Leavin on a jet plane

We are at the airport in Miami, waiting for our next flight. Some of us are reconnecting with family and friends on the phone, some are catching up on nine days worth of news, and others are swapping stories or looking back at photographs. Whatever we are up to, in the back of our minds are the amazing people who supported us in Guatemala. 

A huge thank you to Franklin, Andy, Devon, Matt, Lindsay, Pedro and Jason with As Green As It Gets. You showed us around, shared ideas, and were just plain fun to hang around. Matt, we hope our digging skills made you proud!

To our awesome translators: Allison, Juan Manuel, and Guillermo...you kick ass! Thank you for helping us communicate, and for teaching us.

To our drivers: thank you for safely getting us from point A to point B. Wow!

And to the farmers and artisans: your kindness, patience, and passion will not be forgotten. We will share your stories, emulate your work ethic, and remember you fondly. We will be better consumers and better people for having met you. 

Love all of us!

Last Day Best Day/Atitlan

Waking up to roosters again, we were all greeted to a breakfast of fried plaintains, beans, and more delicious coffee. From breakfast we had an early start to meet the shuttle to drive to see some mayan ruins! After about an hour and a half of perilous driving on the winding road we piled out of the shuttle at Ixemche, the late ruins of the mayan culture. We were lucky to have Roberto, a tour guide/archaeologist/Olympian/comedian to guide us. He walked us past the ruins, hid so we could climb them for group photos despite the signs requesting that we NOT climb, and showed us the museum. After experiencing a taste of ancient history we continued onward to go zip lining!

As we rolled into the beautiful Atitlan nature reserve you could see why it was labeled as a wonder of the world. Majestic volcanoes surrounded the vast shimmering lake, and people were awestruck at its beauty. The reserve itself was beautiful and as we hiked to the zip lines we were able to see some spider monkeys in their natural habitat. Zip lining was exhilarating, and the highlight of most of our days, if we could go back for a second chance to zoom through the trees like monkeys we would have.

At the conclusion of the eight lines, everyone was more than happy to take off the restrictive full body harnesses and grab a bite to eat.Perhaps the most interesting meal was Lisa's quesadilla, a tortilla filled with only a square slice of American cheese!

Full from lunch, Roberto informed us that he had a surprise planned. We drove on to Panajachel, down to the docks of Lago Atitlan where a huge boat was blasting pop music. This was our surprise...a 45 minute tour of the lake and surrounding volcanoes complete with dancing and singing. At the end of the ride, several folks braved the cold temperatures and jumped into the water.We finished the day with another round of shopping, and headed back to Antigua for a final dinner at everyone's favorite place, the Whiskey Den, where we said our final goodbyes, and went home to pack in tears.

Overall we all had the most amazing time, and a few of us are already planning our return trip. The shuttle arrived early, so please excuse our hasty exit, Guatemalan time...unpredictable as always.

More to come when we return home to the US!!!!

Guac in the Guat

Today on this fine day we were woken up by roosters per usual and enjoyed pancakes with Guatemalan honey.  After breakfast we rode in the director of As Green as it Gets truck to San Juan Del Obispo where we learned about the history of the town and the mudslides they have dealt with over past years. We saw the animals that were used to produce manure that we later be used to as fertilizer for the soil. From there, we began walking through the hills towards San Miguel Escobar. We saw farmers beginning coffee fields where coffee beans would later be harvested. The view we able to see from being on the hillside brought a smile to our faces almost as pleasant as our tour guide for the day. Lunch took place at a restaurant in town where we were served burritos, nachos, and delicioso smoothies. The blend of banana, strawberries, and pineapple were mouthwatering. Even the Coca Cola was better at this restaurant. We took the chicken bus to Antigua where we shopped for souvenirs by haggling Guatemalan shop owners. After an hour of swindling our way to gifts for mom and dad we began preparing for the dinner that we would be making for later that evening. We were each given 150 q to spend on our list of vegetables, fruits, and rice. Some had the right idea and bought chocolate cake i.e. Kenny Faria. Due to a late start in preparing the needs for dinner we had to purchase the needed chicken at the local market. For our last time we rode on the notorious chicken bus which as usual smelt like a chicken bus. Each group member took part in preparing dinner whether it was preparing the tortillas, salad, guacamole, and chicken. The scholarly authors of this post partook in preparing the scrumptious salad and the rounded to perfection tortillas. Once dinner was on the table we began our Guatemalan feast. The dinner was delicious made with care from each group member and after our meal some rowdiness plates may or may not have been broken. Luckily to save the day which some would say was the highlight of the day we ate THE chocolate cake. *smiley face*

