The Master said that every beautiful work has the hands of a woman. Well, the protagonist of this article contributes, in addition to beauty, timely guidance to the newcomer, provides or receives information when the secretary is not there and, above all, is the goldsmith of the best coffee that is served to visitors, in the Office of the Historian (OHCC).
Irisbel Sánchez Guillén is one of those simple and discreet people, with whom from the first time you talk seems that you have known her forever. She speaks softly and is somewhat shy, but she knows very well what to do to serve everyone and offer a service with elegance.
That’s why she jealously takes care of her dishes and is proud to have “the same one from several years ago”; Her work in the meeting room is vital.
Iris
Everyone calls her that affectionately. During her student years she began studying Chemical Engineering, but then she discovered that she liked secretarial work and gastronomy, two very necessary tasks at the institution’s headquarters, since with so much daily movement of staff and visitors, it is essential to have someone who put order at home.
And I say home, because that is what OHCC is for Irisbel. She has been there for a long time, first at the reception, then in the secretariat and finally in the place that she takes care of with care; she does not allow anyone else to clean or organize what has been her workspace for so many years: the Management Pantry.
The City seen through the eyes of Iris
When asked which places in Camagüey she prefers, she hesitates between Carmen Square (where her workplace is located) and Agramonte Park, although she has been linked to others, in which she contributed hours of volunteer work and enjoys visiting them. . These include the Railway Museum and the shopping promenade on Maceo Street.
Iris coffee arrived in the town of Jaronú, on that occasion to support those who were working for its recovery, after the passage of Hurricane Irma in 2017. This phenomenon destroyed the small islands that it found on its way through the Caribbean and in Cuba. , in the north of Camagüey, also wreaked havoc on that ancient and beautiful place.
To release tensions I asked her for the secret why her coffee always has a unique flavor; she was all blushing and with a smile she told me that… “there is none, you just have to do it over very low heat and with the same desire with which you make it at home.”
Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García
