Student Testimonials

Anthony Lim,  Lawyer, USA
"I have taken classes from three schools since coming to Quito, and Amazonas was far and away the best of the three schools. With the first two schools I attended, I was not satisfied with the professionalism of the teachers, the quality of the teaching, nor the school environment. In contrast, in the two weeks that I have been at Amazonas, I have been completely 110% satisfied. At Amazonas, I have had the same teacher both weeks, and she is amazing -- she begins class on time, she corrects all my mistakes, she has lots of energy, and she has a natural talent for teaching. From what I can tell, her excellence as a teacher is not an exception, but rather the norm of the school. The school has audio-visual equipment, a well-stocked library, and is overall a great and welcoming environment in which to study. I especially appreciate the fact that within the school only Spanish is spoken -- in contrast, at the first school I went to, the students always spoke English. The administration is very friendly and accomodating. Gustavo, the Director of the school, is very approachable and went out of his way to make sure that I had a good experience at the school. If your goal is to learn Spanish well, I strongly and unequivocally recommend Amazonas Spanish School".


Arne Hannibal, Student, Denmark
"I studied at Amazonas Spanish School for 4 weeks. When I started my classes at Amazonas I was absolutely beginner and after the completion of my program (Dynamic Program) I highly recommend Amazonas due to they are very professional, helpful and friendly. Now I can fluently communicate with people and am able to enjoy the rest of my trip in South America! My homestay was great and the weekly trips offered for free by the school were fantastic. I could meet a lot of nice people there! I also enjoyed the Hilton Health Club facilities and Spa for 2 weeks (gym, swimming pool, sauna, jaccuzzi) as a part of my program for free! It was an excellent experience at all! Amazonas has the best reputation in Ecuador".  

Larry Hanley, Science teacher at Sandia Prep School, Albuquerque New Mexico, USA.

"In June of 2006, I had the opportunity to take a group of high school students to Ecuador for a six-week stay, the first three weeks we worked with a local Travel Agency in USA, known for its educational tours for students and teachers. In those weeks we hiked in the Andean Mountains, toured the Ecuadorian Amazon Jungle and boated around the Galapagos Islands for another eight days. Everyone on the trip said it was an unbelievable trip, one they would never forget. For the last three weeks we had contacted the Amazonas Education and Travel Organization to assist us in our quest to study and use the Spanish Language. Little did we know at the time that this final three weeks would turn out to be one of the most incredible times for everyone. In fact, most of the ten students readily acknowledged that it was one of the most life-changing experiences they ever had, which I directly attribute to the general manager, the director and teachers of the school. Within a short period of time, Mr. Gustavo Guzman became known as the "Godfather" of our group, making sure we were safe and taking care of situations that arose while we were there, (i.e. such as making sure our medical needs were taken care of when sickness arose). The whole staff took care of us as though we were part of their family, something that is very important when students are away from their own family. The host families that have established a relationship with the school also took good care of all of us and did their best to ensure our comfort and safety while staying with them.  The program for which we registered consisted of four hours of Spanish instruction, followed by tours to areas of interest every afternoon. Mr. Guzman also arranged for special adventures on the weekends, including a three-day trip to the beach, hikes to waterfalls, volcanoes, cities of interest and a four-day hiking trip in the Andean mountains. We will be returning in 2008".

 

Julie Lorimer, England

"I am happy to give you my comments about my time with Amazonas Spanish
School. I have always wanted to visit the country and knew that the way that Spanish was spoken here would be an advantage to someone learning the language.  People here speak quite clearly and fairly slowly, so it is easier to understand.  They have also been very friendly. I spent two and a half weeks studying with the school in Quito for 5 hours a day and living with a family, which was aranged by the school. I then had a further week with the school in the jungle near to Coca, where we combined 4 hours a day of Spanish study with exploring the jungle near to the lodge.  We also had homework to complete.  It was the jungle option that attracted me, although I had also researched the reputation of the school before arriving in Ecuador  As I am a solo traveller, I felt that this would be a good way to be able to experience the selva.  The teacher who accompanied me to the lodge was very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna that we encountered and this helped to make the trip very enjoyable, not to mention the games organised with other teachers and students at the lodge! I had individual tuition throughout and the school changed teachers each week, giving you exposure to a cross-section of people.  The school asked me what my aims were in learning Spanish, checked my existing level of comprehension and then tailored the course to help me meet my aims.  There was a questionnaire to be filled in by me each week to comment on my experience of the course and teacher.  I found all the teachers to be very friendly and professional.  Apart from formal Spanish study we also discussed aspects of Ecuadorian society, politics and social and environmental issues, which helped my understanding of the country and made learning new vocabulary very interesting.  During the break periods students have the opportunity to talk with other teachers and students, and there were also visits arranged to local markets, the old town and to a children's foundation.   The school also offered salsa classes - but I am already a salsa addict so I did not really use this option.  At all times the teachers took great care of the students and this helped us to gain confidence in using the public buses and to visit other places. I have every intention of returning to Ecuador and will certainly be happy to expand my Spanish language education with the school.  People have commented to me that the vocabulary I use in conversation is much wider than expected of someone with my level of study, a compliment to the school and the way that the teachers reacted to my constant questions and diversions.  I believe that they have given me a very good base and confidence on which to build my knowledge".

 

Astley Milne, New Zealand

"From the friendly professional attitude of Gustavo y Jenny to the relaxed welcoming atmosphere provided by the teachers, 'Amazonas' gives a real insight to Ecuadorian life and customs as well as providing an excellent level of learning.Students are encouraged to excel in all aspects of the spanish language and their learning is supported and enhanced by a well designed balance between class time and excursions in and around Quito. Amazonas also offers students the chance to study in the Amazon Jungle and experience this unique habitat, accompanied by teachers to provide the full immersion experience. I happily recommend Amazonas to anybody, beginner to expert, who wants to expand their spanish and be part of an incredible family environment"

Morten Hofstad, Economy student, Norway
"My name is Morten Hofstad, and I'm a 24 years old economy student from
Norway. I first came to Ecuador last year, and wanted to pick up some Spanish at the beginning of my travels in South America. I chose Amazonas Education and
Travel because it was recommended in Lonely Planet, and so far I've had no
reasons to regret my decision. I've done 10 weeks of Spanish lessons at Amazonas: 2 weeks last year, and 8 weeks this year, and I'm finishing of the program with a final exam to obtain an official diploma issued by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Education. Generally speaking, the level of tuition is very high: The teachers are very
experienced and explain the grammar in an easy understandable manner. Considering the form of tuition (one to one), it is also important that the teachers are able to discuss topics which interest the student. Fortunately, the teachers at Amazonas do possess this ability, and I haven't been really bored in any of my 250 hours of classes in the school!

Most students do 4-7 hours of studies each day. In addition, the school offers different activities almost every evening during the week. The students can choose between videos, visits to nearby museums and other places of interest, salsa lessons and soccer games, all offered free of charge. Although I haven't picked up too much salsa so far, I've certainly enjoyed the soccer games and the excursions to various nearby tourist attractions.

The school also have a jungle branch, where the students can go to study Spanish in a new environment. Unfortunately I haven't had the time to go there myself, but the other students who've gone there, have returned very satisfied with their stay. It seems to be an excellent opportunity for students who haven't yet experienced the jungle, and would like to see the beautiful nature while perfecting their Spanish.
All in all, I thoroughly recommend Amazonas Education and Travel to other potential Spanish-students. I have no doubts that this school is among the very best Spanish academies in Quito, and one of very few schools with a convenient in-house travel agency as well".