Bullfighting is in her Blood

SPAIN. When Cristina Sanches was a little girl, she loved to watch her father fight bulls. She knew that bullfighting was a dangerous profession. And she knew that there were no women bullfighters in Spain. But she still wanted to become a matador, to follow in her father's footsteps. So at the age of 12, Cristina started practicing with cows.




Her father was totally opposed to her future plans. "It's impossible. Women don't become bullfighters," he said. But Cristina insisted. "I don't want the role of a traditional woman," she says. Finally her father changed his mind and gave in. He saw that Cristina had bullfighting in her blood. He gave her the green light to attend the most famous school in Spain to learn the ropes of bullfighting. And the he became her trainer.




Now Cristina is a star in her country. As the first female matador, she is always in the the public eye. But it hasn't been smooth sailing for her. She has been hurt three times by bulls. Also, many people are angry about her participation in the sport. Some male matadors refuse to share the bullring with her, and she often hears insults from the audience. "When I hear insults from the crowd," says Cristina, "it makes me try harder. I want those people to eat thier words."




About You:




1. Is your family opposed to any of yuor ideas or dreams?




2. Tell about a time when you were opposed to something but gave in.




3. From what you see on TV and read in the newspapers, who is in the public eye now? What do you know about these people?

Janitor's Dream Comes True

LAS CRUCES,NM, USA. Primo Torres has learned that dreams come true. Born in Juarez, Mexico, Torres grew up in Texas in a poor family. As a child, Torres was a bookworm and he loved school. At 15, he already dreamed of being a teacher.






One day at school, young Torres dropped by to see his guidance counselor. He told the counselor his plans for the future. "But this guy said, 'Primo, you will never be a college material,'" Torres said. "When he told me that, I gave up. He threw cold water on my dream."






After graduating from high school, Torres got a job as a janitor at Mayfield High School in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He cleaned bathrooms and swept floors. The years went by. Now and then, he talks to his wife about his childhood dream of being a teacher.






One day, when Torres was 41 years old, his wife gave him some papers. She had enrolled him in college. "It was strange going back to school at my age," said Torres. " I felt like an old man around all those kids." The words of his first professor changed his life. "Everyone in this room is capable of succeeding. You can all make an A." he said. Torres hit the books and made his frist A in college.
Torres finished college, and now he's teaching at Mayfield High School. His students love him. "My students don't realize that I'm the same man who used to sweep the floors in this school," said Torres.


About You:

1. Tell about a dream you had that came true.

2. Are you a bookworm?

3. For how long do you hit the books on a typical evening?

4. What do you dream of doing in the future? Does your family encourage you to follow your dreams, or do they throw cold water on them?