Huge Snails, Sailing and Small Stories

It feels like we have settled into our new, beautiful home.

In the mornings, we discovered huge snails in the garden after coming back from a beach clean-up. We learned that they are called Giant African land snails and can grow up to 20 cm long, quite impressive! After this little excitement, we settled into our homeschooling routine. The children are really enjoying learning more about Kenya, especially as we explore all aspects of the country in our NMG lessons (Nature, Man and Society). Of course, there has also been plenty of swimming.

At night, storms have been rolling in, and electricity cuts have become part of the routine. Today, even the showers decided to join in and stop working.

A moment that made me smile was reading the children’s diaries. They each write a daily entry during the week, which we use as a writing exercise. I correct it in the evening, and they rewrite it, adding pictures to capture our journey.

What amused me most was how differently they described the exact same day.

The oldest wrote:“We went to the beach for a clean-up, did some Easter crafts, and I had my Italian lesson. The day was very full and varied.”

The second wrote:“We didn’t do much today. We just learned and went into the pool.”

And the youngest simply wrote:

“Today was totally boring.”

I had to laugh, I think they were tired and really wanted to finish their entries quickly. ;-)

They are such wonderful children, and I feel so grateful to spend this time with them. It’s beautiful to watch how they interact, how they support each other, and how strong their little team has become. (Well… apart from our card game sessions, which can get quite emotional if someone isn’t winning.)

One real highlight, however, was our visit to the 3 Degrees South Kids Club, where children are introduced to different water sports. At first, I wasn’t sure how much the kids were enjoying it. From a distance, it looked like they simply paddled across the creek and stayed there for quite a while before returning.

But what I couldn’t see from afar was how much was happening.

They discovered a bright red starfish, which the guides explained could be poisonous. Julius, together with one of the guides, carefully moved it to a safer place so it wouldn’t harm anyone. They played games, collected shells, and came back full of stories.

Afterwards, they tried stand-up paddling and finally went sailing for an hour, which turned out to be their absolute highlight. As they have never been sailing before, this might be something we will explore more once we are back home. I used to love it when I was younger, and somehow we never started with the children.

Another special moment today was watching Julius with the monkeys. A small group came by in the late afternoon, and he quietly followed them, trying to get close enough to take a good picture. He disappeared into the bushes, completely absorbed in observing them.

It’s fascinating to see how deeply he enjoys watching animals, how they move, interact, and behave. It’s very sweet to witness. Who knows… maybe we have a future ethologist in the family.

It feels like a gift to discover so much, and to see how easily the children are finding their place in this new environment.

Let’s see what the next days will bring.