Ellory’s Na’atik Experience
This blog entry was written by 16-year-old Ellory, who studied Spanish and Maya with Na’atik in January 2019.
I think the best trips are the ones that start with that unsteady feeling. Maybe I should have stayed at home, you think. Because you don’t arrive at a resort or a five-star hotel. You aren’t in some sort of all-you-can-eat buffet, swim up bar paradise that leaves people saying things like “whew, I need a vacation from my vacation!” No, when you arrive you feel uncomfortable. Everyone around you is living their lives as they normally do, riding their bikes with purpose and direction along streets that look like a maze to you, eating foods and drinking beverages that you’ve never heard of, even speaking rapidly and laughing and telling jokes and stories (and giving directions) that you can’t understand. If you were at home, of course, you’d just look down and scroll aimlessly on your cell phone, avoiding eye contact and questions and conversation. But when you don’t have an international data plan, the coward’s way out goes out the window. When you sit down at the table, people are going to ask you what you want to eat. And if you’re afraid of making a mistake in speaking, you’re going to be pretty hungry. They’re going to ask you where you’re from, why you’re here, what you’re studying. They’re going to ask about your parents and your siblings or your spouse and your kids and about the food in your home country. Eventually, you’re going to ask them questions too. Because you are going to have so many questions.
Ellory taking a break from studying on Na'atik's terrace
Every day you will see somany new things that are confusing and intriguing and that you just have to knowmore about. And hopefully, your host family is going to be happy to answer yourquestions. And maybe they’ll also want to tell you about their school schedule,or their church, or their extended family or their pets, so you better startlistening intently. It’s okay if you don’t understand every word though, youcan always laugh and smile; people will almost always smile back. And as youtalk more and more, you’ll notice that a lot of what your new family andfriends say sounds very familiar to what your friends and family say at home.Maybe both of your parents are teachers, and completely coincidentally, you endup with two host parents who are also teachers, and you guys can talk abouteducational policy
Ellory enjoying a cooking class with fellow student, Harri
At first, as you eattogether, or drive somewhere, or walk around the grocery store, you might haveto force yourself to break a silence, by carefully writing a grammaticallycorrect sentence in your head and waiting for the perfect moment to blurt itout. Soon, though, you’ll listen to the response to that sentence, actuallyunderstand, and respond yourself in a matter of seconds. What you say may notalways be grammatically correct, but you’ll continue striking up conversationswith people, finding anyone who is curious enough to respond to your smile bylistening carefully and speaking maybe a little slower than usual. ¿Qué quieres decir? is not - I repeatnot - a bad thing to hear. They’ll tell you about things and places that youhave to try, and also the things that maybe you can skip. Eventually, you won’tbe afraid of getting lost anymore. You’ll want to leave the most direct pathfrom home to school in order to explore some of those things, like going on ahunt for the best licuado orsearching for dulces de camote at themercado. Then, you might try doingsome of those new things again. In fact, eventually, they’ll just become a partof your daily routine. Maybe it turns out you actually like the convenience ofinstant coffee! You’ll feel accustomed to your temporary life here. And maybe,after a while, just before you have to leave, it won’t feel so temporary.Maybe, by the end of your time in Carillo, you can’t imagine leaving.
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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.