Language Programs in Oaxaca, Mexico

My 17 year old spent 3 weeks in Oaxaca with Arcos Journeys. Overall, he enjoyed the experience and would do it again, but it was different than advertised. He stayed in a house with an older woman and 7 other American students. This was less of a homestay and more of a nice hostel. The 4 boys ate together and the 4 girls ate together (they did not interact, as they were in 2 different programs), with no other Spanish speakers at the table. The boys spent a lot of time together and became good friends. The morning Spanish class was good, but there was no afternoon class (the session was supposed to have an afternoon class as well as a morning one). The kids repeated several cultural activities once the next group arrived, meaning they did printmaking twice, hot cocoa tasting twice, etc. my son was well cared for and safe. I had thought he would have more of an authentic time with a Mexican family, but he enjoyed spending time with the other Ameticans.

Arcos Journeys Abroad responded to this reviewAugust 23, 2024

Thank you so much for sharing comments about your son’s experience. I will address the comments shared below. Spanish Classes: Spanish classes are always weekdays in the mornings so that we have afternoons after lunch for the cultural activities. Having classes both mornings and afternoons would be too overwhelming for students.We do not advertise or offer morning and afternoon Spanish classes. That is not the program design for any of our Spanish Immersion programs. We are unsure what would have led to that misunderstanding but appreciate you mentioning it so we can make that as clear as possible for others. Cultural Activities: For the Summer I Oaxaca program we offer the option to arrive early for 3 weeks or arrive one week later for 2 weeks. The activities that were repeated, so to speak, were that each group got a city tour after they arrived which included trying a traditional drink. This summer we decided to repeat the printmaking workshop for the 3 week students (when the 2 week students arrived) as we have found it to be an activity that students enjoy and find interactive. However, this is good feedback and next summer we could do a pottery or ceramics workshop for the 3 week students their first week so they are not going to printmaking twice. Homestay: That is great that the boys became good friends! We love hearing about those connections that happen on the program. Your son was staying with Cristina, who lives in a very beautiful and big home by herself and the maid. She recently built two bungalows in her garden to host students during the peak summer season, when she can host students from other programs that sometimes overlap for a few days with the Arcos program. This particular host mom really enjoys having students, taking them for hikes, walks, to the gym, etc. extra activities, like concerts, movies, etc. she is very active and energetic! We like to place high school students there because of the safety of the area and because of the amount of time she likes to share with them instead of just preparing the meals.

As a 4th year medical student, I completed a month-long away rotation in Oaxaca, Mexico through CFHI, which allowed me to receive medical school credits. I was incredibly fortunate to have received the Susan Hersey Memorial Scholarship that covered my expenses for this experience and without which I would have never been able to go. I was motivated to complete this rotation to enhance my Spanish language and cultural competency in order to best serve my patient population at home. This experience exposed me to the ways that medicine is practiced in Mexico with a focus on healthcare disparities. We were able to shadow physicians in many specialties in government-run clinics and have the unique opportunity to participate in after-school childcare at Casa Emilie. With the kids, I was able to practice my Spanish language while we painted, played Legos, and worked on homework. My program was specifically tailored to intensive Spanish language immersion, and I attended 3 hours of class each day at the Becari Language School after taking an entrance exam that assigned me to a teacher based on my level of fluency. I have never had such wonderful language teachers who explained cultural and grammatical concepts in a truly approachable way. Furthermore, I was fully immersed in the Spanish language by living with a host family that only spoke Spanish. My host mother was so kind, and thoughtful, and cooked the most amazing meals for us. I felt truly cared for and looked after. Moreover, I learned more Spanish in the last month than I have in a whole year of traditional classes in the US. In conclusion, I gained valuable insights for my future in emergency medicine, both on a global and local scale, within a captivating, historically rich city that offered a plethora of experiences and opportunities.