A trip to the Yucatán

Seven students learn what it’s really like to live in Mérida.

A trip to the Yucatán

Mia Martel, Staff writer

A break from cold snowy Maine to a vacation in sunny Mexico expresses what most students want and need.

For about ten years now, the World Language department has held these abroad trips on and off. This year’s world language trip was to the Yucatán Peninsula, and they stayed in the capital of Merida. The seven students that went stayed with a host family for seven days through the Cultural Immersion Programs in Yucatan (PICY), and got to really experience what it’s like to live in Mérida.  

World language teacher, Tom McGovern, was really excited about this years trip since there were new additions, like the home stay.

“This was the first year with the Spanish program that we did a four day home stay,” said McGovern. “It was very exciting and the students felt as they really lived in the city.”

McGovern feels that all students should take this opportunity and travel, even if you don’t know Spanish.

“We stayed away from the resorts and got to see the real Mexico and we all loved it,” said McGovern. “ An awesome experience and am hoping to make this happen every year. You don’t have to speak Spanish. All you have to do is smile and be open minded to new things. If you do this. The rest is candy.”

For the next trip, McGovern would like to have even more male students go, since only girls went on the trip this year.

“I’m excited about anyone wanting to experience a new adventure,” said McGovern. “I would like to get more boys interested in the trips for the future though. Who knows maybe girls are just more adventurous.”

Senior Camryn Mckeown feels that only girls made everything better and easier on the trip.

“We got along well and it was simple to find roommates,” Mckeown said.

Senior Sydney Speight, agrees with Mckeown on how only girls made everything simplier.

“Girls did affect it because I feel like it was better,” said Speight. “We can talk to each other easily, and we could share rooms.”

Although Speight believes girls made everything easier, the trip didn’t start out like that.

”I was friends with one person there,” said Speight. “All the other girls who went I didn’t really talk to them at all. The trip was fun, but it was better when we all became friends and talked to each other more.”

All of the moments Speight had on the trip, one of her favorite would have to be when they visited Ek Balam, which are Mayan ruins.

My favorite moment on the trip was when we were in Ek Balam. All the girls went into one cabin and started playing a bunch of card games and just were able to have fun.

— Sydney Speight

Sophomore Adrianna Jordan would have liked to go on the trip, but conflicting schedules with dance and school work made it impossible for her to go.

“It was talked about it in my Spanish class a lot,” said Jordan. “It looked like It would’ve been really fun and a good experience to be opened up to another culture.”

Even though the trip was fun for Mckewon, a major cultural difference that was hard to make adjustments to would definitely be the bathroom situation.

“You can’t flush toilet paper in Mexico,” said Mckeown. “There is a trash can right next to the toilet in every bathroom or stall for public bathrooms. A lot didn’t even have toilet seats so we were forced to squat numerous times.”

Almost all of the students struggled with the bathroom change, but Mckeown had the most challenge.

“Out of the seven students that went I won with the most times putting the toilet paper in the toilet, which was 11 times on accident of course,” said Mckeown. “It’s just so natural for us Americans. I had to put my hands in the toilets and pick the toilet paper out which is super gross. I did scrub my hands a lot.”

Mckeown took Spanish during all three years of high school, but took a break her senior year which made things a bit more challenging while with her host family.

“Luckily I still could remember the few important words and sayings,” said Mckeown. “It was actually extremely funny and awkward when my host mom was talking very fast muy rapido. I would say the language did make everything more difficult, but we picked up on new words and really learned what it was like to be from Yucatán and Mexico.”

Mckeown made adjustments to the differences, but her options for food scared her at first.  

“I kind of went into the trip thinking mainly about how I would starve because I thought I wouldn’t like the food,” said Mckeown. “But I ate everything given to me especially from my host mother Carmita. She was so cute. There were a few surprises here and there, but I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Even with all of the cultural differences, the girls had a great time. McGovern couldn’t be more impressed with how they adjusted.
“The important thing to remember is that a smile and positive attitude is universal and the girls adapted without a hitch,” said McGovern. “I was really very proud of them. They were excellent ambassadors for the U.S.”