| Reviewers Male / Female |
Recommend Yes / No |
Number of Reviews | Classes & Instruction | School Facilities | Accomodation | Cost & Expense | Total Average Rating |
| 2 / 4 | 4 / 2 | 6 | 6.83 | 6.00 | 7.33 | 7.50 | 6.92 |
| Date Submitted: | June 2, 2008 |
| Language School: |  Yelapa English Spanish Institute |
| Language & Location: | Spanish :: Yelapa, Mexico |
| Classes & Instruction: | 1 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 1 out of 10 |
| Accomodation: | 5 out of 10 |
| Cost & Expense: | 5 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | No |
| Review: | Cat and termite infested Dont bother with this one folks Save your money for Spanish Classes and go to Quito, Ecuador, much cheaper and no wild ferral cats. Even Yelapa on the business cards are misspelled. It`s no wonder `Mean Jean` is the most unpopular person in Yelapa and barred from the local Yacht club, the police have a report on her too. What a dissapointment Comments [ 1 ] |
| Submitted by: | Good for observing ferral cats 31 year-old :: Male Reviewer :: New York |
| Date Submitted: | June 2, 2008 |
| Language School: | Yelapa English Spanish Institute |
| Language & Location: | Spanish :: Yelapa, Mexico |
| Classes & Instruction: | 10 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 7 out of 10 |
| Accomodation: | 7 out of 10 |
| Cost & Expense: | 10 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | Yes |
| Review: | Made Fast Progress In one week, this beginner could hold simple conversations with the friendly Yelapans, thanks to Jean, an energetic,capable teacher. Her instruction is never dull, employing numerous teaching approaches; you use the language immediately. I am an educator, and was most impressed with Jean's skills. Jean goes beyond teaching to become a guide and friend: scheduling tours, taking us to restaurants and local sights, arranging housing. YESI is a one-woman operation, run out of her home. Class time might change by mutual agreement to accomodate activites like bird watching (which is not to be missed! We were lucky enough to be there at migration time), but all agreements are honored. I thoroughly recommend YESI for the informal, flexible traveler who wants to experience local people and culture, and get off the typical tourist trail. Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | Trish 66 year-old :: Female Reviewer :: Nevada, USA |
| Date Submitted: | May 18, 2008 |
| Language School: | Yelapa English Spanish Institute |
| Language & Location: | Spanish :: Yelapa, Mexico |
| Classes & Instruction: | 9 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 9 out of 10 |
| Accomodation: | 9 out of 10 |
| Cost & Expense: | 8 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | Yes |
| Review: | A great experience in Yelapa As an experienced traveler and student I found my time in Yelapa and with Jean to be exactly what I was looking for. With Jean/Juanita's assistance I took my Spanish to the next level. She is a no-nonsense teacher and let's you know when you are doing something right or wrong - great way to learn in my opinion. I loved my accomodations with Ana Rosa and found a great friend in another student, Patricia. Furthermore, I got to know the locals a little bit which was exactly what I wanted. Studying with YESI is like moving into a small pueblo where you can really get to know the locals and learn not only Spanish but about the people who live there day to day. Jean cares very much about her fellow Yelapan's and was always finding new ways to help them. It was refreshing in many, many ways. In fact, I liked it so much I visited again in March! Jean was a lovely hostess and we had a blast! Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | 'Margarita' aka Kipp 52 year-old :: Female Reviewer :: New Mexico |
| Date Submitted: | May 4, 2008 |
| Language School: | Yelapa English Spanish Institute |
| Language & Location: | Spanish :: Yelapa, Mexico |
| Classes & Instruction: | 8 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 8 out of 10 |
| Accomodation: | 7 out of 10 |
| Cost & Expense: | 7 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | Yes |
| Review: | Learning Spanish in Yelapa I spent one week studying Spanish in Yelepa with Jean Hnytka. Her classes were interesting and at my level. In fact, she changed me to private lessons when she realized that the student who was to share with me was at a different level. Classes were held on her porch, which I found delightful as it allowed me to watch the passing signs of nature, specifically migrating birds. Jean was on time for our lessons and gave me the full time. Overall I enjoyed the classes and the village of Yelapa, which is delightful. Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | Brooke Nicotra 65 year-old :: Female Reviewer :: Crystal Beach, Texas |
