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Published: June 22nd 2006
A coffe plant
This is the plan that coffee beans grow on. When they turn red, the ¨cherries¨ are ripe to start the coffee making processIt was called La Azotea Centro Cultural and cost about $4. It had 3 museums in 1 and was very interesting. And it was so clean and nice! The bathrooms had paper towels! It was like the Ritz! 😊 The three museums consisted of a coffee (cafe) museum with a finca (farm) attached and I got to see the plants, the process and the machinery used including the men who separate the beans by hand. It also had a music museum of Mayan/Guatemalan history, and an area of typical clothing and life.
The coffee portion of the museum was so interesting to me. I mean I really thought that you picked beans off of some plant and dried them and that was it. It´s so much more complicated than that! There are 4-5 stages. The plants need to grow for years prior to producing the ripe ¨cherries¨ that can be picked to start the process. Then the pulp and red skin is peeled away to reveal what looked to me like a wet peanut. Following this, if my spanish is up to par, it goes through a drying process, then a soaking process, then a shelling process and then men
Typical stages in coffee development
There are 4 major process and it´s so much more complicated than I ever thought. We really should appreciate the hands that give us such an American tradition! go through each bean by hand. Following that the beans go under immense heat and they are ready. The whole process was extremely intriguing to me. After this part of the tour, I had a cup of the coffee and I have to say it was damn good! I may have to bring some coffee back to the states!
The musical history was also interesting. For us, the majority of music is cultural and fun, but for the indigenous cultures here it is extremely religious and they make ïnstruments¨out of everything they can find! So much of the music here seems to be ceremonial and have intense meaning. The last part of the tour through the cultural section was familiar from other trips I have taken and hopefully described in some detail.
I want to mention so that I don´t forget that last night, I stayed downstairs with Andres (my 6 yr old Guatemalan boyfriend) who has started to teach me children´s songs in spanish at my request. Adorable is the only word I can use to describe it! He even wrote me a letter saying in 6 yr old spanish that he knows I´m leaving and he doesn´t want me to go. He even drew me pictures! I´ve gotten a few drawings at work, but none compare to this! I will miss ¨mi novio de Guatemala.¨ This is a common phrase in the household now and a sweet joke that Andres seems to enjoy! I, as well, obviously!
Today after classes, I went with the new student, Enrique, who´s mother is from Guatemala and who lives in Nashville walking around the city. For those who know Rob R, he´s a part Guatemalan Rob. It´s a crack up! We were on a mission to buy some things for the cumpleanos de Amilcar tomorrow. He´ll be 10 yrs old. We got balloons and a few other things to try to make his birthday special. We went to the only supermarket in town (which is one of my favorite things to do in other countries bc there are never tourists there and it´s a real taste of the country in my opinion) and I got some peanut butter! Woo Hoo!!! Can´t wait to open that baby up! I´m on my way to buy some ice cream to go with the cake that Teri (the mom at my house) is making. I´ll have to let you know how the party goes!
I´ve been here a week and a half now and have that much more left in Antigua. Knowing that invokes many feelings, most of which are impossible to articulate. I can easily say that I am unbelievably happy with my decision to come here. I can only hope that I affect a few lives 10% of how much my life has been affected. It´s more than anyone could ask for. Thanks again for all of your love and support. Te quiero mucho............
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Mom
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Glad U R enjoying your stay!
Hola, I'm so glad you were able to visit the museums! Have fun at the party and enjoy your peanut butter! We sure do miss you!