Helena Maluf

About Me

My name is Helena and I’m thirteen years old. I’m tall, I’ve got light brown, shoulder-length hair and I’ve got green eyes. I’m sporty, friendly, ambitious, creative and patient (I get easily impatient sometimes though). I’m clumsy, I can be kind of bossy every now and then and I’m a bit lazy.

               

My parents are called Beatriz and Ivan and I’ve got an older sister: her name’s Camila, she’s fifteen years old.

I’m into reading and watching TV (mainly TV series). I hate waking up early and I really can’t stand doing my homework. I don’t mind playing soccer. I love sleeping and eating: I enjoy Japanese and Arabian food! I’m very interested in learning new languages: I’m currently learning French, English and German (besides Portuguese). I can play volleyball; I’m bad at sciences and I’m not really good at playing basketball.

Everyday I have to wake up at 6:15a.m.: I must not be late for school! I don’t have to wear the school uniform everyday: only on Tuesdays and Thursdays- that’s when I’ve got P.E. classes.

               

After school, once a week I have English classes, once a week I practice athletics and also once a week I have drama classes and once a week I take German lessons. I don’t really have to do housework- I have to make my bed only on weekends.

When I get older, I’m looking forward to doing an interchange during high school, (I’m not sure about where yet though: either Germany or England). I often think about graduating in journalism or in international relations. I’m not sure yet if I want to live abroad, but if I do, I’d like to go to the U.S.A.

Sharing Life Stories

My grandmother is called Luisa and she was born in 1943 in Brasil. She was a teacher, but nowadays she is retired. She lives in São Paulo, which is the city she was born, raised and has lived her whole life. She had three children: two girls (one of them is my mother) and one boy. Another person that must be introduced for this story is my grandfather: his name is Theodoro and he was born in 1933 (also in Brasil). He was a lawyer for several years and he recently retired. Just like my grandmother, my grandfather has always lived in São Paulo.

For many people, 13 is considered an unlucky number (especially Friday 13th), but not for my grandparents. In 1960, Friday, August 13th, Luisa (who had just turned 17) went to a costume party. It was a party to ‘defy bad luck’, in other words, all the decoration in the party was about Friday 13th, there were charms all around the place and luck stuff like that. Luisa had been in the party for a little while and she was talking to her friends when Theodoro arrived. In that day, they first met. Even though Theodoro was already 26 (and would turn 27 in September), they soon started dating. Seven years later, they got married.

Nowadays, Luisa is 70 and Theodoro is 80 years old: they are still married and they recently celebrated their 47th marriage anniversary! They had three children (which are already married adults) and they even have seven grandchildren! So that’s what I mean when I say 13 is not a bad luck number: at least not for my grandparents.