Thoughts over a Bosnian Breakfast

I was somewhat disappointed in the breakfast at my hotel in Sarajevo untill I noticed that the honey they served was beginning to crystalize, denoting it's high quality. After I started to enjoy the product, which had been imported from Croatia. I started to think about how I had come to be able to decern the various qualities and types of honey.
My my first experience with honey was one of teaching. It was in Panama during my freshman year of college. I was working as a translator on an expedition organized by the non-profit Global Business Brigades. We were consulting a group of honey farmers in the rual community of El Bale, who were attempting to form a co-op. It was here that the farmers taught me about the different types of honey, and the basics of its production. It was amazing for me to translate the business workshops we presented for them. Explaining concepts which people in the developed world take for granted, such as bookkeeping and credit systems, is an experience I will never forget.
My second experience was one of learning. While taking my Polish to the next level I twice visited my friends' families in Nowa Sarzyna, a small town in southeastern Poland. The grandfather of one of my friends runs a honey farm. He has been producing honey for many years. He took the time to teach me some of the finer points of honey farming . For instance, while it is common to see honey advertised as being from the pollen of a certain kind of plant, it is generally impossible to control what kind of flower the bees will pollenate, or whether they will choose to at all. He also told me how he remedies various hive-oriented parasitic infections, which the Panamanian farmers had struggled to solve.
The Polish grandfather also gave me business advice. He told me how he grew not only honey, but also raspberries and other fruits as well. He spoke of these matters as if it were easy for him to navigate the complicated agricultural regulations regarding the commercial sale of farm products. In this way, he was able to diversify in a makeshift rual economy, something which the Panamanians have also struggled with.
While eating my Bosnian breakfast, it occurred to me that it would be good to get these two groups together. The experence of an Polish honey farmer and businessman would be more valuable than any advice from some city-dwelling college students. The Panamanians could bring to the table their own experiences with growing a business in the modern day.
While translating across cultures I have learned much more than what to eat at breakfast; I have gained an understanding of the challenges businesses face across the world.