When I am not working on campus in Mérida, I travel to smaller towns and help collect data for the corpus. During this process of elicitation, I get to interact directly with communities, and have really interesting conversations. Since the goal of these elicitations is simply to produce an extended recording of spoken Maya, the exact process can vary from day to day. For example, last week I spoke with thread-makers in Tankuché and watched them demonstrate the entire process, from harvesting fibers from a specific plant to actually weaving thread around the spool. I also spoke with a beekeeper and learned how she cares for the bees, harvests honey, and sells honey products around the city. On a different day, I met two hat-makers, and listened to them explain how they weave hats in underground caves. I have really enjoyed this process of collecting data, as it's led me to some very unexpected places.

Beyond elicitation, my community engagement often takes the form of more casual socializing as well. My supervisor and others involved in the corpus have been incredibly welcoming, and they've invited me to join them at events, meals, and beach trips. I've gone to the fair and seen an opera sung in Maya; I've also gotten to have many un-recorded conversations and play a dozen rounds of hide-and-seek with my supervisor's nephews. Having come here alone, I wasn't really expecting to have such an active social life during my time here, so I'm very grateful that I've been able to also engage with communities in this way. 

Below are some photos of the thread-making process!