Hello,
as the title suggests, I am looking for a retreat center to stay for 5-6 months to practice. I am thinking about a really long retreat or maybe two with a little break inbetween. Or several retreats with days of study/helping at the location in between.
My main criteria for deciding to contact a place are:

• Cost: I can not afford to do this in the US, for example
• Technique: I would be happy to practice Samatha or Vipassana à la Mahasi, yet I'd prefer Samatha(but I don't know a single center)

My study program in Germany (Cognitive Science) requires me to go abroad for one semester. I am sure that I can spend my time in a monastery/center as it's kinda connected to what i study and because our boss of the institute is a chilled guy.
I'd be really happy if some of you could name me some places to go, I'd really prefer Asia but I do not speak any asian language(but german and english). I have considered Panditarama in Lumbini and ruled out Chom Tong in Thailand as I'd prefer to practice a different type of meditation even though they're quite close to Mahasi's noting. As I mentioned, Samatha would interest me the most (I guess Mahasi style does involve a decent amount of Samatha).
Anyway, thanks for reading, I am looking forward to reading your replies.
With Metta,
Paul

Sadhamma (Myanmar) has a year round retreat: http://www.saddhamma.org/html/retreat.shtml
Acceptance depends on your practice history and mental constitution. If you have little exp. with Mahasi, they are probably going to require you do few shorter retreats first. 

Also check out http://www.satipanya.org.uk/

You are welcome here:

https://www.dharmaoverground.org/discussion/-/message_boards/message/6521777

You can practice any kind of meditation you want, I am the nanny for English/Chinese-speakers and am inclined to leave meditators alone unless they need help, where I would then be most happy to do so. I progressed without making a distinction between samatha and vipassana path progression, I hit A&P, 1-3rd jhana then EQ, 4th jhana and so on. Seems to be faster when you allow the mind to swing whichever way it feels like.

I wouldn't suggest coming here if you expect someone to discipline you or make you keep to a strict meditation schedule, I am happy to chat/guide whenever you need help though. If you desire freedom and can discipline your own practice, I cannot think of a better place.

Good luck with your choice!

This sounds almost too good to be true. Awesome. How can I get in touch with you to ask further questions? Thanks a lot! I have already checked flights for my semester break haha

Wat Rampoeng in Thailand is good for hardcore Vipassana practice

I hear Pa Auk Sayadaw's place does hard jhana retreats

You can email me: ongyeeloon (at) gmail

If you think your questions might help others, do post them at the DhO link above.

Yilun Ong, does your monastery accept women too?

Yes of couse, as a lay person. If there are male meditators, I will arrange for them to stay in a hut in the forest near me where we would usually meditate in or around our huts. If there are women, they will need to stay at the concrete houses near the centre of the monastery. The meditation sessions will be conducted in more 'public' places like the meditation halls to avoid complications.

Thai speaking female laity follow the nuns, which you could with commuication difficulties; OR

If you are happy to meditate alone and only see me for chat/guidance (if required), you/anyone are most welcome!

Hey Yilun,
So I got a couple of questions
Are you the only english speaking teacher at the temple?
For how long could I stay at the temple?
(I think I will have three or four weeks for a temple stay, from approx. 22th of February on.)
Can I practice different kinds of meditation during the stay?
(Lets say I'd start with a week Samatha, then a week Metta and then a week Vipassana - would that be possible?)
Are there any kinds of rituals lay people are asked to follow? Are there any kind of cerimonies one is required to attend?

These are all the questions I could think of in the past days. I am looking forward to your reply!

With metta,
Paul

Thanks a lot! Sounds great, over all! One thing I forgot to ask is whether it is okay to practice Yoga for around 20 minutes a day? In my past retreats I really missed my Yoga pracitce. 

I cannot think of anything orthodox you cannot do, Paul. Don't worry, monks are very much human and there's a nice bunch of them up here

Something to relax you: An American used his foot to point and shift the offerings to the abbot in the main hall, with a group of Thai laity in a formal setting. All it did was make everyone erupt in laughter. You may read that this is very rude somewhere. It is good if you can practice what is considered common courtesy in Thailand but if not, you'll be met with amusement ;) Any practice of humility is ultimately for yourself so view these 'rituals' in that light...

That sounds awesome! The retreats I visited so far did not allow Yoga practice and were rather strict.
I will let you know, when I visit your place!
Thanks a lot