Program Reviews

I came to Omeida twice, for 4 and 3 months because I really love the place and their method to teach Chinese at Omeida. The staff is very friendly, ready to help you, the lessons are in small groups, two - four people that is really good to talk a lot, to be free to ask questions.
I have lessons in the morning at 9:25, that is perfect, not too early or too late. I have free time in the afternoon so I can go cycling or swimming by the riverside, the landscape is amazing here! It`s the best place for relaxing and meditation!
You can also choose where to eat: in the school canteen or in the restaurants and cafes outside. Both are very nice as in the canteen it's faster and you have many different dishes and also you can talk with Chinese students who learn English at the school. But when you eat outside you can choose different restaurant every time and eat with locals, and practice your Chinese!
Volonteering program is also great because you can meet more Chinese Students learning English, make more friends and also save your money! I definitely recommend it!

Chinese is not an easy language to study so it is especially important to have the right conditions for that. Omeida is located in Yangshuo near Guilin so studding here lets you enjoy the peace and quiet of a small town, surrounded by amazing green mountains.
The staff here are super professional and classes' size is very small so the lessons are very personal. I spent here 4 weeks to polish my basic Chinese and I have had a very good time here. volunteering with the Chinese students who study English had given me a chance to get to know better different people from all over china.
I would recommend coming here if you want to study Chinese properly for the summer or a long period of time (some students come here for several months).

When I decided that I was going to continue my Chinese studies, it was not difficult to decide where to go - two years ago I had already spent one month at Omeida in Yangshuo, and I knew it would be the right place to go if I wanted to be sure to improve my Chinese.

First of all I just want to say that coming here was (again) completely worth it, and I would recommend it to anyone. I am already looking for a way to come back - and I am not the only one; many people here are returning students (so reunions with old friends are included in the Omeida experience haha) and many of my fellow students are also planning to come back or to continue their studies through online classes.

The main reason for this is probably that Omeida gives you both a great education and the right environment to learn in: the teachers are excellent, the classes are small, everyone is very welcoming, there is a very positive and open-minded atmosphere at the school, Yangshuo is absolutely beautiful to live in and to enjoy the outdoors, there is a nice social life in many different ways (from eating together to bike rides to drinking tea to partying and singing karaoke), you get to practice your Chinese all day every day…

The collaboration with the English school is a nice addition to this; there are many Chinese students studying English there, and the communal dinners, conversation classes and having a roommate lead to beautiful friendships and lots of cultural/language exchange.

So far, all my teachers have been amazing; they are very professional and kind. They use as much Chinese as possible during the classes, which gives you maximum learning opportunities. Their lessons are structured but also leave room for discussing questions that come up when living in China, and for focussing on topics that are especially relevant to you personally.

The school organises weekly culture classes which often introduce food, festivals or history, and weekly weekend activities such as wild water rafting, climbing mountains, doing pottery, and going to the Longsheng rice terraces. I also want to mention that they always responded to my messages really quickly.

You have the opportunity to volunteer 1 hour per day in exchange for free accommodation at the dormitory, or 2 hours per day in exchange for accommodation and food at the canteen. This makes studying at Omeida affordable for more people, and also gives you the chance to contribute to the school.

I can’t thank all the amazing staff at Omeida enough, hope we meet again soon!

