The kids study Spanish in the morning. After that, we have the biggest meal of the day with our host family.

The kids will typically rest during the heat of the day. Once they are ready to go out and do something fun, there are several things to do.

We swam in a pool at a local hotel. They only charged 50 cents US per person.

Carrillo

 also has a very nice playground for little kids. We are visiting it in the evening when it isn’t hot.

Na’atik provides afternoon activities.

Here’s our cooking class. We are making 

empanadas

, 

guacamole

, 

chaya 

& pineapple smoothie (

chaya 

is a local type of spinach) and 

sijil p’aak

. 

Sijil p’aak

 is a Mayan dish made with tomatoes, green onions and pumpkin seed meal. Madigan is pouring in the pumpkin seed meal while her Grandma helps. Pumpkin seed is one of those super foods packed with everything including antioxidants. It’s no wonder that the Mayan people figured that out. There is no better way to get kids to try new foods then to let them help cook them. 

We also went on a trip to the Sian Ka’an natural reserve where we kayaked on the Balam Nah lagoon in the jungle and swam in a fresh water pool.

Jeannie and her family joined us for the Study Abroad Yucatán program in May and June of 2018. They dove right in to everything and quickly became a part of the community. Be sure to check out chapters one, two, and four of their blog series. And if you're interested in family travel at Na'atik also be sure to look at posts from some of our past travelers like the Fernandez-MacGregor family: chapter one, two, three, and four.

If you would like to read more about Mexican culture, history, cuisine and language, check out our blog page for our latest monthly articles. You can also sign up to our newsletter to receive these straight to your inbox along with the latest news about our non-profit school for local and Indigenous students in Felipe Carrillo Puerto. 

The best way to experience the Mexican lifestyle is in person, with a Na’atik Immersion experience. Not only do you live with a local Mexican-Maya family, sharing home-cooked meals and free time, but also receive expert instruction in your chosen language at our school. Best of all, every immersion experience helps fund our subsidized and free local education program, helping local students to access opportunities and make their own futures.