Arcos: High School Programs in Mexico

The trip to Oaxaca was amazing!! Students were able to learn things they never would have in a classroom. They had many unique experiences while abroad. We always felt safe in the city and were able to see so and do so much!!!! Students participated in cooking classes, shopped at many markets, went swimming, hiking, to museums AND THE FOOD!!!! Everything we has was fresh and tasted amazing!! The program directors were always so helpful from the very beginning and even after the program was over.

This program really helped me to navigate a country that spoke a different language than my native one. I got to experience not only the beautiful sights of Oaxaca like Hierve El Agua, but also experience the culture. This included things such as chocolate making, weaving, and traditional cooking. My home-stay experience broadened my horizon's as well. I thoroughly enjoyed conversing with my host mom every night over dinner in Spanish! Overall I really enjoyed this experience as it provided me with so many skills that I can use later on in life!

My son has done two trips with Arcos now and has absolutely loved it. Everything is extremely well organized. The communication is prompt and thorough. The host families are carefully vetted and always a good match for your kid. He has come home both times with endless stories from the planned activities and excursions. Both times he has been beaming for days. We were very nervous, as any parent would be, when he took his first trip abroad. Now, as long as his school is still working with Arcos, we are completely confident that he is safe, having fun, and being thoroughly enriched and immersed in local culture. I cannot say enough good things about the organization and its staff!

Man, this was the best camp i have ever done in my whole 15 years of living this was the coolesti mean the whole thing was wicked, surfing, mountain hiking, horseback riding. honesty the thing i loved most about it was there was no rigorous schedule, everything was chill and easy breezy. the guide was so amazing and kind and all the boys i went with were wildly fun. and it wasn't activities all day every day, some days we just chilled on our beachside cabins and watched movies. other times we layed on the beach and blasted reggae. whatever your needs are this trip will meet them, as long as your open o try new things! the trip was fantastic and i so recommend it to anyone. do incredibly stupid crazy things (Maybe keep that between u and me) and tag me on ur gram @Zakbattla

My son had an awesome experience over the two weeks at the surf and hike camp. Highlights of the trip was deep sea fishing, and the bioluminescence experience in Chacahua. It also helped that all the boys on the trip really bonded and got along. The program director was also a key component - the boys all really bonded with her.

I would recommend this program to someone that is active and will to try new things outside of their comfort zone.

When my son returned he was effusive in his praise for the experience.

I spent 4 weeks with arcos in the summer before my senior year of high school. The program was so much fun in a million ways, but it boils down to 3
School - I took two language classes and I honestly couldn't even choose a favorite teacher because both were so amazing. So dedicated to teaching and having a good time while learning. I wish they were my regular Spanish teachers!
Homestays - my host mom was so helpful and kind. Like a regular mom, I'd eat most meals with her and my roommates and we'd talk about our days and she was always happy to hear about my new friends or funny stories from activities.
Activities - so much fun, made me realize how little I feel like there is to do where I live! Hierve de Agua (the hike and swim!) and Tierra del Sol (dopeee sustainable farm) were definite highlights.

I came here to immerse myself in Spanish, and I definitely was immersed. My host mother was nice, I had no issues with her at all. She introduced me to her extended family, and they were so nice. I was living alone with my host mother, but I think most of the other students were living with one other student. The activities were good, like visiting tourist destinations and markets, but I enjoyed being at home and school more because I got to speak more Spanish. My host mother cooked or prepared me 3 delicious meals a day, along with chamomile tea or hibiscus water (Agua de Jamaica). The taste of hibiscus reminds me of this trip to this day.
The school was at the University of Oaxaca, and it was pretty with a nice courtyard. The classes ranged from basic Spanish to college level, but they were of higher quality than any Spanish classes I have taken in the US. The classes were helpful because I could learn grammar and pronunciation and go home and use it in the real world.
I wish this program had lasted longer, and I want to visit my host mother again some day. I still keep in contact with her, as well as other friends I made down there. :D

I think that my trip opened my eyes to the living conditions of people outside the United States. It made me very grateful for what I have at home. Additionally, I was really forced out of my comfort zone and I learned to try weird, new foods and talk to complete strangers in a foreign language. I just wish that I was able to become closer with the people on my trip. They were not very agreeable and not people I could become friends with. Had I liked the people in the program, I would have enjoyed the trip more.