Travelling to the heart of Colombia’s Coffee Country with our Baby
After our short trip to Chocó, Matt’s parents came to visit us in Medellin. Except for a few friends in Mexico, we have been mostly by ourselves. And, while we are a core three – a little family - it is still comforting to have other loved ones with us. Otherwise, we are each other’s only support structure. Admittedly, sometimes that can be tough, especially when there are days when I am feeling more volatile.
I always worry that Matt will feel lonely with just the three of us. He comes from a big, tight-knit community, and has parents who are eager to speak with him every day.
On the other hand, I am not close with my family, and I lost most of what I used to call a support structure in my past life. I am okay being by myself – and have been for a long time, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I don’t miss being taken care of, having support, having resources to learn from, and being loved – by anyone other than Matt and Miya.
That’s all I want for Miya – to feel loved and taken care of – not just by us, but by a wider community around her.
For that reason, it’s been a wondrous feeling to have Matt’s parents here. Even though we have only been together for short pockets of time the past few months, I have learned the most from watching them interact with our baby girl. From them, I learned how to hold Miya in different ways, burp her properly, and become more comfortable as a mother.
I hate that the “resource” today is a thousand internet opinions, Dr. Google and every new mother spouting her achievements on a TikTok video. I just want someone I love to teach me how to do things. Before the internet, I imagine that’s how a new mother would learn – from her mother, her mother-in-law, etc.
In truth, I always wished I could learn all this from my mother, but I’m grateful we have Matt’s parents. From the moment we reunited in Medellin, and I watched their eyes light up at the sight of Miya, it’s been heartwarming.
They hadn’t seen her since she was two months old in October, and she had changed a lot. She’s developed a warm, exuberant, and curious personality. Our little girl was coy at first, and as soon as she felt their love, she soaked her grandparents in completely.
Matt and I loved watching his parents interact with Miya as grandparents. Whether it was holding her hand, stroking her face, soaking in her behaviours, taking photos of her, or singing her songs, it was the most inexplicable thing to see grandparents interact with their first grandchild. It’s an unexplainable love, much like our own – one at which times leaves me speechless and in awe.
We had been in the city for a while and figured it would be a chance to get away and for Matt’s parents to spend some quiet, quality time with Miya. We immediately decided to take them to the countryside to coffee country. Our journey took us to Jardin – the heart of the coffee country and “the most beautiful town of Antioquia.”
In some ways, Jardin felt like a world away from Medellin, even though it was only a three-hour drive away. There was a lot of traffic and construction on the drive-up. Miya slept for most of the ride. When she woke up, she would look out the window pensively. Occasionally, she would peek her little head around to find her grandparents or us. She would coo and make funny little noises – grunts, squeals, and little cries.
Driving into the rural countryside, we saw endless rolling green hills. Tucked in between banana trees and rows of coffee trees were colourful little farms.
Jardin is a bright, colonial town full of bustling atmosphere – Colombians on vacation mixed with old-time farmers in paisa hats. On the streets, we saw people riding casually on horseback and other groups in jeeps heading off-road up into the hills. The little town reminded me of some of Mexico’s Pueblo Magicos – like San Cristobal or Oaxaca City.
We arrived in Jardin for a hot second before we were whisked up into the hills for a coffee tasting with Alejandro and Viviana of Kamarija. The couple lived in a quaint open-air wooden house deep in the woods with a charming, fully stocked kitchen and a platform overlooking rows and rows of coffee trees below.
Their house had two bedrooms and was fully decorated for Christmas still. Occasionally, a curious little hummingbird would fly quickly in and out of the house.
Apart from a few ideas, Matt planned the whole weekend away. I expected the coffee tasting to be relatively short, or an hour at most. It was a comprehensive coffee-tasting workshop that lasted over three hours.
Alejandro took us through an interactive 20-sample blind taste test to decipher notes and accents. He walked through different coffee makers. A few hours in, only then did we finally taste a cup of coffee. For some reason, I felt it could have gone on even longer if we didn’t hint that we needed to leave.
While Matt and his parents enjoyed the experience, it was difficult to concentrate with Miya. I knew it was tough for her to be a baby caught in the middle of a “grown-up experience”, and I felt guilty. She wanted to play and relax, and I couldn’t help but worry that it was getting late, and we would still need to bathe and put her to sleep.
We finally left by sunset. We were whisked away again in an antique jeep up a rickety unpaved road to our eco-lodge – Gulapa. The sun had come down, so it was dark. Matt and I couldn’t help but laugh a little as Matt’s parents wondered out loud in the back of the truck where we were taking them. It was late by the time we arrived, so Matt and I hustled to bathe, feed and get Miya to bed.
I became upset because I left one of my breast pump parts at home in the thick of packing. I worried about Miya’s feeding and possibly my milk ducts being clogged.
That night, she ended up feeding on my breast, something she hadn’t done for a while. It was a feeling I had missed, and I realized that if I didn’t feel so nervous and anxious about her feedings, I could do this more often than using the pump. All in all, it was a long night, but we adjusted as we always do.
We woke up to 360 views of the coffee country – rolling hills deep in the clouds with Jardin town below and the valleys in the distance. There was nothing but the sounds of birds in the trees and a light wind.
The property set up these little nets outside the rooms atop a platform to experience the views. We hugged Miya tight and took some family photos of the sunrise. I felt this warmth and happiness just watching Miya smile and stare at the views in front of her.
Miya went to spend some treasured time with Matt’s parents while Matt and I went on a 10km muddy slog of a hike in the forest. We missed being with her. It was our first time apart from her since she was born, but it was nice to spend some time together alone, to reconnect and just feel like our old selves for a little bit.
Nonetheless, we missed her. As I trudged through muddy paths, climbed rocks, and saw different waterfalls and magnificent viewpoints with Matt, I couldn’t help but think of her. I imagined hiking with her one day – catching her from falling or chasing her down a trail.
A few hours later, we reunited with her and Matt’s parents. They had a joyous time. It was moving to see them connect with her – to see her personality and get to know her as a more grown-up baby.
I marvelled at Matt’s dad taking a hundred photos of her or Matt’s mom walking around with her to look at plants. Every moment was precious – every kiss, stroke of her hair, and little conversation. I could see the endless love in their eyes, and it just brought tears to my eyes.
As quickly as the weekend started, it ended. Before returning to Medellin, we visited a coffee farm overlooking Jardin, Café Historias.
Our visit was cut short because we had to catch our ride back to the city. It ended up being a long drive back because of an accident. Luckily, Miya fell asleep again for the most part. Matt’s parents were in awe at how good our little girl was with travelling – she barely fussed.
We spent a few more days in Medellin together before Matt’s parents flew back to New Jersey. Seeing them say goodbye to Miya was hard–the tears in their eyes, the thoughtful words, and the many hugs.
I know she could feel their love, and we were so grateful they were together, even for just a few days. Miya is so lucky to feel this kind of love, and I know she’ll realize it more with each visit and time together each next year of her life.
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