New ‘Kids’ on the Blog

We’re so excited to welcome 6 new members to our ‘little’ INTERNeX family this week!

Here’s Nicolas (he/him) from Munich in Germany who’s going to volunteer in the field of Marketing for the next three months. He’s already been in Vancouver for a year of studies but couldn’t get enough which is why he’s back, very understandable if you ask me. He said he had the best time of his life here and a bunch of his friends are still around so he thought he’d come back before going to visit his family in Greece for a few months and starting to study Economics right after. We have a real Vancouver expert amongst us, so if you ever need recommendations you know who to ask. 😉 His favourite thing is hanging out at the beach, either English Bay, Kits, or Jericho. However, his first impression of Vancouver wasn’t really good. Upon arrival he had to go into quarantine for a few days and his luggage arrived delayed. The student accommodation was pretty bad he explains, but the people around him made his experience perfect in the end. I think that’s the key, it’s all about the people. This time only one thing is really on his bucket list: Clubbing. Last time he wasn’t old enough to enjoy Vancouver’s night life to the fullest, but that changed, so if you plan a night out, let him know. 😉 Aside from going out Nicolas likes to play soccer, travel and listen to music. Fun fact: His favourite memory from Vancouver was seeing skunks in the city. I admit they’re pretty cute, but I would keep my distance just in case. 😀

Alexa (she/her) from a place close to Hamburg in Germany will volunteer for three months in Marketing, mainly handling social media channels and planning events, how exciting! Before coming here she worked in an office and afterwards she plans on studying Business in Hamburg. Alexa has family in Canada, mainly in Alberta, but she’s never been there. On her bucket list she set it as a goal to maybe visit them, but she’s not sure how it will work out in the end. That’s one reason why she always wanted to come to Canada and I mean who wouldn’t? I’d love to have family here that I could visit anytime. 🙂 Her first impression of Vancouver is that people are very warm and friendly and that the city looks like in the movies. I’m not surprised considering a lot of series and movies were filmed here, even though they claim to take place in the United States. If you’re a movie lover I recommend looking into what movie scenes were filmed here in Vancouver. It’s super fun to find out and look for the places, plus you’ll get to know the city better through it as well. Her hobbies include playing the piano, cooking and baking traditional German dishes with her grandma and watching soccer. Her favourite team is Liverpool, and hereby the discussion is opened. 😉

Next up is Sophie (she/her) from Germany as well, but close to Frankfurt. She’s going to volunteer in HR for the next seven weeks. Back home she studies Business and plans on continuing once she’s back home. Contrary to Nicolas, Sophie has never been to Canada before but she heard so many good things about it that she wanted to come check it out, especially the nature.:) And so far Vancouver hasn’t disappointed, the people are friendly, the city is nice and the food is really good she says. She doesn’t have a bucket list for her short time here, she just wants to meet people, make new friends and see as much as possible from Vancouver and the surrounding nature. I believe that’s a good way of spending time here. Maybe you can tell her your favourite place to go to, or your must-do’s so she can get inspired. One thing’s for sure, it doesn’t get boring in BC! In her free time Sophie likes to ride horses and to go travel. 🙂

Let’s introduce you to Laura (she/her) from Germany, near Mainz. She’s going to volunteer at an organization that helps people who can’t afford lawyers to access one for little or no money. She’ll be taking calls and talk to customers, trying to find out if she really wants to study law once back in Germany. Right now she just graduated from High School and wants to use her free time to travel which is another reason why she’s here with us. At first she wanted to do an exchange High School year in the United States but Covid wiped out that opportunity for her. She’s been to the States before and thinks Canada is a bit similar but also has its differences which is why she picked it for her current journey and so far she has no regrets. When her plane landed she saw the mountains and it got her excited. She compared it to New York and says Vancouver is quite the opposite with all its nature around which makes it really beautiful. She wants to take everything as it comes and has no fixed plans on her bucket list, one thing she’ll explore this week is Vancouver Island and I’m really excited for her! It’s going to be an amazing trip! What a great way to start your adventure here. 🙂 In her free time Laura not only likes to travel, but she’s also a dancer (modern) and loves to bake. She has no favourite recipe but rather likes try out new things and challenge herself. 🙂

