Festival de Navidad

Last Tuesday we had our annual Christmas festival. All of our host families and professors and PICY staff was invited and we had a great time!

We started off with a brief look at our student's projects from their "conversation and identity" class.

Lea explaining her mind map where the city's buses appear as dragons!

Megan talking about different perspectives

Grace sharing her food journey

Lauren talking about family as the center of her experience

And then it was time for the show to start!

Noche de Paz (silent night)

Kendall is participating in a Mayan immersion program focused on midwifery in Yucatan. She (with some help) sang a short song in Maya!

Burrito Sabanero

We put together a short skit based on the new "light and sound extravaganza" that you can see at Chichen Itza. In our play, Chichen(ita) we shared some of the incredible adventures that the students have had in just their first month.

Our staff member Lucero narrated for us

Anna and Kitt describing the impact that tallness and beards seem to have here in Yucatan...

Molly and Taylor sharing their adventurous the first time they went to find their host family's homes.

Kendall and Molly singing "Rie Chinito"

And the most entertaining part of the evening...dancing!

La Bomba

Having a great time

Anna sharing a song in her native tongue

Lucero and Polly wrote a parody of multiple Christmas carols including the many adventures of each student

After the show, of course, it was time to eat and chat!

enjoying tamales

A lovely evening overall!

From all of us here at PICY, happy holidays!

Yaxunah: Our Days in the Pueblo

Before our next adventure began in the community of Yaxunah,Yaxcabá,Yucatán, we first visited the traditional pottery studio “Najil Kat” belonging to the family Espadas Xooc, in Uayma. Here, the students had the chance to explore the diverse materials and traditional techniques that have been passed down from generation to generation in this family of artists. With the help of Virgilio, we learned about the many types of local soil and clay that are mixed to make a diverse range of creations like vases, plates, mugs, toys, musical instruments, incense holders and more. As part of the workshop, each student sculpted their own little artistic creation, exploring their creativity and the skills necessary to work with the clay. Similar to the time spent in the city of Mérida, the families in Yaxunah are an invaluable aspect for the students to settle into the rhythm of everyday life. The arrival to Yaxunah marks the beginning of a beautiful new family relationship. Students can make s...

Immersion Practicum and Ninth Intercultural Unversity Forum 2025

In the final part of the Yucatan Program, our students have the opportunity to complete their Spanish Language and Cultural Immersion Practicum while living in a community apart from the group for three weeks. At this point they get to put into practice everything they learned during the program, as well as getting to know another host family and interact with new people. During this span of three weeks, the students are visited by their professors to see that they are having a positive experience, and above all to make sure that they don't have any problems in developing their independent project, which they were later able to share with us along with their experiences in a presentation upon their return to Merida. Each student’s experience was unique. In Merida, Emmaline was able to help usher in new life through her experience in the birthing unit of a local hospital. On the coast, Drew and Theo discovered new ways of experimenting with their patience in the co...

A Visit to the Coast and our Return to Merida

A Visit to the Coast and our Return to Merida Before beginning the next stage of our program in San Felipe, a small coastal community on the northern edge of the Yucatan Peninsula, we visited the Biosphere Reserve of Ria Lagartos for a boat tour of the estuary. During this tour, we learned about the importance of different types of mangroves, we saw the diverse species of migratory birds that arrive to nest in this region and we admired the endemic bird species that are a key part of the mangrove ecosystem. We also were lucky enough to see majestic groups of flamingos, different types of fishing eagles, herons, pelicans, cormorants, gulls, frigates, plovers and of course, the stars of the “Ria”, Morelet’s crocodiles! Once in the community of San Felipe, the process of meeting our new host families is always a clash of the nerves and excitement that are natural when entering into a completely new sociocultural context. Above all, it is a new opportunity to meet people with big hear...

Adventures in Yucatan, Mexico

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