Volunteer Cuenca Package

All was fine. Facilities were fine. Marie the coordinator was always helpful.

We had 5 teachers. Four were very good. One was unacceptable. Marie listened to me and the bad one was replaced.

The activités varied. Delphine we both had one teacher that took us for a walk of the city for a half day.

Our spanish improved in two week.

At Yanapuma, I especially enjoyed the Spanish conversations with the teachers and other students during the first half of class. The second half, devoted to grammar, was less enjoyable but necessary. Having conversations about various topics and personal experiences was an interesting and novel way to expand my vocabulary. I found this to be a more natural approach than learning a list of vocabulary words.

During my 4 weeks at the school, I had 3 different teachers. All 3 were excellent and very attuned to adapting the classes to our language abilities. Having a variety of teachers provided an opportunity to learn from different native speakers.

Yanapuma is located in a colonial building in the center of the historic section of Cuenca. You find yourself surrounded by colonical architecture, restaurants, stores and nearby parks.

My volunteer experience, arranged by Yanapuma, included teaching English in a nearby Andean community. A small class of 4-8 teenagers wanting to learn English was an exciting challenge. During those 4 weeks, it was a time when we all learned from each another.

I hope to schedule more classes at Yanapuma in the future.

I was looking for a Spanish school to learn spanish as well as being able to get new contacts in Cuenca.

Unfortunately, my classes didn't take place in the afternoon, as confirmed online. Therefore, I wasn't able to join the group class, which took place only in the morning. The school organized private classes in the afternoon for me very quickly. Unfortunately, the teacher changed for 5 times during my 2 weeks of classes, which was absolutely devastating. But one has to say that it was a very special time in whole Ecuador since they just had safety and government problems because of the drug cartells.
Anyway, in the end I had a great teacher - Lucía - who was very structured, punctual, patient, very kind and teached me everything in a very understandable way.

Also, one has to say, that especially Alex from the office in Cuenca in the school itself was very kind, helpfull and organized everything very quickly for me.

So overall I would still recommend that school. It's a fair price-performance ratio.

Prior to Cuenca, I spent two weeks in the Yanapuma School in Quito where I was the first in person student in 3 years. This review is for the Cuenca school where I spent two weeks. Because I had the prior two weeks of schooling, I was placed in a more advanced class with people that had taken Spanish and were there for a refresher. It was two fast for me, so for my second week I went to private lessons and it was great. After 4 weeks I felt like I could listen and read in Spanish fairly well (70% understanding) and speak a reasonable level of tourist Spanish and do more than ask for the location of the bathroom.

I did the Cultural Package and 4 afternoons a week we toured the city to visit interesting museums and shops. I really enjoyed this and our guide Juana was great.


I did the homestay. The family was lovely and the accommodations were good. No pets, no smoking. It improved my Spanish to be with the family, but they had a 20 something daughter that I was sharing the upstairs with her. She was very nice, but as an older man, it felt awkward, like she should have her own space. She's getting married soon, so this shouldn't be a problem for long.

I was traveling to Cuenca to visit my aunt and needed some language classes. I’m so glad I found Yanapuma!
Both teachers I had were patient and cared about my personal goals. There is a great blend of listening, speaking, and grammar.
I had a wonderful experience!

We spent four nights in Cuenca before starting three weeks of independent travel in Ecuador and wanted to learn some Spanish that would be helpful for our journey. Our teacher, Juana, was able to reinforce the Spanish that we already knew and introduced new vocabulary that would be useful to us. The location was convenient to our hotel and the school facilities were comfortable. One fun activity that we were able to participate in was sampling a variety of tropical fruit that the school administrator had brought in one morning.

My sisters and I took classes with Juana who took the time to analyze our Spanish and explain why different grammar rules are used in Spanish. She also encouraged conversations regarding Ecuadorian culture and current events. Johanna took us on afternoon excursions. She is super knowledgeable and also very sweet. We lived a short distance from the school in an apartment attached to Luzma’s house. We loved having our own space, but also loved eating and talking with Luzma and her other students. Luzma formed relationships and showed interest in all of her boarders. She is a great cook, preparing many typical Ecuadorian meals. I highly recommend this experience for anyone who wants to improve their Spanish while immersing themselves in Ecuadorian culture.

The teachers are very relaxed and patient. Patricia is extremely patient and excels at communicating and clarifying any hazy concepts. I highly recommend this school.

I had the same teacher for all 4 weeks and she was amazing! She struck a nice balance between chatting about our lives and experiences and doing more formal instruction to advance my grammar and vocabulary. The facility was a beautiful old building in the middle of the historic center, and while it was pretty chilly inside, they provided ample hot tea and warm smiles ! There were very few students while we were there, but the staff still took great care in COVID precautions. Due to COVID there were also no social activities offered unfortunately

Great lessons, structured to what we wanted and needed.
Lovely teacher, very calm and took her time with us
Would be nice to have lessons outside of the classroom to be able to practice our spanish in the real world

Everything was really good. I liked the class i took. The size of it was perfect. I also liked the technique that you used, with us learning by talking.

The only thing that i can comment on is that 4 hours with one break is to much. The last hour was always kind of wasted because people were getting tired and hungry. In my opinion it is necessary to take 5 minutes every hour. I think it will improve the students ability to study. The 4 hours were two homogeneous.

I did not know any Spanish before I came to Ecuador so when I went to the school I did not have any foundation to build on. The class was very mixed but maybe it would be good to begin with just the basics. I am still in Ecuador and trying my best to learn Spanish and what has helped me a great deal is to listen to people talk. Listen to rhythm of the language. For me that is important when i learn a new language because native Spanish speaker do not really understand you until you have the rhythm right.

Other wise it was a pleasant and informative class. I would recommend it and I plan on taking more classes while I am in Ecuador.

My individual Spanish classes at Yanapuma were the highlight of every day in Cuenca. I loved every minute of them and would have come on weekends as well if I could! The program is well equipped on an individualized basis. They focused on student needs, interests, and learning style.The time flew by each day, and I consistently gained in fluency and competency. My teacher is outstanding and I only wish I had more time with her. Sadly, our last class was on Friday.

The building is lovely, airy, well located, and comfortable.

The accommodation at my home stay was excellent, for the most part. Although it was a half hour walk to the school, it was a pleasant walk and we actually looked forward to it. Since we were a couple, I do feel there should be a greater discount for a room. In a hotel, the double room is not double the cost of a single. We paid for a room without bath times two, so we did get a small discount because we enjoyed a room with private bath. We appreciated that savings, but it was minimal.

Also, there were times when there was no dinner provided for good reason. There should be a means to reduce the daily cost in those instances or there could be a dinner left for the guests to serve themselves. I opted to provide my own cereal since I need a high fiber diet. Perhaps that too could have been an option included in the breakfast. Overall, however, the accommodation exceeded expectations and the family was warm, loving, and kind. I could not have asked for more!

I am enjoying the school, I feel welcome and relaxed here, and currently I'm sitting studying after class with the assistance of the free wifi. My teacher, Esteban is very patient and responsive, he seems to be adapting material and teaching styles to how I learn best. With the help of Joy, the volunteer, I was able to clearly understand how the school works and why it was a good fit for me for one week of lessons whilst travelling. The location is great so close to the main park and easy walk to my home stay. My home stay is interesting I'm not entirely sure it should be called a family, however the lady I am staying with has provided her time to assist me in practicing my Spanish which is very valuable. Overall it has so far been a very positive experience and I would recommend it to others.