dead (Dia De Los Muertos)

Day of the Dead is celebrated anually on November 1st and 2nd in Mexico and it is a tradition which takes place to honor their ancestors. It was first introduced in the 1500s by the Spanish invaders. People that celebrate this festival set up a candlelit altar so that the spirits can find their way back to their relatives. Moreover, relatives usually place the deceased's favorite foods and drinks next to the altar in case they get hungry. Additional decoration includes things that were significant for the dead during their lifetime, such as books, jewelry, and musical instruments. After decorating the altar, relatives visit the graveyards where the deceased are buried and have a party with a lot of food and music. Another traditional activity of this feast is to decorate the roads with funny skeletons. This is something which reminds people of the fact that death is a part of life. The skeletons usually do peculiar activities, such as playing guitars, taking baths, and eating or even cooking. The traditional clothing includes, for men, a simple but fancy guayabera look or an elegant dark blazer in case they're looking to conquer a beautiful catrina, and, for women, traditional Mexican dresses, big feathered hats, flower crowns, sugar skull face paint and most importantly: a lot of color!

Oktoberfest:

“Adult Oktoberfest Costume” Fruugo.

DestinAsian Media Group.” Emirates serves Bavarian food for Oktoberfest”. DestinAsian, 21 September 2022.

“How to dress for Oktoberfest in Mu nich: What to wear, costume, party outfit ideas”. BigBoyTravel.com, 22 September 2019.

Louis Adam. “Welcome to the Agassiz Harrison Observer: Agassiz News” Agassiz Harrison Observer, 9 November 2022.

Segarra Lisa Marie. “What is Oktober fest?” Time, 16 September 2019. https://time.com/4944930/what is oktoberfest/

“20 authentic Octoberfest recipes” In sanely Good Recipes, 6 June 2022. https://insanelygoodrecipes.com/ oktoberfest recipes/

Day of the Dead: Francine Byfield. “How to dress for day of the dead in Mexico” Beach, 17 October 2018. https://www.beach.com /activities/what to wear day dead mexico/

Maygheen Tortolero.”HOW TO DRESS TO CELEBRATE DIA DE LOS MUERTOS IN MEXICO” blog.xcaret, 26 October 2015. https://blog.xcaret.com/en/how to dress to celebrate dia de los muertos in mexico/

National Geographic Kids. “Day of the dead” Celebrations, 2 November 2022.

Moon Festival

The Moon Festival, also known as mid autumn moon festival, is held in multiple Asian countries, like China, between mid September and early October. This festival has been celebrated by the Chinese since the 10th century BC. People who celebrate this event gather with their families to eat and drink, and celebrate and admire the moon. They usually do activities like lighting up lanterns, barbequing, and storytelling under the moon.

Moon Festival: Cindy. “Mid Autumn Festival (Mooncake Festival): Greetings, Traditions, Food, Stories…” China Highlights, 18 October 2022

Chatterjee.

Blog, 20 September 2022.

Thursday, December 1, 2022 | Pinewood International American School of Thessaloniki

