This morning was very special as today we would embark on our first day excursion.
We met at  the school to drive to the Maitland Dunes with the eight and nine graders of Fontein Combined School. The kids were shy and quiet, smiling at us but no talking that much. 
But as soon as we arrived and they saw the beach and the sea they started running towards the water, sand everywhere, some falling and getting up again straight away to run further down.


Some of the kids have never been to a beach before and especially for them it was an incredible experience. But even for us Young Explorers it was something special.
When we saw them laughing, running around and playing in the water our hearts smiled. It's so satisfying to watch kids being content and happy.

A smile is the same in every language. :)

 Before our group of 50 people took a walk along the beach the kids were introduced to the environment and nature around them by three guides who had prepared workshops. The kids were digging for snails and mussels in the sand and learned about their names and habits. 

After the workshops the kids started playing again, went into their water fully dressed and got wet all over. But they didn't care about it, probably didn't even recognize it. 
These kids are full of energy when they get the chance to become active and do what they like.

This morning has shown us that it doesn't need much to make a child happy. Just take them out into nature which is the biggest playground you can find in this world. 
Nature is powerful – it can bring a smile on every face!

The day started bright and early for us, we still need to do lots at the school and the time is running out. As today was Nelson Mandela’s 94th birthday the whole school gathered and sang for the former president. It was also a sad day for the team as Quinton and Kevin departed to go back home. We enjoyed their stay very much and hope that they learned a lot about the different languages and cultures in our diverse country.

After the assembly Livio and Stefan cleaned the steps up to the food garden, making it easier for the workers to get up to the garden and then with the help of some students we moved the cement blocks to the bottom of the steps for use later in the garden, after we have received some topsoil. Lani and Becci had loads of fun with some of the school kids as they started to paint the murals on to the walls and gave the other walls a second coat of white paint. Robin, meanwhile started painting the games on to the cement floors, the kids excitedly starting to play the games even before the paint was dry.

With the help of some of the workers Stefan and Livio moved the 15 dustbins weighing 250kg each to their specific resting places. There will be some sore backs all over Port Elizabeth tonight. Hopefully the kids will take pride in their school and use these bins to keep the playground clean.

On the way back to the backpacker the Young Explorers decided to take a drive through the schools neighborhood. It was interesting to see how all the people were outside talking in little groups and the kids playing with balls in the roads. With some sunlight left in the day, we spontaneously decided to take a swim before dark. The water temperature was actually not too bad for this time of the year in South Africa. With the sun setting and the water quite murky some of us decided not to tempt fate and removed ourselves from the water.

South Africa here we go…

We excitedly picked up the last YEPs from the airport in Cape Town for our long awaited Pangaea Geberit South Africa School Project. We were surprised by a sneak view of Martin and Moose before heading off on our two-day journey to Port Elizabeth. It was funny to see everyone that you normally meet in Switzerland now all gathered in South Africa also known as the Rainbow Nation. Our fully packed Mercedes Benz Vitos drove us smoothly through the beautiful and diverse landscape of South Africa’s East Coast.

For most of us, it was the first time on the African continent and we were truly amazed by the passing landscapes every time we looked out the window. The green and yellow land contrasted so beautifully with the clear blue sky and ocean as well as with the rich deep red soil.

Our first stop was in the small town of Caledon where we met up with Stefan before heading on for the five hour drive to the ocean side town of Mossel Bay, known for its great white shark population, where we would spend our first night. Although small, Mosselbay is a pretty town! The group got on immediately, especially sitting around the outside fire as a group!

This morning we had a bright and early start to the day, heading off to George to meet up with fellow YEP Lani, whose family friendly welcomed us into their home for delicious home baked goodies!  The next stop was the Famous Tsitsikama Forest and Nature Reserve, Storms River. In true YEP fashion we spontaneously decided to hike the beginning of the world-renown Otter Trail, a stunning coast line hike right next to the ocean!

Two and a half hours later, we arrived back at the Vito to watch an amazing array of colours as the sun set behind the Knysna hills. A truly spectacular sight! On the road again for the final stretch of our road trip journey, we were on track to Port Elizabeth.

