In the final part of the Yucatan Program, our students have
the opportunity to complete their Spanish Language and Cultural Immersion
Practicum while living in a community apart from the group for three weeks. At
this point they get to put into practice everything they learned during the
program, as well as getting to know another host family and interact with new
people.
During this span of three weeks, the students are visited by
their professors to see that they are having a positive experience, and above
all to make sure that they don't have any problems in developing their
independent project, which they were later able to share with us along with
their experiences in a presentation upon their return to Merida.
Each student’s experience was unique. In Merida, Emmaline
was able to help usher in new life through her experience in the birthing unit
of a local hospital. On the coast, Drew and Theo discovered new ways of
experimenting with their patience in the community of San Felipe, where they
were able to fish, play basketball, play with and care for their nieces and nephews,
organize educational activities for local kids and learn to cook.
In San Crisanto, another coastal community in Yucatan, Gaia,
Brock and Noah discovered their capacity to adapt to different situations in
daily life, where they not only were able to see different fishing techniques,
but they could also reflect on the impact humans have on marine and coastal
ecosystems, the beauty and sounds of nature that mix with modernity and
community development, as well as family connections and the emotions that are expressed
during human interactions.
In Opichen, in the eastern part of Yucatan, Alder explored the subterranean world of the community and learned about the activities that allow the local people to gather resources from the cooperative land ownership of the ejido and the community. A little farther south, Maddie was able to immerse herself in the bustling life of markets where she captured daily scenes of the town of Oxkutzcab in watercolors. In Peto, Chihaya learned about the importance and function of the traditional agriculture system of the milpa as well as backyard agriculture. And in the community of Tixhualatun, Qwin learned diverse forms of embroidery.
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Closer to the center of Yucatan, Fiona experienced daily
life in the small community of Yoktzonot Hu, where she learned about different
forms of cultivation and the activities of a cooperative of women. In Kaua,
Maggie lived with the family of a traditional midwife where she was also able
to weave her own hammock. In Uayma, Elliot observed the ways in which traditional
pottery knowledge is passed down, as well as learning about the techniques and
processes that allowed him to make his own pieces and musical
instruments.
In the neighboring state of Quintana Roo, Leandro was able
to learn about life and human interactions in the communities of Noh Bec and
Petcacab. He lived along with his family and friends who worked in a sawmill
and also prepared charcoal, where he learned more about the kinds of trees that
can be used and the interaction between humans and the natural environment
around them.
As has become a tradition over the last nine years, we
celebrated the Ninth Yucatan Intercultural University Forum 2025 where our
students were able to share their experiences and knowledge with their peers,
host families from Merida and communities, as well as the general public. The
forum was held in the auditorium of the Confucius Institute in the Centro
Institucional de Lenguas, or CIL, of the University of Yucatan (UADY). This
year our forum was graced with the important presence of the president of the
College of the Atlantic, Sylvia Torti and the professor Gray Cox who has been a
pillar of the Yucatan Program since its inception.
Of course, this event and the Yucatan Program couldn’t come to a close without a good party! There was dancing and live music provided by the Yucatecan music group Los Juglares, who we thank immensely for their participation. And to finish, the only thing left is to thank each and every one of the host families, people and professors who have participated in every part of this program, as well as both the academic and personal growth of each one of our students. Without them the Yucatan Program would not be possible. And we especially thank each element of the PICY team, who each year add their grain of sand to this mountain and whose enormous effort and dedication make each program a success!
