Many people travel the world to explore beautiful new sites, try delicious exotic cuisines, and experience different cultures. But how often do we travel to truly immerse ourselves in the culture of the country we are visiting? Throughout our family travels, finding cultural activities where the kids can participate and learn directly from locals, are some of the most impactful travel moments we have had.
By actively engaging with the locals and learning via hands-on experiences, children better understand and appreciate the country and people they have just visited.
A couple of years back, we visited Colombia, and our first stop was Medellín. While many of us will remember stories of Colombia from years past, our kids may not be fully aware of its history. Nor may they be aware of the transformation over the past few decades. It’s important that children learn some history of the country they are visiting, whether through books, movies, or just a family discussion. When traveling, teaching children the country’s history will help deepen their understanding of the country they are exploring.
Brief Colombian History
Many Colombian families became displaced from war-torn cities during the decades-long civil war. Families moved to the country’s rural areas hoping for a better future. At that time, FARC (a rebel group) was controlling vast regions of these remote areas. For these peasant families to survive, many began producing illegal coca paste to make a living.
In 2016, the Colombian government made a peace agreement with FARC. An integral component of the deal was the National Comprehensive Program for the Substitution of Illicit Crops (known as PNIS). Under this program, farmers agreed to uproot their coca fields in exchange for subsidies and training programs to begin farming legal crops, such as cacao and coffee.
It has been a slow-moving process. Yet, any help we can give to support these independent farmers to make an honest and legal living is imperative to moving towards the path of sustainable farming and peace for many.
Coffee Farming Cultural Activities
While visiting Medellín, we had heard about the option of taking a coffee farm tour. We didn’t realize that we could meet directly with a farmer and learn about the production of coffee through an interactive experience – all the while giving back to his independent coffee farm.
This tour was a cultural activity, a history lesson, and a hands-on learning experience, all wrapped in one. Immediately we booked the tour.
We arranged the tour with Medellín Day Trips. Our guide drove us two hours to the coffee plantation. Upon arriving at the coffee farm, we met the farmer. He spoke only Spanish, so we had our guide to interpret for us. He gave us each a bucket to tie around our waist, and immediately we headed off into the fields. Before beginning, he briefly stopped to show us the stages of the coffee bean (otherwise known as the coffee cherry). He told us what to look for when we began picking the cherries off the trees, and then off we went with him trusting us to select the ripest cherries.
Harvesting the Coffee Cherries
Once we found a tree covered with red cherries, we would pluck a cherry off and drop it into the bucket. There may have been a little family competition going on to see who could pick the most cherries!
We then brought all the coffee cherries we had picked back to the farm to learn the next step in the coffee-bean production process. We poured all the coffee cherries into a machine that peeled and washed the cherries, leaving the coffee bean. I think my kids were in awe of how quickly a machine could do the work.
Drying the Coffee Beans
The next step is to dry the coffee beans. Many coffee farms in Colombia use greenhouses as a natural drying process. The beans lie on drying beds and are turned occasionally to ensure even drying. Both kids learned how to gently rake the coffee beans to help speed along the drying process.
Roasting the Coffee
Now it was time to head inside to observe the final steps of making coffee. In the first room, a machine removes the shells from the coffee beans. This result is called green coffee. Most of the coffee imported to other countries is at this green coffee stage. Next, we learned about the roasting process, which includes three levels: highly roasted, medium-high, and medium. Lastly, the coffee beans are ground and packed for consumption.
Enjoying the Coffee
The final step was to sample the coffee! This was the first time our kids had tried coffee, and they were a bit nervous. But, they quickly grabbed their cups to sample the delicious coffee they had learned to create.
We had no idea the intensity of the coffee-making process. Now when we wake up in the morning and have that first sip of coffee, we are transported back to our time in Colombia.
When visiting Colombia, try to buy coffee directly from these farmers. By purchasing directly from a local coffee farm, you will be receiving authentic Colombian coffee and supporting these rural families along the way.
Additional Cultural Activities and Volunteer Opportunities
Besides visiting the coffee farm, there are many other opportunities to engage in the local Colombian community. If you are considering other cultural activities, I recommend taking a guided tour of Comuna 13. This tour was one of the most eye-opening experiences on our trip. Comuna 13 was once considered the most dangerous neighborhood in the world. Yet now, after years of transformation, local businesses, artists, and street performers are thriving. By visiting this area of town and giving support, the entire community will continue to flourish.
Lastly, if you would like to give back even further, I encourage you to explore volunteer opportunities. Medellin Living offers an excellent resource of different volunteer organizations you can get involved in within Colombia.
The Importance of Cultural Activities Abroad
We have traveled to 47 countries with our children, and we try to search out cultural activities at each destination. Sometimes they are cultural events (like a festival or sporting event). Other times, they might be quite simple such as shopping at a local market. Or fully immersive activities like a home-stay. What is important is finding opportunities through travel to interact with the locals, learn from them, and build a connection.
Traveling enriches our lives. But participating in cultural activities to help you and your children better understand the culture and country you are visiting will forever be impactful.
About the Author
Laura is a family travel blogger at Travel 80 by 80. Her goal is to travel to 80 countries by 80 years old. She has currently traveled to 60 countries, of which 47 have been with her husband and two kids. Through her travels, she hopes to inspire other families to navigate international travel with confidence. And to find those cultural interactions along the way, which ultimately have the most significant impact.
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