The journey was an adventurous one, with Ben getting lost, and Michael oozing his humorous German jokes. But finally we arrived safe and sound! Excited and tired, we stumbled into the Port Elizabeth Backpackers, a new home for us for the next three weeks!

We are all looking forward to the interesting and exciting days lying ahead of us!
 

Sunday, June 3 – Day 6: Horseback Eco-Trail to Waterfall Caves
Blog by Tim White

Today was another very special day for the young explorers here on the sustainable Colombian coffee culture project. We left our house at 7 AM sharp for a day devoted to discovering the natural beauty of Jardín’s mountains, streams, and caves. We packed into our open-aired Jeep and drove about a half hour up the trail towards a moutaintop farm. There, we were introduced to the horses that we would be riding. As a New Yorker who has never even touched a horse before (or smelled a horse before…) I was incredibly astounded for all that ensued. We were given some basic safety information about horseback riding and then we hit the trail! For me, today marked one of the most memorable experiences of a wholly unforgettable trip. Our horses pushed through thick mud and steep, rocky slopes all the while giving us a very unique perspective of the Colombian countryside. Once the forest became too dense for our horses to pass, we hitched them up and began hiking through the jungle.

The jungle trail very scenic and also very slippery due to recent rainfall. We carefully navigated along, hopping rocks and fallen trees crossing streams at some points. Throughout the hike, we saw many different species of tropical birds and insects. I’ll never forget the moment when we were surrounded by dozens of brightly-colored, almost fluorescent butterflies as we passed a large patch of wildflowers — quite an experience! After an hour of hiking, we arrived at the most beautiful cave I have ever seen. The cave had a powerful waterfall flowing through a 20-foot hole in its roof. We happily ate our lunches perched on a rock ledge beside the rushing water and then a few of us dared swim in its cool waters.

After a hike back and the return on horseback, we cleaned up and went into town that buzzed with locals in their Sunday’s best. Mary and I met up with our host farmer, Don Jaime, in the town square of Jardín to drink our last cup of coffee together before we say farewell to Colombia early tomorrow morning. Catherine and her host farmer Roberto joined us as the two Nespresso farmers happen to be friends.

Although this goodbye was a bittersweet moment for us, our host reminded us that we still have many more cups to come! The coffee farmers, AAA coffee technicians, and Nespresso employees were all so eager to teach us about the sustainable efforts implemented here in the age-old tradition of coffee cultivation. As we learned about the things that make Nespresso farmers so special (unparalleled hospitality, a strong commitment to the environment, and a drive for consistently unparalleled quality), we also learned about the challenges that they face in the process day-to-day. Now we are busy at work developing social and environmental projects that will help improve the lives of the tireless coffee farmers we met in Jardín. The next cup of coffee shared between PANGAEA young explorers and Colombian farmers is not too far away! We can’t wait to return. “Hasta luego,” as they say in these parts.
 

Saturday, June 2 – Day 5: Dry Mill, Coffee Cupping, and Jardín Central Square
Blog by Soledad Escribano

Another beautiful and sunny day in Jardín! After a good sleep the first night in our communal home and a complete Colombian breakfast prepared by Doña Teresa, the owner of the house, driver Oscar picked us up in the Jeep to transport us to today’s learning experience.

Thirty minutes by car separate Jardín from the dry mill “La Pradera”. So far this week we had the opportunity to visit the wet mill and the central co-op commercial center, today we experience the last missing piece of the whole process — the dry mill — where the picked, washed, de-pulped beans are dried, en masse.

Traditionally farmers did their own milling and drying, but now this process is done more efficiently and exactingly by specialized employees at the mill so that experts can guarantee the highest quality coffee beans with the least imperfections as this is the point of the process where the most damage to beans can occur.

When we arrived at the large plant, we saw Dry Mill employees charging huge bags of coffee beans into trucks in a very coordinated, assembly line process. Stacked floor to ceiling in the dark, dry warehouse was more than 1 Million kilos of coffee. (Only 3% of it was fit enough for distinction as Nespresso beans!)

