Tico Lingo

It was really fun. Lessons last for four hours with a break in between, after which there is an optional hour of either yoga, cooking classes, or dance classes. After that you're free to explore the city (and go into San José to look at the museums). I stayed with a host family, and it was super helpful. You get home cooked meals every day, a chance to practice your Spanish, and a local guide. Fair warning - the weather (at least during the wet season) switches from hot and humid to pouring rain. I'd recommend packing an umbrella and a ton of sunscreen.

I appreciated the Tico Lingo program. I had the intention of going to learn Spanish and although I picked up some elements it turned out not to be the focus of my time during the program. What I found was important for me was the independence I gained. This was my first trip without being accompanied by my family. I was 15 years old and I had the capacity to journey around with new friends and also have a level of financial independence. Much of the town was closed due to Covid-19 quarantine measures but I still managed to find things to do and occupy myself either via the kind family who hosted me, the roommates who became like brothers, and the activities like white water rafting that the camp provided. Interacting with some of the kids was challenging but for the most part, the group was pretty cool. I got to understand myself better and am looking forward to my next solo excursion. I think if you want to offer your child a safe environment in beautiful surroundings where they can learn a bit of Spanish and open themselves up to a culture they may not be familiar with, this is the experience for you.

My name is Zoe, I am 18 years old--Tico Lingo was my first international trip that I took alone. I did a homestay with a local mother who lived alone. I wasn't really worried about this or getting along with her because I am a very social and outgoing person. However, she was immediately indifferent towards me. My Spanish is not fluent, but intermediate for sure. I came to Costa Rica to learn, of course. My host mother was so cold and frustrated towards me when I could not perfectly understand her. I tried my best and often asked for another way of saying it or to talk slower, and she would literally throw her hands up and walk out of the room in anger. The homestay was one of the key parts that this program offered, yet all my host mother did for me was cook breakfast and sometimes dinner for me, and leave me sitting alone at the table to eat my meals. When we would talk it would be because her friends were over. They were so rude to me. I heard them talk badly about me multiple times, making fun of me when they thought I could not understand. I was called stupid by them while I was two yards away eating dinner. I told teachers and staff at Tico Lingo about this and we joked around, but no one helped or took much interest. Thankfully, I met amazing friends there that kept me going, but If I had not I can easily say it would've been a horrible experience. The lessons themselves were hard for me too. I have mild ADD so I learn a little slower than others. However, a good teacher knows how to teach different kinds of students. My teacher Erick would get mad at me when I didn't get and answer right, and tell me to pay attention. These classes were 4 hours, so I clearly struggled to focus at all times. At a certain point I just wanted to give up and almost ditch classes (I didn't, but I wanted too) because I felt so uncomfortable and shamed in class. Getting answers wrong is part of how you learn. It became clear that my teacher hated his job there and was miserable in class with us. This of course made it miserable for the students. I can say for sure my Spanish got worse during this time because my teacher went so fast through material that I couldn't remember the basics. As far as the city itself, I loved the food but was always being catcalled or followed by men. I was almost kidnapped by a delivery man for a pizza shop, and walking home at night was very scary. There was also nothing AT ALL to do in this city but go eat or drink. My friends and I would take trips to other places in Costa Rica but it was to expensive to do more than once in the two weeks I was there. Save yourself the money and stress, and go somewhere where they enjoy teaching and having you. This was horrible.

I loved every single day of the three weeks I spend in Costa Rica with Tico Lingo. My teacher was incredible and I learned so much about the structure and grammar of the Spanish language and by the end I felt drastically more comfortable speaking and interacting in Spanish using what I learned. My host family was also very kind and generous and the 13 other students were all really awesome people. The afternoon activities were also super fun and they bonded us all as a group through the unforgettable experiences we shared. We also had a good amount of free time to explore the city on our own with a friend or two. The weekend trips were really fun and we got to see so much of the wildlife in Costa Rica while also doing anything from swimming at the beach to white water rafting.

this was truly the best summer i have ever experienced. the city is safe, all the kids were incredibly kind, my teacher (Freddy) was smart and hilarious, and i always felt cared about. it was amazing to be able to hang out with other teenagers ranging from 14-17 and click instantly. Thanks to this camp I got to improve my spanish and make life long friends. i personally loved the aspect of independence that came with being able to travel by myself and i would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a safe and fun language immersive experience!