INEWORD

Fall Movie Recommendations

M arina Nazeraki

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Dead Poets Society is a novel published in 1988 by N. H. Kleinbaum. This small book is arguably one of the best classics that every person in their teens should read. Not only is it an interesting book, but it will also change the way you see life and poetry. Dead Poets Society takes place in the late 1950s in an English conservative boarding school. The book follows Todd Anderson and his friends on their adventures and the renaissance of a secret club their English teacher Mr. Kreating created while he was a student in the school, named the Dead Poets Society. As a teacher, Mr. Kreating inspires his students to live every moment of their life to the fullest through his motto of carpe diem, or ”seize the day,” and to perceive his class from various points of view that they had not been taught in their close minded school. A very inspirational quote Mr. Kreating uses in the book is the following: “We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, and engineering, are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.” This quote completely changed the way I perceive poetry and life, as it makes poetry seem something essential for the development and continued existence of the human race. Poetry connects us, as humans, not only physically, but also emotionally and intellectually. It gives meaning to the world, to romance, to the beauty of life and nature. I would recommend this book to people that love poetry and stories that give a feeling of coming of age. Moreover, people who enjoyed reading The Secret History by Donna Tart and Looking for Alaska by John Green will have a great time reading this book. If I needed to rate this book, I would give it a 5/5. Finally, if you are not the type of person that enjoys reading books, you should watch the movie, which is directed by Peter Weir.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is known as a fall comfort movie that everyone enjoys watching. It is a movie based on the famous novel Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, written by J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter, the protagonist, lives with the Dursleys after the tragic death of his parents. On his 11th birthday, a giant named Hagrid appears in his door and announces something shocking: he is a wizard! Even though he finds it hard to accept, Harry attends the Hogwarts Wizarding School and gets introduced to the magical world of wizards. In his first year, he meets Ron Weasly and Hermione Granger, his friends that will accompany him through all the school years on this journey. The young children spend a very interesting first year, full of fun activities, at Hogwarts. However, Harry suspects that someone is trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone, a significant representation of perfection in Hogwarts. Harry and his friends try to solve the mystery at the end of the year. This movie reminds me of my childhood and I find it really comforting, as it represents a magical childhood and pure love. Moreover, while all the Harry Potter movies remind me of fall, the Philosopher’s Stone has a cozy vibe which most strongly reminds me of fall. I would totally recommend this movie to the people that have not watched it yet.

“

It's a day of global awareness and local action in the fight against human trafficking. Thousands of people hit the streets in hundreds of cities worldwide to walk in a single file line holding posters and handing out flyers to reach their city with information about human trafficking and how to end it.” A21 Campaign Website

The yearly A21 walk has evolved to be a signature event for our Pinewood community. Again, on Sunday October 16, more than 90 Pinewood students and teachers walked for all who cannot. We walked for the thousands of people men, women, and children who live and/or work in conditions of exploitation and human trafficking in our country. Our goal is to spread the message: "Live with freedom and report this crime.”

In their 10th grade English classes, students developed infographics, pamphlets, and podcasts to spread awareness on the topic of human trafficking. If want to learn more, visit the A21 Campaign’s website at https://www.a21.org/

Here are some photos of Pinewood students at the Walk For Freedom:

Thursday, December 1, 2022 | Pinewood International American School of Thessaloniki

Harry Potter

and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001)

Bibliography:

Blackiston, Hannah. “Harry Potter director wants to drop a three hour cut of 'philosopher's stone'”. LADbible,17 November 2021. https://www.ladbible.com/ entertainment/latest harry potter director wants a three hour cut of philosophers stone 20211117 Pottermore. “Life lessons we can all take from Philosopher's Stone”. Wizarding World, 2 October 2019. https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/life lessons we can all take from philosophers stone Wikimedia Foundation. “Dead poets society”. Wikipedia, 2 November 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Poets_Society

A21 Walk For Freedom

INEWORD

Fall Recipes to Try!

T oprak Şevket Gökçe

Cinnamon Rolls

1. Warm the milk to around 155 you can just use a pot. You need to wait 40 ing.

2. After, start mixing the milk. While mixing the warm milk, sprinkle the yeast on top. Add the egg, egg yolk, melted butter, and sugar, and mix until it's well mixed. Add the salt and flour and start mixing until the dough begins to form.

3. Place the dough hook on a standing mixer and knead the dough on medium speed for 8 minutes. It should start to form into a nice, sticky ball (but not too sticky).

4. Transfer the ball of dough into a well tic wrap and a warm towel. Let the dough rise for half an hour to an hour, or until it doubles its size.

5. After it doubles its size, transfer the dough to a well and start rolling it out into a 15x9 inch rectangle. Spread the soft butter over the dough, leaving a 1/5 inch margin at the far side of the dough.

One

sert.

Ingredients:

█ Milk: It’s recommended to use a bottle of 2% or whole milk (though you can also use almond milk).

█ Granulated sugar: This is used to sweeten the cinnamon rolls and to activate the yeast.

█ Fast rise yeast: Use instant yeast in the recipe to help the cinnamon rolls rise faster. You can use active dry yeast too, but cinnamon rolls may take slightly more time to rise.

█ Butter: You can use salted or normal butter they are the same. You will need it for the dough, filling, and icing.