In a few words I will explain the work done in this mill:

The process of drying used here is ancient, simple, and economical. The de-pulped coffee is laid out on a concrete floor in a green house, that keeps a temperature between 50° and 55°C (it was really hot in there!) for 4 or 5 days, while an employee constantly rakes the beans to avoid spoilage. The result is called “café pergamino.”

The next step is called treshing. Each bag of coffee arrives with some incidental, miscellaneous materials mixed in such as stones, leaves, insects or even animal bones. The obviously must be separated and removed from the beans. Once the non-coffee material is weeded out, a machine separates the grain from the husk of the bean. Finally, the bean goes through a polishing process to remove the parchment waste that may remain after the above process.
Last but not least is the classification and selection process. This is a critical stage because here the clean but defective beans (like the black over dried ones, or those eaten by insects, or affected by crop plagues) are removed. It is important to undergo rigorous quality control throughout the process, since a single defective bean can spoil the entire harvest. This process is done by a meticulous computerized sorting machine that takes photos and blows out beans based on size, density, and color. After the computerized scan comes the human inspection. In general larger grains produce better tasting cups of coffee and those are the ones that Nespresso wants for its high quality, rich-tasting coffee.

To end our visit an Italian expert in qualifying and characterizing coffee, invited us to be part of another coffee cupping. We discussed sorting and roasting of beans as well as the distinctions made amongst coffee notes, acidity and balanced flavor. After an enlightening afternoon, we loaded back in the Jeep, astonished again at the extent to which coffee farmers and specialized mill employees pour over each and every bean to ensure that Nespresso coffee tastes as perfect as the beans used to brew it.

Later that night, back in Jardín, the group took “la garrucha” — a cableway from one landing to the top of the mountain — where we could appreciate the town of Jardín from above, illuminated by the light of a full moon, giving us an extraordinary view. We rode the cable car back down to the other side and ended the evening enjoying a team dinner with Abelardo Agudelo of Café Export.

Friday, June 1 – Day 4: Jardín School Visit and Central Mill tour
Blog by Natalie Afonina

Today was a bittersweet day. After a wonderful three days with my host family, it was time to say our tearful goodbyes. After another huge breakfast of chicharrón (pork rinds), fresh milk and arepa (flat, round, unleavened cornmeal cake), Gunnar and I hugged Hernando and Marina, drank our last cup of lulu juice and were whisked away to visit the local primary school with Mike and the rest of the young explorers. The school kids crowded within the colorful classroom walls adorned with handcrafted butterflies, letters of the alphabet and on the chalkboard a special welcome message just for us. After we each gave an introduction about ourselves and where we come from, Mike asked the students to come up to the front of the classroom and tell us their name and age; some were shy and quiet, others gregarious and funny, but every one of them had a hint of a smile on their faces when they got up out of their tiny plastic chairs and stood in front of Mike and the team.

Next, Annika gave an amazing slideshow talk describing Mike’s travels and accomplishments in fluent Spanish. Then, two of the school’s students gave a presentation describing the problem of waste-disposal in Jardín, how they have organized several trash cleanup operations on the sides of the neighboring roads and what else needs to be done to address the growing problem of trash accumulation. A spontaneous game of volleyball ensued after the serious conversation, with Mike and the PANGAEA team on one side of the net, and the older school children and staff on the other team. It was a neck-and-neck game of volleys, spikes on the concrete! We wrapped up the afternoon with a big picnic in the grass together and then said our goodbyes to head over to visit a farm with its own wet mill.

The farmer was very proud of his coffee de-pulping and processing system that used a minimal amount of water to wash the coffee. I was most impressed by the water sewage treatment method that involved a series of carefully-routed pipes, and a black tank that used microorganisms to break down the harmful components in the waste runoff from the coffee washing. It was a very effective setup, but unfortunately it would be difficult to implement such an operation at each Nespresso farm, because of the prohibitive initial cost of the technology, which is why the central wet mill is a better alternative for most farmers that need to depulp and wash their coffee.

