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!

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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. In our case, here in Merida, host families are fundamental for the students to adapt to their new urban context. Another important aspect of their time in Merida are their Spanish classes, since the language will allow them to interact and immerse themselves more completely 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 the everyday vocabulary and expressions that they hear outside of the classroom. Mayan 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 contex...

Adventures in Yucatan, Mexico

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