We are the Ostmo family and we love learning about countries and people. Our oldest daughter, Melaya has tons of friends all around the world!

Maria’s Favorite Water Sport is Scuba Diving

Melaya has a friend named maria. Maria’s a great swimmer, and she’s told Melaya that Belize is an awesome place for water sports Maria’s favorite is scuba diving! She said that scuba diving is when you wear a special diving suit called a wetsuit and breathe underwater. The wetsuit keeps your body warm, and there’s an oxygen tank that helps you breathe underwater.

Maria has gone scuba diving a lot of times with his dad to the Great Blue Hole, a 300-meter-deep marine sinkhole near Belize City. The Great Blue Hole is famous for being one of the best diving spots in the world, and Maria says swimming around down there is a thrilling experience! She said you can see lots of colorful fish and sometimes even a scary shark! Thrilling it’s a great word to use if you want to describe something that makes your heart beat fast with excitement.

Have you ever had any thrilling experiences?

Sailing with Somchai in Thailand

Now, over 6,000 miles away from London, on Phuket Island in Thailand, lives another of Melaya’s friends named Somchai. He told Melaya that he loves sailing races, which are a type of competition where people race each other on boats that have a large sail on top of them so they can move through the water without using an engine.

Somchai said he’s still too young to participate in sailing races but her uncle has won a lot of races, including the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, which is held every year in November and lasts for seven days!

Sometimes Somchai gets in his uncle’s boat but only for recreational travels, which means he doesn’t race in the big regatta but just sails around and enjoys himself. Somchai said that one day he hopes to win a sailing race too.

Nika Plays Water Polo in Croatia

Back in Europe, in Dubrovnik, Croatia, lives Nika one of Melaya’s best friends. Nika talked with Melaya last week and told them that she’s one of the best water polo players in her entire school! Water polo is a sport played in teams of seven players. The game is played in a swimming pool with a ball similar to a soccer ball, but smaller and with holes for the fingers. The aim is to throw the ball into the opponent’s goal using any part of your body except your arms or hands!

Nika’s school team trains very hard every day to improve their endurance, and thanks to that, they have won many championships. Nika hopes one day to represent Croatia at an international level.

Oliver and His Mom love Surfing in Australia

Now, all the way to Gold Coast city in Australia lives Melaya’s friend Oliver. He says that recently, he and his mom started to go to the beach to surf. what is surf? Surf is a sport that involves riding waves on a large board. It is one of the most popular sports in Australia, and also very popular in other countries around the world that have beaches. Oliver says it’s fun because it’s a thrilling adventure requiring lots of skill and balance.

Unfortunately, Oliver can’t swim, so for his well-being, he always has to wear a life jacket.

Have you ever had to wear a life jacket?

Camila is an Avid Kite Surfer

Speaking of surfing, in the Dominican Republic, over 4,000 miles away from London, lives Camila, another of Melaya’s friends and an avid kite surfer.

Camila told Melaya she’s been practicing kite surfing for a while now and he loves it! Kite surfing is a sport where a person is towed into the air by a kite, then catches waves and rides them. Camila says it’s the best feeling in the world! She loves how you can feel like you’re flying above the ocean and also the delightful and amazing views she gets to enjoy!

Melaya also asked Camila if she was scared of sharks. Camila said that she wasn’t, because she’s always been safe when kite surfing. She said that sharks rarely attack people in the water wearing a life jacket and riding a kite!

There are so many other water sports out there! Melaya says she would like to try some of them like Kayaking, windsurfing, and Water Skiing. 

Also, Melaya loves chatting with kids from all over the world! If you want to teach Melaya about where you live or your favorite activities, please tell your mom or dad to get in touch with us on social media.

Ciao friends, until next time!