Today was not only our last morning with our host families, but it was also our last day with Mike, so that evening we had a debrief about possible future projects in the area, with an emphasis on discussing what ideas we should prioritize to make a lasting, yet immediate impact on the people and environment of Jardín. Some of the ideas we tossed around were selling embroidery to give the farmer’s women another source of income, tree planting to minimize land erosion and landslides, and working to create more of a community for the Nespresso farmers to foster loyalty and so that the farmers could feel proud of their hard work. Today was yet another full, eye-opening day in Colombia.

Thursday, May 31 – Day 3: Coffee Commercialization at the Co-Operative
Blog by Catherine Meyer

Today we headed off to la Cooperativa de Caficultores de Andes – “punto de servicio de compras de café” where farmers can sell the coffee beans they have grown, harvested and dried at their own farms.
Before a single bean is bought, employees from the mill run an entire battery of tests here on the coffee to ensure its quality. The mill employees sort through each bean in order to separate the damaged ones (by insects, fungus, the de-pulping process, etc.) from those that are of high quality. Afterward, they formulate a percentage that will show whether or not the farmer’s coffee meets Nespresso’s strict standards, and how much the co-op is willing to pay for the beans (the price fluctuates daily, much like that of ever-changing gasoline prices).

After bean density and humidity tests, the next step in the Co-Op’s testing process is sensory evaluation. Nespresso has employed a person whose sole responsibility is to taste and smell cups of coffee from each farmer’s batch. Orlando, the leader of our tasting class, samples up to 300 cups of coffee each day. In just one whiff he can pinpoint any and all exact defects caused by as few as one single bad bean that may have made its way into the roasted and ground coffee. I watched in awe as he took a single sniff from a cup and told me that the coffee contained bean(s) that were kept too long at the farm before they were sold, inhibiting their freshness and often contributing to a fermented/fungal defect.

Nespresso is so dedicated to precision, that Orlando even uses a special spoon to taste the coffee during this process. He used his spoon, made of pure silver personally engraved, to carefully part the foam on top of the coffee cup, break open the notes by twirling the mug’s contents close to his nose. His technique was very delicate, but his dainty demeanor quickly changed as he began to slurp up the coffee, swish it around his mouth as though he had just taken a gulp of mouthwash, and spit it into a bucket. We each took turns trying to emulate Orlando’s technique, and after much smelling and tasting it became easier to understand which cups contained a higher quality of coffee than the rest. In the end, Orlando approved only two batches of coffee to be sold to Nespresso out of the six we tried this afternoon.

Today I was continually was impressed by how thorough Nespresso’s quality control process is, and learned that this is just the beginning of an entirely different set of tests each coffee bean will endure before it is allowed to make its way into your cup. Now when I reach for a Nespresso capsule at my office in New York City, I will have an entirely new appreciation for how much time, thought and care went into those few little grounds, which help kick start my day each morning.

Tuesday, May 29 – Day 1 of Colombia Coffee Project
Blog by Annika Horn

Waking up early to green Jardín, in the heart of Antioquia (one of Colombia’s 32 departments) was like waking up on Christmas morning. Our Colombian experience was finally about to begin. We young explorers are as excited as children about to unwrap the shiny gifts awaiting us under the tree. We have no idea what to expect here, but we are certain that what awaits will be unlike anything any of us have ever experienced.

We assembled together for a morning meeting at the Hacienda Balandu where we had spent the night. After a filling breakfast complete with hot chocolate (the traditional morning beverage in Colombia) we learned from Santiago Arango, Nespresso South America Green Coffee Project Manager, that each one of us young explorers would be allocated to a different farm in Jardín. (Our very own coffee farm!) We will spend the next three days apart from each other, living the life of our Colombian coffee farmer who had each generously volunteered to host us in his home.

After the meeting, the Nespresso coffee technician team arrived in a fleet of rugged turquoise Jeeps for introductions and distribution of wellington boots, ponchos, and bug spray. With a final wave goodbye to my fellow young explorers, we went our separate ways. After a long bumpy ride deep into remote green canopies, I finally arrived to my home sweet farm. My host farmer’s name is Fabio; he was waiting for me with the biggest welcoming smile I had ever seen. As I hopped off the truck, Fabio helped me with my luggage and showed me to my room.

