We went to a coffee plantation near Ataco town. There, this young gentleman Gustavo – all of 26 – gave me a tour of the coffee factory and painstakingly explained how coffee is made step by step.

At the end, we sat down to have a cup of coffee and went thru his life history. Grew up with his mother and brother. This, I have found to be fairly common in Latin American countries. Parents separate after having kids and the kids stay with the mother.

I asked him how much studies he had done. It seems he did finish high school but no more. This is another recurring theme I am finding with folks here.

His mom worked in the coffee factory. He joined at the age of 14 to help with money while going to school. And then his brother joined too. The three live as a joint family and live off the earnings from the coffee factory.

We promised to keep in touch in the future.