For a while it was not certain if I will come to Sao Tome in September or in January. And September it was, the 18th to be more accurate. I landed here and loved the country right away. There really was that "this is a dream come true" feeling. Already the next day I had the opportunity to visit the breathtaking beaches that are outside the city. To say that nature here is just amazing is an understatement. Rich, wild, powerful, nurturing.

And the day after that I was in the kindergarten, getting familiar with the children, the space, the coworkers. The children really didn't speak any English, and it is extremely uncommon in here to meet anybody who does. Usually it is the foreigners. So we had to start from scratch. So far, so good. They are eager to learn, they love to sing songs and are full of energy. I work with two groups of kids, one of the 5-year-olds, and the other of 3 and 4-year-olds. The second one is definitelly more challenging as their span of attention is much shorter. I am doing my research and finding ways, and the educator who is with me most of the times is quite helpful.

I am truly enjoying my time here and the company of the the kids especially. They are very sweet, open and free. So far the language has been the more difficult part and it can sometimes be energy consuming to almost all the time try to speak with people who I don't understand and who don't understand me. I've started learning Portuguese, but it seems that I will have to speed it up somehow. Still, I see it as an opportunity - it is always good to learn one more language!

In the end, to everyone who donated: thank you so much! Without you living my dream could not be possible, so I am extremely grateful to all of you. Almost none of you responded with their choice of an artprint, so soon I am going to send them to you anyways ;)

If there is something you would like to know about life here, feel free to contact me. From time to time I am posting about it on my instagram accont, so you can check out @tonjasway.

Also, I am still collecting donations to support my stay here, so if you feel inspired by my story, you can still donate.