Ollin tlahtoalli – (Oaxaca de Juárez)

(5/5) Es un lugar tranquilo. El ambiente es muy bueno, el café también es bueno y los precios son bastante aceptables.

(5/5) Wonderful school with excellent teachers. I took semi-private classes with Leticia and learned so much about the language but also the history and culture of Oaxaca. Highly recommend taking classes here and supporting the school’s work. ¡Voy a regresar en el futuro!

(5/5) I had such a great experience at Ollin school that I am coming back for a second time! I was so lucky to have such a great instructor, she adjusted the class to my interests and to my level of Spanish. I have an advanced level but after many years without studying, I really needed a grammar review, so I ended up with a class that covered some specific grammar topics but a lot of really interesting history and culture as well. Every day after I would visit certain museums or historic sites and tell my instructor about what I had done, she would incorporate what I was seeing in the city into my lesson.My partner Felix is coming with me to take lessons this time and we are very much looking forward to our classes. The staff are also so kind and great to interact with. One of the best parts of staying in Oaxaca was being with my host, Ruth, in her home. She took such great care of me, helping me organize things like taxis, and we really enjoyed chatting, it was another great opportunity to learn just through conversation. But she really went above and beyond, even accompanying me to the doctor and pharmacy to get medicine when I got sick during my first week, she made me a chicken soup so that I would get better.Ollin has a great social mission and vision with a commitment to the community, and in my lessons I definitely felt the emphasis on cross-cultural respect. I highly recommend this school to anyone who has a sincere desire to learn and to make genuine connections to the community here in Oaxaca. The people and experiences are unforgettable.

(5/5) I first attended class at Ollin in 2011. They were incredibly accommodating in helping me get some introductory Spanish before I attended a Food and Agriculture field trip around Oaxaca. The experience with Omar and the instructors was so good that I returned for a couple years, then organized a university summer class in Oaxaca through Ollin. The homestays have been extraordinary; my students often feel like they've made new family. The instructors are excellent at every level--we have absolute beginners through native Spanish speakers in our university course and all find that the classes are challenging and engaging. One of the things I think is most important about Ollin is the sense of purpose that the school demonstrates across everything it does. This is not just a language school but also a cross-cultural community development center--small but mighty. From teaching Spanish to Norteamericanos, and Zapotec to kids in local villages so the language isn't lost--and engaging the elder generation in sharing the language, to building relationships with individuals and communities in deep and meaningful ways, Ollin is a special place. It is simple in layout and presentation, small but comfortable and appropriate to the learning task, has a dynamic community feel with a small coffee shop and tables to meet and talk, and a terrific staff. You can tell that the instructors and staff are all amazing folks in their own right, and the place feels a bit like a family. My students are often in tears when they leave the instructors and their homestay families. I know there are good language schools in many places, but few bring the social and community values to the process like Ollin. Highly recommended.