Today's blog was brought to you by Jessica Lambert and Kenny Faria. We hope you enjoyed reading about our day.

Live, from Guatemala, it's Michelle Brahen and Carrie Hall!! (Ayy bayy bay)

Hola, buenas noches everyone ;)

       Michelle and Carrie will be your bloggers for this fine evening. After a week full of strenuous work, our time of relaxation consisted of waking up for a 9 AM hike further up the volcano to pick more coffee beans. This hike was a vast improvement over the last one as Carrie did not taste her breakfast coming back up. We hiked this volcano like champs and still beat the farmer even though he rode a poor, old, hard working horse. Once we arrived to our destination, we again got our baskets and began to pick beans for a few hours. Last time we picked beans, we collected 62Ibs (which Michelle guessed correctly before being weighed) and this time we collected 93Ibs! During this time, we got to try all kinds of fruits from the trees such as Loquats which were DELICIOUS! 

      After descending down the scenic volcano, we went back to the farmer’s house for a fine lunch consisting of beets, rice, stuffed peppers, and of course, more tortillas. The real treat was a bottle of Coca-Cola and Pepsi, made with real sugar ;). After lunch, we stayed at the farmer’s house to start the processing of the coffee beans. One group gathered all the beans and picked out all of the red and yellow ones, the other group pitted with the work-out bicycle, and the last group took the batch of dried, fermented beans and separated good from bad ones. Once we finished up this task, it was time for some of us to head home to relax for a little, while others continued their adventure on the chicken bus to Antigua to exchange some moolah. Carrie's trip on the chicken bus was much better than our previous ride as there was an opportunity to actually sit. If you have never rode a chicken bus, just think of an elementary school bus painted in mad crazy colors flying down the road at high speeds, racing other buses, passing other vehicles in dangerous zones, with doors open and citizens packed inside with our lives at risk. Luckily we have survived and actually got our money. Anyways, as they made their journey to Antigua, the other part of the group just hung out in the living room singing some lovely tunes and enjoying everyone's company. 

      Around 6:30 PM, we heading towards the farmers house again and on our way, we ran into a precession. Devon, our guide, was not sure if it was for a holiday or funeral. It turns out they were celebrating the 15th of January? lol. Anyways, we also ran into many homes with bumpin music, fireworks, and people all over the streets. At the farmer’s house, we had some chicken, rice, and of course, everyone's favorite, especially Lisa and Kya's, TORTILLAS! 

      After one of our last farmer's meal with everyone, we all packed into small taxi cabs and made our way to Antigua for an adventurous night. Our first stop was the Whiskey Den, which Franklin, our new friend owns. We were given a complementary coffee of our choice...yumm ;). This is where we ran into familiar faces who have joined our previous adventures this past week, Geairmo and Jaunmaun (spelling?)  We all sat together and had a great time and got to hang out with our friend Jaunmaun! After our delicious, warm, scrumptious cups of nutella latte's, we walked around Antigua's town square and enjoyed the scenery and music playing from all around. 

      Wow, it's been a wild and crazy time this past week and it seems like just yesterday we were getting off the plane. Even though there is only 2 full days left here in this bonito (beautiful) country, we still do have 2 fantastic, adventurous days ahead of us that we are looking forward to. Words cannot describe all that we have learned and experienced this past week and the friendships we have made and will always cherish. (A special thank you to our leaders Jess, Alyssa, and Hannah) As much as we love it here and want to continue helping this country and its people, we cannot wait to come home and share all that we have observed and learned with everyone. This has really been a life changing experience one we wish to continue as we go on with our lives.