█ Eggs and Egg Yolks: You will need 1 egg and 1 egg yolk for perfection.

█ Bread Flour: To keep the cinnamon rolls soft and fluffy, use bread flour for the high protein to keep the texture.

█ Sugar: You can use brown sugar, too. Personally, I love using dark brown sugar to have the robust molasses sweet flavor.

█ Cinnamon: Obviously the best ingredient.

█ Icing: Icing is one of those unforgettable ingredients, too. We need butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar powder.

6. After all of that, mix cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. You're going need to use your hands to sprinkle the mixture onto the buttered dough, then rub the sugar mixture with the butter.

7. Roll the dough up. Start from the 9 inch side and place the seam side down. You will need to cut off about an inch from the ends of the dough, as the ends won want.

8. Cut it into 7 inch slices with a knife or something sharp. You are probably going to get 8 large pieces.

9. Place the cinnamon rolls in a greased baking pan or a cake pan. Cover it with plastic wrap and, if you want, you can cover it with a warm towel to let it rise one more time.

10. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take the cinnamon rolls out and bake them for 20 25 minutes or until they get a golden color on the edges. Let them cool down before adding the icing.

11. To make the icing, add butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract into an electric mixer. Beat until it's fluffy and smooth and cover the cinnamon rolls with the icing.

s tips for the best results!

█ Use room temperature butter for the filling: a lot of people recommend using overheated filling but that will cause the filling to leak out without breaking.

█ Use bread flour: it makes everything better softer, fluffy perfection!

█ Don't use overheated milk: it would be better if you heat the milk to 115 120 degrees. If you overheat the milk, the yeast is probably going to disappear.

Thursday, December 1, 2022 | Pinewood International American School of Thessaloniki

of the best recipes is Cinnamon Rolls! Even though it's a hard recipe, after going through all that hard work, you end up with a delightful des-

Toprak’

Pumpkin Soup

INEWORD

the onion is translucent, after about 8 to 10 minutes. In the meantime, peel the pumpkin skin off the pumpkins and discard the skin.

4. Add the pumpkin flesh, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cayenne pepper (if using), and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper. Use your stirring spoon to break up the pumpkin a bit. Pour in the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, to give the flavors time to meld.

5. While the soup is cooking, toast the pepitas in a medium skillet over medium low heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, golden, and making little popping noises. You want them to be nice and toasty, but not burnt. Transfer the pepitas to a bowl to cool.

Toprak’s tips for the best results!

█ If you have the time, after slicing the pumpkin, you can sprinkle some sugar and/or cinnamon on the pumpkin and set it aside overnight before making it. Of course, this isn’t necessary, and you can make kabak tatlısı without this step, but it really makes a difference!

█ Don’t bake the nuts together with the pumpkin. Instead, serve them after the pumpkin is baked. If you add the nuts to the oven, they can burn, become bitter, and spoil the entire dessert.

█ If you want to, you can try keeping the (prepared) kabak tatlisi in the oven at 375 F (180˚C) for 15 minutes before serving. This gives the kabak tatlisi recipe a robust texture as the water evaporates.

It's a nice recipe for sweet and the salty needs at the same time!

6. Once the pumpkin mixture is done cooking, stir in the coconut milk and maple syrup. Remove the soup from heat and let it cool slightly. You can use an immersion blender to blend this soup in the pot. I prefer to use my standing blender, which yields the creamiest results. Work in batches, transferring the contents of the pan to a blender (do not fill your blender past the maximum fill line!). Securely fasten the blender’s lid and use a kitchen towel to protect your hand from steam escaping from the top of the blender as you purée the mixture until it is smooth. Transfer the puréed soup to a serving bowl and repeat with the remaining batches.

7. Taste and adjust if necessary (I thought the soup was just right as is, but you might want to add more coconut milk for extra creaminess/milder flavor, or maple syrup to make it a little sweeter).

8. Ladle the soup into individual bowls. Sprinkle pepitas over the soup and serve. Let leftover soup cool completely before transferring it to a proper storage container and refrigerating it for up to 4 days (leftovers taste even better the next day!)

