The coffee research team - Seth, Jerlin, Victoria and I - has finally made it to Guatemala. After considering research projects in Mexico, Chile, India and many other countries, I have made it to my final destination. Thinking of the stories of former students that did their summer proejcts in much hotter and more humid countries, we are glad to be 1600 meters above sea level in this "land of eternal spring." Our nightly meetings flow just as easily as the cool breeze through the cafe's open doors and windows.
Currently we are living in a quaint apartment in Antigua, a small city just outside of the capital. We are trying not to let the peacefulness of this popular tourist destination blind us from the poverty and inequality that plagues the rest of the country. That said, it is nice to have internet cafes and convenience stores on every block.
The picture is the view from my room of one of the many volcanoes surrounding the city. We hope to climb the highest of those volcanoes if we get the chance. It's quite a journey because you have to stay overnight at the top. But hey, if we're going to climb one of the volcanoes, we might as well climb the highest one, right? Jerlin and Victoria are especially unintimidated by the seven hour hike to the peak. "I'll be tired and I'll be complaining, but I'll make it," says Jerlin. Whether we make it or not, it will undoubtedly be a team building experience.
Other than meeting with various organizations and further developing our research strategy, we also plan to take a tour of one of the coffee plantations while in Antigua. This tour introduces you to the entire coffee growing and marketing process, including the famous cupping labs where taste testers vigorously slurp the coffee in order to grade each batch. If you haven't seen this before, visit http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/guatemala.mexico/. I think it's the second part of the video shows a cupping lab.
Josh Schellenberg
8 comments:
I'm Glad you are setteled in, i look forward to reading more on your blog.
Beautiful picture! What king of tree is off in the distance. Sounds like you are well settled. If you get a chance there is a tomato plastic house just outside of town.
Only you would ask what kind of tree is in the pic (I have no idea) and mention a tomato plastic house! Why should I go to one of those? I´m intrigued.
Good deal, my only concern lies with the local drug store carrying your preferred brand of deodorant, you gotta stay freshy. Pleasant deodorant means I got yo back, in fact, yo back is got, sucka. My other concern is that you won't get down and dirty with the coffee industry, no experience will compare to actually doing the work yourself for a few months. Throw the research strategies out the cabana and buy a case of beer to share with a few farmers, you'll grasp the crisp reality of the tragedy you've landed in if you see the land from a varying cast of characters
Thanks for the advice Diego. I'm hoping that I will be able to integrate some of that methodology into my research plan. Don't know if "drunken conversation" would be a viable source of information when I write my thesis though.
Hi what a great idea to have a few drinks with the farmers. !!!you probably will hear the truth more easily.
Questions for the coffee growers . Why don't they also grow grapes eg or tomatoes . Life would be more varied and interesting plus they have more variation in their diet. Why only coffee?
Hi what a great idea to have a few drinks with the farmers. !!!you probably will hear the truth more easily.
Questions for the coffee growers . Why don't they also grow grapes eg or tomatoes . Life would be more varied and interesting plus they have more variation in their diet. Why only coffee?
I'm one of those people in a hot and humid climate, and I am very jealous for the eternal spring. I'll be back in the states in mid-July. When did you guys return.
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