Outstanding Program

I was originally drawn to Omeida based on the glowing reviews posted on TripAdvisor, Workaway and GoOverseas. Unfortunately, the first two sites have since deleted Omeida, based on general policy decisions. It's a shame, as this is a wonderful school in a lovely small city.
I was at Omeida for six weeks. I took Chinese lessons half the day and spent two hours a day providing English conversation for students from China. The Academy has a brilliant set-up. There is a Chinese School, where you will find bright and imaginative students from all over the globe. Then a block away is the English School, populated by hard-working and very friendly students, many of whom have left their home, spouse and children in different parts of China. They have come to Omeida for three months, six months, twelve months, in the hopes of learning English so they can get better jobs.
Most students at both of the schools fall in the 25-35 year old range, although there are students as young as 18 and as old as 68. Students form both schools fraternize at lunch and dinner, which is held in the canteen area of the Chinese School.
Our accommodations were very comfortable. A single room with a private bathroom and space for a desk for two. It was air-conditioned, which was a real plus during the months I was there. Potable water was available from a dispenser on the staircase. It's just a two minute walk from your room to the school.
Yangshuo is a charming small city with scenes from old China - vendors setting out produce on mats on the sidewalk, pickup trucks randomly pulling into town carrying walnuts, pomelos and other edibles, traffic lazily moving through the streets. Everywhere you look there are towering karats, shaped like upside down ice cream cones.
The school has fun Chinese cultural events on Wednesday afternoons and wonderful Saturday trips, which are a great opportunity to bond with your fellow students. The Administration is responsive and does an excellent job running the school.
After our stay at Omeida, we did your standard tour of China. It paled in comparison to our time at Omeida.