Making A Difference In My Life
I’ve been moved here from China for over one year. Take a guess what my first big surprise is when I just got here? The library!
I love to go to library since when I was little. I love reading. Can you picture a little girl who is shorter than the service desk holding couple books walking on the road from library to home? That was me. The library at my hometown is big and nice. But kids have to stay their own reading room. We can take two book once and can keep them for two weeks. A lot of the most interesting books you can’t bring them home. The bad thing is the annul fee to hold the library card has been raised every year. Many of my classmates cannot afford it so they have to drop it. I was lucky to keep it till my senior year of high school.
After I graduated, I went to Shanghai, a big city in southern China, to work. There is a big and fancy or to my opinion is luxury library. They got real marble floor and really beautiful decorations. I stood at lobby and read those tons of confusing rules then found out I can’t afford that expensive annul fee as a student who just started working. Plus from where I live, I have to travel about two hours to get to the library because of the traffic. The money I spend on transportation to get to the library can buy me a brand new book from any bookstore which is everywhere. There’s no reason for me to spend so much money to BUY a library card there.
When I got here because those experiences about library in China, I even never ask about library here. I wish I could read something but the books are so expensive. I was kind of upset. One day a friend of mine asked me, “do you like reading?” “Yes, I love reading. But the books are too expensive.” “There is a library very close to your home. It doesn’t cost you a thing to borrow books there. It’s a small one but I think you will like it.” She told me.
That’s how I found my community library. It is small but got enough books that I love to read. The first time I entered this community library, using my husband’s driving licence got a library card, I swear I was trembling. I was so excited and happy. With this card, I can get unlimited books, magazines, CD, cassette, DVD and tape, for free! That is beyond my imagination. I kept picking up books, magazines and DVD with a big smile on my face. My husband told me, “Honey, how about let’s leave some book there so other people can read too.” Oh, I am just too excited and too happy. A girl who works there after knowing that I’m from China told me, “ you can find Chinese books at downtown main library.” So soon after I visited main library. That is so big and nice. When I saw those books, I felt like a fish returned back the ocean from desert. I could stay there forever! In China, the books for reading at library and the books that you can bring back home are separated. Over here, except a few reference book you have to read there, you can bring home anyone you like.
It took me three time to get my driving license. That day I finally got my driving license, I drove directly from BMV to my community library and applied a library card. That is a remarkable day in my life: I got my driving license and my library card! Since then I can drive to my community library by myself almost everyday.
The library for me is like a big and friendly family. People are helping each other happily. My goal is helping people like what library people are doing, everyday. I’m so glad I’m one member of this big and loving family.
