Magda
Latzl's Coffee Story
Holidays are
made for discovering new things. And, sometimes even old things can
be new and exciting when experienced in far away lands. And, Magda
Latzl was in the middle of a jungle in Malaya when she got a
surprise. And, that which Magda Latzl experienced was the very last
thing she expected. It was hot and delicious, and came just in time.
The small
group was exhausted. Magda and her husband and three
very good friends had been walking and cutting their way through the
jungle since dawn. Fortunately, they'd
had no problems with snakes or any other wild animals, but the
constant vigilance required had also been
very hard work, and, the now weary group was in need of
a rest. And, the thing Magda Latzl wanted more than anything else was
a coffee. And, the group simply laughed. A coffee in the middle of
the jungle! That was out of the question. And, everyone laughed
once again. But, the guide didn't laugh. And, soon
the small group arrived at a clearing.
And, there
in the middle of the clearing was a hut. And, coming from this hut
was the wonderful smell of coffee being roasted. There was, indeed,
coffee in the jungle. But, this jungle inn with no walls and only a
roof was not very inviting. In fact it was filthy.
And, the cats and the dogs and the chickens that were running around
were very off-putting. And, Magda Latzl was beginning
to think twice about wanting a coffee. But, then came
the smiles.
And, these
smiles were the smiles of genuine welcome. There was a very old lady,
her two beautiful daughters, and three very young girls. And, all
they had was a small open fire for the cooking. And, they didn't
only have coffee, they had wonderful meals as well. And, Magda,
being hungry and tired, was very soon persuaded. And,
she didn't regret it.
Although
the meal was delicious, the coffee was more. Magda Latzl discovered
the best coffee in the world in a very small hut in the middle of a
jungle.
And, she's
had nothing like it since. But, of course, there were the smiles and
the friendliness, too. All parts of a wonderful day and a wonderful
time.
Magda Latzl
went from Vienna to Asia and discovered a new side of life. Far
different than anything in Europe. The
real treasures in life are the people one meets, and a nice cup of
coffee and a very nice smile can make all the
difference.
When did you last light up with a smile? Smiling is easy. Why not
make a difference and do it more often!
Vocabulary
although
– obwohl
clearing –
Lichtung
constant –
konstant
dawn -
Morgendämmerung
exhausted –
erschöpft
filthy - sehr
schmutzig
guide – Fuhrer
In fact -
tatsächlich
indeed - tatsächlich
makes all the difference – macht
alles aus
off-putting – abstoßend
persuaded – überredet
she's
– she has
they'd – they had
think twice
(think twice/thought
twice/thought twice) - überlegen
vigilance - Wachsamkeit
weary – müde
A Jungle
Questions
Why did the group have to be vigilant while
going through the jungle?
What did Magda discover in the jungle?
Why did Magda find the hut off-putting?
Who didn't laugh when Magda said she wanted a
coffee?
Where was the hut?
How many women and girls were in the hut?
What were the women and girls doing?
Do you like snakes?
