donegalcastle

Hi!

Has anyone been to Instituto Chac-Mool in Cuernavaca recently? I read a couple of replies from 2007 but am interested in someone who has been in the last 6-9 months. Also, the Insituto requires a $100 life time registration fee which is to be made out to a person here in the USA. Does anyone know why this is so? It sounds "fishy" to me

Thanks!

LT

hopefulist

Have you checked on the 123teachme.com site for Cuenavaca? You have to take the ratings with a grain of salt but there are pages and pages of schools listed:
http://123teachme.com/search.php?relCityID=34
It's probably ok but I wouldn't attend a school if it felt "fishy" to me - too many choices out there.

I'm heading to San Cristóbal de las Casas with a small group in tow for 2 weeks of immersion study starting the last week in June - can't wait!

If you're ever interested in studying in Guatemala or Honduras, let me know - I have lots of recommendations. Have a great experience and be sure to tell us all about it!

fishee

please do update the thread with your options as I'm also interested in a Spanish language immersion program this year.

hopefulist

Here's a link to what I'm doing if either of you are interested:
http://liveandlearninmexico.blogspot.com/

Dude

The fee is not so fishy and yes I have had them have me send deposits to the U.S. Why, if they have a realative or branch in the U.S. it is the fastest way to get your money and if a check, to have it clear. Have not been to that school but I have seen it advertised for a long time. That said, Cuernavaca is low on my list for study. Have studied in Saltillo, Cuernavaca and Oaxaca. Pretty big place, and (this is just my opinon folks) not as much culture as say Oaxaca. A couple of things down town, fairly close to Taxco and Mexico City as well, but it does not have an easily acessible downtown in relation to where most langauge schools and homestays are. You will most likely have to bus to the mediocre downtown. (don't miss the brady house if you do go, but Cuernavaca would not be my choice).

Katie2Travel

Hi LT, I posted back in January of this year about Instituto Chac-Mool in Cuernavaca. I've copied it below. I think it is an excellent school and you can walk to the downtown area from the school. And they have host families really near the school too so you really don't have to take a bus places. My best friend just returned from two weeks there last week, on my recommendation and she said she was really happy with the program, she said she'd go back again. She had been to a school in Oaxaca (Institute Cultural or something) but complained it was cold and unfriendly plus she was stuck in indoor classrooms all day, it was too noisy from the high way next to the school to study outdoors. When I go to Mexico I'd prefer to sit outside and enjoy the weather and environment. Which is what you get to do at Chac-Mool. I do like Cuernavaca very much. It is lively and interesting and easy to only speak Spanish there. And since it is close to Mexico City it is less expensive for flights than to other Mexican cities, and no long bus rides (for which I usually get stuck in the back rows and feel sick on).

I made out my check for the registration to the school and mailed it to a California address. It was to the person who answered all my questions. I only had to pay the registration once, I didn't have to pay it again for my return trip. Don't mail things to Mexico, they can't take checks for one and the mail isn't reliable. Only one of the 4 cards I send from Mexico even made it to its destination. If you are unsure about payments just talk to them, maybe you can pay all when you get to the school. At the school is where I paid my tuition plus I paid the host family for my stay there, I didn't pay it at the school. And I had a driver that the school arranged to pick me up at the airport because I came in late and I didn't want to rely on the airport bus, I paid him directly too for the service.


my earlier post

I've had two visits to study Spanish at Instituto Chac-Mool in Cuernavaca, the most recent was this past summer and I'm still faithfully recommending it. The school offers plenty of field trips plus other things in the afternoon. These include individual tutoring sessions and study groups led by teachers at different locations around town.

All the Cuernavaca schools seem to charge the registration fee and some don't have it as a one time fee. I found it best to find one that has the life-time fee because I, among others I've met at Chac-Mool, are faithful "returnees".

The quality of the teachers is remarkable at Instituto Chac-Mool plus they really do offer an easier way to pick up the language. The school calls it language acquisition which they say is more about absorbing what the instructors are offering you. I picked up more ability to speak Spanish than I ever did in my college classes.

Tourism has been off in Mexico so you'll probably see the smallest class sizes, at least for awhile. I've heard tourism is starting to pick up again, I guess people are realizing staying home is just no fun.

hopefulist

Interesting - thanks!