During the first part of
the student’s time in Merida, meeting and integrating into their host families
is probably the most important step in beginning an immersion program. The host
families in Mérida are fundamental for the students to adapt to their new urban
context.
Another important aspect of
the students' time in Mérida are their Spanish classes, since the language will
allow them to interact and immerse themselves more profoundly in the culture.
During these language classes, the students not only learn grammar and
structure, but they are also able to develop their own linguistic abilities by
sharing, discussing and practicing everyday vocabulary and expressions that
they hear outside of the classroom.
The culture classes are
another key part of the program, they help the students understand diverse
aspects of the culture, how a Yucatecan family lives, the differences between
interacting in an urban or a rural setting, and provide the hidden historical
context for what we can see and experience today. The Spanish language the
culture classes perfectly complement each other, as the knowledge and
confidence acquired in the Spanish classroom allows the students to better
write, speak and interact in different contexts in their culture class.
One of the activities that helps to understand many
aspects seen in the culture class is the visit to the Grand Museum of the Mayan
World, where the students could see archeological and historical artifacts that
helps them connect ideas that they are developing throughout the course. This
visit is always very productive since the students already have a general
panorama of the diverse historical processes that the Mayas of Yucatán have
gone through since the pre-hispanic era to the present days.
An important part of the program are the workshops
that are fundamental to the preparation and acquisition of new knowledge that
is necessary to understand various aspects of the culture before leaving for
three weeks to the community of Yaxunah. One of the talks was about the
relationship to food, where the archaeologist Maria Novelo explained the
difference between Yucatecan food and Mayan Yucatecan food, as well as the food
that was consumed and the formas of cooking that were used in pre-hispanic era,
according to archeological evidence. This presentation was a lot of help for
the students trying to understand a little more about how Yucatecan gastronomy
has evolved.
Another interesting presentation was taught by the
architect Rafael Lara Castro who told us about the architectural evolution of
the city of Merida. The students were able to learn about the various
architectural manifestations from the colonial
era, the elements of the urban landscape that show architectural influences of
other countries like France, as well as the ways in which Spanish and Mayan
architecture was used by Yucatecan architects throughout the history of the
city. Finally the students also learned about the ways in which other
countries, such as the United States, return to neo-Mayan architecture as an
inspiration.
One of the workshops that caught a lot of students'
attention was about the mesoamerican instruments of pre-Hispanic origin and the
soundscapes that these musical instruments offer us today. In this presentation
the students were able to learn about the different types of instruments that
existed in the pre-hispanic era and the different motives for playing them and
their functions. They also learned about the forms and kinds of instruments,
and which ones continue to be of importance to contemporary culture. At the end
of the presentation the students were able to experiment with the different
sounds of the instruments, and create a little musical presentation.
But of course our time in
Merida was more than just classes and presentations, we also got to enjoy
ourselves with the host families. Before leaving for our next experience in the
community of Yaxunah, we organized our Christmas Festival, during which the
students together with their families presented different acts that we all
enjoyed. Among the great variety of acts including the ‘ramada yucateca’,
christmas carols, dances, songs, comedical theater and a puppet show. It was a
fascinating experience, and we truly enjoyed the talent and artistic abilities
of all the participants. Finally it was time to break the piñatas and eat some
typical yucatecan party food: spaghetti, tamales and cake!
