My name is Merle, I am 18 years old and I am from Remscheid in Germany. In September I will start studying physiotherapy in Hamburg.
I graduated a year ago and almost half a year before my graduation I was sure I needed a break from my studies. So I decided to go abroad but I was not sure at that time if I wanted to go to New Zeeland or Canada. After I read a lot about Vancouver and collected some information about the city and Canada, I decided to go there. The main points in this decision were the variety in nature, like the sea and the beaches, the rainforests and mountains and on the other side the varied parts of the city.
I found INTERNeX through my agency in Germany. I am participating in the practicum program, which I chose because I thought an internship is a good way to get an insight of the work I would do through it. I am working at a tennis club as a sports administrator and I wanted to see if this could be a plan B for me when physiotherapy is not working out. Although I kind of like the work I am doing there and I think it is a good experience for me, I know now it is not a plan B for me.
The club is a big organisation in British Columbia and organises many 
tournaments for kids and adults, league games and school programs. It has a small office with just eight employees and everyone has their own part of work at the organisation. Some are organising tournaments, others are running the school programs and the marketing department. Because it is such a small office I got to know and worked with nearly everyone. I liked this because it is a good way to meet more new people and to get to know every kind of work at a sports organisation. I needed to handle word and excel pretty well for this practicum and it is a plus when you are able to work independently but also as a team at the same time.
In Vancouver I stay with a host family and they are really nice so I like it there. My first impression of Vancouver was that it is a really big, nice and varied city and this impression got confirmed over the almost three months I am here now. I really like the activities organised by the PR-team. Sadly I cannot join so many pub nights, but the ones I have joined were really good and it is a really nice chance to meet new people from all over the world. The activities are really good too, because I have been to places I would not go to by myself, like the Rockies Trip or Bowen Island. It is also nice to hang out with other young people, get to know them and make new friendships.
With INTERNeX I went to the Rockies, to Whistler, Bowen Island, Lighthouse Park and the museum of Vancouver. I also went to Capilano Suspension Bridge, the Harbour Lookout, Flyover Vancouver, Stanley Park, English Bay, Kits Beach, Jericho Beach, Burnaby Mountain, Deep Cove, Chinatown, Rockie Point Park, Gastown, Granville Island and Vancouver Island.
I really like the variety of the nature and the multicultural of the people living in Vancouver. Besides that most of the people are always really friendly and polite. It can sometimes be a challenge though to come from one place to another, which is not close to downtown.
The most memorable thing is the Rockies trip for sure! I met so many new people and we had so much fun with our INTERNeX group, so I will never forget this Easter weekend. Another unforgettable experience was the zip lining at Whistler. To “fly” over the rivers and trees was just amazing. And the last most memorable thing I did is the seaplane flight over Vancouver, just breathtaking!
I Always loved to travel so this trip did not really inspired me to travel more, but it 
inspired me to travel more by myself because it is a totally different experience than traveling with family or friends. I still want to go to New Zeeland, but also to the USA and I would love to see the eastside of Canada as well, like Toronto and Montreal.
INTERNeX was really helpful to meet new people and to do a lot of activities. They found a good placement for me as well so I would recommend their services to others.
The first thing I will do when I am back home is seeing my family and visiting my friends!
– Merle
INTERNeX International Exchange
International Village,
Suite 2077, 2079 – 88 West Pender Street
Vancouver, Canada -V6B 6N9-
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com
INTERNeX Canada 