Moving to a new city can certainly be overwhelming. For San José-native and American expat, Diego, Guadalajara was anything but an exception. Heaving his bags onto the cobblestone pathways, Diego stepped into the bustling Latin American city, yearning to discover all its hidden wonders.
What attracted Diego most to the city was its rich diversity in cultural spheres – and of course, its craft coffee scene. Seekuming to escape hoje monotony of his corporate life back in the US, Diego set out to put the city’s diverse coffee connoisseurs to a test.
Almost immediately, Diego began his hunt for his first delectable cup of joe. Having previously visited this city for business, Diego was already acquainted with a few coffee spots. He headed, almost instinctively, to Café Galleria.
Upon entering, he was welcomed by a wave of coffee-infused aromas, further heightened by the warm greeting of the baristas. In a bid to practice his Spanish, Diego chatted with them using the verb “querer” to say he wanted a cup of coffee, and the barista replied using conjugation of the same verb: “¿Quiere algo más?” – offering him something else to try.
Amazed with his warm reception, Diego couldn’t resist venturing to another location. Off he went, this time to Espresso Herrera. From the moment he set foot inside the quaint café, Diego was completely drawn to the scent of freshly-brewed coffee beans. However, this barista was a bit more intimidating and gave little to no expressions when Diego talked to him to order a cup of clarity and comprehension.
Nevertheless, Diego continued persevering with his Spanish lessons and greeted the barista with a formal phrase – “Mucho gusto.” Initially, the barista was not too receptive, but Diego soon learned when to use the reflexive pronoun “se” and various other forms of verb conjugation from the barista himself.
After experiencing two coffee spots, Diego quickly followed the coffee trail to Reverie en Plume. Here, he was seated right next to a witty young barista and the two exchanged in a brief, but meaningful conversation.
Primarily, they discussed travel, the use of the present progressive tense “estar + gerund,” and other topics such as the city’s rich flavors of Mexican food, which Diego was eager to try.
From then on, Diego visited these coffee spots regularly, as he not only wanted to practice his Spanish but also dreaded his work emails. While taking frequent business trips around the city, Diego even encountered other baristas and slowly began to build connections in the community.
As for the coffee, Diego found comfort in the variety of flavors each café had to offer, and more importantly, the manner of warmth and kindness that he received from both the baristas and locals. Ultimately, Diego’s journey of discovering the hidden gems of Guadalajara was as much about the coffee as it was about the people.
Puntos Gramáticales: Practicando el Verbo Querer, El Pronombre Reflexivo, El Presente Progresivo y La Conversación
- Verbo “querer”: Me gustaría querer un café.
- Pronombre reflexivo: ¡El barista se pone muy furioso!
- Presente progresivo: Estamos discutiendo lo interesante que es Guadalajara.
- Conversación: Hablamos mucho sobre las diferentes variedades de café.