Love,

Carrie Hall and Michelle Brahen

Rissa!

Today I was writing a letter to one of my best friends and roommate, Rissa. When Rissa went to Nicaragua this past summer, I wrote her an email every day, knowing she wouldn't get them till she was home. I just wanted her to know that I was thinking about her and love her. Today I checked my email, because, well I haven't since coming here. I'm glad I haven't, part of this trip was detaching from some of my privileges, like the phone and internet. But I'm glad I did. My inbox was full of messages from Rissa! It's really nice knowing that people on the other end of the interwebs are thinking about us as much as we are thinking about them. It means a lot to me that you've been writing Rissa! I love you, here's a photo of a puppy I thought you'd like!

!!!!!GUATEMALA!!!!!

January 11, 2013 !!!!!GUATEMALA!!!!!

Hey everyone!,

So tonight Alyssa and I (Cam) are writing the blog.  We all experienced something different today.  The day started with breakfast with a local farmers wife who made us a lovely batch of french toast. Then we started out the day by breaking into our three groups again to do the last part of either construction, textiles, or causemetics.  I (Alyssa) went and made the burlap bags today. It consisted of first cutting out the pieces to sew together from leftover coffee bags that were not used from last year. After that I was able to sit next to one of the farmers wife's while she sewed the bag together. So I (Cam) started my day with causemetics and making hand, face, and foot creams.  We learned about how the Maker of the creams started out and how she had a really rough life and now since she has been selling the creams she has been able to put her kids through school and pay for the house they now live in, which was provided to them by As Green As It Gets after the hurricane Agatha that occurred 2 years ago.  Mom you would be proud and happy to know that I made you some wonderful face cream that you will now be able to use when I arrive home.  Also I was so impressed with the products that I wanted to buy more products to support her, so I bought some foot cream and hand sanitizer.  After we had lunch and I went back to the construction sight to help Matt finish the 7 ft biodigester and I had a great time.  Knowing that I am working for a good cause makes me want to do that much more work down here and I wish I did not have to leave.  While Cam was working at the construction site again in the afternoon I (Alyssa) spent the afternoon doing coffee processing. That consisted of sorting the coffee berries into piles separating the green ones from the red ones. Then putting them through the bike which separated the bean from the pulp. From there those beans are transferred into a bag where they have to sit for eight days to ferment. From that point they will be ready to be washed and laid out to dry. So I was also able to go through the process of putting beans into a strainer and washing them then separating the good ones from the bad ones by putting them in a bucket and if they floated than it meant the beans were no good. From that point we laid them out to dry on the patio for eight to ten days depending on the weather. It was a wonderful day of learning and really appreciating all the work that goes into coffee making. Though I have never liked or really drank coffee it made me appreciate it so much more knowing the hard work that goes into such a long and hard process. Lastly we ended the night by having dinner in the farmers house. Dinner consisted of re fried beans, eggs, cheese, and of course tortillas. On the walk home we were greeted by a LOVELY surprise which was the mythological person that goes by the name of Franklin. We were finally able to put a name to a face after hearing about so many amazing things Franklin has done in the towns of Antigua and San Miguel Escobar. We ended the night with hearing the lovely story of Franklin's life and all the awesome things he has done which truly has inspired so many of us here! Especially inspiring us to travel and get out in the world and do what we love.

Here are some pictures of the lovely day we had

P.S. love Alyssa and Cam...

.

Rolling in the deep... dirt.

