Oaxaca studentscomments - Amigos del Sol Language School

JANUARY 2O13
Thank you so much for taking classes with us! We enjoyed sharing time with very nice people from:

Finland - UK - Australia - Germany -USA - China - Sweden - Canada

DECEMBER 2O12

Thank you so much for taking classes with us! We enjoyed sharing time with very nice people from:

England - Japan - Finland - Canada - USA - Sweden -UK - Australia - Norway
China - New Zealand

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2O12

Thank you so much for taking classes with us! We enjoyed sharing time with very nice people from:

Korea - Canada - Ireland - UK - Brazil - Australia -USA - Holland - Japan
Scotland - England

A student from Holland and her teacher

Students from USA and Australia

A tour to a mezcal factory (a 100% natural process)

A student from Ireland

Graduation ceremony

University students

Students from Holland and their teacher

Students from Germany and USA

A student and his teacher

Graduation ceremony

A student and his teacher ( Spanish Course )

A student from USA ( Spanish Course )

Graduation ceremony

Students from Korea and Brazil

Students from USA ( Spanish Course )

Graduation ceremony

Students from Australia ( Course for travelers )

A student from USA

Students from Egypt and USA

A student and his teacher in class ( Course for travelers )

Graduation ceremony

A student and his teacher

Students from Australia, USA and Ireland

Students and their teacher ( Spanish Course )

Graduation ceremony

A student from USA ( Spanish Course )

Students from South Korea ( Course for travelers )

Students from Canada and USA

Students from Belgium and USA

Students and their teacher

Graduation ceremony

Students from Rutgers

University students

Graduation ceremony

A student from USA

Rogelio, G.B. and Mari

A student from Finland

Students from Australia

Graduation ceremony

A student from Australia ( Course for travelers )

A student from USA ( Spanish Course )

A student from Denmark ( Course for travelers )

David´s graduation

Students from Canada ( Spanish Course )

Enjoying traditional food

Black pottery (process)

Alebrijes "wooden animals"

Students from Canada and USA ( Spanish Course )

Students from USA ( Course for travelers )

Students in class ( Spanish Course )

A Student from Australia ( Spanish Course )

A student from USA ( Course for travelers )

A student in class ( Course for travelers )

Students from New Zealand ( Course for travelers )

A student from Germany (Spanish Course)

Students and her teacher ( Course for travelers )

English and Spanish students having a cultural interchange practicing foreign languages

Students from USA ( Course for travelers )

Students from Australia, Sweden and USA
( Spanish Course )

Students from USA and Australia
( Course for travelers )

Students from USA (Spanish Course)

A student in class ( Course for travelers)

A tour to the Tule tree

A tour to Teotitlán del Valle

A tour to a mezcal factory (a 100% natural process)

A student from Holland (Spanish Course)

A student in class (Spanish Course)

Students "last day of classes" (Spanish Course)

Having lunch in Etla

A tour to CASA in Etla

A student in class (Spanish Course)

Students from USA (Spanish Course)

Students from Canada (Spanish Course)

A student and her teacher (Spanish Course)

A student and her teacher(Spanish Course)

Students from Russia, USA and Switzerland
( Course for travelers )

Students from Germany and Austria (Spanish Course)

Students from USA (Spanish Course)

A student from Belgium (Spanish Course)

A tour to a mezcal factory (a 100% natural process)

Students and teachers

Students from Austria and USA (Spanish Course)

Students from Italy and Korea (Spanish Course)

A tour to Teotitlán del Valle

A tour to a mezcal factory (a 100% natural process)

Students from Australia and USA (Spanish Course)

We couldn´t have asked for a better place to learn Spanish. Miriam is an excellent teacher and keeps it fun. The service to pick up from/to school is wonderful and everyone-other students, teachers, are all very friendly and good company. I am so glad we chose to study with you, thank you.

