Tourism/Travel Student Rises to Challenge and Learns a Little Spanish in Internship
Mark Kilyk
Costa Rica Global Learning Programs - Program Design and Promotion Intern, Winter 2021
My Internship Experience
This placement helped me better understand my field by always looking at the positive side of things, by reminding me to always research before telling stuff to people, and by being always open to trying new and exciting things.
The Most Valuable Thing I’ve Learned About Work and Career
The most valuable thing I learned is that research is key. By researching a destination, it tells the other person that you are very interested in the product and that you want to talk about it. Doing a lot of research will make your life easier.
Why I Chose Tourism –Travel Services Management
Learning about different countries is a passion that I have. Being in this program you'll learn something new each day and that's why I chose this. Travel as a topic that excites me.
What were the successes and/or barriers to communication while working in a globally diverse team?
Even though there was a time difference, the communication was fantastic between us. There were no barriers. Consistent email of updates and reminders. They use WhatsApp, so by using that they were able to quickly respond to us.
The Most Valuable Thing I’ve Learned About Myself
The most valuable thing I learned about myself is that I never gave up. I say this because I don't feel confident if I don't finish something. However, being in my program and doing a virtual internship helped my confidence.
What are some of the interesting challenges about your placement in an international virtual work environment?
For me, three of my interesting challenges were getting used to the different time zone they have (Canada - Costa Rica), learning Spanish (it was hard at first but in time it got easier), and lastly sitting in front of a computer for long periods of time.
How did the international and virtual element of your work placement affect your experience overall?
Overall, I think it positively affected me. Some successes I had were that I met new, awesome people; it boosted my confidence level and always encouraged me to do better things in life.
Words of Wisdom or Advice to Future Students
My advice would be to never give up. Stay positive and always ask for help when you need it.