Rolling around in the dirt and drinking freshly squeezed lemonade straight from the farmer's trees, brought us back to when we were younger, when life was all about playing in the sun and being with the ones you love. Though we have only spent four days in the country of Guatemala, we have come to realize that these people truly have life figured out. Happiness isn't about having the newest iPhone or pair of UGG boots, instead it is about simply being, being one with nature and taking the time to appreciate the small things in life. As we were caked in dirt, riding home in the back of a pick up truck, we all looked at one another and spoke about how we were truly enjoying our time here, and had no desire to go back to the states any time soon. We worked hard helping a local family set up a self-sustaining system which would allow them to produce fertilizer for their gardens and methane gas for cooking. Somewhat sore and sunburned from being under the sun digging massive holes and shoving dirt for hours, we were all still content. There really isn't any other way to explain it. There was not one complaint as we road back to our house, because we were confident that we bettered these people, people that have taken us in with open arms. Every interaction with Guatemalan folks has been pleasant. From the mouthwatering home cooked meals where families opened up their homes, to strangers in the street yelling "hola" as we walk by, we feel as though we have become a part of this community. We hope that the rest of our time spent here can continue to benefit the community in which has already taught us so much.

-Kateland Dittig & Hannah Gagnon

Picking and Grinding

Day three of our experience in Guatemala led to a coffee field owned by a local farmer who is apart of AGAIG CoOp. His name was Alberto and his farm was a lovely 5K [3.1 mi], uphill, strenuous hike from the center of San Miguel Escobar. The fields were located at the base of Volcán de Agua. Alberto owns two coffee lots at the base of this volcano. One coffee lot is 900 meters, every coffee tree is 2 meters apart, and shade trees are planted every two or three coffee trees. Alberto explained to us that he has two or three different types of coffee producing plants. The shorter bush like plants produce more coffee cherries at a lower quality than the taller trees which produce less product at a higher quality. On average a local Guatemalan will pick 150 to 200 pounds of coffee cherries a day! As a group the 20 people in our group picked 62 pounds of coffee cherries in just under an hour of work. After our coffee cherry picking extravaganza, we proceeded to learn the rest of the process in brief. Alberto introduced us to a coffee cherry pulping machine that was powered by a rusty bicycle. This machine separated the fruit from the coffee beans. After this step the beans need to be dried for eight days, and then sifted to separate the large beans from the small beans, producing high quality and low quality coffee. Those beans then need to be husked and then roasted. The roasting process varies between different types of coffees ie. light, dark, and espresso. As a group we were then able to taste the most fresh freaking coffee we will ever taste in our lives. It was amazing. Other parts of our day including lunch and dinner at Alberto's house and a coffee "cupping" at the AGAIG house. At the end of the day the food and coffee were fantastic. Our group experienced a new appreciation for the hard work and tedious processes that are required to produce the ever so loved substance that is coffee. This appreciation is something we all hope to instill in people back in the United States. We miss everyone and hope to figure out how to post our pictures later. Talk to you all soon! Kya and Kevin

I Feel so Close to You Right Now

First off....this computer is in another language, so bear with us.

Day one in Guatemala:
After getting off our plane and trekking through customs we were met by our host, Devon, with a huge smile. We got some less than desirable airport food, and headed off to our final destination- San Miguel Escobar! Then we started a tour of our new home which led to a interesting walk around the town where we explored coffee fields, watched a game of soccer, the beginning of a new school, and the breathtaking views of the THREE volcanoes {one still active}that enclose our town. Most of us were lost for words, but in the best of ways. After our walk we went to a local coffee farmer's house for a delicious, authentic meal. At this point of  the night we were getting a little kooky...and tried our best to communicate with our dinner host, Filly. Michelle took the most away from this new friendship because of her mix up of French, Italian, and Spanish but made it through at the end. We all went back, still in awe from the crazy day, and ended the night with some journaling, laughter, and much needed sleep. We also decided that this trip is much like the MTV show, Real World which led us to the creation of the "Confessional" aka Kateland's bed. Stay tuned for those.....

