Brand New Experience

The Tico Lingo total Spanish immersion experience exceeded our expectations. Chris and his staff tried to meet all our requests when selecting our home stay family and frequently checked to ensure our time in Heredia was going well. We went from knowing only a few basic phrases, nouns and verbs to feeling more confident in conversations outside of the classroom. We still have much to learn, but now we can basically work our way through most interactions with locals. We can understand most of what they’re saying or asking and we can express our thoughts in words they can understand—though far from perfect. Our home stay Mama Tica (Elena) cooked many wonderful, traditional meals, but also accommodated any dietary restrictions needed. We learned we could easily tell her our favorite foods and ones we might not want to repeat without hurting her feelings. She was very kind, patient and spoke a bit more slowly to help us better understand each other during conversations. Our favorite time with her each week was going to the local Farmers Market (Ferria). We found some of the best fresh fruits and vegetables imaginable. And it was an additional way to interact with locals and practice what we were learning. Our instructors, YoBeth and Kevin used each lesson to build upon previous ones and introduce new subject matter. The levels of instruction were remarkable. Many days included homework. The learning process occasionally made our brains feel exhausted by the end of the day, but it was worth it. We originally planned for 4 weeks and after 2 weeks we were figuring out how to extend our stay for an additional week. Ideally, as beginners, I wish we’d have planned for 2 months. Tico Lingo provided opportunities for weekend excursions, but we have always enjoyed exploring places on our own time table. Some trips would include fellow students from class or give us time to meet other friends living in Costa Rica. Overall, this trip was wonderful. Even our most skeptical friends were impressed by how much we learned in a relatively short time. We’re continuing our language skills at home and are already planning a return trip. We would highly recommend the Tico Lingo immersion experience.