Check out Na’atik’s 2019 school highlights!1. David’s trip to Romania – In April, one of our English language students, David, traveled to Bucharest, Romania to compete in an international high school computer software competition called Informatrix where they won 3 rd place! David traveled with his teammates and teacher and he was the only one in his group who could communicate in English, the official language of the competition. David became the translator and interpreter between his teacher, the other teams and the competition officials! David, we could not be more proud of you.2. Rosy’s bottle tops for cancer treatments – Not only is MY scholarship student, Rosy, conscious about the environment, she’s also helping people afford cancer treatments by collecting plastic bottle tops. Rosy engaged with her classmates here at Na’atik to collect plastic bottle tops which can pay for chemotherapy treatments. The program is run by a non-profit, AKA Asociación Civil in Mexico City named TAPATON and she estimates that she has collected over 5000 caps since last September. Well done, Rosy, you are an inspiration to us all!3. Our partnership with Kind Traveler – In 2019 we announced our partnership with Kind Traveler, the world’s first socially conscious Give + Get hotel booking platform that empowers travelers to benefit local communities! Book a hotel using Kind Traveler and help support Na’atik. If you make a $10 nightly donation to Na'atik on the Kind Traveler website, you’ll receive exclusive hotel rates and other perks. Find out more here.4. We introduced online Maya language classes – We’ve been offering online Spanish classes for over a year (we even managed to persuade Pedro to teach them, the technophobe that he is, which really should be an achievement in itself!) but in 2019 we launched our online Yucatec Maya language classes with our Maya teacher, Linda. Linda is gaining more and more online students as we see the popularity of this language grow both online and here at the school.5. Our amazing end-of-year videos for our English program’s 2018-19 graduation – Who could forget the performances from our students? Potential bilingual actors in the making, our students showed off their English speaking skills and what they had learned during the school year for friends and family. Take a look over on our YouTube channel.6. U.S international scholarship winners - In July, our English language students Ana Cristina, Abigail, Geyni, Ingrid, and Ana were selected from thousands of applicants from across Mexico to attend a month-long exchange in the US through the groups World Learning Inc. and Jóvenes en Acción (Youth in Action) which partnered with the US Embassy, Mexican Embassy and Enseña por México. As well as submitting their project proposal, they also had to prove their English proficiency in order to win the international scholarship opportunity. The girls traveled in three states and attended workshops and camps to prepare them for a final presentation of their project. Well done, young women, you are a testament to Na’atik!7. Olivia’s photograhy course – 17-year-old Olivia came to study Spanish with us this summer and while she was here, she turned the tables, taking on the position as teacher as she shared her passion and knowledge of photography with our local students. Before her trip she collected donations and crowdfunded for 10 digital cameras for the students to use during her classes and to keep when they completed the course. The students here at Na’atik loved their photography lessons with Olivia and we still spot them taking photos around town with their cameras.8. Record number of Maya Youth (MY) Project scholarships funded – This year, thanks to our amazing donors, we were able to fund 35 full scholarships for students who would otherwise not be able to afford to study. These amazing students are dedicated and determined, and we are so happy to support five more students than last year.9. US high school students – 2019 was an exciting year for US high school students venturing down to Na’atik to study Spanish. We welcomed a group of students from Cape Hattaras, North Carolina and another from Austin, Texas. The students had full weeks of language classes, intercultural activities with our local students and excursion around the Yucatan Peninsula. In addition to these groups, we had many solo teen travelers; some coming for their second and third Na’atik adventures, and others coming for the first time. All created lifelong memories, developed friendships with their homestay families and local students, greatly improved their Spanish communication, and returned home feeling more confident and ready to become global citizens.10. SAY career talks – Our intercambios, or exchanges, between Study Abroad (SAY) students and English program students have always been hugely popular. Our English students have always been fascinated by what our SAY students did for a living and how they got to that point in their career. In 2019 we decided to invite our SAY students to give talks with Q&A sessions for our local students so they could share their stories. These sessions in our library have become a treat to not only our local students but to our other SAY students, staff and local parents! Our first talks were from Robert Wilder, an author from New Mexico, and Dale and Karen who are aerospace engineers working on satellites for NASA! We couldn’t have predicted how inspirational and fascinating these talks would be and we’re sure we’ll be sharing more of them over the next year.11. Full program of library workshops – With the arrival of our librarian, Emily, we’ve implemented a full program of workshops for local students in our library. From coding to arts and crafts, conversation club to science, these workshops are an opportunity to extend the learning of English to a non-classroom setting through different language acquisition approaches. It’s our mission to make English language learning fun and engaging.12. Our very first French group – We are partnering with travel experts from Totonal Viajes to welcome visitors from around the world. In 2019 we welcomed 7 French guests for a one-night stay with a homestay family and Maya language lessons as part of their tour around the Yucatan Peninsula. They were big fans of the local food, and one pairing were especially fond of Mexian tequila which they shared with their homestay hosts, Dianela and Miguel! This February, we’re welcoming our second Totonal group of 18 French travelers and language learners.13. Catherine and Pedro’s trip to Expolingua, Berlin – In November, Catherine and Pedro traveled to Berlin to represent Na’atik at the global language expo: Expolingua! It’s safe to say that despite the freezing temperatures they were in their element. So many language lovers in one place! They met loads of cool people that we hope to someday welcome to Na’atik and of course Pedro was happy exploring the historical sites of Berlin.14. Na’atik recycling challenge – Lead by Maestro Joe, we challenged our local students to pick up any recyclable plastic, cans and paper on the streets of Felipe Carrillo Puerto. Our students collected over 12,000 pieces to be recycled and the classes that collected the most won a Na’atik pizza party! We are thrilled to see our community becoming more eco-conscious.15. Our English program students are spreading their wings– In 2019, many of our students left Na’atik to do new and exciting things. Some are the first in their families off to university; they’re studying English, medicine, engineering and many more incredible subjects. Some were accepted into competitive high schools that require high levels of English to get in where they’re jumpstarting college prep for engineering and math. Others got good jobs in the hospitality industry in Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum where they are thriving in their new professional environments. Of course we miss them as some have been attending since we first opened, but we cannot wait to see what they achieve in their next chapter.Wow, what a year we had. We can’t wait to see what 2020 and the new decade bring!

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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.

Na'atik's 2019 Highlights

Maya Facts: The Maya Legend of the ‘Clock Bird’

Doña Maria's Escabeche de Pollo Recipe