last week of work- "Facebook Fun Week!"

This is my last week at work and we decided to make it a fun one!! Each country has a "Facebook Fan Page" that Aerocasillas uses to inform fans of online sales, promotions, etc. We decided that it would be fun to do an interactive "Facebook Fun Week" to engage customers in their Facebook fan pages. We created a 3 day period full of fun games, contests and prize give-aways. Each day there was going to be a product contest, photo contest and aeroworld contest. The product contest rules were to find the lowest price including shipping to our Miami warehouse and post to the country's Facebook wall. The items that we had the fans find each day were: a 10 mega pixel digital camera, portable DVD player and 16G USB flash drive. The person to post the lowest price first automatically won the product of the day! We had 13 countries participating and so we had to go and sort through all of the data from each country to ensure we had the correct winner. The next contest we had was the photo contest. The first day the fans were asked to take a picture of themselves and their most recent online shopping purchase and post the photo to their country's fan page. The second day they were asked to take a picture in front of any Aerocasillas/Aeropost counter and upload the image to their country's fan page. The third day they were asked to take a picture of themselves "lying down" and post to their country's fan page. This contest was really funny especially on the third day because people posted pictures of themselves laying down in the most random places! The final contest was called "Aeroworld" which we used to engage customers in other country's fan pages. The first day we had them post their favorite shopping website to the Trinidad/Tobago fan page, the second day we had the fans say hello to the Panama fan page and the third day we had the fans visit the Santa Domingo fan page and answer the question, "In exactly 3 words describe a time when you could not stop laughing."

Fans really got into the contests and were posting things all day and night! It was great to see fan interaction being that we were the first ones to put on a social media campaign for the company. There were a few mishaps but we wound up solving all of the little loop holes as we went along. We learned that it is important to pay attention to detail and be careful because once you post things to the Internet they can not be deleted, the undo button is very hard when it comes to Facebook. As the creators of the fun week we answered questions (all in Spanish), sent out prizes, released winners, informed customers of the latest contests and interacted with fans all day long. All of the participants of the photo contest and Aeroworld world were entered into a raffle the next day to win $25 to Amazon. We chose 4 winners for the photo contest and 3 winners for the Aeroworld contest, and the winner of the product contest won the actual product that they had to find. It was a great way to promote our company and several customers reaped the benefits of great prizes! We now know things we can do differently for next time and ways to make our upcoming campaigns more sucessful. Overall it turned out to be a great campaign!

Buffalo Soldier--Caribbean Weekend!

 This past weekend we went to the Caribbean! The Caribbean side is so different but so cool! Our home stay families live in San Pedro which is a city about 10 minutes from San Jose and near our homes is the University of Veritas. We have student ID cards and are considered a part of the university but we only use it as a meeting place, occasionally use the service, etc. This past weekend we joined their group to travel to Puerto Viejo. There were a total of 57 students including us traveling on a tour bus to the Caribbean. The dynamics of the Veritas group were very interesting and reminded me of high school (even though everyone is a college student or recent graduate). They all attend Veritas together and travel together on the weekends so obviously we looked like the new kids. The question of the day was, "Are you guys new?" We explained multiple times that we are not students at Veritas and were working for the summer. We thought it was really funny when they tried to act like they knew everything about Costa Rica when they have only been here for 2 weeks and we have been here for over a month and a half; I feel like a Costa Rican! 

 We arrived in Puerto Viejo after a 5 hour trip and checked into our hotel where the 3 of us girls shared a room. We went out to dinner and I ordered a "casado" which is a typical meal of Costa Rica. But being that we were on the Caribbean side I should have known that the typical cuisine that I was used to had a "soul food" flair to it. The Caribbean side has a lot of soul food an Caribbean cuisine; one girl was obsessed with this restaurant called "Jammin" because it reminded her of her mother's Caribbean Jerk recipe. Bob Marley was a god in Puerto Viejo, his picture was posted everywhere we went! On Friday night we went to this hostile/bar called Rockin' J's! This place was a sight to see; the entire area was covered in paintings, mosaic pieces and touristy collector's items from all over Costa Rica. The hostile had hammocks to rent for $5 a night that included a locker to put your stuff, campsites, 3 restaurants and a live band. We heard it was a must see for Puerto Viejo so we definitely checked it out before heading to a bonfire on the beach and another bar called Tex-Mex.

