Everyone has experienced special moments of revelation or insight, called "epiphanies." The students shared some of their "epiphanies" with each other; then wrote short texts about one of those experiences, either their own or a fellow student's.

Classmate texts on Insa's "rock" epiphany:

first Insa: When I was on Tenerife for the first time, everything was exciting for me and I always took my camera with me. For three days we rented a car and explored the island by ourselves.On our last day we drove to the north and it was quite strange to see how green everything was there, for the south was like a desert. While we were driving down the hill, I looked back and saw a huge rock at the side of the road. I don't know why, but I said to my boyfriend, "Stop the car!" and took a photo out of the window. Afterwards, when the film had been developed, I saw the picture of this boulder and fell in love with it. It is still one of my favorites and I'm glad that I followed my impulse to "frame" the rock in a photo. A snap decision produced a precious snapshot

Ilka's version:

Black clouds chased by the wind. Birds cruising the sky, murmurs of the sea echoing in the dark. Situated on a hill, the right place, the right time, the right moment. Pointing out to the sea without touching, covered with spots of green without living. The strong, salty breeze is not able to move it. Nothing is going to move this eternal boulder. But I can try to capture it.
Finding the correct position, hair playing in the wind. The camera focuses. Click! It's done. Developed, hidden, forgotten for a time. But when I find it again, why do I see myself in the picture, smiling, waving, shouting for joy?

Rebecca's version:

We were driving to the next town but suddenly we noticed something very special. Today we can't really say why, but we all wanted to stop. When we stepped out of the car, we gazed together at this fascinating thing. Its color was not striking - brown mixed with other dark colors. But it was unique. A huge rock shaped like a face, a face seeming different to each of us - a ferocious ogre, a grinning clown, a tortured martyr. We felt overwhelmed, hypnotized by it and we couldn't move. Everybody was immersed in his own imagination.

Kristina's version:

"The rock - the tree - the sky"

A unique combination:
A rock, a tall tree next to it and above both the incredibly blue sky. Silence.
The rock seems mighty, solid and stable.
The tree is full of life, aims at the sky, grows and blossoms, hosts birds and insects, gives and takes.
A partnership in nature - stone and plant, united.
They did not choose their neighbour themselves, but have to share their fate.
They do not care.

And high above, in the bright azure sky, no clouds cover the sun's radiant beams.
From time to time, birds fly past, their shadows printing a mystic pattern on the stone's rough surface.

I will never forget this tiny moment of perfect harmony.
I envy nature for her fascinating beauty that man can never achieve.

Patrick's version:

Driving for hours, my back hurts. The landscape passing by outside the windows is always the same. There's no change in forms, same rocks, same trees. Suddenly, a glimpse of a particular composition of those two ordinary pieces of nature, under a deep blue sky, makes me stop the car. The landscape looks unreal. Surely I won't be able to capture it in a photograph? Today, when I look at this picture, the whole scenery unfolds itself before my eyes and I'm back in my dream.

Insa again:

Why are there sometimes moments
So special that one cannot forget?
Why can a rock, only a stone,
be so important that a car has to stop?
And afterwards it is only a picture,
something so small that no one should remember.
But nothing can wipe it out of my head.
A beautiful picture it is to me,
a rock, a tree, and a deep blue sky.
Something very pure, perfect to me,
a memory that is mine forever.

Other Epiphanies:

"Polish Woodstock" (Justyna Cempel) August 1998 A hot summer day I see a crowded field Fascination What is this all about? I am surrounded by the swaying mass Joy Loneliness is far away I dive into the happening Happiness Friends of mine are everywhere I don't want to leave Last Chords My Woodstock will dance forever in my memory

Justyna and Ramona on "runner's high":

sweat is running
heart is beating
vessels filled with blood
pulse is pumping
circulation at its top

exhausted, tired, feeble, weak
everything is twirling around -
will I stumble?
determined, strong, a feeling of high spirit
lifts me up into the air.

I keep on flying, a sense of eternal freedom

I was in a hurry to get the bus that would take me to the Canyon. But the instant I stepped in I realized how crowded and hot it was in there. The ride took so long that I really started feeling claustrophobic. When I arrived dozens of tourists got out with me, all heading exactly where I was going. It took me quite a long time to find a quiet place to rest. All of a sudden I was overwhelmed by the peace and freedom of this enormous landscape. As the whole sky majestically turned red and golden, I was able to feel total silence around me. Even though there were hundreds of people watching this phenomenon, no one was speaking. Unforgettable: sunset at the Grand Canyon. Charlotte

eyes closed
shortly before falling into sleep
I don't think anything
can't tell tall from small
something is growing and then shrinking
everything changes
everything flows
not thinking
no order
no stability
no matter
I'm not confused
everything flows
life goes on
Sonja B.

A huge sand dune. What's behind it? Anticipation as I walk to look. Then a picture appears which I'll never forget: A wide, long and white beach And nobody's on the beach - just me. Thoughts stream through my mind: Why are you so impressed? There are countless lovely spots in the world. But how often can you truly see them, the beautiful, lonely stretches between the ordinary and ugly places? Beate

For Sandra, who in her epiphany tale encountered only one moose, and not, thank goodness, two:

Have you ever glimpsed a moose? It's a tremendous beast. Not a small and smelly goose, But antlers three feet broad, at least. Looking for my Swedish friend I saw one - quite a big surprise. No fear - my life would not end - The moose had sparkling, warm brown eyes! And what is the plural of "moose"? Could it be "meese"? Maybe it's "mice" - That would be nice!

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