Making coffee is a long process!

     I am in a culture studies class and for $200 extra there was an optional field study so Linsey and I decided to join it because it takes you on trips you would otherwise want to go on by yourself. I like trips arranged by the school because I don't have to worry about the small details like transportation, purchasing tickets, etc. So our trip didn't start out so well, I sprained my ankle but it turned out to be ok for the rest of the day. We went to a place called Santa Maria. When we arrived in the city we went to a famous Catholic church. Its the church of the Negrita or The Virgin of Los Angeles. It was interesting. One week out of the year people come from all over Costa Rica and travel on foot for up to a week to come to this church. It is like some sort of sacrifice. In the church they start from the back and walk up to the alter on their knees. We saw some people doing it. So this church believes in the black virgin and some story about a doll, I don't know, I was really confused.
     After the church, we went to a farm where they grow coffee. It is some kind of crazy long process! The farm we went to is one of the providers for Starbucks. We saw the fields where coffee is grown and it is a lot of work. The Ticos said they usually have Nicaraguenses do the hard labor. I will try to explain the coffee process in Leah terms. They take the seeds off the bushes and then filter through them and dump them into some big bin. From there they are washed and then the skin of the seeds are taken off and then the bean is left over. The beans are laid out to dry and they shovel the beans around in straight lines. Then there are a whole bunch of other tests and I don't know, its really confusing. So anyway, we learned how to make specialty coffee drinks which was fun.
     For lunch we ate at some random place on the side of the mountain. It had an amazing view.

So Friday night I made BBQ Chicken pizza for my family. It was so much fun. The cheese here is different, its not as greasy. They have pizza here in Costa Rica but not a lot of specialty types like we have in the US. Since BBQ Chicken has been my new found favorite, I told them I had to make it for them. They absolutely loved it. I was so happy because they make me such delicious meals that I wanted the meal I made them to be delicious.

 People walking on their knees up to the alter

 Pretty church

 Fields of coffee beans

 Drying out the beans and sorting them in lines

Our instructor: How to be a barrista 

The view from the place we ate lunch

My favorite pizza! Now offered in Costa Rica!