“I didn't want to just focus on learning about the ancient Maya, I wanted to learn about the modern Maya as well. And I felt that if I could understand some of the language, that I would understand them better as well.”
Get to know Jo, who is not only a student at Na’atik but has also been a donor for more than 10 years.
Jo has always found Maya culture really interesting. She decided to take an immersion course because she wanted to learn more about the community. To understand the culture more fully, she decided she had to learn the language as well. “I thought, you know, just learning a language by itself in isolation wasn't going to make a lot of sense. I wanted to speak to the people,” she adds.
Twelve years ago, when she first researched online and found Na’atik, she was amazed by the opportunity to live with a family and truly immerse herself in the culture. The fact that Na’atik was one of the few places where she could learn Maya also caught her attention.
For Jo, the fact that Maya has such an amazingly developed and complex written language, with glyphs that look so interesting, was what caught her attention. “The glyphs catch your attention and they seem to have more complexity, so it feels like a new challenge. It's like a puzzle for me,” she said.
Jo also shared with us that she felt very nervous the first time she came to study Maya with us and visited Felipe Carrillo Puerto. Although she couldn't find much information about Carrillo at the time, she decided to embark on this new adventure that awaited her. During this second visit, after many years, she shared how surprised she was to see how much both Carrillo and Na’atik had grown, and how incredible it was to see that there were so many more Maya students. She also told us that her host family has welcomed several people who have stayed with them because they want to learn and practice Maya. “So it's been really, really, really positive to see.”
For Jo, learning Maya has been a challenge, but it's exactly what she wanted. She knows a couple of languages, but since they are similar, learning them wasn't too difficult for her. That's why she looked for a language that was very different from the ones she already knew. She wanted a language that would truly challenge her, one she couldn't cheat at, and one that would require her to really focus and learn. For her, learning Maya and discovering words that don't exist in other languages has been both interesting and fun.
She would describe her experience with her host family as wonderful and lovely. Jo has felt welcome, although she describes the first two days as a period of adjustment where she was just getting to know them and learning how things worked with everyone. But as they spent more time together, she got to know them better, and now they've been laughing a lot, sharing plenty of funny stories, and having a great time together. She also mentioned that she's had the opportunity to practice what she's learned in Maya with her host family.
“I'm really looking forward to going to visit Tihosuco, and I'm looking forward to catching up with the family that I met 12 years ago and see how they are. I also wanted to check out a few more of the local events because there's always something happening.”
For those who are interested in taking a Maya or Spanish immersion course, she added: “I think it's a wonderful opportunity. Sometimes you don't even find opportunities, so you don't know where to donate, you don't know where to go. So, having Na’atik here is just a really wonderful chance to either come and spend some time here, which I definitely recommend, or donate if you can do it.”
And finally, for those who want to become donors, she added: “Donating to the students, I think, is just beyond important. It's so lovely to see them in their classes, sitting there, connecting with each other. It doesn't matter how fast or slow they're learning the language, but they're here, they're in a community, they can see how important it is to learn another language. And I think it's really important to be able to donate to a student as well.”
Thank you, Jo, for speaking with us and for the support you've given this institution for so many years. We're happy that you continue to be part of the Na’atik community, and we hope you had an incredible stay. We also hope that your Maya language learning continues to progress. We wish you lots of success in all your future projects, and we hope to see you again soon!
To learn more about Na’atik’s English language program for local and Indigenous students in Felipe Carrillo Puerto, visit our Impact Page. We are only able to provide this much needed program thanks to the support of generous donors and the funds raised from our award winning Maya and Spanish Immersion Program. If you would like to support our mission please consider donating today or take a look at our immersion programs and online class packages.