The Homestretch

February 27:
With all our things packed and ready to go the night before, we left Kijiji House and made our way to Tigoni, the tea highlands just north of Nairobi.  These final days in the area were spent with Lois and our wonderful hostess Kate Shaw, Lois’s daughter-in-law. We were treated to a tour of Browns Cheese where we partook in a wine and cheese tasting experience,  followed by a lovely lunch featuring the cheeses produced at this family-owned business. A relaxing stroll around the grounds was the cherry on the sundae. Some Team Faraj members even took the opportunity to milk a cow the old-fashioned way!  

We continued our travels to The Lake House, a true retreat location, by a lake, surrounded by nature. This is where we were staying for the night before heading to the airport late the next day. We got the best tour of the grounds from Elliot, Kate’s son, then unloaded and placed all our bags in our rooms. We then headed to Kate’s home for a quick visit and to pick up her son Graham before going for a hike in the tea highlands. It was a whole new world up there... fields upon fields of tea. We listened with intent to the explanations on how the tea must be picked at a precise moment and in a very specific way (only the top ones on the bush)to be acceptable to the tea leaf buyers. We also saw some pickers heading back from the fields with their haul for the day. Judging by the size of their containers, this is not a job for the lazy nor the weak. Later on, Jonathan, Lois’s son, joined us for supper. It was nice to spend the evening with Lois and her family. There were no items to organize or pack before bed...only great company and the anticipation of a night’s sleep with no need to wake early the next day!! 
 

February 28:

Before heading to the airport, we visited Elliot and Graham’s school : Woodland Star School. It is an amazing small Montessori-style school for prekindergarten to grade 8 students within the campus of a university. It was a wonderful tour! We had lunch at the bistro on campus and enjoyed some sun and a bit of warmth before having to say a very tearful goodbye to Lois.  
 
We are so very grateful for all that Lois has done for Team Faraj, from the many hours of planning our 2020 itinerary, to managing our activities and meals and debriefing us throughout our visit. Most importantly , she has helped Tumaini Afrika SSM to continue bringing hope to so many children in the area. Thank you so very much Lois for leading the way! 
 

We cannot forget the support and the guidance from our dearest Faraj! It was very hard to say goodbye to him at the airport!! He has truly become part of our team and has accepted to be our eyes, our ears and our hands at Compass school until our return in two years. We will stay in touch!