I spent about a month in Mexico, and had the opportunity to spend a couple of weeks at La Casa Chata. My experience there was very enriching overall. The facilities are very nice.
Some things I really loved about the Instituto Cultural Oaxaca:
Nice facilities, mostly pleasant staff, a nice place to order food, coffee, tea onsite, excellent curriculum, testing instrument (pre-test) and course materials, good food, nice selection of cultural activities/classes, great location, beautiful grounds, wifi, reasonable cost. The school has a lot of international staff, and I met a really wonderful young man there from Japan, whom I believe was a recruiter, who was really helpful in making me feel welcome, and offering me some tips. The Salsa dance instructor (Cuban) was the best. He was funny, witty, and excellent at teaching Salsa. He made the experience fun and unforgettable. The ladies in the kitchen/restaurant were very sweet and helful.
Some things I did not care for about the Instituto Cultural Oaxaca:
I started out in the highest B-level class, which is the class I tested into. Although the teacher for that class was good at teaching, her attitude was unpleasant at times. She came off as annoyed sometimes when I had trouble understanding some things she said, and asked her to repeat, and even seemed rather snotty when I simply attempted conversation with her. I switched classes, and the teacher in the other class (B1, I think) was extremely pleasant at all times. I got really sick one day, but cannot say for certain whether it was the food I ate there or at the home where I was staying. The excursions are quite expensive, in fact, too expensive if you ask me. I really wanted to visit Chiapas while there, but the trip was cost prohibitive from the school.
In a nutshell:
I would return, and I do recommend this school. I met some wonderful classmates, and some interesting people there. Oaxaca is a marvelous city, and a great place to visit. The weather is basically perfect year-round. There are excellent restaurants, easy public transportation (bus or taxi), and there is lots to see and do. As an aside for those wanting to take older children, one young lady whom I traveled with attended the school as well, and she was 12 years of age and a native Spanish speaker.Other than her, there weren't other children of whom I was aware. read more