What A Magical Experience!

I only have happy thoughts when I reflect upon my time in Guatemala.  Each day was filled with some kind of new experience and it opened my eyes to a whole new world, sort of like Aladdin. I went into the trip only having only book knowledge of Guatemala. I knew very little about the people I would be coming into contact with while in their country. Most of the people I met were hard working, kind-hearted people.  The De La Gente employees were hospitable in every way and made us feel right at home immediately.  We arrived and all transportation, housing, food and translators were supplied to us.  DLG offered us a well planned, stress free trip that I would recommend to anyone looking to go into the coffee industry.  
The trip taught me that my original ideas of how the coffee industry worked were very flawed and that the industry needs restructured to improve the overall quality of the growers. I have developed a compassion and mad respect for the workers and their families as a whole after this trip as well as a whole new appreciation for coffee as a whole.
Our schedule was jam packed.  We were always busy doing something which gave us some serious bang for our buck, as well as making the trip go by very quickly. On day 1 we never stopped. We went from the airport to the house we would be staying at.  We followed that by visiting the local town and finished the day by breaking bread with a local coffee farmers family.
Day 2 was didn’t disappoint either! We went to Antigua where we saw the historic parts of the city.  We also went on a hike that day which gave us a beautiful view of the city.  We were able to enjoy some local ruins and explore a bit before we returned for another dinner experience planned for us that evening. Day 3 was one of my favorites.  It was so strenuous, but it was so worth it.  We spent the day living the life of a farmer. We woke up and went straight to the coffee fields to pick berries.  We then took them back to a farmers home where we processed them and set them for fermentation. We ate lunch at the house and then proceeded to hand roast and grind the coffee before we were able to drink it.  In one day our group was able to see the farm to table process of coffee! It certainly makes me enjoy my morning cup of joe so much more now!  It is a challenging and back breaking process and truly gives you a respect for the people and the crop. Day 4 allowed us to see the process of dry milling and the sorting of the beans. In the afternoon we were given the opportunity to experience roasting on a larger scale. Day 5 allowed us to engage in a community service project where we helped a farmer build concrete stairs and paint two rooms in his house.  This day was the most rewarding day and yet the most challenging that we had during our time in country. We are so spoiled in America with equipment to do all of hard labor.  Try mixing three hundred pounds of concrete with a shovel! It was so hard!
On day 6 we attended a Guatemalan cooking class where we started with a live chicken and ended with a wonderful meal.  This gave me a new appreciation for what Kroger is in my life and for the luxuries that we have in the United States.  We were also given the opportunity to make tortillas by hand which is much harder than it looks.  In that same day we chose from 4 artisan workshops (woodworking, metalworking, peanut butter and bag making).  I chose woodworking and it was absolutely amazing. My group and I had so much fun with the family running the workshop.  We built a tray that we could take home and it was not an easy task!. Day 7, we went to Guatemala City where we visited Anacafe, the nations association of coffee in Guatemala. Here we learned about various projects being done to improve not only the livelihood of the farmers, but also the  lives of those that drink coffee from all over the country.  We also went to a Mayan museum to see artifacts that had been found from all over the country. Lastly, we visited two large scale coffee production facilities where we easily saw over a million pounds of coffee in total.  
Day 8 was our free day where we went to visit Lake Atitlan. Here we saw some of the most beautiful views that anyone can imagine.  We also visited a nature reserve where we saw a butterfly exhibit and monkeys. Guatemala is such an amazing country.  I would sort of like to remain a secret so that it doesn’t become spoiled by over commercialization.  On day 9 we said our goodbyes and headed back to the States where we were welcomed by customs and the hospitality of The United States Of America.
This trip was unforgettable. I would highly recommended it to anyone given the opportunity to go. If you are looking to go into the coffee industry or you are a Horticulture major looking for inspiration this is the trip for you.  Although it is helpful to be a horticulture major to insure the credit fits in your degree plan I would recommend this trip to all majors if given the opportunity to go. It is a very affordable and worthwhile study abroad!

 Peace, Love and Coffee,
Bree Salsbury

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