The English speaking ex-pat community 1500 strong

If you are nervous about traveling to a new country, I suggest you come to Oaxaca. There is an English speaking ex-patriot community here 1500 strong and the hub is the Lending Library where Bridge lessons are offered on Tuesdays, along with monthly hikes, talks, and various cultural events.  Arin and I decided to join in the bridge lessons.  We each won a hand with our partners and will probably play again.   We did not get to practice Spanish as everyone spoke English but we did have our first intercambio with two young ladies at The Oaxaca Learning Center. This center was started by Gary, an American, and also the tallest man in town. Along with offering homework help, English speakers are paired with Spanish speakers and engage in intercambios where we learn each other's languages. We decided to meet every day for 2 hours. I also volunteered to teach an English language summer school class to kids who can not afford to pay for a language center.