Their opinions
Kasia
When I was younger, I didn’t really like nature. I associated it only with my grandfathers’ summer house. I had to go there every year and it was a bit boring. Well, it’s in the forest, but with no river or lake, and my grandfathers had all these carrots and onions which we had to weed every week. My parents were happy because I could spend a lot of time outdoors, but I wasn’t really. Now it has changed – I simply love going there. After all the stresses and tensions of schools and exams it seems it’s like finally finding shelter. I love lying on the grass on a blanket and reading in the sun. And I love flowers. I have my own flower bed in the garden, where I grow tulips and roses. Tulips are lovely in the spring: they are so fresh and have fantastic colours. Roses bloom later. You have to take care of the shrubs: cut them, water them and protect against frost in winter. I really like it now: it gives me a few hours of relax. So I always go there whenever I have time.
Maciek
For me nature means places I haven’t been in, mountains I haven’t climbed and lakes I haven’t swum across. I love challenges and nature gives me opportunities to try extreme sports, to check how fit I am. In winter I love skiing and snowboarding, that’s typical. But I also like climbing on the snow. When some parts of the slope are icy, it really gives me a thrill. Of course you mustn’t exaggerate – it shouldn’t be really dangerous. And you must have good equipment. I always save money to buy my own equipment: like sleeping bags, good boots and jackets. I am really happy to be on the top, on a mountain full of snow. I also like mountains in the spring, despite the unsettled weather, with the rain, drizzle, fog, hail or slush. The sea in the summer is the time for windsurfing, and the sea must be rough! So for me nature are not animals or plants, but the power of the elements.
Ania
For me nature are animals. Since I was a little girl, I’ve been picking up all beetles, snails and butterflies that I found on my way, and then I tried to keep them in jars or pots. My parents finally bought me a guinea pig, and then I bought another one after a year – well, my little pet was so lonely. The friendship turned into a big animal farm. Breeding the pets was a great adventure: I sold little ones to my friends and I had some money to buy special pet food. Then one of the guinea pigs died, the girl, and I was too sad to buy another one. We bought a dog and some fish. Now if it weren’t for my dog, I would not go for a walk at all probably. We often walk together in the park nearby. Some time in the past I thought I would like to live in the country, be a vet, etcetera… very romantic vision. Now I am not sure. It seems I have become a city person.
Ola
I can say that I am a child of nature. I can’t imagine how people can live in the city, with all these fumes and noise. I love the country. We’ve got a big house near a beautiful forest, and there is a huge lake there. At the weekend we always go to the woods and then of course it depends on the season and on the weather – sometimes we swim in the lake, or we ski from the slopes in winter. When it is minus ten degrees, or more, there is thick ice on the lake, so we skate, too. Even during the week you can always go for a walk – but of course in the morning I must hurry up not to miss the bus to school. Sometimes it is hard to get up early in winter, but the summer is rewarding – because we’ve got a big garden and we sit there in the evening, until the sunset. It is the greatest thing in the world!
Improve your vocabulary!
beetles – żuczki
breed – hodować
challenges – wyzwania
cut – przycinać
drizzle – mżawka
flower bed – grządka kwiatowa
frost – mróz
grow – hodować
hail – grad
orchard – sad
rough – wzburzone
shelter – schronienie
shrubs – krzewy
slush – chlapa
snails – ślimaki
sunset – zachód słońca
thrill – dreszczyk
unsettled weather – zmienna pogoda
water – podlewać
weed – pielić