Summary 3

According to legend, an Ethiopian goatherd found his goats chewing on coffee cherries and soon joined them after trying one. In the past, coffees were only foods and drinks for African tribesmen. After many years, coffee became a global phenomenal with huge amount of proportion. It seemed amazing that a bean that small is able to become an international trade and drank by people everywhere. Frost hit southern Brazil twice in 1975 and 1979 and more than 15 million trees were destroyed. Price of coffee increased although Brazil actual lost was lower than what they expected. Producers and consumers came up with a solution to limit output to what the market can absorb, and sell at prices reasonable to both sides. Despite win-win solution and increase in living costs in the United States over the past years, coffee is still one of the least inflated prepared beverages: five cents a brew-it-yourself cup.

English summary

Lukas family was worried because their child, Lukas, went missing. Families of Lukas searched and called for Lukas' name until night. Malie was shocked that they could not find Lukas' track. Before Lukas disappears, a child named Flip Lourens disappeared in the same kind of fog they did not found a trace of him. Elias lost his cool and said that bigfeet killed Flip as he knew the forest well himself. Anna and the men went back at midnight to continue the search. Martiens told Malie and Sofie to make a big fire in the middle of the Island so if the child were to see the glow, he would go back. However, it was in vain. Seven months later, in August 1865, a forester told Elias that parts of a skeleton that might have belonged to a child had been found but Elias said it could only be part of a baboon's skeleton.

A Face To Remember

“Although we are not born on the same day, same month and same year,” shouted Rajasekaran, Kannan and Adalvallan at the open field, “we vow to die on the same day, same month and same year!”
When the three of them were still young, they were very close together. They made a vow to promise that they will be together for the rest of their lives and die together. The three of them were Tamils and their grudges started in 1948.
In 1948, when Sri Lanka achieved independence from British, the Ceylon Citizenship act started. Citizenships were only granted to those born in Sri Lanka and those whose fathers and grandfathers were born there. This act caused many Tamils to be stateless and they do not have the basic right to even vote.
Rajasekaran and her family were very angry. They hid their feelings and continue working as tea plantation to contribute to Sri Lanka as they thought that the government would be touched by their contribution and allow them to gain basic right such as voting. However, they were very wrong.
In 1950, there was a notice stating ‘with effect from the end of this month, not only the Sinhalese peasants get to live in Jaffna and Batticaloa, Buddhist monks and Sri Lankan army which comprise mostly Sinhalese would occult this land.’ Rajasekaran’s mind was totally blank at that moment.
“I think we should prepare ourselves for even more disappointing and bad news.” said, Rajasekaran’s father who was about to burst into tears.
In 1956 Sinhala was declared as the country's official language under the official language act, Tamils in the government service had to learn Sinhala within three years or be dismissed off their position. Although Rajasekaran usually helps her father in tea plantation, he already had plans to find a job with more prospects. The official language act upset the Tamils in government as well as others because it would be even harder to find jobs or be promoted.
“How could they do this to us? They gave us only three years to learn Sinhala or we will get dismissed from our current position? This is totally unfair!” said Perundhevan to the rest of the Tamil governments.
Adalarachan, a fellow colleague of Perundhevan who was also a Tamil government, said, “What can we do? We can’t fight with the Sinhalese government too.”
“We’ve got no choice but to accept this and learn Sinhala in three years”, said the leader of the Tamil government, Agilan.
Before 1970, the university admissions were fair to both Tamils and Sinhalese. In 1972, there was a notice saying that Tamils students need to score better than Sinhalese students. Rajasekaran studied day and night hopping to get into a university. Rathatima got 4 A2s and 2 B3s, while her best friends, Ravanan who was a Sinhalese got 4 B3s and 2 A2s.
Both of them went to apply for the same university for the last spot, but Rajasekaran was told that Ravanan got in the university while she did not. After hearing the news, Perundhevan said, “How could they do this to you? You got much better grade than that best friend of yours, and she got in the university easily just because she is a Sinhalese?? This is totally unfair!”
“Brother, you yourself know how bad the Sinhalese government is right? What can we do? We don’t have the power to fight back”, said Rajasekaran
In 1976, Rajasekaran gave up on studies as she knew that she had no more future. Rajasekaran, Adalvallan and Kannan built an army called the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to fight against the Sinhalese as they thought that it was the only way to make the Sinhalese government treat the Tamils fairly and equally. The war stared and bombs were flying around in the air; the sound of gunshot was heard from a large area of distance up to one kilometre. There were blood everywhere, it was a horrifying scene that causes the whole place to be stanched with the smell of blood.
“Run while you still can! Rebuild the Tamil Tigers army and avenge our death!” shouted Adalvallan who was desperately fighting in a losing war as the last few survivors.
“No! I can’t leave now; we made a vow when we were kids!” cried Rajasekaran while being pulled back by Kanna.
“There is no time for such thing now Rajasekaran! Flee with Kannan immediately!” shouted Adalvallan with Tears rolling down his cheek but smiling, “Live on and well my friends!”
Kannan held Rajasekaran’s hand and fled. 5 years later, Rajasekaran remembered the face of Adalvallan and always cried when she thought of the war. However, will they give up preventing more casualties? Or will the peace be temporary?

(Word count: 797)


Work checked by Dominic, Andre, Jia Hui and Kelsey(3E1)