I sat on the floor along with my peers, Mr. Knight had a surprise for us. He had a yellow box on his chair and he stood next to it, smiling at us, "Right class, as you know I am from Ireland, and my sister is a teacher over there as well"
We all nodded, our eyes wide with wonder and hearts so innocent as he pointed to a map, "Ireland's here, i'm from Mullingar. So, I was talking to my sister last week and we have come up with a plan for you guy's to interact with someone from Ireland"
Pansy, a curly blonde with bright crystal blue eyes stick her arm up in the air, "How do we do that?"
Mr. Knight grins, "Well, my mail of course. We have decided that both of our classes shall become pen pals with one other member of the other class. And it will also show the different ways of life over there and it can also help you with your hand writing. So, everyone, single file and take on letter from the yellow box!"
My peer's around me all stood, gathering around Mr. Knight and the yellow box of wonder as I slowly stood up and stood behind the crowd of squealing people, they all pulled away from the group, ripping their letter's open to see what was inside and to see what wonders were in them.
"Miss Eliot, lucky last" Mr. Knight smiles at me sadly, as I went onto my tippy toes, he tilts the yellow box and I peer into it to see a light blue envelope with a single stamp on it, "Who's it from?" I reached into the box and delicately took it from the bottom and pulled it out, "Why don't you open it and find out?" Mr. Knight smiles warmly at me as I looked to him, then to my letter.
I turned it open and gently opened it so the envelope wouldn't rip and pulled two pieces of paper out.
Hello, i'm Niall. I'm nine years old and from Mullingar Ireland, my favorite colour is green and I live in a tiny house on top of a hill.
My birthday is on the 13th of September and i'm really excited for it. My brother told me my mum was getting me a guitar for my birthday - I just can't wait.
What's it like in Australia? What kind of food do you have over there? Do you really ride Kangaroos to get to school over there?
I drew you a picture, I hope you like it,
Niall
I pulled the paper out from behind it and saw a a boy - i'm assuming it's Niall with a guitar. I smiled and Mr. Knight looked over my shoulder, "What's the drawing of?" "Niall playing a guitar" Mr. Knight remained silent for a moment, "Do you want to write back to him?"
I nodded and he guides me over to a table in the corner and I sat down, pulling some paper from a pile and a red texture out of my pencil case.
To Niall,
Happy Birthday!
My name is Bridget, i'm nine and a half and I turn ten in January. I live in Melbourne Australia and my favourite colour is red.
My house is an old house from a long time ago, it has an dumb-bell that was used to bring food and things up and down the stairs and I like to ride in it when I don't want to go down the stairs.
Australia right now is warm right now, we're in Spring and the flowers and animals are all awake now. What's if like over in Ireland?
We have lot's of food, my favourite is the Tim Tam's my mum gets but my dad normally gobbles them up before I get a lot of them. What kind of food do you have over there? Do you have Tim Tams?
I don't ride Kangaroos, i'm not sure anyone from my school does - but my cousin did say she once rode a horse to school, and that her brother rode a sheep to school. How do you get to school?
And thank you for your drawing, I like it. I hope you like my drawing,
Bridget Elliot
I pulled more paper and textures out and started to draw my house, then I took the lone yellow envelope from the pile Mr. Knight had and put my letter and drawing into it, then I put a stamp of a Koala on it, and wrote 'Niall' on the front of it.
"Are you down Bridget?" Mr. Knight asks me, I nod and shyly held the letter out for him to take and he smiles, "I'll put them in the parcel and send them over to them on the weekend, how does that sound?" I nodded and he hushes me towards a group of girls and left.
They instantly ignored me and I sat outside of there circle, sitting the other way as I thought more about Niall's letter, a tiny house on a hill? That sounds lovely.
