Ed.'s Note: Chatham residents Nishita and Anusha spent the past school year in New Delhi, India. Here are their thoughts on their experience.
Nishita, 4th Grade
My India experience was great! I loved India a lot. School was a little hard but I made many friends. I really missed the libraries over there. There were no libraries at all except a small one at our school! In India we lived in Noida, a suburb of Delhi the capital. We had a maid and a driver over there so it made things way easier. In my apartment you could go downstairs and all your friends would be there. India is an amazing place and I miss it a lot! But I can’t wait to visit the Chatham Library again!
Anusha, 9th Grade
When my parents announced that we were moving to India for a year, the last thing I thought I would miss was the library. I didn’t want to move halfway around the world, thousands of miles away from my friends. I also didn’t want to miss my first year of high school. When I first arrived in India, I was nervous about making new friends and going to a new school, where many kids conversed in Hindi, a language I barely knew. But after a few weeks, I was settled into my new life in India. I had a whole group of friends, school was enjoyable and I didn’t have too much homework. It was then that I decided to make my first visit to the school library. I was used to school libraries that were large, spacious and packed with books but this one was barely the size of a classroom, and contained about one bookcase full of fiction. The remaining books were either reference books or textbooks. When I told my parents about my school library, they started to look for a public library. However, there wasn’t a single one in the city. Some bookstores had small libraries, but the books were limited and often in bad condition, not to mention that there was a hefty payment due every month. So my sister and I had to resort to buying any books we wanted to read. I had a chance to read some Indian authors as well. Overall, I had a great time in India at my new school with my new friends. However, one of the first things I did after joining Chatham High in May was visit the library; and I must say, the one thing I missed the most was the library.
Nishita, 4th Grade
My India experience was great! I loved India a lot. School was a little hard but I made many friends. I really missed the libraries over there. There were no libraries at all except a small one at our school! In India we lived in Noida, a suburb of Delhi the capital. We had a maid and a driver over there so it made things way easier. In my apartment you could go downstairs and all your friends would be there. India is an amazing place and I miss it a lot! But I can’t wait to visit the Chatham Library again!
Anusha, 9th Grade
When my parents announced that we were moving to India for a year, the last thing I thought I would miss was the library. I didn’t want to move halfway around the world, thousands of miles away from my friends. I also didn’t want to miss my first year of high school. When I first arrived in India, I was nervous about making new friends and going to a new school, where many kids conversed in Hindi, a language I barely knew. But after a few weeks, I was settled into my new life in India. I had a whole group of friends, school was enjoyable and I didn’t have too much homework. It was then that I decided to make my first visit to the school library. I was used to school libraries that were large, spacious and packed with books but this one was barely the size of a classroom, and contained about one bookcase full of fiction. The remaining books were either reference books or textbooks. When I told my parents about my school library, they started to look for a public library. However, there wasn’t a single one in the city. Some bookstores had small libraries, but the books were limited and often in bad condition, not to mention that there was a hefty payment due every month. So my sister and I had to resort to buying any books we wanted to read. I had a chance to read some Indian authors as well. Overall, I had a great time in India at my new school with my new friends. However, one of the first things I did after joining Chatham High in May was visit the library; and I must say, the one thing I missed the most was the library.
Photograph of Children's Room Globe by Storytime Leader Robert Carter
