International House Riviera Maya

At my "graduation," I gave the following thank you speech to my fellow cassmates and wonderful maestra and trabajadores de International House: In the U.S. I direct an organization, Catholic CHarities of the Diocese of Owensboro, that helps the people living on the margins of society to repair their lives.We are there to accompany people when that have no home, rebuild their home after a tornado, give them counseling when they suffer from mental illness and help immigrants to journey through our broken immigration system. I have represented people in immigration cases from 79 different countries and, for the most part, I speak to them about difficult topics generally through an interpreter in my office or over-the-phone. I will continue to use certified interpreters, but now I will be able to make them more comfortable using the Spanish I have now. In 2 weeks, I have better knowledge of Spanish than 4 year of school and 13 years with a parent whose primary language was Spanish! I am grateful for Acacia Network's grant that paid for my studies here.I will recommend the program to other members of my office and with the network of people who work with unaccompanied minor immigrants. I hope we get the grant next year so I can come back and learn more.

I had an amazing week at International House Riviera Maya. I was there during Hurricane Beryl and the staff at the residence took extremely good care of the students. The residence is comfortable with everything you need. I enjoyed all my classes with Santa Maria and improved my intermediate Spanish. The social activities throughout the weeks are fun and educational as well. I hope to return again!

My experience atI H was good. The location was great, close to the school and the beach. I had 2 teachers: both were good, but one(Viri) didn’t have good interpersonal skills( I even asked her why she didn’t like me). As for housing, it was very clean, but the kitchen needs a little upgrading ( especially the sink

The teachers were very professional and experts in teaching while making the whole experience not only educational but fun as well. I enjoyed the extra classes taught by Santa Maria as well. I did almost all the extra experiences like the museums, cooking and dance classes.
The location was perfect right next to La Quinta. I also loved the Loria family where I stayed. It was in easy walking distance too.
The only negative experience I had was not having my transport show up. After about an hour with some help from the other drivers, I was able to contact someone who got a driver to show up. Isabel made sure my ride back to the airport was confirmed and that was a pleasant experience.

The group size of the class was great with only a few participants. Our teacher was super nice and competent. We also had breaks with the other teachers; it seemed like a big family to us. The school itself has great facilities, with a great courtyard. Very idyllic! During breaks you could eat and drink cheaply in Frankie's cafeteria. delicious!. In addition to the lessons, great things were offered, mostly free of charge: Mexican cooking, dance classes, a city tour, a cocktail evening and a visit to a museum. On top of that, we were able to live very cheaply in the school's apartment.
It is particularly worth mentioning that the school is pet-friendly: we had our dog Minthi with us and she was not only tolerated, but loved by everyone! Thanks for that!

I cannot say enough good things about my 4 weeks at International House Playa del Carmen. The residence staff were so kind and caring, and the accommodations were a cute dorm-style room. The shower was large and had good water pressure. The bed was comfortable, and sheets and towels were changed weekly. I had breakfast included with my stay, and it was always fabulous. I pretty much stuck to fresh fruit because it was so darn good, but there were other options, as well as plentiful coffee. I found the location of the residence very convenient to the school as well as tons of dining options, stores, and services like lavanderias.

I adored my teacher, Cynthia. She was incredibly creative, patient, and kind with her "kindergarten" class. I also liked the textbook we used as it integrated language and culture in a very natural way. I was also a huge fan of the school facility. I loved the small studios, but my favorite area was the courtyard and "Frankie's Cafeteria". Although I interacted most with Cynthia, I was able to talk to all of the other teachers and I am sure that I would have had a wonderful experience regardless of whose class I was in because they were all focused on student learning.

I really appreciated the activities offered by the school. I participated in the city tour, Frida Kahlo museum, chocolate museum, cooking classes, and cocktail nights. I thoroughly enjoyed all of them but most especially the cooking classes. Since I have been home, I have made 2 of the dishes I learned!

Another benefit to this location is the proximity to cultural areas like Tulum, Coba, and Chichen Itza. There are also numerous gorgeous cenotes to visit, and Cozumel is just a ferry ride away. I was also impressed by how true the name "International House" was. There were students from Switzerland, Belgium, Chezch Republic, France, Kuwait, Israel, Canada, Japan, United States, and Italy (I hope I didn't miss any!). This cultural diversity was a wonderful learning environment, and I met so many awesome people. I don't have anything negative to share about my experience, and I think the most telling evidence of my learning is that I am now sleep-talking in Spanish!

I enjoyed the entire staff at the school and residence. Everyone was friendly and accommodating

The residence:
1: The breakfast was good, the dinner was not, many times only a sandwich. I canceled dinner after two weeks and ate out.
2: The location is very convenient to the beaches , stores and the school.
3: The actual kitchen area could use some updating as it was hard for staff to keep it looking clean.
4: Rooms were fine, except mattresses were old and worn.

The school:
1: Teachers were good and they made changes in levels when needed quickly.
2: Location was great.
3: Timeliness was a constant issue. We rarely started on time in the morning or after the morning break. Sometimes up to 15 minutes.

Since the afternoon lesson is short beginning late takes away needed time to learn. I understand punctuality isn’t a big thing in Mexico but if teachers don’t set the example then no one does.

I took 3 weeks of lessons, intermediate level. I liked the organization, my 2 teachers, Santa Maria and Natalia. The exercises help in learning the content. It was demanding at times, but it was worth it.

The school also organizes free activities during the week: dance lessons, cooking classes, Friday cocktails... you can meet other students from the school who are taking classes at different levels. The average age is quite young, around 25, but others are older too. The majority are Europeans. Nice to chat together.

I chose to live at the school residence, which is 2 streets from the school. Convenient! I am happy with my choice. The residence is well kept, clean, the rooms are very good. The common kitchen is well equipped and easy to cook your supper. The staff is attentive, in particular, Francisco, very friendly.

Suggestions for improvement: the class break is at 11.30am, which is a bit late, considering that the classes end at 1.30pm. Many think the same. Because we are a little tired. Another improvement for the residence: having a table or reading lamp to be able to study in the evening. Impossible, because too dark. In addition, the chair in the bedroom is not suitable for the desk. Very uncomfortable, you can't stay there for long to study.

The teachers were all very friendly and helpful. Natalia was my teacher and I definitely learned a lot during my month course. The conversational style really improved my listening and speaking abilities which was my goal.

Good all around. Good location off tenth ave on 12th st. Across from church.