The Bean - Part 1

The power of the bean. 

The coffee bean, that is. 

In the mountains between the highlands of Guatemala and the hot, dry coast, coffee plants thrive. To make sure these plants don't get too much sun, palm and banana trees have been planted systematically within the crops to dapple shade on the coffee below throughout the day. 

Considering coffee has been around since the 13th century, you can imagine the wealth associated with exporting the prized Guatemalan beans. 

The majority of coffee plantations are owned by one of the 30 wealthy families in Guatemala that control...well, pretty much everything. And if the owners aren't one of the families, they are foreigners, like this plantation we visited. 

Italian owned and locally run, this massive plantation was not free-trade and during picking and processing season (September/October and/or January/February) dozens of families live together under one large roof and sleep on the floor. Their days are long, with every family member out in the fields picking...even the babies and children. And they get pennies a day for their labor. 

So, buy FAIR TRADE when possible. It makes a difference. 

The caffeine capsule. Small and powerful.  

My one word of advice. If it's not coffee season, don't tour a finca (farm). It was hot and every aspect of the processing center was closed down. The green coffee beans were durable and confidently growing on their stems.

I'm looking forward to seeing the varied shades of reds, oranges and yellows that the beans turn when they are mature and ready to pick. Next time...

Tea & Cookies Antigua, Guatemala

Antigua is a hip, colonial, modern town. From clubs, to VIP lounges, to espresso houses and wine bars, Antigua, Guatemala has it all. They even have a cookie restaurants! 

What else are you going to do when it's raining out and you have a hankering for a little something sweet? Pick out a couple of cookies, order a tea, and do some dipping. 

From chocolate-macadamia to  oatmeal monsters the cookie shop has over 25 types of cookies from which to choose. They even have almond-butter cookies in the shapes of half-moons...the ones we used to make every Christmas with our Nana.  

At the cookie shop you can watch the bakers at work, or even request a certain type of cookie.

Sarah and I practiced our Spanish by reading one of the local newspapers, sipping tea and dipping cookies. 

Sometimes I wish it would rain more often so I could use that excuse for sitting and relaxing in a cookies shop with a cup of tea. It was lovely, to say the least.

Thinking Outside the Box

My niece reminds me to be silly, to run around the house dancing, to think outside of the box. It's good to be around little people. They remind us and help us to unteach what society has ingrained in us. How do we stop the cycle? Be silly and wear baskets on our heads. Dance to your favorite music. Laugh. 

When I was little I used to sit for hour and make mud pies. I don't remember the last time I played in the dirt. It's time. 

Thank you to all the little people in my life. And thank you to the adults who make it possible for those little people to be who they are.

A Perfect Day on Lake Champlain

There is a list for every season. A must do or must see. Summers in Vermont are short and this year because I was in Guatemala for half of it, it's shorter than normal. 

Summers are my favorite time of year. They have been my whole life. Don't get me wrong, there is a magic in every season. 

Go swimming, pick blueberries, see a concert in the park, have a picnic by the lake, go camping, hike Camel's Hump, Hike Mount Mansfield, find a new place to hike, bike to the causeway...these are most of the must do's for my summer list.  

Bike to the causeway became the topic of discussion as we enjoyed one of the various perfect days on Lake Champlain. And, we reminded ourselves that every time we bike to the causeway...the 25 mile round trip ride from our house, the last portion of the ride, the portion on the causeway, is...well, unpleasant. If there is no wind, it means that there are swarms of bugs different size and shape getting into your eyes, your hair (yes, through your helmet), and down your shirt. Oh, also into your mouth. I've eaten a few. If it is windy, the ride is a challenge that becomes tedious and unpleasant. Because the whole way you are riding to the end, you know that you are going to have to turn around and come back through the insane wind. 

Together, we decided that our ride with our friend Adam in his boat to the causeway meant we "rode to the causeway." No bugs. No insane wind to fight through...instead, the ride consisted of the best swim of the summer, good conversation, and relaxation.

Check. Off the list. It's good to stay open about things and think outside the box...and, if I end up out there on my bike, it will be in September once the bugs have gone home for the season.

Lake Monsters Baseball

Welcome to the Vermont Lake Monsters. Our minor league baseball team holds a special pride in the people of Vermont, especially of Burlington and the surrounding areas, the the stadium is the oldest or one of the oldest in the country. 

People come for the tradition. For the community. 

Dave played baseball in school. He has a certain respect for the skill that goes into each game. I come for the people watching, because I love Dave, and ... well, we both come for the beer and hot dogs. 

I had to include this photo. Note the blond, little girl that could have been me when I was young. The Lake Monsters games are certainly a family event...with cotton candy, snow cones and all. How much of the time are people watching the game? It's unclear. We left during the 7th inning after over two hours of slow play. 

If you build it, they will come. And come we did. We are counting down the days until the 25th when it is 25 cent hot dog night. We'll be eating dinner there:) We hope to see you there.

Birthday Thoughts

Wednesday, July 28th, I turned 31.

For my actual birthday, my boyfriend whisked me away to the north-country of Vermont...to discover new land and swim in new waters. We were where we were...the wind in our hair, without a specific destination. After a dip in some of the most crystal clear Vermont water, we came home to take a quick, full-speed bike ride in a rainstorm. It was a perfect day.

And, he put together an awesome bbq with delicious food and drink, yard games, friends, a pinata, and a bonfire with specialty marshmallows from Candy Kate's to put some sugar in our dreams. Thank you all who made my 31st memorable...a low-key welcome home to Vermont. It will go down in my record books! Check out more photos from the birthday bash on Dave's blog.

Being a Student

When my boyfriend said I never mentioned to him that I had homework as a student in Xela, I was offended. Why? Because, did I HAVE homework.

Here is a nut-shell of a day in the life of Miriam, the Spanish student in Xela, Guatemala:

I don't know why, but for the three months I was in Guatemala, I only slept past 5:30am a handful of times.

The mornings were by far my favorite time of the day for many reasons. Safety probably being the biggest. The birds, incredible sun, fresh air, and relaxing walks being the others.

So, 5:30 I was up...usually finishing homework, then blog posting while eating breakfast, then going for a walk on the way to school, which was from 8am-1pm. I generally wanted to eat my arm off by the time class was over while my ability to focus disappeared around 11am.  

Although my hunger dug at my, I generally headed to the gym after class while eating a small snack on the 15 minute walk.

By the way, the gym was new, the cleanest place I've ever been to and had state of the art equipment. The third floor was a huge, wood-floor class area. It also had a fourth floor loft area with a smoothie and snack restaurant. 

After the gym, I cooked lunch at home, showered (yes, in that order), then headed out to some coffee shop to study and try to cram more vocab and conjugations into my brain. I generally had one to two hours of homework a night, never mind actually studying.

Language immersion is exhausting. I went from drinking no coffee, to three cups a day. I was shoving over so much in my brain to fit in the new language that when I did speak English it came out grammatically incorrect and sloppy. It was a process of letting go and staying open. 

I have never done so much walking in my everyday life...and besides the time it was raining side-ways, I loved it. It's the kind of life I could get used to.