I´d like a tall Skinny Latte, with a pump of Amaretto....

Back in the States, I was known to frequent coffee shops on a regular basis. I also woke up every morning, yearing for that morning cup of coffee that I just couldn´t live without.

That´s right, I was a coffee fanatic. Sometimes I would cringe at the thought of how much of my monthly paycheck was dedicated to coffee. So when I found out I was being sent to a small town up in the mountains of Honduras to work with coffee, naturally, I was ecstatic.

The coffee cooperative I am working with started in 2004. It was then that they began soliciting for an organic certification, which they obtained right away, seeing as they had been using organic farming practices all along. In 2005, they got a Peace Corps volunteer, the guy right before me, who helped them a lot with training other farmers in certification, and soliciting funds from banks and nearby NGOs, among other things. They are just beginning to have success with exporting their coffee, and are slowly growing into a stable, sustainable business. However, there are still quite a few kinks that need to be worked out, namely being the fact that absolutely no one has any sort of computer skills. Therefre, I have lately been acting as their secretary. It is not my preferred job, but works for the time being, while I settle in and get my bearings straight.

It has been quite an experience so far, working for the cooperative. Each officer of the cooperative has his or her given job, and they all do it well and efficiently (as far as I can see right now). Each one is also very involved in the community, and not only concerned for the well-being of their family and farms, but for the town as a whole as well. They are also all bright, motivated, and open to new ideas. For that I feel blessed. However, sometimes I wonder why they need me.....In reality, these people are extremely capable of continuing on their own, and doing good work. I know that I was sent here for a reason, though, and I am determined to find that out with time....(or as soon as possible)