Final days of Orientation and meeting the Host Families

After our days of traveling to visit different places around the peninsula, it’s time for classes to begin!

Our academic classes go beyond the classroom, we give our students the tools they need to interact with local people and understand the cultural context. We provide the resources for them to discover and develop their own personal interests within this new culture.

At the same time that our classes started, we were able to marvel at one of the many archaeological ruins that still stands in Yucatan, this particular site has stelae (upright monuments containing information in the form of texts, images or a combination of the two) and the tomb of the zones most important leader, known as Ukit Kan Le´t Tok. We were also able to swim in the cenote, or natural well, in the community of Dzalbay. To reach the crystal blue water, we had to venture underground!

The food throughout our trip was amazing, and various families from the community known as “Black Jaguar” in the Mayan language shared food from their homes with us.

We also worked on the final details of the construction of our new classroom in the community of Yaxunah, where the majority of our program will take place. Without a doubt, the smell of fresh clay and guano will hold a special place in our memories!

And finally, the doors of PICY’s rural location in Yaxunah opened to welcome smiling local families who came to pick up their host kids. Among laughter, some nerves and a lot of excitement, they listened attentively to the plan for the coming days and weeks.

Our students had a hard time containing their excitement to meet their host families, too, and they even put together gift baskets for their families.

Before the students went off with their host families, we celebrated the birthdays of two people in our group to a chorus of “en un día feliz…”

The moment when host families meet their host kids is one of the most beautiful moments in the program. The mutual smiles say more than any words could ever convey. The arms reaching out and pulling in to a hug is all that is needed to say “bienvenidos a la familia”!

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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...

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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...

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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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