Upon departure from New York, I felt a bit nervous to travel to a new location I had not gone to before. I was also anxious to fit in with my assigned family because I live a different life style than they do. Joining the “Maya Zone: Indigenous Latin America study abroad program in Quintana Roo, Mexico,” has helped me gain more knowledge about Maya culture and history of the people from this location. Receiving all the knowledge, will allow me to share my education with my peers back at home. Arriving to meet my homestay family, I first met the mother who was very friendly to my roommate and me. On the first morning I met the rest of my homestay family and they provided us with a welcoming breakfast. Coming from a Mexican family, I had an idea of what would be expected to eat. However, I had not travelled to Quintana Roo, Mexico. I noticed that the food is made with different ingredients and I was able to compare their food with what I ate back at home.  As I was getting accustomed to Viviana being our homestay mom, I was able to interact with her about her daily life in Quintana Roo. Viviana and Angel have two wonderful children who are the sweetest. Through the days my homestay family always found the way to accommodate my roommate Mary and I because they wanted us to feel like at home. At first, I was not accustomed to sleeping in a hammock, but after a few days later I was able to learn how to sleep on the hammock and I enjoyed it.

As I learned from our homestay family, most of the people living in this location do not sleep on beds and they prefer to sleep in the hammock. After sleeping in the hammock, I was able to understand why they do not like to sleep on beds. I truly have loved the experience to sleep in a hammock. I did not imagine myself sleeping in a hammock. I have also enjoyed all the food our homestay mom offered to us because the spices were different but tasteful. I am very fortunate to have spent time with my homestay family because they opened their doors to their home and allowed us to be part of their family.

Having class in Na’atik has also been a great experience because everyone is very humble and polite which sometimes it is hard to find in New York City. Catherine, who is the director of the institute, kept us enthusiastic about having the greatest experience in Na’atik. Spending my days in Na’atik has truly contributed to my personality because I enjoyed interacting with the students and English teachers. I am very astonished to see that all students truly enjoy learning English because of the people that educate them. I fell that the teachers are great motivators. The teachers encourage all the students in every class they give and they want them to succeed in life which I find truly incredible because it is a high need to have people in this world that care for others to succeed in life. I will truly leave with a great experience in Na’atik and all the people that are part of the school. I hope to return one day to visit all the wonderful people it consists of.

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.