Hi, I am Sadana. I moved to Queens, New York City, from Chennai, India. My mother, father, brother, and I flew here on a plane. When we landed at JFK airport in New York City, I was really surprised. Everything is so big, and it was so cold. In India, it is hot.
Since I am Hindu, I wear a bindi on my forehead. Hindu people wear bindi to make their face beautiful. It signifies good fortune.
My brother Guru is 9 years old. He and I go to a public school. I don't like school much because I don't have any friends yet and I don't know English well. I've been studying English since fourth grade. I am in fifth grade now. I like math, because I can do that correctly. I really miss my friends in India. I also miss my family, my teachers, and my principal.
Our house in India was different. We had three bedrooms and a kitchen. Here in Queens, we have only one bedroom and a kitchen. Also, the roads are different. Here, they are smooth. In India, they are sometimes made of stones. India's roads are crowded with people. Here they are crowded with cars instead. In India, I would see cows outside in the roads, but here there are no cows.
We drew Kolam outside the gate at our home in India. (Kolam is the art of drawing designs on the ground using brightly-colored rice powder.) �Kolam� means beauty in Tamil, the language I speak. Drawing Kolam outside your house makes it a sacred place. Kolam is like a prayer you draw. It is a prayer for success and happiness.
My father is a priest at the Hindu temple near our home here in New York. The temple is my favorite place in New York.
Since I am Hindu, I wear a bindi on my forehead. Hindu people wear bindi to make their face beautiful. It signifies good fortune.
Even though we live in the United States, we still eat Indian food. My favorite Indian food is noodles. My favorite food in America is ice cream!