| Date Submitted: | May 4, 2008 |
| Language School: | Yelapa English Spanish Institute |
| Language & Location: | Spanish :: Yelapa, Mexico |
| Classes & Instruction: | 10 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 9 out of 10 |
| Accomodation: | 9 out of 10 |
| Cost & Expense: | 9 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | Yes |
| Review: | I learned a lot ! I took a one-week intermediate Spanish class at YESI. My teacher was Jean, YESI’s owner and principal teacher. In Yelapa most people call her Juanita. First of all, I had a WONDERFUL time. Not only did I learn a lot of Spanish, I also learned a lot about the local culture and customs. Jean has the ability to teach in a way that accelerates learning. She emphasizes understanding in lieu of mindless memorization whenever it makes sense. She knows when to explain and when to teach by repetition. Jean corrected several areas that I had learned incorrectly in the past and found a way to make it pleasant. She repeated the corrected subject matter several times during the week to make sure that I remembered. Since Jean is not a native Spanish speaker she understands the specific challenges foreigners face while learning Spanish. She focuses right in on those challenges and offers excellent solutions, explanations and practice opportunities. Although I was an intermediate learner Jean also reached back to some basic concepts, such as the usage of the words ‘ser’ and ‘estar’, and we explored many different scenarios. Each time she reinforced the reason why one is used versus the other. I found out that in some cases I had been using them incorrectly. Before my arrival in Yelapa Jean had compiled a binder with materials appropriate for my level: It was an excellent assortment of stories, mystery, grammar drills, song lyrics, jokes, etc.! The optional ‘homework’ assignments all had the answers in the back, so I was free to do them at any time. However, I wound up doing most of them in Yelapa because Jean inspired me to learn. My class was conducted at several different sites. The change in location helped me memorize the material better because I was able to associate specific instructions with specific places. One session was on the patio of her palapa house with a beautiful view of the bay and the flowering trees, the next in a quaint restaurant next to a waterfall and included conversations with the restaurant’s owner, in Spanish, the next hiking along a river looking for exotic birds and describing their colorations and activities in Spanish, the next again on her patio, followed by visiting local shops and friends, immersing me into the real world listening to local people discuss a wide variety of subjects in Spanish. I did not only learn Spanish at YESI: We discussed, both in Spanish and English, Mexican culture, history and customs, life in the village of Yelapa and in Mexico in general, geography, biology and much more. I have a much greater understanding of the local culture, with a clearer understanding why people do things the way they do. Jean is very flexible. I wrote to her before arriving in Yelapa that I would not be able to attend class on Friday, so she added time to my other classes to make up for the missed hours. I definitely got my money’s worth! By the middle of the week I seemed to have fallen into the Mexican custom of being late for class. Jean was not angry and even gratiously added time to the end - thank you! Jean made arrangements for me to hike into the jungle with a local guide. Besides seing beautiful scenery I had the opportunity to practice my Spanish non-stop for several hours straight. The guide was very curteous and helped me reinforce the grammatical corrections that Jean had been studying with me earlier. He clearly enjoyed teaching Spanish. Jean placed me with a host family per my request. When I first arrived in Yelapa I had trouble understanding my hosts and they had to repeat most sentences several times. Several days later I was able to carry on conversations that lasted for hours, discussing a wide range of topics. The family treated me like a daughter and I truly felt part of their family. I can warmly recommend YESI as a language school. Come with an open mind, immerse yourself in the local culture, and you will learn Spanish and much more. Comments [ 0 ] |
| Submitted by: | Armgard 50 year-old :: Female Reviewer :: Ann Arbor, MI, USA |
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