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| Subject: Re: ** Oaxaca, Mexico and Cuenca, Ecuador this summer?
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Posted on: Fri, 26 May 2006 08:25:20 EDT
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Hello Richard,
> I was in Oaxaca last September to do exactly what you describe and
> there were (obviously) plenty of tourists in and around the school,
> and it was very easy to hang out with them and speak English but
> it's also quite possible to break away from that scene and speak
> Spanish with the locals, who, in my experience, seem quite willing
> to have a chat with anyone who wants to talk with them
That sounds great.
> Oaxaca is a great base for plenty of day (and half-day) trips to
> places like Yagul, Monte Alban, etc. It's also close enough to the
> beach that you could probably make a weekend trip out of it.
I have never been to Mexico before so this is great news as I plan to
explore .. while the main reason is to learn more Spanish, a close
second goal is to learn about Mexico and meet new interesting people.
In terms of demographics, how would you describe the students
attending the schools. It would be nice to know that there is a good
age mix (in addition to national/cultural origins).
> I've done two homestays: one last September in Oaxaca and the other
> a few years ago in Guanajuato. Both were positive experiences. If
> you don't speak Spanish well enough to communicate the details of
> your arrival by phone, make sure that the school does it for you so
> that your hosts know when to expect you.
Yes, I plan to arrange this through the school.
Are you familiar with posadas? What exactly are they, and how much are
costs/logistics etc? I am not familiar with this at all from my
experience in Costa Rica. Everyone I knew there did homestay, though
one week we were at the beach campus some took motel rooms (me
included), others continued with homestay. To be honest, I really
enjoyed having a space just for me, so I'm thinking 3 weeks homestay,
one week in a posada??
> I studied at a school called Solexico. I picked it because it wasn't
> too big, the prices looked good, they offered the flexibility I
> wanted in my class schedule and they had extra activities like movie
> nights, cooking classes, salsa classes, weekly school parties,
> intercambios, etc.
Solexico sounds good .. ICO seems to offer a lot of those extra
activities too.
> Wherever you choose to study, if you're not sure how many hours you want to
> spend in class each day, I'd suggest that you sign up for fewer than you
> think you will want/need. Schools are more accommodating to students looking
> to buy extra classes than they are to those wanting refunds and lighter
> courseloads.
Excellent advice, thanks, I will keep this in mind.
> Not to mention that some instructors are willing to give private
> lessons outside the school at rates lower than those you'd pay if
> you went through the school, and there's no way of finding that out
> until you enroll and start your classes.
I am considering this as a possibility if I find that there are some
weak points I need to have specific help with.
I look forward to the experience!
Esmail
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