Ties That Bind

Junior Rachel Rasmussen is spending a semester with Warren Wilson’s newest exchange partner, the Universidad de Oriente in Valladolid, Mexico, where is she taking courses in linguistics, Mayan culture and culinary arts. Rachel and her host family recently visited the Mayan ruins of Ek Balam. Valladolid is an important center for contemporary Mayan culture, and the Universidad de Oriente offers Mayan studies as one of its major focuses, as well as linguistics, education, sustainable tourism and gastronomy. By equipping its graduates with practical as well as academic knowledge, UNO hopes to generate more local employment and opportunities for young adults in the Yucatan region. Rachel writes:

"After two months of studying in the Yucatan, I finally feel less like the funny-looking new kid and more like I actually live here. I´ve noticed a difference in other people, too: less awkward stares, less taxi drivers mistaking me for a tourist, and less people not understanding my Spanish. Now, I can confidently make my way around town, have substantial conversations with my host family and teachers, and even get some of the jokes my classmates make (though often when I try to make jokes of my own, I wind up having to re-explain myself and the joke tends to get lost in translation). Being the only non-Mexican student at a small university of 600 seemed like it would be a daunting task, but I have a great support group of teachers, students, and host family. I'm actually glad I´m not here with a large group of Americans, because total immersion is helping me dig deeper into this unique culture.

And it really is a neat cultural blend of Mayan tradition, modern Mexico, and the odd pop-culture references from the US (think Lady Gaga and Britney Spears). In my Mayan culture classes, we take on these topics of `living in two worlds´ and what it means to be a young person with Mayan heritage living in `the modern world´. We wonder about the complexities of Mayan philosophy, analyze how Spanish colonialism has influenced traditional Mayan beliefs, listen to stories of Mayan mythology, and even contemplate about the astronomical meanings of 2012...no worries, it doesn´t predict the world will end.

So yes, a lot of things are definitely different here-they speak Spanish everywhere, nobody lives in a dorm, I drink bottled water, I spend much more of my time in class and much less doing homework. And there´s certainly familiarities and people that I miss at Warren Wilson. But in the end, one of the biggest similarities I find between my life in the Yucatan and my life in Carolina is in the quality of the people and the opportunities to connect with their stories."