Improve your Spanish & Intern at the beach in Spain

I had previously participated in a semester-long homestay program through my university, and I was interested in participating in a similar experience again. However, I couldn't spend another semester away, so I decided to look into summer programs. Linguistic Horizons was the first program that I found, and any other program I found afterward paled in comparison. There wasn't much money that I would be paying that seemed excessive.

Nicole promised to find housing with speakers of Spanish, find an accredited internship in a Spanish-speaking environment, as well as a conversation course. I was definitely skeptical at first to pay someone to find an internship for me, but in the end, it definitely was worth it; I had to put little to no legwork into finding and applying to a ton of internships like one normally would have to do, a process exacerbated by not being in the country itself and by being in a foreign language.

Nicole was extremely receptive and communicative during every step of the process.

Nicole found housing, an internship, and classes. She provided information about flights, but I found my own transportation to and from Coruna (I was already in Spain before the program). She also provides insurance during the month, and she can arrange to extend the insurance if you are staying beyond the program. There was no food program, but that was not a problem because all living arrangements come with shared kitchens. I decided to cook most days, but I know others who went out to eat often (something easier and cheaper to do in Spain than in, say, the USA).

Nicole also provides 2 or 3 out-of-city experiences. When I was there, she had trips to Porto, Las Islas Cies, Santiago, Madrid, and Barcelona. There was also a day where she took us to a beach near A Coruna where you could sign up for surfing classes or hang out on the beach.

What is your favorite travel memory?

In April of 2015, I decided to travel through the former Soviet Union countries on my own. I felt it was time to remind myself of what it feels like to be lost in translation. I am a language lover; but, Russian is not one of the languages I speak.

I had quite an adventure after missing my direct bus from Brest to Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park. I speak zero Russian and zero Belarusian, the two languages spoken in Belarus. I was so thankful to the locals who helped me navigate my way to this park.

Somehow, I was able to communicate with something similar to sign language, a local who spoke Italian, and another local who spoke some German. I do not speak Italian, but I do speak Spanish and the similarities are enough for an open-minded listener to understand. I was also thankful that my German minor came in handy in an unexpected place!

I love this story because it shows the value of learning foreign language and how kind and helpful local people can be while abroad.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

Since I started Linguistic Horizons, I have grown tremendously. Running a company requires one to wear many hats. I have learned a little bit about a lot! I have learned by doing how to start, run and grow an organization. I have also had the privilege to travel and experience foreign cultures.

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

I designed all the programs to be amazing, in my opinion of course. I always go on the Peru programs. I sometimes go on the Spain program. I truly love both destinations.

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

Linguistic Horizons is unique because we specialize in foreign language immersion. Our students do their internships or take classes given in the local language. This is the best way to learn.

I was especially proud of my team this past summer. Each student was doing a different internship in four different countries simultaneously. I was pleased that we successfully coordinated these internships and that all the students returned home with a positive experience.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

We must wholeheartedly LOVE what we do.