Sydney / Australia

A student from USA (Course for travelers)

Students from Canada (Spanish Course)

All excellent! I like the pick-up transportation, friendly staff, good teachers.

Edmonton / Canada

available upon request

The teachers are excellent!

Edmonton / Canada

available upon request

A student from USA (Spanish Course)

Students from Australia (Course for travelers)

Students from USA and Canada (Spanish Course)

This is an excellent school in which to learn and practice Spanish no matter what your age. I was concerned that I might be the oldest student in the school, and that was not the case. There were families, college students, and middle aged people all learning together, and it functioned very well. I highly recommend Amigos del Sol to anyone who is serious about learning or improving his or her Spanish skills.

Victoria / Canada

Amigos del Sol is a fantastic school. Rogelio was very understanding and helpful, and my teacher Miriam was excellent. My Spanish definitely improved over the two weeks that I studied at Amigos del Sol. I would not hesitate to study here again. I hope to return in the future. Thank you Amigos del Sol!

available upon request

I researched several Language schools before coming to Oaxaca and was very impressed with the information Amigos del Sol provided and my correspondence with them before coming to Oaxaca. The classes were focused and at the right level for me and I was amazed at how much my Spanish improved in just one week. Plus de opportunity to stay with a family was fabulous, we enjoyed a wonderful connection. I hope to be back for more classes at Amigos del Sol.

available upon request

This is a very pleasant, well run school in an absolutely amazing city. I have visited most of the most popular colonial cities in Mexico, big and small, and Oaxaca is the one I most want to return to. It´s Europe for a fraction of the cost. I learned a ton of Spanish in a very short time. I was very pleased, Celso was knowledgeable, very easy to understand and very patient. As someone in the tourist industry who deals with many customers who don´t speak English, I really appreciate patience, and speaking slowly and precisely.

David Littlejohn

Vancouver / Canada

Tourism accomodation

available upon request

A student from USA (Spanish Course)

Students from Australia (Course for travelers)

Students from USA and Australia (Spanish Course)

It has been a joy to study at Amigos del Sol. The teachers are wonderful, always helpful and friendly, not to mention extraordinary patient. If I could, I would stay much longer.

Melbourne/ Australia

available upon request

Jonathan from England (Spanish Course)

Students from Australia and Canada (Course for travelers)

University students from Oregon

A student from Philippines (Course for travelers)

A student from Ireland (Course for travelers)

Students from Germany and USA(Intensive courses)

Students from New Zealand (Course for travelers)

A student from Germany (Course for travelers)

Students from USA (Intensive course for travelers)

A student from USA (Course for travelers)

Students from England (Course for travelers)

A student from Japan (Course for travelers)

A student from Canada (Course for travelers)

A student from USA(Course for travelers)

A student from Australia (Intensive Spanish course)

Students from Czech Republic(Course for travelers)

Students from The Netherlands (Course for travelers)

Students from Canada (Spanish course)

Teachers and students from Germany, Japan and USA

A student doing volunteer work in Oaxaca

Celso and his student from China (Course for travelers)

Students from Norway and England (Course for travelers)

Erin from USA and her teacher Miriam

Madeleine and Natalie

Students from Australia taking the course for travelers

Volunteer and University students

Volunteers and University students

Students from China and USA

Volunteer Student (Zach)

Melissa, Chuck and Cody

A group of friends taking classes together

Christoph from Germany

Héctor and Patricia

Patricia Breneecke

Somerville, Mass/ USA

Elizabeth and Juan

It is great that, while emphasis is placed on making students feel comfortable, in a nice atmosphere with kind, supportive people, the teachers also push the students to learn as much as possible. A very successful combination!

The teachers are warm, welcoming and very patient. They made us feel at ease with our minimal ability to speak Spanish. We did not feel pressured to speak perfectly but received much encouragement to practice. The school itself is lovely, fresh and full of sunshine and laughter.

