Love Stories

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Heilig Hart Heverlee -
Liceo Artistico Statale Catalano

This is a Valentine's project that takes inspiration from love songs.
Both sides have created their top 10 of English love songs through the use of Mentimeter. These have been combined in a Spotify playlist.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3GHLc7EFkmE4KcbewcMsNo?si=WjeTjQOyQR6fy_-Xvk6MJg

The Flemish students chose 3 Dutch songs to send to their Italian peers and vice versa. These songs were the starting point for a creative writing assignment.
What feelings and images do these songs evoke when one can't understand the language? The students were asked to write a scene from a love story based on one of the songs provided by the partner school.
The results show that love is an international language.

The Mysterious Man

The story is about a woman named Elisabeth, she is a beautiful woman with short hair. On a Friday night she went to a dance all alone. This was her first time going to a dance and when she entered, she saw that there were a lot of men and women who were dressed very nice. There were violin players and pianists. Everybody was dancing but she was all by herself until she saw a man that she had never seen before. The man is from another city and he has the most beautiful eyes. She was shy at first but decided to make the first move. The man wanted to dance with her because he felt a bit lonely. They both were all alone, so they had nothing to lose. They were dancing all night long to a beautiful song. While they were dancing Elisabeth started noticing she was catching feelings for the man. Everyone was looking at them because they never saw two people dance so beautifully. Elisabeth was shy so she asked the man to stop dancing. They went to a table and asked for drinks. While they were waiting for their drinks the man got a phone call. The man had to go because his brother was in a car crash. Elisabeth wanted to ask his what his name was, but he didn’t answer. He gave her a picture of himself. It was a very old picture, he was 20 years old back then. Elisabeth tried to stop him running but he was too fast. Everybody was looking at Elisabeth. Elisabeth ran after the man, but she was too late. The man took a taxi back to his hometown to visit his brother. Elisabeth started crying in the middle of the street while it was raining. She went back to the ball to ask people of they knew the man. She asked some people if they knew the man, but no one knew him. She left the ball to go back home. On her way home she kept looking at the picture of the man. It was raining so she started running. when she got home, she immediately tried to sleep but she couldn’t because she kept thinking about him. Then she promised herself that she would do anything to find the man. The next morning, she went looking for the man, but nobody knew him. She went into all public buildings she knew, and even travelled to multiple cities. Every day when she wakes up, she still hopes that she will see him again, but she has never seen the man again, or heard of him.

-Yousri Meniaoui

A match made in heaven

Carl picked up Julie at the front door of the house. It was a couple who had just gotten married. They were madly in love and booked a romantic hotel to spend their wedding night. They had had a nice wedding, they had received many congratulations and nice letters. They arrived at the hotel at 1 am and settled in their room with rose petals. They took their time to go through all the letters. After reading all the letters, they went to bed. They had had a long and tiring day. They stayed on the top floor of the hotel, with a view of the sky. They were silent for a moment. Julie reflected on the adventure they had taken together. She asked Carl what he remembered about the first meeting. Carl said he once had a dream about Julie. He had dreamed that Julie was a girl in his class. She was super smart and pretty, every boy wanted her. One day Carl and Julie had to do a group assignment for school. They exchanged numbers so that the collaboration would run smoothly. They chatted all evening and decided to meet up the next day after school so they could get to know each other better. While Carl was telling his dream, Julie blushed . She was so happy that Carl was so honest and open with her. In the end it was already 2 o'clock and it was time to go to sleep. The next day they woke up at 9am and breakfast was ready at the door. During breakfast they were talking about what had happened yesterday. They didn't have much time to think. They had a flight to Mallorca at 11 o'clock where they went on their honeymoon for 2 weeks. After breakfast, they packed their bags and left for the airport and headed for a fun journey.

