I had a great time with CLI in Guilin

I chose CLI because they were super flexible on the timing and nature of the instruction, and because Guilin seemed fun. It is a diverse place with language learners of all ages and from lots of different countries.

The teachers were wonderful, quickly diagnosing my level and goals and tailoring the lessons to match them appropriately. More importantly, they customized things to suit my interests. For example, I am interested in history and had some plans to visit archaeological sites, so some lessons centered around those things. It was interesting and made my onward exploration easier! The teachers definitely get five stars.

I stayed in the CLI building, which was comfortable and clean. There are always a lot of "opt-in" activities around town or in the building. It is nice because you can participate or relax, whichever you prefer. Their lunches are great and social, and almost everyone is trying to stick with Chinese.

The interns at CLI are true heros. These are mostly aspiring teachers getting some practical experience. From my first greeting to my final goodbye, they were super friendly and always happy to help. For example, they helped me figure out how to use Wechat to make museum reservations.