█ If you wish, you can also wax your own syrup on the pumpkin and drizzle it over. In order for the syrup of the pumpkin to thicken, you should cook it with the lid open for a while.

█ In the same way, you can get a very pleasant taste by baking your pumpkin dessert in the oven.

Instructions:

1. For the kabak tatlısı, slice the pumpkin thinly, then peel it and remove the seeds.

2. After washing, chop 2

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Carefully halve the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds (you can roast the seeds if you’d like see note but you won’t need them for this recipe).

2. Slice each pumpkin in half to make quarters. Brush or rub 1 tablespoon olive oil over the flesh of the pumpkin and place the quarters, cut sides down, onto the baking sheet. Roast for 35 minutes or longer, until the orange flesh is easily pierced through with a fork. Set it aside to cool for a few minutes.

3. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Once the oil is simmering, add onion, garlic and salt to the skillet. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until

Thursday, December 1, 2022 | Pinewood International American School of Thessaloniki

Kabak Tatlısı (Turkish Pumpkin Dessert)

I definitely recommend you try the pumpkin dessert recipe, bon appetit in advance!

Creative Writing Corner

D arya Kostikina

Back in 2018, I was voluntold to give a speech to a school of Greek students in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday.

I’ve adapted the same speech and included it here, in this issue of Pineword, because I believe the message is still relevant today. Secretly, I’m also hoping my IB English students will pick out a few rhetorical devices

This year, I’m thankful that I don’t have to read it aloud to an auditorium full of students! Enjoy.

States or from Canada. Wherever you go, you’ll encounter people who are welcoming and who wish to share pieces of their culture with you. And I hope you respond by being grateful in return for the opportunities to be abroad, to encounter the kindness of strangers, and to exchange pieces of yourself and your culture not just on Thanksgiving, but every day of your lives.

So even if you’re like me and never planned on celebrating Thanksgiving to begin with, I hope you can take this moment to appreciate what you already have, as well as the many opportunities that will present themselves in your bright futures. Reflect on the things that make life good, because even if these things may be different for you than for someone else, we can still be grateful for them and the opportunities that exist for us to share these differences. Thank you.

“

“Besides my family and friends, I’m thankful for my house insulation and good education.

A lot of you are probably wondering “why are we spending so much time thinking about an American holiday? We’re in Greece, we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving!” I’m going to be honest with you: I never celebrated Thanksgiving either growing up. Because I was an immigrant, the only family I had was an entire ocean away. Borscht and caviar seemed to me as foreign to a Thanksgiving dinner table as dolmades and horiatiki might seem to you. And, maybe worst of all, I didn’t even like football (at least not the American version).

I was thankful we had the day off from school. But every year I inevitably spent that day off marathoning movies in my room, while my friends reunited with their extended families, eating themselves into a coma and playing board games late into the night. The first time this routine changed was when I studied abroad in Ireland. Finally, I was in a place where Thanksgiving would be just another Thursday on the calendar and the day would go on uninterrupted or so I thought.

The thing about Thanksgiving is that no matter the circumstances it still finds a way to bring us together. My American friends in Ireland still had family members who flew in, even for just a few days, to spend the holiday with them. And my Irish roommate, who knew I, too, was American for all intents and purposes but did not have family flying in, insisted that we have a special dinner together. I said yes. And so on this Thursday in November of 2015, an Irish girl, an American for all intents and purposes, and our friend from Spain found ourselves cooking a hodgepodge of various dishes and sitting down to have Thanksgiving dinner together.

There were no family members from afar; no turkey or sweet potato casserole; and no cheering on of any football teams. But Thanksgiving isn’t about any of those things. Instead, it’s a time to surround yourself with people you care about and to be grateful. In that moment, I was grateful not only for finally having company after so many Thanksgivings spent alone, but also for what that company meant. Even though Thanksgiving wasn ’t something that had ever been meaningful to me, it was meaningful that my Irish roommate went out of her way to make me feel at home in what was to me a foreign country. It was meaningful that three people from such vastly different places could become friends. It was meaningful that, so far from our families, we could make each other feel at home by sharing pieces of our culture with each other and for that I was grateful.

