Saturday, April 27, 2019

Although today was a day off from working with patients, many of us spent the day doing excursions and experiencing some of Guatemala's culture. Some people in the group spent a relaxing morning at a macadamia nut farm, and got to eat delicious pancakes and have facials! The rest of the group went to hike one of the four active volcanoes in Guatemala, Picaya. One the way to Picaya, we drove though a town that was completely destroyed by Fuego, another active volcano. It was amazing how something so beautiful could also be so dangerous and destructive. We were not able allowed to go all of the way to the top of the volcano for safety reasons, but we had a steadily climb close to the top. While there, we found a hot spot to roast marshmallows and sandwiches for lunch. Our tour guide, Hugo, was very informative about how the volcanoes formed 12,000 years ago in Guatemala, and how the volcanoes affect the surrounding communities. Near the top of the volcano was also the Lava Store, which is where the members of the community make jewelry and other items out of the volcanic rock to help support their families and local communities.




After a short break from the morning, the entire group then went to tour a local coffee farm. We got to meet Don Beto and his wonderful family. First, we walked to see some of the coffee plants, and learned about the differences between them. We also talked a lot about the coffee industry in Guatemala and the United States. During harvesting season, Don Beto walked an hour and a half to his coffee farm where he and his family pick the cherry beans, and then must walk back that day to process them. After going to see the plants, we were able to go into Don Beto's home where he showed us how coffee is made. The cherry beans are put into a pitting machine, which separates the beans from the pits. Next, the beans must ferment in a bag for a few days, and then sit in the sun for several days to get the perfect consistency. After about 2 weeks in the sun, the women in the family must sit and go through all of the beans to throw out any beans that are not acceptable to sell. Finally, the beans are ready for roasting, and are then bagged and sent out to be sold. Everyone got to taste some of the delicious homemade coffee, and buy bags to take home! This was a very humbling experience because we were able to see how local Guatemalan people live and complete their day to day activities. It was also very wonderful to be able to support a local family, who must work very hard to support each other.













Even though it was a long day, it was amazing to see the sites of Guatemala, meet some of the local people, and get to learn more about the Guatemalan culture!

Taylor Guardalabene