Love on the line:

Anna was laughing at the restaurant. She was so happy that they were almost on vacation. Her boyfriend James was tired but happy at the same time. Once they arrived in Iceland, the only thing they saw was snow. After they had arrived at the house in the middle of the forest they went to bed. The next morning, the sun was shining on their faces. Anna turned the radio on, the song that was playing was Mina - Il cielo in una stanza.

Before the vacation they had planned some things to do. The first thing they were going to do was riding with huskies. After the ride, they were going to a café to drink something. Anna ordered a tea and James ordered a Cola. James was thinking how he could ask Anna to marry him. He already had a wedding ring, but he was just waiting for the right moment. He saw clearly that Anna was very happy so he was sure she would say yes. After the drink James asked Anna to come with him. James took Anna by her hand and they walked to a snow covered mountain. Once they arrived at the top, the sun was going down. The sky was red and orange. They had never seen such a beautiful sunset. At 9 am James took his ring. Anna started crying from happiness and said yes. For the next half hour, they both starred at the sunset until it was gone. This was a day that they will never forget.

-Jarne Simons

Heartbroken

a man was just returning from war. His family and girlfriend are waiting for him at the airport. Everyone is happy he came back alive. In the evening the soldier, Thomas, takes his girlfriend out to a restaurant to celebrate that he had returned. The restaurant is reasonably quiet, there is a man playing a violin in the background, their table is prepared with candles in the shape of a heart. The waiter passes by and asks him “ Do you need anything sir?” No response from Thomas. His girlfriend asks him if he is okay. He nods yes but in reality he is not. The images of war keep replaying in his head and he can’t forgot about his friend who died at war. They order their food, the same as usual. Some minutes later his girlfriend asks him again “Do you really feel okay?”, and again he says “Yes, I’m fine. Suddenly his girlfriend gets a call from a guy named Tony, She is acting very nervous and declined the call very quickly. Her boyfriend asks “who is Tony” and she answers “ooh he is just some dude from my work”. At the moment that she is saying this he gets a notification, it’s an image of a unknown number. He opens it and what he saw is a picture of this Tony giving his girlfriend a kiss. He gets angry like never before. She says “ I can explain” but he doesn’t listen and leaves the restaurant. While he is walking through the rain the song “ II cielo in una stanza”
-Dastan Karim

Heaven on Earth

It’s 1990, America.

Two Italian tourists met each other whilst visiting America. They ran into each other by walking on the same shopping street in America. They instantly look like they are in Love. The fact that just at that time at that place both a woman and a man walked into each other, was a sign for them. There was a certain attraction to each other. They decide to go out together for the rest of the day. That night, they went to the bar of a hotel and they were having such a nice time. They couldn’t stop drinking that night and they talked and talked for hours and hours very interested in each other for the whole night. They end up in the hotel room. It looked like a of a townhouse (high ceilings, heaven painted on ceiling), light room with a big bed, fireplace across the bed, a chair in the corner between the fireplace and the wall with windows, everywhere are candles lit up. Cozy, wooden floor. They start undressing each other till the man only has pants on and the woman only has a nightdress on. Then they start kind of dancing and fighting, as if they were performing some modern dance because of the emotional ride they had been through that day. After dancing in the room, they end up in the bed making love all night.

The unforgettable evening

It’s 20 February 2020 and the most famous ball takes place in Rome. A lot of people come, even if they have to drive for 6 hours. On that night, Rose is also there. She a is 22 years old women, lives in Rome and is single which is very weird because she is beautiful and very sweet. There is also a boy, called Jack. He is a very classy guy, who also lives in Rome and is 24 years old. If you should see him, you really think that he has a lot of self-confidence, but if you know him, you know that he is shy but very friendly. Around 8 pm Rose and Jack meet each other at a ball. They sing and dance to their favorite song. All night, the only thing they know about each other is that the boy’s name is Jack and the girl’s name is Rose. But 2 hours after the moment they have met each other, they lose each other because of the many people in the crowd. After searching each other for an hour, they both go back home. But at that point they didn’t know that they live only 5 minutes away from each other. Rose drives home and sees a man on the street that is changing the tyre of his bycicle. She recognizes him in an instant. Rose stops her car and gets out to see if it is really Jack... and yes! It is him. At first, he looks very surprised because he didn’t expect that he was ever going to see Rose again but that feeling quickly turned into extreme joy and happiness. Nearby there is a park, they sit down here and talk. At that moment they find out that they live on 5 minutes from each other. The following evening, they go to the opera. And now they still live together and still like go to a ball together.

