Absolutely perfect combination of learning and volunteering

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!!