You, the students of Pinewood, will find yourselves immigrants or visitors somewhere when you go to college abroad. Or, even if you plan on staying here in Greece, you’ll encounter new friends from the United

“

I am thankful for my loving parents, amazing friends, and the chance at a successful future that the IB program has offered me. I am also thankful for both my good physical and mental health as well as my home. Finally, I am thankful for my pet, my cat, which she has helped me get through some tough times.

“

I am thankful for, my old and new friends, my family, my dog and cat, and the opportunities that the IB and this new school have given to me.

“

Thursday, December 1, 2022 | Pinewood International American School of Thessaloniki

WHAT WE’RE THANKFUL FOR

Gr. 12 Writer

Olivia Mastrogiannaki

I’m thankful for my friends, my family, and for the opportunity to be in this wonderful place with all of you!

Faculty Advisor

Darya Kostikina

Gr. 11 Writer

Marina Nazeraki

Gr. 11 Writer

Alexandra Diamantopoulou

I am thankful for my life circumstances and the life I live.

Toprak Şevket Gökçe

INEWORD

Creative Writing Corner

M ea Tela | Contributing Writer

The following are selected pieces from 17 and Abroad, a book by Mea Tela (grade 11). About the book, she writes, “it’s a chosen collection of my written work: poetry and short stories and at the same time a reminder of who I was, from the moment I started writing to the moment I left to study abroad.”

Pineword’s editors have selected the following two pieces, a short story and a poem, to publish in this issue because they are reminiscent of fall.

To read the rest of Mea’s collection, visit her website: https://meatela.weebly.com/

The Ice Rink

On the night when the witches, skeletons, zombies and vampires came alive and people celebrated their revival by throwing parties and baking pumpkin pies, I went ice skating for the first time with my friends. My friends had all gone ice skating before but I, being the kid that always locked herself inside the four walls with a phone in my hand and wrinkled bed sheets from all the twisting and turning of my body at my feet, had never felt the icy touch of the Rink.

When we got to the place and we checked in at the front desk, me and my friends were given a pair of skates, which I felt required a manual on how to put on. No matter how hard I tried, the laces were impossible to tie together. “Laces should be easy to tie, right? So why can thought to myself. “But it's my first time, it’s natural that I gling.” I found comfort in my lack of experience. It was a blindfold that helped hide my own glass and ice, just like the one that made up the Rink 10 meters away from me. And yet, it differed because the ice on the Rink seemed never melting, but mine just needed some skates to melt.

on let's race” they say to each other, and now the blindfold is almost falling off my head. “Ah, come on that was cheating!!” my friend says in frustration seconds later.

A few minutes passed and I finally made it across the ice rink. A smile formed on my face, as the blindfold tightened at every moment I let go of the bar that helped me stay on my own two feet. Feeling more confident in my skating abilities, I tried to join my friends. But suddenly, a cold sensation overtook my body, and the blindfold dropped to the ground. I saw glass and ice all around me, nothing else. I tried to touch the glass, and it broke. The sound echoed in my ear. “Ouch” I yelled, holding my knee. All my friends come close to me, and I can hear them saying, “Are you fine?” “Do you need help?”

I stand up, and try to pick up the blindfold. I put it over my eyes and

A FINAL (PINE)WORD

I finally tied my skates up and entered the Rink. Clueless, I watched my friends as they skated from one side to the next, talking to each other, and enjoying themselves. Meanwhile I was just getting used to the motion of skating. My friends’ laughter echoed all across the rink, and with it the blindfold became looser, but still tight enough as not to fall and allow me to see. Slowly, I was getting used to the ice, but my friends were making turns and racing. I felt once again the blindfold becoming looser, “Come

With the body pierced by a sunray That melted the snow that fell in the past I run, and am sucked in by the light By the light that appears in front of me

Ah, it seems I finally grew up too

Would you like to be featured as a contributing writer

Pineword?

You don’t need to be part of the club! We take submissions from any Pinewood student who is interested in being published in the magazine.

Are you a writer? Poet? Photographer? Artist? Send your submission to kostikina@pinewood school.gr for a chance to appear in our next issue!

Thursday, December 1, 2022 | Pinewood International American School of Thessaloniki

Christmas At The Ice Rink Nick Downes

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