This book was written by the students participating in the project as part of  ''The Water Within Us'' eTwinning project.

OUR AUTHORS

ZEHRA MALAZGİRT

ALEKSANDRA GJORGJİEVSKA 

BANU LUMINITA

NAZMİYE BAYHAN

SEVCAN TÜTÜNCÜ

MIHAI CORNELIU

GÜLBİN YILDIRIM

CRISTINA PROFIROIU

IRINA DODU

 GÜLŞAH YILDIZ

CORİNA RAHELA TAMAS

PELİN ÖZGEN

NURHAN ERDOĞAN ŞAHİN

VLADULESCU MARIA- LOREDANA  

MARIA-ANNA CHATZIGEORGIOU

AYŞE ÖZEN CAN

 HİLAL BİRBAŞ

THE WATER WITHIN US

One day, there was a school that realised every drop of water was a precious gift.

The pupils began to discuss how the water flowing from the tap held meaning not just for today, but for the future too.

A tree in the garden, struggling to survive with the dwindling water, was silently sending a message to everyone.

This realisation became the first step in a story that would spread from school to school…

(Zehra MALAZGİRT/Şehit Er Mücahit Okur Anatolian İmam Hatip High School)

    We, the preparatory class C, from the "Vasile Cîrlova" Elementary School, in Târgoviște, Romania, heard the story about the tree! It arrived on the wings of a light, autumn wind, right in our classroom. We were touched by the sadness of it and decided to learn more in order to do more!

    First, we learned about the IMPORTANCE of WATER for us, humans. Then we discussed with our parents and our teacher about ways to PROTECT IT, SAVE IT, KEEP IT CLEAN.

    Then, we carried out activities through which we could be aware and proactive, as well as convince those around us TO LOVE and PROTECT WATER.

    We found that we can be diligent, involved, hard working, convincing and determined when we share a common goal.

    We even befriended the TREE in the schoolyard, an old oak tree, protected by law and by all of us.

    We hope that the WATER IN US will be clean so that our little hearts and everyone can enjoy its presence.

(Banu Luminița, ”Vasile Cîrlova” School, Tgv. , RO )

     The news spread quickly throughout the “Vasile Cîrlova” School in Târgoviște, Romania, and the children became increasingly curious. The old tree in the schoolyard became a symbol of the importance of water, of children’s curiosity, and, above all, a symbol of life. More and more students gathered around it and wanted to know its story, until one day…

    A playful droplet clung to a branch and couldn't let go. She was afraid that she would fall to the ground and disappear into the darkness. She felt sad and unimportant. But the children wanted to tell her beautiful stories. No one knew better than them how important water is for the planet.   

      They knew many stories in which water saved mother's favorite clothes, kept the teacher's flowers in a vase for a long time, helped grow fruits and vegetables in their grandparents' garden, helped children be clean and well-groomed. At school, students learned how to love water and not waste it.

Every raindrop tells a story, and we like to hear beautiful things. The raindrop was now happy. She stood proudly in the tree in the schoolyard. She felt valued. But still, she felt lonely. So the students of class II B prepared an unexpected surprise for her: many drops made their way among the branches of the trees.    

(Vladulescu Maria- Loredana, ”Vasile Cîrlova” School, Tgv. , RO )

They shimmered in the sunlight like tiny diamonds, laughing as they met on the leaves. The lonely droplet gasped with joy. She was no longer alone.

Together, the droplets whispered stories to the old tree. They spoke about clouds traveling across the sky, about rivers that never give up, about the sea that gathers every drop with patience. The tree listened, its roots drinking in their words and their water, feeling younger and stronger with every passing moment.

The children watched in silence. They noticed how the leaves seemed greener, how the trunk stood a little prouder. Then one of the droplets finally let go, falling gently to the ground. She wasn’t afraid anymore. She knew she wouldn’t disappear—she would become part of the soil, then part of the roots, then part of the tree’s life.

And so the children understood something important: water never truly leaves; it only changes its way of helping. From that day on, whenever it rained in the schoolyard of “Vasile Cîrlova,” the students smiled. They knew that every drop had a place, a purpose, and a story—just like them. 

(Tamaș Corina Rahela, ”Vasile Cîrlova” School, Tgv. , RO ) 

         The Picu drop, as the students called it, was a  ''small, magical, traveling cloud  '' who helped everything that was alive on earth. 

       Not only the oak tree enjoys Picu and his friends, but all the plants, animals, but especially humans, who charge ourselves with energy with every drop of water we drink.

       From the oak tree in the schoolyard, the drop relled down and ended up in a river. There, a scared bunny took a small sip.  He had been running all day.

 He had played with his brothers,

 and now he was very thirsty. The water

 from the river refreshed him.

            Without Picu and his friends, the little animals wouldn't be able to keep their bodies healthy and wouldn't have the energy to run, hunt, etc. .

            The little drop was overjoyed to see that it was of great help here too, satisfying the thirsty animals. 

            From here Picu went further. 

( Profiroiu Cristina Georgiana,”Vasile Cîrlova” School, Tgv. , RO ) 

    Picu’s river flowed onward until it met a vast and boundless sea. There, Picu began an adventurous journey. At times he rode on the fin of a herring, at others on the back of a whiting. From the turbot, he learned that this was the Black Sea. They told him it touched the shores of six countries, and that countless rivers from those lands poured into its waters. Many drops, just like him, became the very source of life for the creatures living in this sea.

