Memories from old age

Hello, my name is Dragos. The year is 2072. A few months ago I ordered a time machine.

Yes, it might sound crazy, but having a time machine is pretty common now. I bought it

because I found it interesting and I received it back a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to try it

out and I went into the past. The year was 2014, to be precise. I wasn`t sure about travelling

in time, though. Everything was different, the people were great, I had tons of fun...That was

an exciting journey. I came back yesterday. I can`t stay in the past for more than two weeks

because the time machine would go back into the future and leave me there. I actually got

some things from my travel. One of these things reminded me of my childhood. It was a

videocassette. Some call it a VHS-tape. This is an antique for the kids nowadays. Nobody in

this new generation uses them. There are people who collect them, though. This generation

is different than the past generations. They show fun in different ways. The kids now use

electronic gadgets more often. Back then we didn`t have that many electronics. We had to

find joy and pleasure in almost everything else. We had to improvise, while this generation

already has these things. Now ten-year-old kids have modern phones, tablets, laptops and

worry about their relationship...I am not joking. When I was a little boy, phones were only

used for calling people. I guess these kids want to grow up faster. When I was that age I

wanted to grow up faster, too. Some new pencils, a good book and a new sketchbook were

the things I used to play with and I was fine with that. I used to get worried when my parents

were out late and I was home alone. Kids back then used to play “hide and seek” outside in

the summer until it got dark. We used the computer only for “Paint”. We used to watch real

cartoons, not those amateurs we watch now. What we were wearing wasn`t a big deal. Kids

now wouldn`t want to play games because their clothes would get dirty. Don`t get me

wrong, this is not bad. It means that they care about their appearance, which is a sign of

good manners. Kids then used imagination and kids now use their knowledge. Our lives were

very different. This generation relies mostly on technology. They`re helpless in some things

just like anybody else. What the people from the past generation don`t understand, kids

now do. The bad thing about the technology is that it made the kids a bit lazy. Every time

someone makes a billion from his latest gadget or sells his website for what some small

countries call their GDP, every kid in the world thinks they can do the same. They have an

ambition, which is very good. But let`s put that aside. Technology grows bigger, which is also

a good thing. It makes our lives easier. More and more companies are recycling. They`ve

probably noticed that cutting a lot of trees and not recycling the material which remains

after producing something is bad. They were risking their health until now. More things get

affordable for people who aren`t very rich. There are less homeless people. Travelling gets

easier. There are less road congestions and accidents. More people have jobs now. The

population of wild endangered animals have increased. Less people are smoking, which

increased their life span. Cars now use electricity, not gas, which makes less polution.

Because of that, the air is cleaner than before. More facilities are built in the schools which

makes going to school more funny and enjoyable. But there are still kids who run away from

their classes. More and more talents are found. People are a bit smarter than before.

Stanislava Valeva 17 years old

Bulgaria