How did you get matched with your homestay?

Always happy to help out with Naatik questions. I love that school.

One thing about the school is this person could email directly and ask that question and would get a very clear answer. They give a LOT of personal attention.

As for us—we were pretty unique because we were a family of four asking to do a home stay. That immediately narrowed the list to maybe two families, because most families could not take in four people. Their houses, lives, would not accommodate.

We were asked questions like “would you be willing to sleep in a hammock.” Most Mayans do. My husband was not willing to. (Though my kids did, and by the end we all kinda wished we were in hammocks. Cooler. More comfy than the beds they had.) That narrowed it down to one house.

But I guess the thing is, if we really had known ALL the details of what the home stay was going to be like we might have said, NO WAY! However, once we were in and experiencing it, it was fantastic. Isn’t that how you get stretched? Isn’t that the point of travel? So sometimes it is better to know less…

All hosting home stay families have a very personal relationship with Catherine Grey, the owner and founder of the school, so if things are not going well she steps in immediately to correct, deal.

I got matched with my home stay based on what I was interested in seeing in the community, in a form I filled out before my trip. The program is pretty intimately known with the home stay families.

The school actually matched us. I didn't know where exactly I was staying or the details until I arrived in Carrillo. This also could be because I did not ask.. I was very open to whatever experience the program was going to provide me. The family was awesome and had hosted many students already so they were very familiar with the process. A friend I made who was also studying at Na'atik had a similarly warm welcoming from his host family too. If you have any more questions please direct them my way! :)