On Saturday morning we woke up and went to our complimentary breakfast that included 3 different kind of croissants: chocolate, cream, and ham and cheese, I wasn't really a fan. Our adventure for Saturday began early when we headed to Cahuita National Park where we took a trail to a private beach to catch some sun rays and snorkel. The trail was awesome! We saw monkeys swinging in the trees, different birds and crabs scurrying across the path. The beach was beautiful and we were the only people on it (well, our 57 person group). They divided the group into two and had 2 boats to take people out to the pretty reefs to snorkel. We saw lots of fish, pretty coral and big fish too! The water was pretty clear so we were able to see all of the different fish and creatures!

After our snorkeling tour we went to a private island where we had fresh fruit from Costa Rica and then headed back to the beach. After our day at Cahuita National Park we went back to Puerto Viejo for lunch, ice cream and we watched the beautiful sunset. I could really get used to this...On Saturday night we went to a few local spots and hung out with some of the Veritas students. Sunday morning we headed to the Viewpoint which is a white sand beach that also had a little hiking trail. We decided to lay out on the beach rather than take the hike. :) It was a beautiful day and the ocean was actually kind of warm! After the beach we went to a Caribbean restaurant, had lunch and then headed back to San Jose. Another great weekend in Costa Rica, pura vida!! :)

workaholic

          My boss sent me to the counter to interact with customers and take note of improvements that needed to be made with customer service and evaluate things we are doing well. The counter is located 2 minutes from my office and so I spent 3 days with my new co-workers. We have been over there before but it was only to view the process of the pick-up counter and this time I was using the computer system, helping the "personal shopping assistant, and interacting with all of the customers. The counter uses 2 computer systems to check the status of packages, pay fees and view accounts. Most of the customers were patient with me because I was obviously new the system and not as quick as the employees. Having a conversation with someone in Spanish is difficult when you are trying to communicate about their package and explain why they owe certain fees. One of the employees actually had a bad experience with an American woman. This woman was shaking because she had to pay for shipping on her product and said that "Aerocasillas never informed her of these fees". She was so mad that she threw her passport on the counter and started raising her hands in the air, someone had a bad day. Lets just say that she was not the best representation of a true American citizen. I also helped the "personal shopping assistant" help customers purchase packages online. If you do not have a credit card or your credit card does not allow you to purchase items in the United States the personal shopping assistant is at your service! Each counter has their own assistant who uses the company's credit card and purchases items for the customer and then the customer pays in their country's currency. This system is very helpful and is also used to help those who do not understand online shopping or our business. Working at the counter was fun because I got to meet different people, see what items customers were purchasing and make friends with the employees.

          We have also been working on marketing strategies and preparing for a social campaign for Costa Rica. This past week we evaluated competitors prices and systems of delivery in comparison to ours. My boss realized that Aerocasillas prices were either similar or not comparable to other competitors in Costa Rica. We did a write up on our top competitors and realized our overall service is the best! Other competitors charge for every time you send a product, high rates per kilo, expensive delivery fees and Aerocasillas' has a one time monthly fee and package deal. After evaluating the surveys about a month ago, I knew that we were better than our overall competitors because our clients who have used us and another service said that our service did not even compare to our competitors. Unfortunately we had an airline crisis that took place about 3 weeks ago and our cargo from Miami had been delayed because our freight service suddenly went out of business. We alerted all of customers and explained that their packages may be a few days late due to our freight situation. We were able to find another airline to deliver products to all of the countries while we searched for another cargo carrier. Unfortunately the new airline we found is more expensive and we have to raise our rates starting August 1st. Our rates will not be a giant increase but will be necessary to pay for our new cargo carrier.

Tamarindo Weekend!

This weekend we traveled to the fabulous beach town of Tamarindo! Unfortunately we arrived to the bus station 2 hours early and the person in front of me got the last ticket and there was only standing room available. From San Jose to Tamarindo is a 6 hour trip and spending that time standing was not going to happen. So we met a friendly middle-aged American named Robert and we all decided our best mode of transportation was to take a cab. After bargaining the price of a cab down we finally hit the road. Thinking that we would make good time at least an hour or more before the bus would have, we thought wrong. Our cab driver took the long way, got a flat tire, we had to back-track, Robert started his party early and a had a few too many beers, we got stuck in construction and finally made it to Tamarindo 7 and a half hours later. So what do you do in this situation? Honestly, we had to just take a step back from the situation and just laugh.