Day two:

Our adventure began at 8:30 am in Antigua {the original capital of Guatemala} We started with el banco. Exchanging money isn't all that easy, but we eventually got some quentas for our future fair trade goodies. After, the coffee lovers of the trip visited the Whiskey Den and tried some amazing coffee which is grown by farmers who work with As Green as it Gets [our host] We met up with the rest of the group and started a walking tour of one of the most historical and gorgeous cities of Guatemala. On the tour we saw one of the 28 churches in Antigua, ruins that survived the 1573 earthquake, a real live crypt {it smelled}, St. Francis sanctuary of healing, and learned why Guatemala is the way it is, politically, religiously, and socially. After our tour we made our first visit to the marketplace where most of us purchased and haggled for various backpacks, jewelry, and more. Lunch consisted of the best sandwiches some of us have had in a while and smoothies that had some raunchy names. Full and happy we hiked up lots and lots of stairs with our new dog friend which led to the most magnificent view. There was the ever famous cross of Guatemala and a view of most of Antigua and a lot of lovers. After we took it all in, we headed down and visited a chocolate shop, did a little more shopping, and had our first walk through the main market. Then we met the CHICKEN BUS and all it had to offer. What is a chicken bus you ask? We didn't know either. Imagine 15 college students squished in the middle aisle of a school bus with about about 50 Guatemalans staring at us. We have never felt more like chickens, where the name most likely comes from. The smell, the close proximity and the inappropriate gestures that may have been made definitely brought us closer and provided us with an adventure with lots of laughs.

Our first two days feel like it had been two weeks considering all that we've seen and how close our group has gotten. Tomorrow we start our work on the coffee farms and our other projects, so wish us luck and stay tuned!

                                                    Roaming the streets of San Miguel
Love,
Taylor, Lisa, and Katelyn

Oh, the food!

More to come about the last 24 hours tonight. Until then, we are now in food heaven, enjoying a break and getting our animal fix.

Four hours!

This trip is, finally, becoming a reality as we sit in our hotel room and contemplate having to wake up in four hours. Words cannot describe my excitement! I am beyond excited to be leaving for Guatemala tomorrow morning. After months of planning, preparing, and bonding with the wonderful students and staff going on this trip, I know it will be an experience of a lifetime.
Earlier today we completed a reflection regarding what we expected of this trip, I figured I would share some of my own. I expect a LOT of coffee, sunny and warm weather, a culture which thrives on the land, new networking opportunities, new friendships, FUN, happy kids to work with, awesome hosts, getting to use my Spanish, and a whole lot of new knowledge about fair trade!
I hope to update soon after we depart! I don't know if my excitement will let me sleep tonight!

Facebook. Texting. Coffee Farm!

What would you do without your cell phone or Internet for 10 days? That was a question I reflected upon while preparing to leave the country. Throughout the past couple of months I have become more aware to my daily Internet, texting, phone calls, and to be honest it's a but disgusting the amount not only I, but our society relies on it. As the countdown gets closer to our departure I keep saying how excited I am to not have a phone constantly going off, or being notified on what everyone everywhere is doing. I am hoping that this will give me a new view that it is okay to not have technology on me all the time, and that there is more to life than a computer screen.

On another note I am overly excited about meeting people and fully embracing the culture in front of me. Traveling is something I have loved since I was younger, but I have never had the opportunity to interact with people as the itinerary makes it sound. I am expecting to have a greater appreciation for the life and privilege I have here in America

Piles of puppies.

Rabies. A six letter word that has been haunting my dreams since I first heard about the outbreaks in Guatemala and how the shot was recommended when traveling to this country. Did I get the series of three shots? Nope. Due my school schedule I simply didn't have enough time. My doctor said that I need not worry unless I was going down as a veterinarian or diving in caves where bats could be flying around. Now to my knowledge, I will not be lurking around in any dark ominous caverns, at least that is not part of the itinerary. So this might not seem like a big deal, but I know for a fact, that if I see a small group of puppies or fluffy animals, I will be tempted to cuddle with the creatures and/or be licked to death. This could then result in a scratch or bite and ultimately... rabies. Foaming at the mouth, might seem cool and all for a hot second, but I really don't think it would help my love life. Therefore, I know the hardest part on this eight day excursion will be resisting the temptation of petting Guatemalan critters.

