Oaxaca Spanish Magic

Oaxaca Spanish Magic gave me one of the best experiences of my life.

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I have made three trips to Mexico to study Spanish and my stay with Spanish Magic was by far the best. Oaxaca is a magical place and in addition to providing really great Spanish Lessons, Flor, the owner of the school and my teacher did so much to make my stay memorable. We went on guided field trips and I stayed with a family who really did treat me as one of the family. Previous experiences have left me not expecting much other than a place to stay, but this was really special. Through Flor, I got hooked up with a person who was learning English and we traded practice. I ended up going to a fiesta with her family. It was an experience I will always remember. The school was very convenient to the sights of Oaxaca, which is a wonderful city for culture and art, ancient and modern. The city welcomes visitors without being overly touristy. There is so much to do whether you are interested in pyramids or modern art. The people of Oaxaca are proud of their culture and have a dance festival every year. I saw so much culture and art, but did not feel at all that these folks were putting on a show for the tourists. There were lots of tourists there, many from Europe and some also from within Mexico itself. There is no beach within a hundred miles so this is not at all a place where you are going to be surrounded by "ugly Americans." On the other hand, having lots of tourists around did make it easy and convenient to be a tourist. On the last night I was there, I happened to be outside a church when a wedding party came out. Amazing to see. I was also there for the festival of the taxis. (The various taxi companies decorate and parade through the streets... very cool.) I saw wonderful workshops of barro negro (black clay) pottery, carved wooden figures, tin work and fabric. I also saw a modern art museum and a gallery opening. There is art and architecture from pre-Columbian, colonial and modern periods, including a museum about the Mexican Revolution and an amazing botanical garden. The food was great. We also visited a Mescal brewery. Yum. Having Spanish Magic as a home base made all of this possible and easy. I can't recomend this place highly enough! Flor was the most wonderful, energetic and friendly teacher, and I learned more from her than I have from any other teacher I have had, before or since. I found that I was able to start having real conversations with people about something other than the weather. It was memorable and magical.