My LingQ journey: two months passed, one more to go!

I am very excited to share my LingQ experience with you guys.

About four months ago I got an email from LingQ, announcing that they were planning to invite a few enthusiastic people to their headquarters. They were about to immerse the lucky ones into a real English environment and provide them with a very intense language learning program. Moreover, they also wanted to introduce the participants to the behind the scenes operations of a tech company.

At that time, I lived in Australia, but I was not sure what to do once I left Australia. This opportunity to go to Canada and get an insight about a startup’s life made me very excited. I did not know what to expect, but I decided to apply.

Two weeks later I got the email from Kiran, telling me that I am officially in the program and good to go. Happiness and excitement ran through my mind because it meant that my life would turn upside down.I would have to leave Australia soon and get ready for this challenge.

From the very beginning, I was excited to get an insight into the LingQ team’s life. I always had a strong interest in startups and in the creation of something new but I could not figure out where or how to start. The term “business” was confusing and frightening for me. I hoped that LingQ could give me some guidencance in the beginning and can inspire me.

Now that I recall these memories, I am very proud that I made the decision to come here to Vancouver and challenge myself. During the last two months,along this journey, I have experienced a great deal that I would like to share with you.

The day I arrived was beautiful and sunny.It hasn’t been warmer since that first day.. Once I arrived in the city center from the airport, the beauty of the city swept me off my feet. It was like one of those cities I had seen in the movies or at least very similar. And I had not seen the nature yet. I think no other city shows off such a perfect combinationof urbanized metropolis and astonishing nature. The surrounding forests of the city are greener than any I have seen before.. Absolutely amazing.

The other thing I experienced right away was the kindness of the Canadians. The rumor is absolutely true that these people are amongst the nicest and most mindful people ever. At least, amongst the people I have met so far.

When we first arrived at the LingQ office, the warm welcoming by the team was amazing. It instantly settled my doubts about how I would get along with them.

Jahrine’s muffins on the first day will remain an everlasting memory for sure.

I had not imagined before I arrived that we would have so much fun together apart from the daily routine in the office and occassional dine outs with the guys. I was absolutely wrong. Almost every weekend is spent with the LingQ team or the Kaufmann family and the activities vary. We have kayaked in the ice cold water, hiked steep mountains and tried exotic cuisines from all around the world.

We’re working hard on our English for the whole time and everyone has noticed each of our improvements. Certainly, we are never fully satisfied with our skills, but it is because we all are very ambitious and settle only with the best outcome. I am really proud of hearing my pronunciation in the videos because I really seek for perfect pronunciation and I am getting closer each day! My writings are also getting more concise and clear as well as being crafted with a broader range of vocabulary.

The way I express myself is much more natural and I get the jokes, sometimes even trying them myself(there is still room for improvement in this matter). Most importantly, I have gotten to the point where I no longer notice if I am speaking in Hungarian or English in everyday conversations. (Hopefully it is not because my Hungarian is becoming redundant or diminished.)

The inspiring environment in and outside the office has motivated me in many ways. I was confused about which career to start and I had no idea how a business operates and grows. The LingQ members introduced many crucial aspects of a business such as marketing, customer service and the technical background of it. Imagine that while you study, all you see on the screen is crafted and maintained by people! Fascinating!

The team ask for our feedback about different features of the new version of LingQ. We also had the chance to participate in brainstorming sessions in order to figure out solutions to problems. Overall, our opinion was appreciated and so we part of the team completely.

I personally got so many ideas about business and entrepreneurship. The unclarity that came to my mind when I heard the word “business” has disappeared and now I have a much more comprehensive idea about business. It no longer frightens me, it motivates me instead. Everything we are learning here about business really inspires me and I am sure that I will use it for my advancement in the future.

Two months have passed but there is still one to go and I am really looking forward to seeing what is in it for us.

Thank you, LingQ team!