.... and now for something completely different!

We have arrived in Kenya and are settled into the farm where we’re staying for at least a month. The farm is in Tigoni, a hilly region just outside Nairobi that is filled with lush green tea plantations and rich, red earth. The farm is owned by a British family and it certainly has a colonial tinge. The hallways are dim and long, and I still continue after 3 days to make wrong terms when getting from the bedroom area to the dining room and kitchen. There are several people who live on the property and manage it, cooking food if we request, cleaning up, and caring for the animals and garden. There are horses, some dairy cows, some chickens, and several dogs that wander around.

Getting adjusted to working with staff people is a work in progress. It still feels very awkward.

I’ll leave many of my first impressions of the area for another time, but we feel safe and interested in getting to know this place. Any material good can be acquired here (for a price, if imported) and we’re figuring out our patterns for food shopping, eating, transportation, and now school for the kids.

Speaking of, we took the kids to their school for a ‘sneak peek’ today, to see their classrooms, meet the teachers, etc. Woodland Star is lovely. The classrooms are scattered throughout the grounds, and all have direct access to the outdoors with verandahs and porches. There’s a vegetable garden, some animals both domestic (bunnies!) and wild (Jackson’s chameleons!). The class sizes are small (10-15 kids in each of their groups, mixed ages) and feel very personal and cozy with nooks, climbing walls, cushions, and even fireplaces. Best of all, the teachers we met all seem very engaged and enthusiastic about the school and their work. We are very excited for the kids. Lex slid right in with some of his classmates who have been there for years and loved showing him around. Jasper will take more time to warm up and Willa was extremely excited but also has some worries she’ll have to work through over the next weeks. Her teacher seems amazing, and the classmates we met will hopefully prove to be great friendship opportunities for her. Stay tuned!