Juan / Elizabeth

Philadelphia / USA

available upon request

Harrison, Natalie, Max and Helen

Sarah, Celso and Daniel

I came to Oaxaca to learn Spanish in a fun, immersive setting. My time here felt like both school and a vacation which was just what I wanted. The school is really adaptable to your needs, there were only 2 students in my class and we really decided what we wanted to learn. For us, we focused on grammar, medical terms/situations, and practicing conversation.

San Francisco / USA

available upon request

The classes were very flexible, we chose how many hours of class we wanted to attend each day, and the instructor tailored the material to what we felt would be most useful to us. Each day we spent some time learning grammar and some time practicing conversation skills and asking questions. The instructor also gave us several lessons in medical Spanish, which we had requested. We chose to live with a family, which was excellent experience as well.

Chinese Medicine Practitioner

available upon request

Caroline and Mayra helping each other by practicing English and Spanish (intercambio)

Caroline from France/England

The school is great and quiet, for me its location was perfect only 10 minutes walk. The teachers seem good, I only had one and I was pleased with him(Celso), funny and interesting. The classrooms are numerous and I liked mine because it was on the last floor with a terrace. I recommend this school to anyone because they have small groups and do/study what you need!

France / England

available upon request

Students and Rogelio at Pochimilco organic market

David, Michael, Simon and Laura

I have been to three language schools in Mexico and I liked this one the best. The teacher was friendly and helpful and generally enjoyable to be around. He was able to explain difficult concepts in different ways. The course material was very good, we covered important topics in detail that other courses covered very briefly.

Michael Bannister

available upon request

I very much enjoyed learning with Rogelio, he is a very good teacher, and funny too. I liked how conversations oriented the classes were.I feel I walked away with a better grasp on how to actually speak Spanish, instead of just the mechanics of the language. A great way to learn Spanish that goes beyond rules and grammar, but includes how to actually speak the language as well.

available upon request

Leah, Dori, Patricia and Héctor

Amigos del Sol is an excellent choice for a language school. The small class size and thoughtful instruction helped me improve immensely.

Leah Rotkin-Ellman

San Francisco / USA

Thank you Amigos del Sol for making my experience in Oaxaca so wonderful. I felt so welcomed and comfortable from day 1 which allowed me to look forward to class each day. The instruction was rigorous but interesting and engaging. Hector made a point to push us but also keep lessons and discussion topics relevant to our lives. I would highly recommend Hector and Amigos del Sol.

available upon request

Students from:

Rutgers University

María Elena and Kathy

Rogelio, G.B. and Héctor

Miriam and Nitzan

We couldn´t have asked for a better place to learn Spanish. Miriam is an excellent teacher and keeps it fun. The service to pick up from/to school is wonderful and everyone-other students, teachers, are all very friendly and good company. I am so glad we chose to study with you, thank you.
Sarah Spackman	27 years old	Sydney / Australia	Designer	sarahspackman@gmail.com

This is an excellent school in which to learn and practice Spanish no matter what your age. I was concerned that I might be the oldest student in the school, and that was not the case. There were families, college students, and middle aged people all learning together, and it functioned very well. I highly recommend Amigos del Sol to anyone who is serious about learning or improving his or her Spanish skills.
Evelyn Hamilton	57 years old	Victoria / Canada	Retired	ehhamilton@shaw.ca

I researched several Language schools before coming to Oaxaca and was very impressed with the information Amigos del Sol provided and my correspondence with them before coming to Oaxaca. The classes were focused and at the right level for me and I was amazed at how much my Spanish improved in just one week. Plus de opportunity to stay with a family was fabulous, we enjoyed a wonderful connection. I hope to be back for more classes at Amigos del Sol.
Mary Pearson	61 years old	Seattle / USA	Retired	available upon request

“Amigos del Sol is a wonderful place to learn Spanish. My teacher, Miriam, was funny, friendly, kind, and patient. My Spanish improved dramatically in just two weeks!
Nitzan Pelman		New York	Executive Director Citizen Schools New York