Is this Real Life?

So at around this time tomorrow the lucky 15 of us will be arriving at the hotel in Boston. Where did the time go? I don't think that it truly hit me that I was actually going to venture to Guatemala until a few days ago.  My friend asked me how many days it was until I would be in Guatemala.  I thought about it and I was like 5 days, wow only 5 more days.  Saying this out loud made it feel so real to me and I am even that much more excited! I went out today to pick up all my personal hygiene items and let me tell you finding things that are unscented is a lot harder than I thought it would be.  It feels really good to be all packed and ready to go, even though I always have that weird feeling that I am forgetting something.

Words cannot describe how thankful I am to have been given this opportunity. I look forward to immersing myself into the culture, trying new things, making new friends, and being away from technology for nine days. All I have to worry about is being in the moment, without any distractions. I know that after this trip I will have an even greater outlook on life. It is going to make me appreciate all that I have even more than I do now. My family and friends are probably going to get sick of how much I talk about this trip once we are back, but they can deal with it!

60 hours

Wow, is this for real? In about 60 hours or so I will be arriving in Guatemala. Words cannot  begin to describe how excited I am to experience such a journey. From the moment I read those words 'congratulations' to being 2 days away from the trip, that feeling of excitement inside never changed, just grew. I've done many service trips around the U.S. in the past and its finally time for me to leave the country and help those who need it. I've been waiting for this trip for months now and it has finally arrived. I cannot wait to make new friendships, experience the living of another culture, do whatever I can to help and bring back so much to share with others. Even though my parents are worried about me leaving the country and having limited communication with them, one thing my dad has always told me ever since I was young is, 'remember what is important to you' and this is very important to me, doing something to help others. I know this is going to be a life changing experience for me and will be the start to more intense trips in the future. All I know is I absolutely cannot wait to witness such an experience that lies ahead of me.

3 days!

It's finally hitting me. Guatemala in 3 days. There are clothes all over my floor and in the wash. There's a plastic bag filled with medicines I hope I don't have to use. And there's a wobbly feeling in my stomach. Today we got the final details for our 10 day trip and that's what made it real for me. I'm excited for sure, but also a little nervous. I'm normally really on top of things, but Guatemala has been in the background of my mind these last few months. Junior year has way of commanding the forefront! I'm not sure if I've prepared myself enough for this adventure. A part of me decided not to read too much into everything because I know it won't compare to actually learning in country. I've never been out of the U.S., so of course I looked up the basics, but I'm really excited to learn by being there and being involved. So it's been a combination of doing research and telling myself to just let the experience happen. My parents are totally freaking out, it's almost like moving to college all over again. It's scary, exciting, strange, and you only kind of know what you're doing. But at the same time, you're confident it will work out and that you'll be better for having the experience!

Hasta pronto, Guatemala!

Five days to go....

Our journey to Guatemala began in September. Up until now, it's been applications and interviews, get-to-know-you activities, weekly orientation meetings, vaccinations, goals, and learning outcomes. We've shared our expectations, watched videos about fair trade, learned about the country and the culture. We talked about what it means to be of service, we talked about volcanoes. We ate chocolate. We prepared. 

In five short days (117 hours or so), we'll step off a plane into the heat and humidity--into the land of the trees. The learning of the past few months will come to life as we travel the roads between Guatemala City and Antigua, sweat alongside coffee growers and subsistence farmers, hike Pacaya, play Papifut, and share meals with the families and friends we meet along the way.

Surely, we will collect many memories. This blog is our way of sharing the adventure--a narrative tapestry of all that we see, touch and taste, of the questions we ask ourselves and others, and the meaning we make. 

We will try to post whenever we have access to the internet. That might be once a day, it might be once in 9 days. Either way, we hope you'll join us as we jump firsthand into fair trade. Guatemala, here we come!