Of “end-to-end” tea magic and life musings

It seems long ago now, but a work trip to Kenya to host the African Roundtable on the Theology of Generosity and Fundraising only happened in February. I even made a little post on LinkedIn about it, just to commemorate the moment. I’ve noticed that my skill in documenting/commemorating has declined, but it’s a habit I’d like to keep in the long run.

I aim to get back into it, and this website reposting is an attempt.

Cheers to my closest “end-to-end” experience with tea:

• Picked the purple tea leaves
• Helped process the tea (so the cooking and the pressing / rolling by hand)
• Received when dried
• Brought it back home
• Cold-brewed
• Enjoyed

Of course, this tea experience came at the tail-end of a work trip, where I had the pleasure of joining my colleagues from the Ministry Fundraising Network (we have a new Substack).

I’m grateful we had some time out of the roundtable compound, because it gave us just enough downtime at Gatura Greens. No need for me to elaborate on the Bamboo Forest and Eucalyptus trek, the waterfall, and the delicious 3-course meal back at the base of Gatura Greens. Cheers to tea-picking, trekking, and taking photos! 😀 What a good time.

The tiled gallery above are a mix of Felix‘s, Josh‘s, and my photos!

Wala naman akong aralin na ibabahagi sa inyo, but some of the things from the tour:

• Tea started by accident in China (legend has it that some tea leaves flew into the boiling water of one of the emperors)
• Our OG colonizers world powers, the Brits, make an appearance (they stole tea leaves from China, stole tea farmers, and brought them to India because it’d be too obvious to bring them back to Britain my gosh)
• It takes a looooooooong time to cultivate tea – 7 years, if I remember correctly!
• The tips of tea leaves are like the champagne of tea 🙂
• Purple tea (at least commercially) is mostly produced in Kenya!
• Our tea guide, Lucy (pictured below), was such a gem. <3 I loved her cheery personality and as a tour guide, she was asking us questions, too, which always makes things more interactive. 🙂

Salamat, Gatura Greens. 🙂 (Thanks also to friends over at Ministry Fundraising Network and my team at the Lausanne Movement. <3)

It’s been six months since Kenya. It’s not as if I haven’t travelled for work before, but maybe I’m still learning how to do it in a way that works for me, how to be not be shy and take the space I need, how to think on my feet, and how life is really just that much sweeter thanks to the friends you make along the way.

Time is flying by, and at this juncture of history I am still bewildered, happy, and deeply aware that Life is passing through my little one. I would really like to be doing what I can to be there for all of it (and I want the people I love to know it).

Remember, self: You can’t afford to waste time or take good health for granted. Good things take time (7 years for tea farms right!), and preparing for it is just as important, too.

Here’s a nice mason jar of coldbrew purple tea from Kenya to remind you in case you ever forget. 😉 Reporting lang na matapang ang tsaa na ‘to. Malasa. Masarap. 💖🫖

Disclaimer: Written completely without AI. You must know my slop is mine alone.

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