Into
The Grove of the
Dancing Birches
20
lountains of northern Kazakhstan, there is a lake with clean
diled Burabai. Around the lake, there are beautiful pine trees
y groves of birch trees. But how did these trees come to
be? There is a story about one of these groves.
water called Burabai. Around the
and pretty groves of birch trees.
m a time, there was a lovely village by the side of Burabai. One
people decided to organise a special festival. There were games
petitions to test the intelligence, skill and strength of the young
as well as songs and poetry. But the most important part of the
festival was the dancing!
When the Khan heard about the te
Khan heard about the festival, he decided to go and see the
dancing and games for himself. But he realised that if any of the
people recognised him, they would be uncomfortable and wouldn't
dance or sing freely. So, he took off all of his rich jewels and put on
"comes to look like an ordinary person. In this way, he could go
to the festival secretly!
le festival, everyone was having a great time playing games and
sports. Eventually, the music started and all the young women got up and
started dancing. The Khan was so amazed by their grace. He jumped up
or his seat and started complimenting the dancers on tel SKIN anu
beauty. The girls recognised the Khan. They were so terrified that they
froze where they stood and turned into a grove of white birch trees!
To this day, many people from Kazakhstan and other parts of the world
travel to the Grove of the Dancing Birches to admire its beauty and hear
the incredible story of the Khan and the girls who became trees.
Most teenagers don't exercise before school. They like staying in their beds in the morning. Penny gets up at six o'clock. She gets dressed to go to the gym because Penny is a gymnast. She doesn't have breakfast with her family. They're still in bed! After the gym, Penny goes to school. Her school starts at half past eight and it finishes at half past three. But she doesn't feel tired. 'Gymnastics gives me energy. After school, Penny does her homework and she has dinner with her family. In the evening, Penny uses the internet and she watches films, but Penny doesn't go to bed late.