13.10.2025 - Back with my kids! 💛

I'm back with my children in Arusha - and I couldn't be happier! I arrived on Friday, and on Saturday we had a special visitor: A Swiss family who found us online came by. Their two children (6 and 9 years old) had sorted through their stuffed animals and toys at home - and each of our children was allowed to choose a stuffed animal and a toy car. What a wonderful gesture! 🥰

Birthday party with cake 🎂

On Sunday, we celebrated a special day: A nine-year-old Tanzanian boy wanted to spend his birthday with us. We had a sponsored lunch - and even cake for dessert! 😋 The joy was immense, and the children were beaming with joy.

Lots of closeness and stories

The children are very clingy at the moment. Today we all sat on the floor and told stories. Four children sat on my legs, two more on each side – and as soon as someone stood up for a moment, their seat was immediately taken again! 😅 There were even small arguments about who was allowed to sit with me for how long 😂😂.

I continue to receive lots of lovely drawings as gifts, and to bring some structure into my daily routine, I now eat at a specific table every day – so that everything is in “order” 🙃☺️.

Holiday and memories

Tomorrow is a holiday here: the anniversary of the death of Tanganyika's first president (before unification into Tanzania). The children have a day off school, so another day full of time together and laughter lies ahead.

Mother Nicoli and lots of music 🎶

The moms even dedicated a song to me - "Mother Nicoli" 😂. As always, they sing, play, and draw with the children with great enthusiasm. And our youngest makes us especially proud: She can count to ten (almost all by herself!)! 😍

New arrivals in the chicken coop 🐣

There's also news about our chickens – we've had babies! We now have around 40 chickens. The clucking and scratching is hard to miss – a wonderful sign that life and joy are growing everywhere.