Gringo Tuesdays founder ready for next phase of growth

Gringo Tuesdays founder and Bogotá entrepreneur Tiffany Kohl. (Courtesy Tiffany Kohl)

A mammoth, free international language exchange and international party, Gringo Tuesdays is a “must-attend” event for expats and Bogotanos alike. Yet its recent expansion into a bigger location and fast-approaching 7th anniversary find creator Tiffany Kohl on the verge of a personal transition as well. After a decade building a professional reputation in Bogotá’s booming nightlife, the Colorado-born business dynamo looks toward a future in cultural pursuits with energy and optimism.

How did you come to Colombia?

I came to Colombia in 2006 for a youth leadership conference organized by AIESEC, which is an NGO that arranges paid internships for students around the world. I hardly saw any of the country because we were holed up in a hotel, but I absolutely fell in love with the people. They made a tremendous impact on me.

Colombians are very warm and welcoming. From the second they picked me up at the airport it felt like a homecoming. It was beautiful. I thought if the people I had met at the conference represented even a fraction of the country, then it was where I wanted to be.

From the second they picked me up at the airport it felt like a homecoming.

Oddly enough, though, Colombia wasn’t even on my radar at first. I’d studied Spanish in Spain and had friends from Ecuador, Peru, Mexico. But I’d never met a Colombian. I didn’t know a lot about the country – not even the negative press. My friends said it was too dangerous and that I was too young to come here, but I was set on not having any preconceptions.

What was your professional trajectory before Gringo Tuesdays?

After the conference I finished school with a degree in International Business & Marketing and a minor in Travel & Tourism, and immediately looked for an internship here. I honed my search on Bogotá and was very persistent. My first contract was with a hospitality company called Viaggio Suites. I helped them design and set up new projects.

In 2008 I started my first company. It was a travel agency focused on the small group of foreigners and expats who were already here. We did trips within and from Bogotá, then branched out to overland tours to the coffee region, Popayán, San Augustín.

From there I moved into organizing events and meetups aimed at connecting AIESEC interns with Colombians in Bogotá. Running these led to my current projects, including Gringo Tuesdays. I started that with my Australian business partner in 2011. Since then it’s been our core business.

What is Gringo Tuesdays?

Gringo Tuesdays is a large-scale, free language exchange and international party. We hold it every Tuesday night of the year, without fail. From 5 pm to 9 pm, anyone can come to practice various languages. We have tables for English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Italian. We’ve just added a Russian table to get ready for the World Cup.

The tables are also set up by language level – basic, intermediate, and advanced– so there’s something for everyone who wants to practice with native speakers. Then at 9 pm we take away the tables, bring in the DJs, and start the party that goes until 3 AM.

Expats can focus on meeting locals and practicing languages in a safe, open, and welcoming setting. Colombians can make international connections in the heart of their own city. Making cultural connections and encouraging people to participate in the local culture here have always been important to me. The relationships that people form here are really special.

We started with about 100 attendees but it’s grown to more than 1,000. We recently outgrew our first location and in March moved to a new larger space called Vintrash, just off Calle 85 on the Paseo del Faro in Zona Rosa. We’ll be celebrating our 7th anniversary there in May.

What’s the biggest challenge you had to overcome in building these businesses?

Understanding the local culture and work habits, especially with simple things like ensuring punctuality and maintaining standards. It’s a big change from operating in a culture where these are the norm.

It was also difficult to find the right talent at the outset. I had to set up training programs to communicate expectations to my team. People here aren’t unwilling to work, but there’s definitely a different way to communicate with them to get things done.

The talent pool has grown over the last decade, especially in tourism and events.

Still, there’s so much talent here that the opportunities offset the challenges. Colombia is full of smart, young, well-educated, and ambitious people. And I think the talent pool has grown over the last decade, especially in tourism and events.

When I arrived it was nearly impossible to find anyone who spoke English. Now it’s common to find Colombians who speak English and even a third language. The level of service and attention to detail has really gone up. Colombians are rising to the challenges of changing industries.

Your mother is Japanese and your father is German. Yet you all grew up in the U.S. Do you feel Colombian?

That’s a good and complicated question. If I’m in Europe and people ask me where I’m from, the answer that rings true is Colombia. I’ve lived my entire adult life here and feel very much at home.

If I say I’m from the U.S., people will ask me what it’s like there, but honestly, I have no idea. I don’t reject my birthplace and I still go back to visit my parents, but for me the only honest answer to that question is that I feel Colombian.

Not everyone in my situation has the same opinion, though. Many of my Colombian friends who’ve lived abroad say they feel foreign when they come back. That reverse dynamic is interesting.

You feel at home here. Do you feel safe?

Yes. I’ve never felt unsafe. Now, you still need to be realistic. Bogotá is a big city. You need to be smart and watch your belongings.

But I’ve always been pretty adventurous. The day after I arrived, I took an overnight bus by myself to Medellín. During my first year here I travelled every weekend I could.

I’ve always been pretty adventurous. The day after I arrived, I took an overnight bus by myself to Medellín.

All my trips were overland, too, which was something most Colombians wouldn’t think of doing in 2006. But we didn’t have (budget airline) Viva Colombia back then and I didn’t have much money because I was fresh out of school.

I still travel overland and that still surprises a lot of Colombians. I recently went to Tierradentro, in the Cauca region. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site an eight-hour drive from Bogotá, and you can only get there by road. A lot of Colombians can’t believe I still do that.

Where do you see Bogotá in five years’ time?

I see Bogotá growing rapidly. The pace has doubled even in the past two years, and I can only imagine that trend will continue. It’s beautiful to see so many Colombians reclaiming their country.

I think that events like Gringo Tuesdays have the potential to grow and expand. The restaurant and nightlife scene here is booming. That’s really positive. My role is to continue anticipating those trends and adapt. I’m excited to see what will happen.

My role is to continue anticipating trends and adapt. I’m excited to see what will happen.

Also, my friends back home who wouldn’t dare visit have stopped joking about the stereotypes. Now they’re saying “I’ve heard good things about Colombia. What if I come and visit?”

You’ve done a lot since arriving. Where do you see yourself in five years?

I see a change of pace for myself. After 10 years in nightlife and events I’d like to move into more cultural activities. Music and art are what really inspire me and the country is exploding with culture. Colombia is opening rapidly and I want to share the resources of such a beautiful country with other travelers.

Colombia is a place where so many things are possible. There are opportunities here to live 10 different life paths if that’s what you want. For example: in 2009, I worked as the Field Producer and Assistant Director of a European reality TV show, even though I had no experience in TV.

Colombia is a place where so many things are possible. You can live 10 different life paths if that’s what you want.

The show opened the door to a great experience. We traveled through the Amazon region and spent two weeks living with an indigenous community. I actually stayed in TV for several years. I’d never have that kind of opportunity in the U.S.

Here it’s possible to experiment, to play, and to reinvent yourself. That’s what I’m doing now. It’s not always been easy and things haven’t always gone well. But I trust both myself and the opportunities here enough that things will work out. In my deepest moments of soulful reflection, the answer has always been “I’m staying. This is home for me.”