Amigos del Sol was my second language school I attended in Oaxaca, and it far surpassed the others. Classes were small, the teachers and staff were all very personal and prepared, and each lesson catered to my needs. It´s too bad I was only able to attend classes for a week as I´ve learned more and gained more confidence in one week with Amigos del Sol than the previous 3 weeks at a different institution. Definitely worth the dollar.
Carli Blankenship	20 years old	Missoula / USA	Student	carliblankenship@gmail.com

All excellent! I like the pick-up transportation, friendly staff, good teachers.
Janis Wittchen	62 years old	Edmonton / Canada	Retired	available upon request

The teachers are excellent!
Douglas Oates	64 years old	Edmonton / Canada	Retired	available upon request

Amigos del Sol is a fantastic school. Rogelio was very understanding and helpful, and my teacher Miriam was excellent. My Spanish definitely improved over the two weeks that I studied at Amigos del Sol. I would not hesitate to study here again. I hope to return in the future. Thank you Amigos del Sol!
Tiffany Clarke	27 years old	Berkeley / USA	Student	available upon request

This is a very pleasant, well run school in an absolutely amazing city. I have visited most of the most popular colonial cities in Mexico, big and small, and Oaxaca is the one I most want to return to. It´s Europe for a fraction of the cost. I learned a ton of Spanish in a very short time. I was very pleased, Celso was knowledgeable, very easy to understand and very patient. As someone in the tourist industry who deals with many customers who don´t speak English, I really appreciate patience, and speaking slowly and precisely.
David Littlejohn	60 years old	Vancouver / Canada	Tourism accomodation	available upon request

It has been a joy to study at Amigos del Sol. The teachers are wonderful, always helpful and friendly, not to mention extraordinary patient. If I could, I would stay much longer.
Corey Watts	40 years old	Melbourne/ Australia	Policy analyst	available upon request

I came to Oaxaca to learn Spanish in a fun, immersive setting. My time here felt like both school and a vacation which was just what I wanted. The school is really adaptable to your needs, there were only 2 students in my class and we really decided what we wanted to learn. For us, we focused on grammar, medical terms/situations, and practicing conversation.
Sarah Tsang	30 years old	San Francisco / USA	Doctor	available upon request

The classes were very flexible, we chose how many hours of class we wanted to attend each day, and the instructor tailored the material to what we felt would be most useful to us. Each day we spent some time learning grammar and some time practicing conversation skills and asking questions. The instructor also gave us several lessons in medical Spanish, which we had requested. We chose to live with a family, which was excellent experience as well.
Daniel Eng	30 years old	Oakland / USA	Chinese Medicine Practitioner	available upon request

The school is great and quiet, for me its location was perfect only 10 minutes walk. The teachers seem good, I only had one and I was pleased with him(Celso), funny and interesting. The classrooms are numerous and I liked mine because it was on the last floor with a terrace. I recommend this school to anyone because they have small groups and do/study what you need!
Caroline Louvet	24 years old	France / England	French Assistant	available upon request

I have been to three language schools in Mexico and I liked this one the best. The teacher was friendly and helpful and generally enjoyable to be around. He was able to explain difficult concepts in different ways. The course material was very good, we covered important topics in detail that other courses covered very briefly.
Michael Bannister	52 years old	Milwaukee / USA	Programmer	available upon request

I very much enjoyed learning with Rogelio, he is a very good teacher, and funny too. I liked how conversations oriented the classes were.I feel I walked away with a better grasp on how to actually speak Spanish, instead of just the mechanics of the language. A great way to learn Spanish that goes beyond rules and grammar, but includes how to actually speak the language as well.
Simon Bannister	15 years old	Milwaukee / USA	Student	available upon request

Amigos del Sol is an excellent choice for a language school. The small class size and thoughtful instruction helped me improve immensely.
Leah Rotkin-Ellman	31 years old	San Francisco / USA	Teacher