    After a while, filled with excitement, Picu drifted toward the shore. There he saw a school painted bright blue and children dressed in white uniforms. Some of the children were diving into the sea from the bridge beside the school. Suddenly, a wonderful idea sparkled in Picu’s mind. He would whisper his story to the children in the water and invite them to create new stories of their own.

    That day, when the students of Fatsa Atatürk Maritime High School’s engine and deck departments swam in the sea for the festival and returned to the schoolyard, they found themselves thinking about the planet. They realized that protecting the Earth meant encouraging drops like Picu—the very essence of nature. Inspired by this thought, they decided to plant new trees in the school garden. With every rainfall, those trees would gather fresh drops on their branches and send them gently into the soil. From there, rivers, lakes, and seas would be nourished, and the great cycle of water would grow stronger.

    Delighted by the students’ decision, Picu bid them farewell. Then he set sail toward new journeys, surrendering himself to the rolling waves of the Black Sea. 

( Nurhan Erdoğan Şahin, Fatsa Atatürk Maritime High School,TR)

    Today I went back to the river. I didn’t plan it in any special way. My feet simply carried me there, as if they remembered the path better than my mind did. The grass was a little taller than before, and the stones near the water were warm from the sun.

    When I arrived, the river was quiet. It moved slowly, whispering the same sound I used to hear when I was a child. For a moment I just stood there and watched the water.

    In the city everything moves so fast. Cars, people, time itself. Sometimes it feels like the days pass without leaving any real memory behind. But here, by the river, every second feels wider and calmer.

    I sat on the same stone where I used to sit years ago. I put my hand in the water and felt the cold current moving around my fingers. It was strange. The river is always changing—the water that touches my hand today is not the same water that was here yesterday. And yet the river still feels the same.

    Maybe people are like that too. We change, we travel, we learn new things, and we forget others. But somewhere inside us there is still the same quiet place where we began.

    When I lived in the city, I thought the river was calling me back. I thought something outside of me was pulling me here. But today I realized something different.

                                Secondary School ”Sfinții Împărați” Galați, Romania

                                                    (Aziziye Anatolian Imam Hatip High School)

     The water flowing down the river mingled with the turbulent waters of the Black Sea. This boundless sea reflected the hard-working nature and swiftness of the people of the Black Sea. The fishermen, who rose at dawn, had pinned all their hopes on the water. They had pulled their fishing boats out from the shore into the sea and were waiting hopefully to catch the fish that would provide for their livelihoods. 

    In the blue of the sea, the fishermen learned to be hopeful and patient. When they returned with their catch, they always gave thanks for the presence of water. May this be a year in which we become aware of the presence of water within us, in which we can touch the water, and in which we realise that water canrun out. 

                     Osman Tural İmam Hatip Secondary School

In the blue of the sea, the fishermen learned to be hopeful and patient. Every morning they sailed out with quiet faith, and every evening they returned giving thanks—not only for their catch, but for the water itself. The oldest fisherman often reminded them that the sea was not just a source of food, but a teacher of respect. One year, however, the rains stopped, the rivers dried, and even the sea seemed less generous. Nets came back lighter, and for the first time, the village began to wonder if water could ever run out.

A young fisherman, Ali, started to see things differently. One day he found a small, hidden pool of water far from the village and realized how precious it truly was. 

When he returned, he shared his thoughts, and slowly the people began to change—using water carefully, wasting less, and showing more respect for nature. In time, the rains came back, and life improved, but the lesson remained. It became a year of awareness, a year in which they understood that water is not endless, and that protecting it is everyone’s responsibility.

Bornova Anatolian High School 

 Pelin ÖZGEN 

From that year on, the village was never quite the same.

Ali, once just a young fisherman among many, became a quiet voice of wisdom. He did not speak loudly or often, but when he did, people listened. He reminded them of the hidden pool, of the dry nets, and of the uneasy silence of the sea when it gave less than before.

The fishermen began to change their habits. They fixed their boats more carefully so they would not leak oil into the water. They avoided overfishing and allowed time for the sea to recover. Families in the village started collecting rainwater, using only what they needed, and teaching their children that every drop mattered.

The oldest fisherman, who had always respected the sea,

watched these changes with a gentle smile. “Now,” he said one evening, “you are not just taking from the sea—you are learning to live with it.”

Seasons passed, and the village grew stronger. The sea, as if in response, became generous again. Fish returned in greater numbers, the rivers flowed, and the hidden pool that Ali once found became a symbol—a place where children were taken to learn the story of the year without rain.

And so, the story of that difficult time was told again and again, not as a tale of fear, but as a reminder:
that nature gives, but it also asks;
that patience must be matched with responsibility;
and that even the smallest realization—like a young fisherman finding a quiet pool—can change the future of an entire community.

From then on, whenever the fishermen sailed out at dawn, they carried not only hope and patience, but also a deep understanding—that the water beneath them was not just their livelihood, but their shared duty. 

Teacher Aleksandra Gjorgjievska OOU Aco Shopov-Skopje

LITTLE JACK’S LESSON TO SAVE WATER

Once upon a time, there was a boy named Jack who loved playing with his little sister Ava and his dog, Mr. Fluffy. Jack enjoyed playing with water from a young age. He loved water games such as using water guns with his sister, throwing water-filled balloons, and of course, swimming with his family.

Ava also loved playing with water, but unlike her brother, she knew how to save it. She was much more aware of the importance of water conservation. Whenever she saw Jack wasting water, she would warn him. However, Jack often ignored her and waved his hand dismissively, which made Ava upset. She felt frustrated because her