Will Philipps: Florence, Oct 2004

"Thank you very much for organising Will's trip to Florence. He very much enjoyed his stay. It seems that the school worked the boys hard and found the right level of teaching, and Will certainly feels that his Italian has benefitted. He also enjoyed staying with his host family - all those arrangements worked very well.

I very much appreciate the hard work you did for us because everything was arranged at quite short notice. I would be happy to recommend Cactus to friends."

For more info on Italian courses email Laura >>

Joyce Stevenson: Bordeaux, Aug 2004

"I apologize for taking so long in writing, but I just want to tell you what an amazing time I had in Bordeaux this summer! Being close to 50 years old and never having visited Europe, I was certainly hesitant about heading off to France by myself and leaving my family behind in Canada for 3 weeks (2 week course + 1 week travel with my daughter, who joined me later). However, once I arrived in Bordeaux, I couldn't believe how friendly and helpful everyone was, not only at the school but at my host family's home and even in the city of Bordeaux. I really enjoyed the General Course I took and my teacher, Caroline, made everyone feel very comfortable speaking French. My fellow classmates were of all ages, from all over Europe, and a very outgoing group. Most spoke French very well so our "dialogues" and conversations in class were usually quite animated! School excursions were informative and fun, with Dorotka and Marie always there to be of assistance.

Since returning to Canada, I have taken on a new teaching position of Grade 1 French Immersion at my public school. This requires speaking French all day to 6 year old English-speaking children. Before going to France, I felt that I was fairly bilingual but not very confident with my French. This course and the experience of living and speaking French every day really helped my confidence as well as my fluency! It will be an experience that I will remember for a lifetime, and one that I hope to repeat someday.

Thank you so much for your advice and assistance in setting up the course arrangements. I would certainly (and have already) highly recommended your organization to other teachers as a exciting way to learn French. I have also added your website to my links on my teacher website for parents and students at my school."

For more info on French courses email Laura >>

Melissa Murray: Playa Tamarindo, Nov 2004

"I booked through Cactus because I felt the customer comments were very strong about the school and the location was perfect for combining study and vacation.

The school itself was very nice and clean. The professors were excellent: they tried very hard to place a person according to their skills and they worked hard to help the students learn. I think the school was excellent...I heard other people talk about previous language courses and this one sounded superior to them all. The people I met at the school were great, the instructors were wonderful and the people of Tamarindo really made a difference...they were so great.

The location was also excellent. From the student housing I was a 5 minute walk from the beach and less than a 5 minute walk to the school. Tamarindo is so small that you get to really meet the people that work and live there if you so choose to put in the time...

I recieved excellent service from Cactus by email and phone. I appreciate all the help I received! Thank you for helping me with an excellent trip."

For more info on Spanish courses in Latin America email Elvira >>

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THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO BOOKED A LANGUAGE HOLIDAY WITH US THIS YEAR...

A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL & WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!