Thank you Amigos del Sol for making my experience in Oaxaca so wonderful. I felt so welcomed and comfortable from day 1 which allowed me to look forward to class each day. The instruction was rigorous but interesting and engaging. Hector made a point to push us but also keep lessons and discussion topics relevant to our lives. I would highly recommend Hector and Amigos del Sol.
Dori Galvin	28 years old	Oakland / USA	Teacher	available upon request

The school is very easily accesable, very helpful, and great at answering questions. Good prices and great staff!
Hattie Embleton	21 years old	Brighton / England	Waitress/traveller

Good mix of conversation and grammar. Friendly teacher, very flexible to do what I asked. I liked it that the classes are not formal, and there were no exams.
Christine Churchard	60 years old	Bristol / UK	Retired	chrischurchard@googlemail.com

I was very happy with all the arrangements before starting at the school. The homestay family was excellent "our home is your home", they told me. Everybody, homestay family, Rogelio my teacher Celso arranged everything I had needed and answered all my questions. I was able to visit Monte Alban and incorporate other activities during my stay. Gracias a Rogelio, Celso y la familia por todo.
Eril Atkinson		Perth / Australia		available upon request

As a beginner I was intimidated going into the class but my teacher very much put me at ease with the learning process, and found the best method of teaching to suit my learning abilities. It was really nice to interact with the other students and teachers. The group excursion was great fun. The class prices are very reasonable.
Linda Dailey		West Palm Beach / USA	Artist	available upon request

"I am an English as a Second Language teacher in Alabama and I enthusiastically recommend Rogelio's school, Amigos del Sol. I have attended Spanish schools in Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, Spain, and now Mexico, and I can attest that this school and this city Oaxaca provide an awesome setting for improving your Spanish abilities. Rogelio is ball of positive energy, and he quickly answers emails and any questions that a person may have. From simple conversation with me, Rogelio was able to determine the appropriate level class, which was an effective mix of grammar and conversation. Upon request, he set up language exchanges for me with locals trying to learn English and paid specific attention to my preferences for a home-stay---which was in every way perfect. Also, Rogelio himself met me for a private lesson during the weekend after I made a last minute request. The small school atmosphere definitely creates a more relaxed environment for learning-- my class never had more than 3 people--and the instructors are all intelligent, world-view people who taught me much about modern Mexican culture and politics; as well as effectively targeting my grammar and language structure deficiencies. And since I'm in my forties, I was very pleased to meet and get to know a wide-range of students of diverse ages and backgrounds. The school is small and doesn't provide excursions or extra activities every day, but Rogelio is like a professional tour-guide with his suggestions and is definitely "your friend in Oaxaca" as he describes himself. Oaxaca itself is a wonderful place to learn Spanish. The climate is Spring-like, there are many beautiful parks and historic streets, the people are warm and friendly and patient with my limited Spanish abilities. Also, it's the most secure location I've visited in Latin America and it's not a big party town. The art and architecture, the food, the music, the intelligence and curiosity of the locals, and the laid-back vibe all make this a great place to improve one's language. I wish I could have stayed longer and will definitely return to this fantastic school and this fantastic place."
Oscar Glasscock		Cullman, Alabama / USA	Teacher	oscarglasscock@yahoo.com

Because I only had 4 days in Oaxaca before I would start my intership in Huatulco, Amigos del Sol was the only option, and I am more than satisfied. Rogelio and Miriam helped me so much in the little time I had. They even adjusted my classes to my upcoming job, working in a hotel. I really enjoyed it! Thank you so much.
Niels Van Der Heijden	20 years old	Utrecht / The Netherlands	Student Tourism	niels_23_8@hotmail.com

I enjoyed working with Amigos del Sol because they were warm and welcoming and their teachers have true motivation to teach. I loved working with Celso. He was outgoing and fun, and by visiting clinics and hospitals I learned a lot about the health care system in Oaxaca.
Leslie Sanchez	18 years old	Richmond / USA	Student	leslie.at15@gmail.com

