Discovering Yucatan

And so it begins! We are off and running on another winter program with our students from the
College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. Our 14 students arrived this past week, excited and
ready for adventure! We spent one day in the capital city of Mérida, the headquarters of our
program, and then set off for four days of orientation throughout the state of Yucatán.

Our first day in Merida, enjoying breakfast.

We kept the students busy, between exploring the wilderness and its plants and their uses, to a
workshop in basket weaving with the local material “bejuco” in which each student produced their
own work of art. We also had our first experience sleeping in hammocks, a necessary skill to earn
your badge as a “Yucateco”. Apart from being woken up by roosters in the morning, everyone
lasted their first night in hammocks.

Our first night in hammocks!

The next day we tested our strength and repelled 200 ft into an underground cave. Once inside the
cave we enjoyed the refreshing waters of the “cenote”, the natural underground wells common in
the Yucatán peninsula. In the evening we enjoyed the preparation of “cochinita pibil”. A yucatecan
pork dish that is cooked underground, which we were able to enjoy the next day at breakfast.

Rappelling into the cenote.

And good thing we did, because we needed not only our strength but also our bravery. We entered
in a cave called “Gruta Chocantes”, the cave of crystals. Our students completed a 5 hour expedition
in the cave. They encountered bats, geckos, spiders, and other creatures inside! Not to mention the
splendor of the cave covered in crystals.

Leaving the cave intact, although dirty and tired, we were off to Valladolid, the second largest city
in the Yucatán. We slept the same, outside in our hammocks among the trees, in an apiary reserve.
In the morning we learned about the bees that are kept there and tasted their delicious honey!

Exploring the first of many Mayan ruins we will be learning about.

En route back to Mérida we stopped in Uayma to enjoy a traditional ceramics workshop. We learned
about the extraction of natural clay, and made our own traditional mayan whistles. Full of new
experiences, questions and excitement for the next stage of the program we arrived back in Mérida.

Before the cave

We had an incredible time exploring just a part of what the Yucatán has to offer. The rest of our
program remains ahead of us to get to know even more of her beauty! Tomorrow our students will
meet their host families and get a head start on spending the first weekend getting to know them!

Orientation 2024: A Journey along the East Coast of the Yucatan Peninsula

We began our orientation trip for the College of the Atlantic Yucatan Program on the beautiful eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, in the state of Quintana Roo. We avoided the main tourist hubs of the Riviera while visiting historical sites, influential cities, and small communities that welcomed us in to see how they are working to preserve their environment and maintain cultural practices. Along the way, we met some amazing families, ate delicious food, learned about the history of the peninsula and worked our way closer to our final destination, the city of Merida, capital of the state of Yucatan. Our journey began on the beaches of the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, where we visited one of the most important archeological sites from the Mayan Postclassic period, the ancient city of Zama, better known today as Tulu...

Our Days in Merida

This stage of the program in the capital city of Merida is the first true immersion for our students, They begin to acclimate to the way of life here with their local host families while having daily classes that push them to continue learning while also providing a comfortable space to ask questions and explore concepts. Our adventure in Merida began with a very important element of this program: meeting our host families who will walk hand-in-hand with our students for this first part of the immersion process in the city. It is thanks to our wonderful Yucatecan host families that our students will better adapt to this urban context. Another important and necessary element during our time in Merida are Spanish classes, because the language is key for interacting with, and diving into, the culture. During this class, students not only learn grammar and structure, but also develop their linguistic abilities using colloquial forms of speech. ...

The Beginning of Immersion: Diving In!

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 w...

Adventures in Yucatan, Mexico

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