Faces of Na'atik: Erick Chuc Santos

Erick is an English teacher at Na’atik and a native speaker of Maya from the X-Pichil community. An incredible fact about Erick is that he is a former Na’atik student and the recipient of Na’atik’s first ever scholarship. We wanted to learn more about Erick’s unique perspective as a student, teacher and Maya community member.

Why did you decide to become an English teacher?

I decided to be an English teacher for many reasons. First, I love to help people with language: Here [in Mexico] English is considered a really difficult language and some people consider learning it an impossible mission. In school, my classmates would come to me for help when they didn’t know how to make a sentence or how to pronounce a word properly. It was an amazing feeling to be able to help my classmates with language and then I realized that I loved it. I love languages as a whole. I also feel like a different person when I speak English, a different person when I speak Spanish and a different person when I speak Maya.

How is your experience teaching at Na’atik?

It’s unbelievable! It’s unbelievable that I’m teaching at a place where I learned English. Na'atik is an amazing and incredible family and team. It has been excellent and I can now apply all the knowledge that I have learned by studying English as a major. I want to provide my students with the experience that the languages are not difficult and it is not impossible to learn them. We have a lot of fun learning the language by listening to music and playing games.

How did it feel to be Na’atik’s first ever scholarship recipient? Do you remember your family’s reaction?

I was very grateful and happy for the opportunity to have a scholarship. It was a great help to me and my family because of the economic difficulties we were going through at the time. I remember my family’s reactions, they were very happy and like me, they were very grateful for the support. It was an opportunity I had to take to continue my English studies.

What was the impact of gaining this scholarship? How can scholarships like these help Indigenous students?

The scholarship was a motivation to continue learning English with native speakers. Having a direct interaction with someone from a different culture is valuable, you get an accurate representation of the language and observe the manner in which they speak.These scholarships help Indigenous Maya students economically. It’s very common to see Indigenous students not continue their studies due to the lack of economic support, so to have the opportunity to get a scholarship is amazing. This immerses Indigenous students in a different culture and gives them a chance to learn a widely-used language that will expand their opportunities.

What is the reality of most Indigenous Maya students in Mexico? Are there any major obstacles when it comes to obtaining an education?

Many Indigenous students do not have the opportunity to study outside their communities and few of them continue their studies at a professional level. Most Indigenous students have to work with their parents by cultivating fruits, vegetables and livestock, and they need to make money which leads to them leaving their studies to work with their parents. They don’t often come across opportunities to learn a foreign language and the lack of economic support makes it more difficult.Another issue is adaptability. Adapting to bigger cities is very difficult because you have to adapt to a different manner of interaction. The personalities are different and the school dynamics are different. So the first year of studying in a different environment is often difficult for Indigenous students. You have a smaller budget to afford necessities and then you have to adapt yourself to new dynamics and mentality, especially student-student and teacher-student interactions.In a small town, you study with the same people that you have known since kindergarten and you know almost every student in the school because there aren’t many of us, and you interact with the same people all the time. In a city you don’t know anybody, the dynamic is more energetic and there is a pressure to match that energy. You have to be more aware of your surroundings, and when people talk to you, you have to maintain your boundaries.In a town, you’ll have two to three teachers that teach every subject, whereas in a city you have a lot of teachers - a teacher for each subject - so you have to adapt yourself to the style of each teacher. In a city, it was not unusual for teachers to help students with breakfast if they noticed that they are hungry. That said, both sets of teachers are strict.

Did you personally experience these challenges?

Yes, I experienced the lack of economic support and, at that time, I thought I wouldn’t be able to continue my studies at the institution. It was also a big challenge for me to adapt to a new city, especially since I also had to take on work alongside my studies in order to pay the bills.

Growing up, who were your biggest heroes and supporters?

My biggest heroes and supporters are my parents because they have always encouraged me to continue studying and they have always given me good advice. I didn’t like English when I was young, and they tried to teach me when I was 6 years old.Coming to Na’atik changed my life entirely. Going from not liking the language to having it as my major shows how impactful my parents have been. They’ve always been there for me.

How has multilingualism affected your life?

Overall it's been very positive because I can translate from Maya to Spanish, Spanish to English and English to Maya. Knowing three languages can be fun and difficult: one time I forgot how to say ‘vaso’ in Spanish when I was asking for a glass of water. Sometimes when I speak in English I introduce Maya words and add English words into my conversations.My father is a taxi driver and I went with him to Chetumal to meet with other drivers at their agency. The drivers were from other Maya communities and they were waiting for news from the agency regarding an important matter. The news took long to arrive so we all ended up sleeping outside the building. Some US visitors saw us and brought us food and water. The drivers were thanking them in Spanish and I was able to thank them in English. When they saw that I could speak English, they told me more things to tell the drivers and I was able to translate everything into Spanish and Maya.

How do you maintain your languages?

I maintain my languages by practicing with my classmates and I maintain my Maya by communicating with my family. My grandmother only speaks Maya, along with many people in my community.

What is your favorite pastime or tradition that you would like to share with people who aren’t in your community?

We have a very famous tradition in the Yucatan Peninsula called the Festival of the Three Holy Kings (El Festival de los Tres Santos Reyes). It’s a huge celebration that happens for a week. There are games, cultural shows, and traditional dances from Quintana Roo and states like Veracruz and Monterrey, and they are spectacular. Everyone involved is really talented and the performances are beautiful. First it’s in Carrillo Puerto, then it’s celebrated in Mérida, and so on.Another meaningful tradition is the Day of the Dead. All states in Mexico celebrate the Day of the Dead differently. Here in Quintana Roo we have an altar but it doesn’t have three levels like the others, only one, and the candles on the altar are very important to us because it guides the spirits to their homes. We also use colored candles to guide the children who passed away so that they can find the way to their favorite food and their homes. For this reason everything is colorful in Quintana Roo on Day of the Dead.

What’s your favorite thing about being in Carrillo?

There are many advantages to living in Carrillo. When I first came to Carrillo, it felt like a city, but what I love about it is that it’s small and not big enough for you to get lost in. it’s not hard to meet up with friends because everyone lives close by.It’s a culturally rich city. Pre-Covid, the city had cultural shows on Sundays with traditional dances. They encouraged young people to participate and they also represented traditional dances from other states. Carrillo Puerto also connects all of the different regions of the Yucatan; it connects to the capital, Chetumal, Playa Del Carmen and Cancun. You will also find Maya native speakers who come from the small towns surrounding Carrillo Puerto. It’s really amazing to live here.

Do you have any tips for Spanish learners?

Speak as much as you can in Spanish. Speak all you want in Spanish. I consider it important to speak about everything you know and keep going regardless of if it makes sense or not. Speaking is how you’ll get used to pronunciation, vocabulary, sentence structure and grammar. It can be scary in the beginning but it’s not impossible. Speak speak speak!

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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.