A 10-year-old Indian girl travels across Finland, Brazil, Kenya, Japan, Austria and the Middle East — tasting, trading and discovering how children live, learn and lunch around the planet. Hi! I’m Anaya, 10 years old from India — and I just went on the most exciting trip across the world with a backpack full …
A 10-year-old Indian girl travels across Finland, Brazil, Kenya, Japan, Austria and the Middle East
— tasting, trading and discovering how children live, learn and lunch around the planet.
Hi! I’m Anaya, 10 years old from India — and I just went on the most exciting trip across the world with a backpack full of banana chips, murukku, laddoos and chakli to share with children everywhere!
FINLAND — SCHOOLS INSIDE FORESTS
I thought school meant blackboards and benches. But in Finland, kids learn inside forests, sitting on logs under pine trees! They study only 4 hours a day, and do art, music and even cooking during class time. School food is free — salmon soup and berries. I shared my banana chips, and they gave me cold strawberry juice. Finland feels like picnic-school.
BRAZIL — FOOTBALL IS A RELIGION
In Brazil, I heard cheering the moment I landed — kids play football everywhere, even during breaks! Their lunch was rice, beans and chicken stew. I gave chakli, and they traded me a chocolate fudge ball called Brigadeiro. After lunch, they danced samba instead of silent study. Brazil feels like school inside a carnival.
KENYA — ANIMALS ARE CLASSMATES
In Kenya, children walk to school waving at giraffes and zebras! Some even study under a tree classroom with real bird sounds. Lunch was ugali (corn cake), greens and meat. I gave peanut chikki, and got mandazi, a soft fluffy doughnut. Kenyan kids dream of becoming wildlife protectors, not engineers. Nature is their best friend.
JAPAN — DISCIPLINE WITH CUTE BENTO BOXES
Japan is super quiet and super clean — even school corridors are silent. Kids clean their classrooms themselves every day! Their lunch comes in bento boxes shaped like animals — rice, fish and veggies made to look like pandas. I gave Mysore pak, and got mochi, a chewy rice cake. Every move here is polite, perfect and peaceful.
AUSTRIA — MUSIC IN THE MOUNTAINS
Austria looks like a fairytale — wooden houses, snowy mountains and fresh air. Kids learn classical music like piano and violin in school. They finish classes by 1 PM, then go skiing or cycling instead of tuition. Lunch was sausage, potatoes and apple pie. I gave mango barfi, and got Sachertorte — royal chocolate cake. Austria feels like music and snow and magic mixed together.
MIDDLE EAST — GOLD, GADGETS & DESERT DREAMS
In Dubai and Qatar, schools have robot labs and indoor AC playgrounds! Kids learn Arabic + English, and even train falcons or ride camels after school. Their tiffins have hummus, pita, rice and sweet dates. I gave coconut laddoos, and got baklava, a golden honey dessert. Here, future technology and old traditions live together happily.
And me? I returned home with an empty snack bag — but my heart was full of new friends, new foods, and a big question – Why can’t every school be fun, kind and curious like the kids I met around the world?
Join the Club
Like this story? You’ll love our monthly newsletter.
