Learning Experience of a Lifetime

I spent three weeks at TicoLingo as part of a professional sabbatical to improve my Spanish skills. I appreciated the communication in advance and Yenifer was very reassuring. I was assigned a homestay host that was perfect. They accommodated a medical issue of mine, and were so kind. I loved being in Heredia, specifically because it's not a tourist area. It's walkable and almost no one speaks English. I was able to practice Spanish all day. I was assigned a class that was perfect for my ability. It was challenging but not over my head. I made fast friends with my classmates and others in the school and we enjoyed going out to eat, Latin dancing, and going on tours on weekends. The school hosts great tours, and you can also make your own if you're so inclined, or just chill on the weekends. I enjoyed all the lunchtime activities, including homemade Tico lunches and dance class. I also added the private lessons in the afternoon two of my three weeks. It was intense but it helped me learn a lot more. Three weeks feels like the minimum amount of time to get a full experience. I wish I could've done more, but I had to get home to my kiddos! Chris was wonderful, my tutors Kevin and Zulma were very helpful and fun, and my primary teacher Zaida was the absolute best. She was committed to teaching us what we were interested in. We took field trips to learn street vocabulary, and had deep conversations in Spanish about our lives and world issues. She was hilariously funny and we had a weekly "hora de chisme" to gossip for fun. It was such a joy, and in addition to learning a ton, it lifted my spirit. I plan to come back again in a future sabbatical, I miss my whole Tico Lingo family.