I stayed (studied and volunteered) at Omeida Academy for three weeks and it was one of the best three weeks of my life! I've met so many amazing people and there are plenty of opportunities to chat to other students, both from the Chinese school and also from the English school. You can also be signed up to have a Language Partner where you can practice what you've learned and improve very quickly. I did this and my Chinese level improved so much! Similarly, the Chinese students also want to practice their English with you, and my room mate was a Chinese student studying English, so every night we were able to chat together in Chinese and English which was a great for both of us.
The lessons were fantastic and my teacher, Twelve, was amazing. My class size was also really small and I learned so much as well as had so much fun! The text book was also provided for me, which was great! I'd never heard of the text book which was given to me but it's very clear and understandable, and I can still learn a lot from it even now after my lessons have finished. The benefit of Yangshuo is that not many locals speak English, so practicing Chinese outside of class wasn't difficult at all, and my Chinese friends helped me so much with pronunciation and grammar!
Food is also very cheap here, and there is plenty to do outside of lesson time, as Yangshuo is located very well in terms of scenic routes, hiking and other activities for travellers- Guilin is also a bus ride away (1-2 hours) but you can get there for 20-30 kuai depending on the bus driver…!
The only thing I would say is that the internet connection in the dorms is a little bit unreliable, but honestly, I found that I never needed it as I was always out exploring, having fun in West Street, taking photos or studying Chinese, it really depends on what sort of experience you want to have while you're here.
But all in all, I wish I could have stayed longer here! I'll definitely be back some time (if I can!) as Yangshuo is truly a beautiful place and the people at Omeida Academy are kind, understanding and very helpful with any issues. You really do become friends with everybody at this place and there is always something to do and somewhere to go, as well as the lessons being some of the most interesting and fun I've ever had, so I highly recommend this!
About volunteering: there were quite a lot of options I could choose from, but I chose to do Media and SEO. I went out to take lots of photos which was fantastic as I got to explore the local area as much as I wanted while doing what I loved! I got to then edit some of them to use for the school's Instagram and write blog posts about my experiences in China about many different things (from getting the train to living in Yangshuo), and I also learned many new things about Google Analytics and Trends etc. A great experience and something great to add to my CV!

I've studied at Omeida for 6 months, and I would say it has been totally worth it. Omeida provides a perfect environment to study ; peaceful atmosphere, helpful Chinese language partners and lots of chinese cultural lessons to learn from. The school is also located in one of the most beautiful places in China which provides you with opportunity to explore and angage in so many fun activities. I would highly recommend anyone who would love to learn or develop their chinese language to study here. 100% worth it!!!

The best chinese school ever!!!
After studying 2 months in another school in Beijing, I decided to go to Omeida because of their cheaper prices which allowed me to keep studying for some more weeks.
Their super kind and helpful service before arriving was not even close of the incredible experience in Omeida that was waiting for me.
Since the very first day Anya and Cassie helped me with everything I needed. They also arranged me some extra accommodation days because of my arrival in advance.
They gave me a Welcome pack which was more than useful.

The classes were more than I expected. My teacher Vivian was completely stunning, her super clear grammar explanations made chinese super easy. She also forced us to speak always in chinese, that was priceless. Sometimes she made some games to teach us in a very enjoyable way.
The book we used in class (provided by Omeida) was excellent (I asked my teachers here in Argentina to use it too because it’s super clear)
And I realized that my classmates were in the exact same level as me, so I really appreciated the super well done levelling test.

I had a small inconvenient with my accommodation, which was solved in a really few hours, and they gave me a beautiful new room without any extra charge. After that, Anya always asked me if I felt confortable there. Both accommodation were super close to the school, less than 200mts.

Every single week we had a different cultural activity, which helped students to understand more about China. We tried different food, we learnt about chinese opera, tea ceremony, etc, and all of them were for free.
On weekends we have extra activities and excursions organized by Omeida which were also amazing and super funny (I won’t talk about Yangshuo’s landscapes because everybody knows about those wordless places).

I also met some worldwide and chinese friends with I still keep talking to, practicing my chinese and my english also.

I could keep talking about Omeida for hours. I traveled in China for 5 months and those 5 weeks studying in Yangshuo were without any doubt the best time of my trip.
I just regret having studied at the Beijing school instead of spending more time in Omeida, not just for the cheaper prices, also because the entire experience.
I will always miss all of Omeida’s team and my time there. If I had the opportunity, I would go back to study there without a doubt.

Omeida is a really nice,accademy,l came back for the second time!The teachers are very friend and prepared.Yangshuo's relaxed lifestyle is perfect for learning chinese and the climbing on the little mountains around the town is amazing! I really feel like my chinese communication skills are now improving, finally . every week there are several activities to join such as dinners, trips, cultural lessons...really interesting. but what I enjoyed the most is the general positive atmosphere I feel every time I go there. hopefully I will come back again!