The small beach town of Tamarindo is very Americanized and we stayed at the hotel called La Palapa which was really nice! Each room was loft style and we had our own private terrace right on the beach, cant complain. On Friday night we went to dinner which was right on the beach and watched the sun set, it was so pretty! After dinner we headed back to our room to get ready for the night at "The Monkey Bar". This bar was really fun, had great music and everyone was really friendly. I saw someone pass by me in an ASU shirt and I couldn't help but say "GO WILDCATS!" After talking to my new sundevil friend, we realized how small this world is. He knew a ton of kids I went to school with and he is here with 15 ASU kids studying this summer in Escazu. On Saturday we woke up and went to breakfast and then headed to the beach. The beach was packed with people and we enjoyed the sand between our toes. In the afternoon it started to rain a little bit so Hannah and I got massages on the beach for 15 dollars!! It was paradise, the waves crashing and the rain coming down. What did you do this weekend? :)

 Saturday night we went out to dinner at our hotel for Hannah's 21st birthday and then got ready for the night! We went to this bar called "Aqua" where we ran into everyone we met at the beach and the night before. Tamarindo is a small town so we saw all of the same people and went out with them. Our last day came so fast, on Sunday we woke up and went to the beach for a little bit, had lunch, watched the beginning of the World Cup game and headed to the bus station. After a 6 hour trip we finally arrived in San Jose and got ready for another week of work.

cuatro de julio :)

This weekend we stayed in San Jose and decided that it was time we roamed around and saw the city and all it has to offer!  There were so many people out and about; it was so incredible! We wandered the streets of San Jose and found an indoor main market that had the most interesting souvenirs, fruit and animal parts (yes, the weird pieces of the animal were just sitting in the glass containers).  We then wandered and found an art market, which was full of souvenirs and any Costa Rican item you could imagine! So naturally, we did a little shopping.  After we went to the art market we went to lunch at a restaurant that was right along the pedestrian walkway and watched the World Cup.  We figured it was a good day to see an afternoon movie because all the movies play in English with Spanish subtitles but the line was so incredibly long.  I have never seen a line so long to see a movie, it wrapped around the entire floor of the mall!  I’m assuming it was so busy because soon after we left it started pouring rain.

Happy 4th of July!  We attended The Fourth of July Picnic sponsored by Aerocasillas and the American colony at the Imperial Brewery.  We woke up bright and early to catch the bus to the nearby city called Alajuela, where the event was held.  We have never taken this bus before so when we got on we sat toward the front and told the bus driver where we needed to be dropped off.  The bus driver arrives close to our destination and tells us to get off here and so we get off the bus to see that we are stranded in the middle of the freeway!!!  Haha honestly all we could do was laugh and make the trek towards the nearest exit while buses and cars were zooming past us, I felt completely safe at this moment...not.  We finally arrived at the picnic!  

The picnic was for Americans and each American was allowed to bring two "Ticos"; overall there were about 5,000 people in attendance.  I had to work for the first hour in the morning at the Aerocasillas booth where we handed out free magazines and catalogs with information about our company.  People go crazy over magazines!  The difference between Americans and Ticos- Americans will take 2 or 3 magazines and Ticos will load up an entire bag full of at least 15 magazines and come back for more 10 minutes later.  Ticos also think that blonde hair and blue-eyed girls are really dumb; so of course they took advantage of the free magazines and came back multiple times or sent their children back thinking we wouldn't notice.  

After working I was then was able to spend the rest of the day celebrating!  At the picnic they had games, tons of food and drinks, live music and various performances going on throughout the day.  My boss put on a Magic Show!  Oh my, I laughed so hard because he was by far the worst magician I have ever seen; at least he was entertaining! His worst tricks were the card tricks because he got them wrong every time and in his words "the younger the crowd, the easier it is because they do not pick up on my mistakes".  I definitely had my fair share of all-American food.  After sampling everything we decided it was time to ride the mechanical bull.  I have never rode a mechanical bull before so it was definitely an experience.  Surprisingly I lasted a long time and so many people crowd around to watch the participant get flung off the mechanical bull! Today I have a few bruises from the wild ride, but it was worth it!  We listened to the concert for a while and then the picnic ended around 1 pm.

