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First Week of Classes

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After our orientation and a weekend of getting comfortable with their host families our COA students are jumping right into their classes.

A view from the Mayan Anthropology class. 
Students will take two classes throughout December and January before heading off on their independent projects. All of our students are participating in the Mayan Anthropology class: Life and Death Among the Mayans. For their second course some students will will continue their Spanish language class, building upon what they learned in the fall, and others will take an elective of their choice, all in Spanish of course!

Building our very own mayan cities!
This year our elective classes include: Biology and Ecology of the Yucatan Peninsula, History of Expression in the Yucatan: Mediums of Communication and Art, and Merida's System of Discarded Materials.

Students take to the streets to learn hands-on about the city of Merida.
Although we started out this week in the classroom, we certainly won't spend all of our time there. Nearly half of the learning this term will take place in the city and its surrounding communities.
One of classes in Santiago Park.
We know that to learn about a language or culture you have to participate in it.  So our classes are structured around this belief. Students will spend class time out in the field talking to experts, in the city interviewing locals, and learning first hand from their lives with their host families. 

Learning about the sacred mayan ceiba tree in person.
Learning about our new home.
Getting to know Merida. 

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