Kicking (Coffee) Treetops

I just returned from a week-long field trip to the coffee-growing region of Colombia called 'Zona Cafetera.' The school sent almost all of the 125 7th grade students (some chose not to come), their respective homeroom teachers, and a gaggle of security people. I had never been there before but was told by many people that it was worth seeing. And it was. We stayed on a huge plantation called Combia for 5 days and did various activities.

The first day was getting used to the surroundings, which included a swimming pool and enough rooms to house everyone 3-4 to each room. In the first afternoon, the students learned the intricacies of a coffee plantation and learned how time-consuming and difficult it is to hand-pick ripe coffee beans.
The second day we went to a place called Valle de Cocora, a very picturesque place where the students did a long nature hike where they had to challenge themselves physically and mentally plus learn how to work as a group. The guides, from an outfit called 'Bluefields', lead students along the trail which culminated in a huge lunch of fried fish and patacon, which is plantain mashed into a flat, crispy wafer, then fried.


The third day, the group was split up into two different activities. One group went to a facility which manufactures bamboo arts and crafts and make Rainsticks. The other group went to a place called Canopy de los Caracolies, which loosely translates to a series zip-wires in a forest of trees called Caracolies. One group went camping after the day's activities and the following morning went kayaking (the other group went the following evening to camp and kayak).

The last day the kids went to a nearby school where they integrated and shared activities with the locals. Kids painted murals, played sports, cooked desserts, formed a musical group, and acted out commercials.

All in all the trip was fun. There were a few problems with kids' behavior (one kid was actually sent home early for causing trouble) but generally speaking, the kids, the teachers, and the guides all got along well. Good times.