Getting back to San Jose we were dropped off downtown where we stumbled into another art market.  Of course today was "25% off for you today only! Such a deal!"  Two blonde girls are dead targets for souvenirs and we were bombarded by all of the vendors.  Apparently Costa Ricans bother the Americans with souvenirs and the Chinese with fruit and vegetables.  Wandering around the art market we found a vendor who had the "typical Costa Rican dress" and of course I insisted on trying it on.  The outfit consists of a full skirt, apron and blouse.  I tried on a few skirts but of course none of them were long enough for me.  He did find one that was long enough but it was meant for a 350-pound tica woman and he told me that I could sew it to be smaller if I wanted to.  Do I look like I know how to sew?  Absolutely not.   I felt bad because I was leading this vendor on and he assumed that I was going to buy one of the outfits, unfortunately I do not have an extra 85 dollars for a tica skirt. It was fun and we have pictures to prove it, he thought we were absolutely ridiculous!  After an eventful day we headed home to end our fabulous weekend.

Workin' for the weekend.

Man oh man!  Things have been so chaotic over here in Costa Rica!  My boss has had us working away on projects in hopes to complete his long list by the end of this month, we shall see.  We finished all of our Spanish Powerpoint Presentations and they were sent to all of the Spanish countries.  So far we have had great feedback and each country likes having their results in a simple, layed out plan versus pages and pages of excel sheets.  After completing the presentations we were asked to present one of the presentations to the head team of Aerocasillas.  We were able to explain the graphs and the overall results of each survey question.  I think this is survey and analysis by coutnry is a great tool that can be used to improve the countries overall strategy and goals.  Our new project has begun and of course I am excited because its arts and crafts!  We were asked to come up with 3 score board ideas to represent 6 countriey goals for 2010.  The first score board needs to measure packages moved per month and so I came up with the idea of a giant bar graph that is measured in 4 quarters of the year ( I will post pictures later).  The second board needed to measure the amount of new clients added per month and so I created a monopoly board and called it "Aeronopoly".  Our third board needed to represent the number of affiliations and so we created a puzzle board.  I left all of the math to my co-intern to create the charts! :)  Once we finish I will post pictures so you can see exactly what I am talking about!  Our boss is a very visual person and so he likes to see the big picture of the company in a creative way, which is right up my ally.  This week we also met the founder of Aerocasillas which was quite a treat.

A few more things that amuse me in Costa Rica (yes, once I see something I immediately write it down):

 -The technology system is so different here.  In order for an iphone to work they have to have someone replace the software to be compatible with the Costa Rica Network.  Cellphones are a monopoly in Costa Rica and they do not have numerous providers like the United States does which is why it is unlikely for foreigners to buy a cell phone here and count on it working. (if you can believe it I am still surviving without a cell phone or a watch).

 -The language here is completely different from what I learned in school and I pick up on new phrases and words on a daily basis. Costa Rica is famous for their slang and unique way of speaking. As a visitor this is very difficult to pick up on.

 -Slamming doors.  Apparently Americans slam taxi doors so loud and slam doors when they leave.  Taxi drivers are not happy about their doors being slammed.

 -When getting on to the bus there is a “bar” before you pay the bus driver and if you stand by the “bar” for too long they can charge your twice or charge you and the person behind you.  So make sure you have your change ready when getting on the bus!

 -I have never appreciated the fact that the sun sets later in the states and now I do, more than ever!  The sun sets at 5:30 and it is pitch dark at 6 pm, this is something that I don’t think that I could ever get used to…I appreciate the extra hours of daylight in the evenings.

 -Ticos answer the phone as “ahh-low”.  You need to ask for ice because they usually serve water and soda without it.  Canned peaches are a delicacy.  They are used on cakes, pies, etc. but the price increases depending on the amount of peaches are on the desserts.

 -What Tico’s consider “Barbies”: blonde hair, blue eyes, and light skinned Americans. We laugh because everywhere we go is a sea of brown hair and of course, we are the outcasts.