Photo Contest 2012 – Sylvia Gardner-Wittengenstein

• “Don Filoberto With Family”
• LOCATION: Antigua (Guatemala), 2005
• STORY: Sharing time and stories with the family of Don Filoberto, a small-scale coffee farmer near Antigua, was one of the most heartfelt experiences I had during a Culture Xplorers trip in Guatemala. The mother and daughters cheerfully taught us how to make tortillas, later enjoyed by all. Then the family accompanied us to their small plot halfway up Volcano Agua. Don Filoberto shared insights on farming, along with vivid memories of the hardships his family endured during Guatemala’s long civil war. At our farewell, Don Filoberto thanked us warmly for the financial support and sense of reciprocity that visits like ours provide.