Fabio is a 36-year-old coffee farmer, who has been living alone, working on his “finca” (Spanish for “farm”) since the age of 14. He owned the most adorable little house, so much different than what I was expecting. It was just two bedrooms, with a kitchen and a minuscule bathroom. The walls were painted in a sky-like blue and Fabio’s designated color for his cement floor was a bright yellow — which reminded me of a shining sun. His little finca looked like paradise on earth, his front yard had been freshly cut, his goats were munching away happily and a 2-week old puppy was following me curiously. The gay and joyful colors of his tropical looking flowers were a pleasure to observe. The air I was breathing was fresh and clean and nature’s quietness that surrounded me was pure delight to my ears. Amongst the full-sensory bliss, what struck me most was the view. The scenery was mind blowing; through all of my travels, my eyes had never seen such beauty. The green mountains were standing tall and proud in the distance, rolling hills were covered with never ending coffee fields, exotic trees and every squares of colorful little fincas could be spotted against bright blue skies. The clouds that rolled in looked dramatic and intimidating as the heavens threatened rain not far in the distance.

Once the beauty before me had finally soaked in, I regained my senses and went off with Fabio into the fields to pick my first coffee cherries. He gave me a poncho, a sombrero, a bucket to tie around my waist and a few instructions about the picking process. Then we were off! I was told to pick the red ripe cherries amongst the green ones and I had to make sure I didn’t miss a single one. Because for Fabio — as for every other farmer in this region of Colombia — every single coffee bean counts.

As we were picking, Fabio and I couldn’t stop chatting. We were comparing our lives, from the food we eat, to the clothes we wear, passing through short descriptions of our homes, our jobs, our pets, our religions, our families, our houses, and daily habits. As excepted, we had not much in common in the details, but for one all-important exception, we were both happy and perfectly satisfied people. I was amazed by Fabio, he had so little yet he was so proud of his life and especially of his finca, and I was delighted at his impatience to share every single detail with me.

Blog written by NaÄ‘a VUKAŠINOVIĆ, Serbia, 15 (Pangaea Africa Expedition Young Explorer)

Today is the day we left Kraljevo and went to Tara! After three-hour drive during which we payed a visit to Drvengrad, we finally arrived at Tara National Park.

Amazing landscapes welcomed us with one of the park rangers Ranko. We talked about the eco-camp with him for a while and then started discovering the beauties of the National park. Our destination for today was a nearby lake called Zaovine. Freezing water didn´t stop us from swimming, kayaking and playing volleyball on the coast was great and we had a lot of fun.

With two inflatable boats, we went around the lake and managed to explore its coast. We swam from one coast to another and played around in the water. They say that when you have fun, time flies. Maybe that´s the reason we barely noticed the sun setting behind the mountains, perfect ending to a perfect day. And our last team member, Luana, joined us. We’re all happy that she’s here now.

Blog written by Rebecca BERKER, Germany, 18 (Pangaea Mongolia Selection Camp Young Explorer) and Magdalena 'Leni' GRUENDL, Germany, 20 (Pangaea Mongolia Expedition Young Explorer)

“Seeing our 16 Eco-kids talk to most of the students from the school about recycling made me cry for joy and really believe that we, the youths of today can make a difference. “ Our last day here in Kraljevo could not have been any better. Today we were interacting a lot with the students, mainly with the 16 eco camp participants. But let’s start from the beginning…

So we all gathered in the morning to get to know the participants better. We started off with a short introduction game, followed by a lively discussion about local environmental problems and solutions. Waste management and reducing the amount of trash are the biggest problems of the city. We were surprised how carefully the children observe their environment and how much they know.  They suggested a lot of valuable solutions like installing a recycling system at the school and raising awareness by talking to their own classmates first and then spreading the message in the whole city.

In order to show the importance of taking action we opened one rubbish bin to see its content and to recycle PET bottles from the other trash. Since the kids were participating so actively and eager to act straight away we had the idea to immediately try to convince their peers about recycling. Before spreading out to all classes that where at the school at that moment we practiced how to motivate others to join the green movement of recycling. Then they turned everything they have learned into action while talking either one by one or in front of a class of students. Their enthusiasm and passion for the environment was awesome to see and they managed to create an amazing atmosphere despite the short training they had. Their peers were very interested and moved by the examples they gave, and our Eco-kids where even more motivated to act by their success and positive feedback.

