What is your favorite travel memory?
While working one of Tico Lingo's Teen Spanish Summer Camp programs, I got the opportunity to visit La Fortuna, Costa Rica. That day, we ate a typical Costa Rican breakfast and headed to Río Sarapiquí to go rafting. This rafting trip was one of my favorite experiences in Costa Rica, as we got to raft on a river in the middle of the rainforest surrounded by wildlife. I had never experienced anything like this before! We also enjoyed watermelon and pineapple and swam in the river.
How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?
Since working for Tico Lingo, my Spanish skills have certainly improved, in addition to my confidence in communicating with people from other cultures. Before this job, I had never worked abroad in this capacity, but with each day, I found myself more and more comfortable in my position.
This job also reinforced my love for learning Spanish and encouraging others to experience what I've gotten the opportunity to experience abroad in the past. I find myself more passionate about the Spanish language and other cultures after working for Tico Lingo.
What is the best story you've heard from a return student?
A return student once told me about the relationships they formed while in Costa Rica during their first trip and how they could continue those connections during their second trip. They got to visit with their host family again, connect with locals they befriended at an English school, and see one of their friends on the trip for a second time. It was amazing not only getting to hear this story from them but also seeing them connect with old friends once again.
If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?
Even though it is the program I worked for, I would love to go on the Tico Lingo Teen Spanish Summer Camp program because it is the most adventure-packed and fun program (in my opinion) that Tico Lingo offers. Each day, students participate in a new excursion, and on the weekends, they visit the beach and rainforest, participating in fun activities at each location. Also, like all Tico Lingo programs, participants get to live with host families, which is an exciting benefit to the program.
What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?
Tico Lingo is unique because they offer a number of different immersive experiences, including 1-on-1 or group Spanish classes, opportunities to participate in dance and cooking classes, and travel opportunities to coffee farms, volcanoes, hot springs, and much more. I am proud of my team because they make the experience truly feel like a genuine experience abroad, where the staff members are natives of Costa Rica and the school is located in a beautiful, non-touristy part of the country.
What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?
I believe the biggest factor in being a successful company is being a team that supports each other and all love what they are doing. Tico Lingo's staff are proud to be who they are and to show off their culture, making Tico Lingo's immersion programs so successful. Everyone must share the same purpose to be a successful company, but that is not a question with the staff at Tico Lingo.
