Last month, twelve students traveled to Yucatán, Mexico with Spanish teacher Ms. Susana Lambour and math teacher Mr. Jeremy Fus. The first of this year’s five travel-study trips through the Global Studies program, the trip highlighted the culture of the native Mayan people and fostered an appreciation for the lives people lead around the world.
“What I remember most is walking through the vast, overcrowded markets and thinking to myself how grateful I am for life back at home,” Sixth Former Christos Patterson said. “The whole experience helped me realize how lucky I am—and how much I take for granted.”
Third Former Kingston Williams-Ekpaji also gained a new perspective from the trip. “I will bring back the appreciation for the luxuries we are accustomed to,” he said. “You realize when you are in a new environment that everyone might not be as fortunate.”
Ms. Lambour sensed a similar sentiment among the whole group, especially once they had visited a farmer who uses the traditional Mayan three-seed planting system.
“I think the way he spoke, the pride he felt, how happy he was, along with how little he had, was really eye-opening, and made for a really nice reflective experiment for the boys…realizing that maybe we don’t need so much stuff to be happy,” she said.
“I think it was nice for kids to see that the Mayan people are still very much alive, and continue to do things in a very traditional way.”
Ms. Susana Lambour
The farmer also showed the group that ancient Mayan culture lives on.
“I think it was nice for kids to see that the Mayan people are still very much alive, and continue to do things in a very traditional way,” Ms. Lambour said.
Williams-Ekpaji shared that the group witnessed a Mayan chocolate ritual. “After the chocolate was blessed, it was made into a juice-like liquid for us to drink,” he said, referring to the new cultural exposure as “the most impactful moment on the trip.”
Mr. Fus also emphasized the connection between ancient Mayan culture and the group’s experiences.
“We got to visit some people who engage in more traditional Mayan activities,” Mr. Fus said. “We made Chicken Pibil… we got to see how they made jewelry out of bullhorns. It was really cool to see some traditional activities that they’re still keeping alive.”
The Mayans are known for their early intellectual advancements, and Mr. Fus was able to associate his experiences in Yucatán with his math studies.
“[Chichén Itzá] was created partially to help understand when the change of the seasons was, and there’s some really interesting math behind how you predict calendar,” he said. “It is important to have an opportunity to see how math was used both in current context as well as in historical context.”
Similarly, Ms. Lambour hopes to incorporate some of her experience into her classroom.
“I think I’m going to focus a little bit more on explaining around of all the things that Mayans did and still do today, perhaps before reading some of the stories that we read,” Ms. Lambour said.
Beyond the academic exploration, the group also swam in a water hole, saw a light show, and explored the new towns.
After their return, the students plan to present their experience to the Spanish Club and lead a Mexico table at the Parents’ Association’s Cultural Fair on March 13 to share the new perspective that they gained.
“I would be more than happy to share with my peers at Haverford what I have learned,” Patterson said. “Especially in America, where at times it can feel like we are within our own bubble—separated from the rest of the world—it’s important to experience other cultures and ways of life different from our own. It was truly an eye-opening experience.”