“That is when I realized that there is nothing better than a smile on a kids face. And seeing our 16 youngsters talking to more than 27 classes and convincing more than 750 in total to recycle made me cry for joy and really believe that we, the youths of today can make a difference.” 
“In order to do so we must share our passion with the young people and plant the seed in their mind so that it can grow.”

After a short evaluation and eating well-deserved cookies we worked out a concept on how to start an Act Project.  Finding and getting sponsors seems to be the biggest problem. We did another role-game but this time they had to either sell a useless article or convince a sponsor to donate money for his own trip during the summer holidays. The kids where highly motivated and came up with creative ideas and the more we practiced the more professional and comfortable everyone got. 

With no doubt this has been a very successful day that exceeded all our expectations and we are all looking forward to meet up with the excited kids in a few days in Tara to spend 5 days exploring and learning about the beautiful area.

We were kindly invited out for dinner by Marina, the school principal. When the table was fully packed with all kinds of delicious Serbian food and we thought that this is the main meal, we were told that we’re only eating the starters. This continued and more and more delicious food came. I think we now all have quite a good idea what a “real” Serbian dinner looks like and we all enjoyed it a lot. Thanks for the invitation! Tomorrow morning we’ll now leave for the National Park…

Blog written by Marius and Valerie

Today was the last day of the raid. Unfortunately, the last day of the raid means we’ve nearly reached the end of the selection camp.

This morning started early with Luke’s ‘friendly’ wake-up shouting. We packed up the tents and had only five minutes for breakfast before we started kayaking. After a muddy kayak trip through the eight-degree (Celsius) reservoir we were back on our bikes racing towards our second checkpoint for the day. It was a steep and brutal uphill followed by mountain biking across rocks, mud, snow, gravel, and pavement. Some of us struggled with the uphill on the bikes, but the team helped out by carrying backpacks, pushing bikes, and pushing through to every checkpoint together.

We were lucky with the weather; when we had to build a raft out of barrels, string and wood and cross the lake, we weren’t drenched in rain. Both teams had a few hardships along the way — getting a nail in a bike tire, a twisted knee, countless blisters — but the team stayed motivated and helped everyone finish in the end. Pushing each other up 900 vertical meters built real friendship. Whether we were singing or sharing our food, we kept each other going even when we really wanted to stop.

The last push up the mountain was easily the steepest ‘trail’ we’d ever crawled up. Although exhausted from the climb, the view of the mountains was worth every step. We found a creative way to get down the mountain by scooting on our bums — a funny sight for sure. The rain started and both groups were headed downhill back towards Château-d’Oex. It wasn’t an easy walk back, for example Ollie had a nice encounter with an electric fence where as the other group fought some noisy cows for the use of a fountain.

The PANGAEA Raid pushed all of us in different ways, and we were impressed with how well the teams kept spirit high and stayed together. While Team Bamba was in the lead on Monday, Team Panterra made up lost time and won the raid but still waited for the other young explorers to come in soon after.

We learned a lot about ourselves and teamwork, it was certainly an experience we won’t forget. We’d go as far as to say the raid was the best part of this selection camp. When we got back to Hotel de Ville, everyone was relieved to finally enjoy whatever it was they were craving (a hot shower, a cup of tea, taking off their shoes, et al.). As reward for finishing, we enjoyed very special dinner treat of raclette [a Swiss dish of melted cheese. Raclette is French, literally ‘small scraper,” referring to the practice of holding the cheese over the heat and scraping it onto a plate as it melts] made by Pipo (a native cheese maker). We also celebrated Michael Scholl’s birthday, talked with Petzl representative Erwan about the special edition Mike Horn headlamp sensor technology, but our greatest reward was to meet Mike Horn in person.

We finished the raid and the selection tired, but very happy and excited for the opportunities to come.

-Marius and Valerie