Love the teachers, they are very welcome and have a great feel of what it takes for us to do our best. They are extremely friendly which allowed me to connect with them very easily to approach Spanish. School is great, the best part about it is the teachers, they are extremely nice and truly care about the students, which is hard to find these days. It truly looks like they love their jobs or else they wouldn´t be that good at it.
Paiyuam Asnaashari	23 years old	San Diego / USA	Student	soccerpie@msn.com

I had a great experience at Amigos del Sol. I studied for 2 weeks and stayed with a family. Oaxaca is a great place to learn Spanish because not a lot people speak English so you do an effective immersion especially if you live with a family. I arrived in low season and there were only a few students. Instead of throwing us all into one group class, Rogelio gave us our own teachers since we were of different levels. I am sure this would not happen at all schools. This school takes a lot of care for the well being of the students. Highly Recommend!!
Teresa Breed	47 years old	Los Angeles / USA		available upon request

This is without a doubt, the best Spanish School I have attended, and I know this only from 4 days. I have attended 5 Language Schools now, 4 of them in Central America/Mexico. Amigos del Sol is the best organized and seems to have the highest quality instruction of all I have been to. Rogelio is beyond welcoming and helpful, and my host family experience was excellent. Not one negative word here! thank you!
Anna Kramer	25 years old	Seattle / USA	Teacher	remark.anna@gmail.com

The school is very nice and very uncomplicated. I liked that you can start every day with the courses and you are free to stay as long as you want. All the teachers are really friendly and support you as much as they can.
Nathalie Oehri	26 years old	Liechtenstein

Amigos del Sol was a great way for us to start our Latin America holiday,without them, we would never have been able to order amazing Oaxacan food at a restaurant or buy a bus ticket! Great venue for classes also, a bit cooler up the hill! Thanks Rogelio and team!
David Knight	29 years old	Melbourne/Australia	Urban Planner

Amigos del Sol made life easy for us by picking up/dropping off everyday in an easy-to-find location. The teachers are lovely and truely want you to learn español. Classes are a good time-span. You can choose 3 or 4 hours. 3 hours was perfect for me as my brain needs time to process! Muchas gracias!!
Rolien Van Dorsser	26 years old	Melbourne/Australia	Interior Designer

Good atmosphere, good coffee and good teacher = good progress!
Helen Reidy		Church Stretton / UK	Teacher

It was obviously impossible for me to hope to learn Spanish in 5 days, but I think I was given enough to form the basis for further learning.
David Reidy	58 years old	UK	Engineer

Amigos Del Sol is by far the most flexible and eager to help you figure out classes that work for your schedule that I have contacted. Also, there is no initial fee which is nice not to have to jump through hoops with other schools. The staff is extremely good at placing you in a small class with the speed of learning that you are comfortable with, but also challenging enough to help you improve rapidly. The teachers are first great people, genuine and dedicated also they have lots of knowledge of the history of Oaxaca and have their fingers on the pulse of what is happening in the city, it also just so happens that they are excellent teachers that really help you learn.
Will Owen	25 years old	Philadelphia / USA	Social work / Gardener	available upon request

Both my teachers at this school were excellent, kind, enthusiastic, patient and helpful. My homestay was also excellent. The family was friendly, patient and helpful, I learned a lot from them too. Perfect match, everything was great!
Abigail Swenstein	32 years old	New York City / USA	Attorney	available upon request

I had a very friendly teacher, also very patient and encouraging. Though I only took classes for 5 days, I think I´ve learnt quite a lot. I´m very glad I chose Amigos del Sol, it was a very good experience and I would recommend the school to anybody. It is also extremely friendly.
Marianne Pirlot	47 years old	Paris / France	Bookseller	marianne_p55@hotmail.com