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Greece, Primary School of Vytina

My name’s Athena and I’m 47 years old. I live in Vytina, in Greece and it’s a beautiful place. When I was young I used to experience good and bad things. When I was five nobody had enough money around us. So, I didn’t wear nice clothes. When we started going to school, I used to arrive earlier than the others so that I could be sated. School was my dream. I used to be a very good pupil and I wanted to continue and study to become a teacher. However, when I was at the sixth grade in Primary School, that is the last year of Primary School,my parents as well as many other children’s parents told us that we could not continue to go to school and that we had to stay at home to take care of the house and so on. We cried. I cried for three days and I couldn’t eat anything. My parents told me that they couldn’t do anything more. Then I told them it was not their fault but it was just bad luck. When I was 15 years old I got married and we went to Athens for some time. There was a school for adults and I would be able to finish my secondary studies. So, I went there and I studied. I’ve got three children. Now, I’m telling my kids that when they’ll grow up they’ll have their own life. And I wish to tell parents that growing up from child to adult happens only once.
A true story told to a pupil of the sixth grade of Vytina Primary School.

Φωτεινή, ΣΤ΄τάξη (Fotini, sixth grade)