Saludos a todos!

Today, we visited a local coffee bean plantation. We worked like the locals, pulling weeds out of the ground near the coffee plants. We continued to bond as we worked hard on the task at hand. We learned about the process of creating coffee from the plant to the cup. This hard work really opened our perspectives and made us appreciate the things we have daily. Working in the field made us realize how much work goes into a single cup of coffee and other products made in the field. Around 75% of the coffee in Jarabacoa is grown in this plantation.

For the second half of the day, we visited a local coffee factory and got to see the stages of a coffee bean. We had the chance to try local Dominican coffee and buy some for ourselves. We learned about the impact a consumer has on the entire industry. We also learned about the importance of exports and imports for the Dominican Republic. Coffee is a major industry in Jarabacoa.

As the day came to an end, we continued designing our prototypes for the project and planning our presentation for our Community Action Project with the locals. A group of us went into town to check out prices of materials at a local hardware store, while the other groups worked on their assigned tasks. We ended our day with a deep discussion about working like a local and the things we take for granted back home. We also talked about how we can be responsible global citizens back home in the Bay Area.

From,
CJ & Mathieu

Lorenzo and Alfredo working on removing the weeds near the greenhouse.

Cecilia and Valeria removing weeds outside the greenhouse.

Briseyda, Jishnu, Gianna, Mathieu, Yadira, Hannah, Abby, Ava, Jessica, Marvin, and CJ working in the greenhouse removing weeds from the coffee plants.

Rich, Skylar, Natalie, Brady, and Anjali working in the greenhouse removing weeds from the coffee plants.

A mixture of groups pulling weeds from the coffee plantation.

Valerie, Marvin, Natalie, Briseyda, and Yadira wearing hair nets and masks before entering the bean roasting section of the coffee factory.

The group photo in front of the entrance of the coffee factory.