Volunteer + Learn Chinese in China!

Hello everyone! One week now that I came back home! The trip to China was wonderful!
I study Chinese at the Official Language School in Valencia (Spain) and wanted to visit China for my first time. My colleagues will travel to Omeida next September, I couldn't do it in September, so I decided to go by myself now in July. Great idea!

Omeida English and Chinese schools are very well organised. Besides the classes, having a language partner (50/50 English/ Chinese) was great! Mine even took me to make some tourism around and helped me shopping too! Volunteering to speak English with Chinese people studying English was fun too!! (Doing that Omeida provides hosting!)

My main purpose was to learn practical chinese and improve general fluency. I only stayed two weeks, but I could see how it improved. Not only because of the classes, but also thanks to the language partner and speaking at local shops and restaurants!
Yangshuo, with its spectacular lanscape, is the perfect small-medium size location for that! Omeida also favor meeting people from all the world, with the nice common lounge and their cultural activities. Omeida staff are all very nice people, always trying to help you.

Overall a fantastic trip! 👍

This program was amazing! On the learning side, I made huge progress in Mandarin over my 2 month stay. My teacher was excellent, the staff was great and very supportive, and my fellow classmates were so much fun to be with! Omeida has a great formula here: with the two schools (Chinese learning and English learning) right next to each other, it creates an incredible atmosphere of interaction and as a result we make great strides in learning not only the language, but also the culture! Part of the program includes paring students up as "language partners". This enabled us to continue learning outside the classroom (while hiking in the evening, having dinner together, hanging out in the evening listening to live music, etc!) and also created lifelong friendships! The volunteering opportunity at Omeida was perfect, allowing me to help the Chinese students improve their English conversational speaking and listening abilities in a relaxed and fun manner. And I also learned a lot in the process! Yangshuo is a great place and perfect setting to enjoy and learn Mandarin 24/7. Perhaps one of the best indicators of how great Omeida is: the number of people who keep returning year after year! That speaks for itself! And after my first time at Omeida this past Spring, I fully intend to be yet another of those returning students and volunteer next year, and the years after! Thank you Omeida for this wonderful opportunity!!

I volunteered for 9 months at the marketing department helping with social media channels and communication tasks while taking mandarin classes. The team is helpful, welcoming and open to listen to new ideas. I had a flexible schedule and the job was clear and easy to do.

The accommodation provided was clean and convenient, with a private bathroom and common laundry area. As a shared room with a Chinese student, I had many opportunities to interact and learn about language and culture. The school organizes weekly cultural and outdoor activities that make this a real immersive and fun experience. They also have a comfy student lounge where you can meet people, play mahjong, or just chill with a coffee.

The location is great, in a small town among beautiful fairy-tale-like mountains. It's easy to rent an electric scooter or bicycle and explore the river and countryside nearby. It is also very safe at all times.

What can I say about my experience at Omeida?
Well, I'll have to use the same word that many others have already used: 'amazing'!
I've stayed for 4 weeks and left with the idea of coming back. If I could, I'd have definitely extended my stay.
When I was planning my trip, the first thing that caught my attention about Omeida was the promptness and proactivity of the staff. One small talk to Rachel was enough for me to decide to go to Yangshuo (Rachel, you rock!).
Once there, I felt welcomed and part of the 'family'.
My Chinese classes were in the morning and they were great. Well prepared, dynamic and motivating. Thanks Vivian!
The volunteering was in the late afternoon and, for me, it was the best part of this experience. In addiction to the feeling of being useful, I was able to meet different people, make friends and better understand Chinese culture.
Omeida also provides many activities and events which besides helping a lot during the learning process, are they excellent opportunities to create memorable moments.
So, for those who want to try this experience but are hesitating, I will say: 'go for it!' . It will exceed your expectations. Just like it happened to me.

Amazing experience! From the warm welcome from the staff, always there to help you, the amazing teachers with their charisma and heart devotion for teaching, the breathtaking scenery located in Yangshuo (Please, rent a bicycle or a scooter and explore this place and enjoy its beauty), and the cultural exchange, not only with chinese culture, but from people all around the world coming to learn. Also, the way english language students and chinese language students (students from abroad) come together to help out each other in their learning process is such an amazing thing to watch!
I got there with basic Chinese and now I can take part in small conversations, I can see how my listening and speaking skills increased really quick! Thanks to the teachers, language partners and friends! I had an amazing time!
Words are little to express my gratitude to the amazing Omeida team and the people I got to meet and made friends with, just beautiful moments were lived and I am so happy with the time I spent there, everything alongside my chinese learning. I highly recommend: this is the perfect place to learn chinese, making friends abroad and live the best experience! You will not regret coming to this place!

Overall, it was a great experience. Yangshuo has a pleasant environment and atmosphere for foreigners to come and study for a while, especially for those who like nature. The staff was also very welcoming, and the small class system, allowed us as a student to engage more in the class and have lots of opportunities to ask questions. They also have many activities every weekend and a Chinese culture class every once a week, which was enjoyable. Overall, the eight weeks I had during this summer holiday were memorable and useful for me.

Great times in yangshuo, when in omeida, time flew, and the 6weeks i had went by in a flash. I think yangshuo is a great place for learning chinese, chinese culture, and about oneself.
The support i received since the beginning was great, and it really made me feel safe.
The learning is effective because you learn in class, and practice in the street or talking with chinese students, which makes it stay in your brain.
The activities were all fun, and the other events, such as the language partner or volunteering, made me always busy, which I appreciate.
My experience is very good.

Omeida is one of the few full immersion programs in Mainland China that intertwines those wanting to learn English and students wanting to learn Mandarin. My classes were private one on one from 9:25am to 4:35pm with breaks during the class time and a good lunch break where we could eat delicious local food provided by the program. After class, other Mandarin students and myself would mix with the English learners where we'd practice our skills in real settings, cementing what we learned in class.