To say these three years at Rishi Valley have been a new experience for the children would be an understatement. We have seen the five children taking a significant leap, both socio-culturally and intellectually. From the ocean to the hills, from grandmothers bed time stories to tentative friendships with house partners, from home food to school cuisine, the children have begun a new life altogether. Their emotional resilience, new friends, warm house parents and empathetic teachers have made this transition possible.
There have been teething issues in adjusting and homesickness always rears its head after a long vacation. Yet, lending support to each other and making new friends has helped these five children cross that bridge too. House parents have played an important role in extending parental guidance and assistance in integrating them into the RV family. None of this might have been possible if it were not for the Rishi Valley staff, principal and director all of whom have been immensely supportive of this endeavor. According to Ms Radhika Herzberger, director, RVS, “Having students from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with us here, and watching them grow into the culture of the school and also to contribute to it has been a very positive experience for us all.”