I had an amazing time in Omeida. I spent a month in Yangshuo and my Chinese improved a lot, especially oral Chinese. My teacher Yan is a real professional and very patient with her students. Location is also excellent because Yangshuo is well known for its natural beauty, it is a town surrounded by karst hills with breathtaking sceneries. I would highly recommend Omeida to everyone and I will definitely come back.

To go to Omeida and attend a four week intensive course, was for me the first big adventure I have done by myself in life and I really dont regret it. The staff was so nice and I found a lot new friends at school.

I was a bit worried, since I was going by myself that it would be a bit lonesome, but no I always had someone to talk to or drink coffee with. The staff was also very helpful when I had to renew my visa.

The one thing that could be a tad negative is that it was very cold and no central heating, but I went there in January so I guess I should have expected it and I would guess i'm a bit spoiled with central heating inside,

When it comes to my teachers, I must say that they were the most funny but also best teachers I ever had in students life. Only three days at Omeida, I think I learned more than I did during my chinese studies in Sweden.

Zhuge, the teacher I had the most was so funny and her big personality really made time fly by, I enjoyed every moment and she taught me so much with her mix of strict teaching but also reaching out and showing a warm and gentle side.

I only had Icy for a week, but during that time I think we got a good connection and her ways of using flashcards during classes and making me talk about my very big family, was a nice variation in teaching styles.

Wency, a teacher I had for three weeks was also very good and loved to tell funny stories, which made my listening ability improve a lot, she was also very good in explaining any uncertainties.

I never had the chance to have Phoebe as a teacher, but I did get to know her after school hours and she was really helpful when I got stuck with a problem, because I knew I could always ask her and tell her anything.

Overall, I did enjoy how these teachers taught in different ways, since it made my intensive course easier to cope with and even though I did think it was a bit much homework sometimes, I did really enjoy every second I spent during class, and doing my homework. All teachers helped me improve with my Chinese a lot.

Also special thanks to Anya and Wanda who helped me to renew my Visa and had all the information I needed to travel and explore around Yangshuo.

Twelve also deserves a short summary - he is the funny guy who arranges activities and if there is any questions, he is always available to ask. Also his singing is awesome.

I do miss everyone I got to know at Omeida and I wish I could have stayed for a longer period of time.

Would I recommend Omeida and Yangshuo to a friend? Certainly!
Will I return there? Ofcourse!

Dear All,
 
I am already home safe and sound. For the moment I am going to catch my breath and get some much needed chores at home and work done, but I can still take 5 minutes to write this email.
 
Thank you Wanda for your endless patience, and your efficiency in dealing with all the matters. Your professional replies and your patience in replying my several emails and clarifying my doubts made me choose Omeida.
 
Thank you Anya for the warm welcoming when I first arrived, and for always being willing to help.
 
Thank you Wency for your advices and followup,
 
I had the opportunity to work with two wonderful teachers and it was really enriching.
 
Zhuge is a kind of "Wonder Woman", she really can handle everything. the way she teaches keeps your brain awake all the time, she is full of energy, and imagination. She can be strict and funny, she can use mimic to explain the sentences structure. and games to guess and remember new characters. I also had the opportunity to know her a little bit more during the weekend trip and she turned out to be also brave, reponsible, and an adventure lover. Thank you Zhuge. You rock girl!
 
Jasmin is mix of sweetness and wisdom, it took her only 2 classes to find out my weak points and she worked on them till the end. she made me start thinking in chinese :) and she made me move forward in the gramma. Thank you Jasmin.
 
Twelve is definitely the cherry on top of the cake, funny, resourceful, witty and with a great Outlook. He is indeed the right person for the job.
Still remember the nice dinner and the KTV night. Well done Twelve.
 
Thank you all again,
 
I wish you all continued success in your future endeavors
 
My warm regards to everyone,

Bouchra from Spain