THERE IS HOPE AFTER ALLTruth be told, time flies so quickly! That was my thought as I was staring at my little angels decorating our school’s Christmas Trees. That very moment the door bell rang and I went to answer the door. “What a surprise!” I exclaimed!Hope, the beautiful puppy we had been waiting for about a year, was finally at our door step. Hope is a special puppy. One of a kind! She travels from place to place, from English School to English School to spread the word that THERE IS HOPE AFTER ALL.-“I’m Hope. May I come in?” She politely asked. “I’m pretty exhausted.” She continued. “You see, I got lost! Thank God a kind woman sent me to you”- “Please, do come in, we have been waiting for you.” I smiled.In a matter of seconds all my students gathered around Hope. After expressing their love and affection to her they carefully listened to each and every word Hope uttered.Like a contemporary Mr. Fogg, Hope traveled, alone though, round Hellas (commonly known as Greece) in more than 80 days, by the way! The time she spent with the students of the schools she visited was what kept her from feeling lonely when traveling, she confided.-“We are so happy that you are now here with us!” My students exclaimed!-“We have already made plans for you!” they informed her.-“You see, we live in a unique area, full of archaeological sites. Tomorrow we will take you on a guided tour.”Next day, despite the freezing cold, all students gathered and took Hope to Mycenae.Mycenae is not far away from our village (the name of our big village or small town is Koutsopodi), it’s about a 5 minute drive. -“Can you see that castle over there? That’s the palace of King Agamemnon.” Georgia said.-“He was the General of the Greek Army that fought in Troy.” Charalampos added.-“He was murdered by his wife.” Eirini winked.-“ His son, Orestis killed his mother because of this.” Nektaria cued in.- “ The walls are so huge.” Hope mentioned.-“ They are gigantic, cyclopean.” Konstantinos explained, showing the gate of the castle with the famous lions. -“Their missing heads were made of gold” Marilena informed her.- “That building over there is Agamemnon’s tomb and in the nearby museum you can see all the treasures which were excavated.” Konstantina’s turn to contribute to the tour.- “Tourists from all over the world come to visit Mycenae! That is actually how we survive given the economic crisis our country is faced with.” Dimitra added.Hope looked at them all…- “I am so proud of you.” She remarked. - “You have studied History. By studying History, in particular, not only will you be knowledgeable but you will also have an advantage over other nations, as, in a way, you will be able to predict your future. There is no other better way to avert catastrophe, you know. Let the lessons of the past be your guide and Hope for the best. I strongly believe that you can make our world a better place in the future. Be diligent and hopeful. Rumour has it that God is of Greek origin.” She encouraged them. “ Study hard and pursue your dreams don’t let the crisis deprive you of your bright future.” HOPE Emboldened them.