- Valérie Swinnen

How one day can change a life

On a sunny day in the summer of 2019, Michael was running from the police, after he had stolen a ring from a woman in her late 70s. Michael had already been running for 2 hours, so he was very exhausted. He started looking for hiding spots, small streets and houses. After looking around for a couple of seconds, he found a small street, with very luxurious houses. Michael had lost the police, but he knew they were on his tail, so after he saw a girl – around the age of Michael – he runs to her, asking her if he could go to the toilet. The girl saw in Michael’s glare, that there was something else going on. She heard the police sirens earlier, so she already had the idea that Michael wasn’t just a normal guy. After asking her what her name was, she replies ‘’Hi, I’m Sara.’’ Sara let Michael in, and Michael went to the toilet like he said. After he was done, Michael sees a picture of a person, guessing it was her dad. He asks her, is that your dad? Sara replies: ‘’Yes, he passed away 7 years ago because of cancer.’’ With tears coming in her eyes, she wipes it immediately. ‘’I’m so sorry’’ he replies. The conversation goes on for another 15 minutes, with Sara asking him: ‘’So, what did you do today? Tell me what’s wrong and why..’’ Michael stares blankly, worried. He knew Sara knew that he had done something wrong, by stealing the ring, he just didn’t know how she knew. He asks her ‘’How did you know?’’ ‘’No perfect looking guy would just come into my house, if there wasn’t something wrong with him’’ She replies. ‘’I stole a ring, I needed money to pay my bills and I have been involved in criminal activities for money since I have been young’’ He says. Sara’s look didn’t change, she wasn’t scared, or worried at all. After 30 seconds of silence, Sara asks Michael if he wants to stay over for a bit longer, so he could hide from the police and they could talk some more. Michael obviously didn’t refuse, he knew the police were still looking for him and deep down, he knew a person like Sara only comes around once in a lifetime. After hours long of conversations, about Michael’s past, Sara’s dad and all their interests, they get closer. They start kissing and cuddling, with all the rest following. When they’re done, they both beam. Michael tells her ‘’Thank you for talking with me, and helping me today, I have never been this happy. My parents passed away when I was young and I never had the chance to truly talk with anyone about all of my problems. I like you, you’re special.’’ ‘’Every person has their scars, some deeper than the others. Everyone deserves a second chance. Time goes on, and as the night comes and they watch movie after movie, have conversation after conversation, and eventually, Sara falls asleep in Michael’s arms. In the morning, when Sara is still asleep, Michael gets up, writes a letter to Sara, leaving his phone number behind. He knew what was right to do, and so he did. He went to the police station, turning himself in and gave back the ring to the woman. Sara has been calling and texting, not knowing Michael turned himself in. The days go by, and the day of Michael’s conviction has come. The judge decides that Michael will be in jail for the next 2 years. Michael asks the police if they could let Sara know. The police calls Sara letting her know Michael has turned himself in, and faces 2 years in prison. When in prison, Michael and Sara meet occasionally, every week. The 2 years fly by, and Michael is finally free. Immediately when they get out, he goes on his knees and he tells Sara: ‘’The day I was with you, was the day I finally felt like I had a purpose, I felt like myself. The day felt like heaven, and with you in my arms, everything around me goes blank and all I can see is you. Sara, do you want to marry me?’’ She starts crying, saying ‘’Of course I do.’’ They both smile and kiss each other. Michael told Sara ‘’I will never do any bad things again.’’