Hi! I’m Chloe. I’ve lived in South Africa all my life. I love it here! There are so many beautiful outdoor places to visit. Nature is all around us!

My ancestors come from The Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and France, so I’m a mixture of all of these nationalities. At home my family speaks Afrikaans, which is similar to Dutch, but we also know how to speak English. Here’s a typical day in my life.

 

7:00  As soon as I wake up I start thinking about my school day. I get excited when it’s a day a special project is due, when we’re going on a field trip, or when we’re going to have a school disco! We do lots of fun things at school.

I quickly get dressed, and my mom does my hair so it looks neat and tidy for school. I always read a book while eating breakfast. I love reading!

 

 

 

 

7:45  My dad drives my brother, Liam, and me to school. Liam and I always fight over who gets to sit in front. Little brothers can be very difficult sometimes.

 

 

 

8:00 School begins. Maths is my favorite subject. I love working with numbers, especially adding and subtracting. I guess I like it because I like having a challenge.

 

 

I like it when we have art class because it gives me a chance to express myself. I also love making things. Last week we made robots out of paper. Next week we’ll stick them in a picture of a natural world. It’s a really fun project.

 

 

 

 

 

10:30 By the middle of the morning we’re all ready for a break. I take my snack outside and wait for my friends from other classes to come out. After a quick bite to eat, we head out to the field to play Baboon Chicks. It’s lots of fun and we all laugh a lot. I like it when I get to be the keeper of the animals.

 

 

 

 

 

Some days we have swimming class at school. Sometimes I like it and sometimes I don’t. My favorite is when the air feels cold and the water feels warm.

 

 

14:00  School ends in the afternoon. Some days, I have pottery class or ballet after school. Sometimes I play field hockey. I love all of these activities!

Mom picks Liam and me up. I do my homework, which usually takes about thirty minutes. Then I watch TV or  play with my little toys.

 

 

I love playing with my miniature toys and Lala Loopsy dolls. I build cool houses and put furniture inside. Jewel and her friend Bella like to go on adventures together up in the mountains. Jewel is a princess and Bella can predict the future. Yesterday they had to save their magical realm from disaster! It was quite an exciting day for them both.

 

 

 

 

 

My mom and dad work hard to give us a good life. My dad is a very busy man, so I love it when he says he’ll play a game with Liam and me, or take us hiking. 

 

 

My parents expect us to work hard at school. I like hearing my mom say she’s proud of me, so I try to do things that will make her proud. Some people tell her I have a wisdom and understanding beyond my years, which also makes her happy. I’m not sure what this means, and I don’t know why they say it, but it does make me feel special inside.

 

 

 

Every evening, Liam and I read. Our dogs, Leo and Tano, like to join us. I read every chance I get! Sometimes I get scared when I’m reading a scary story, especially at bedtime.

 

 

My favorite stories are ones about magical worlds. They make me forget reality. I just zoom right into the story. It’s like I’m right in that fantasy world with the characters in the book. You know what I mean? Ms. Christie-Blick, our visiting teacher, tells me I’m very creative and very imaginative, so I would like the book Inkheart. I think I’ll give it a try.

 

8:30  Every night I read in bed before going to sleep. When I turn off the light, I think about spending the whole day in a forest with beautiful bushes, and colorful flowers covering the ground as far as the eye can see. I play with my little fairy friend, who’s no bigger than my finger, in a magical place that only the two of us know. I hope I dream about it tonight.