Another new ‘Kid’ is Ibrahim (he/him) also from Germany. He lives in Bremen but was born in Turkey. In Vancouver he is going to volunteer at a cat sanctuary. His children love cats and as soon as he is back home they want to get one. That’s the reason why he decided to volunteer in this field. Ibrahim wants to learn more about those cute animals so he’s prepared for their furry soon to be family member(s) 🐱. What a great way to approach this! He decided to go to Canada because he wants to gain international experience and improve his English skills which will help him find a well suited job in the future. Last time he spoke English was 6 years ago but I can tell he speaks really good English and doesn’t need to worry about it. 🙂 Another reason why he decided to go to Vancouver was because his brother is currently in Japan and so Ibrahim wanted to see the other side of the world. 😀 As soon as he’s home, he wants to work as a mechanical engineer. His first impression of the city was that the people are very nice and helpful. He will join us on the Vancouver Island trip which is definitely a great start to his journey here! We are looking forward to it! Besides that he wants to see the typical sights of Vancouver and discover beautiful known places. In his free time he likes to play soccer and volleyball which I can highly recommend doing at the beach! Anyone down for another match?

Please welcome Alina (she/her) from near Cologne in Germany to our INTERNeX fam. At home she loves to play with her dogs which is one of the reasons why she”ll be volunteering at an Animal Rescue Centre, she’s an absolute animal lover! She decided  to come to Vancouver because she wants to work with animals, gain some international experience and because it was always a big dream of hers to go abroad to North America. We’re happy she made that dream come true. 🙂 She already received her High School diploma and did an internship at a hospital for her later studies. After her time in Vancouver she wants to study medicine – but not as might be expected for animals, she wants to study medicine for humans. Her first impression of Vancouver is that it’s amazing, overwhelming and beautiful all at once. Luckily she arrived here with stunning weather – we want that weather back! ☀️On her bucket list are many things, especially the sights of Vancouver including UBC, Granville Island Public Market, but also places further away like Vancouver Island (she’s attending our weekend trip, so the first point of her list is almost completed;)) and Seattle. Her hobbies include going to the gym, roller skating, reading, especially medical novels and of course playing with her dogs. 🙂 

We’re excited to have so many new ‘kids’ with us for the summer and can’t wait for you to meet them at Pub Night! 🥳

Cheers, 

Anna, Chiara & Laura

New ‘Kids’ on the Blog

Today there are three new kids that we’d love to introduce to you.

Our first new ‘kid’ is Marcus (he/him) from Portsmouth, England. He is a fresh graduate in Geography and International Politics. He’ll be volunteering for 2 months at an Organization that is focused on Community Service including helping people who want to immigrate to Canada. One of his tasks could be helping people with their visa application which he’d love to do. He decided to go to Canada because of the stunning place and lovely people- as we all agree. Also there are some similarities to his home like the language. His first impression was that Vancouver is massive as well as multicultural. After volunteering he’ll try to find a job in the Rockies which is also one point on his bucket list. Other than that he wants to visit Toronto and some other cities/ places. He wants to take it as it comes. One thing we think he shouldn’t miss out on is Vancouver Island. Luckily we’re going on a trip there soon 😉 After his time abroad he wants to work in England which is also a reason why he wants to gain international work experience in Canada. In his free time he likes to play soccer and travel around the world. His goal for being abroad is getting new hobbies, especially outside. What are your favourite things to do outside in Vancouver? There’s so many to choose from, we’re sure he’ll find at least one. 🙂

The next candidate is Theodor (he/him) – but you can call him Theo – from Hamburg in Germany. He’s been in Banff for 5 months where he did housekeeping as part of his Work and Travel Program. Now he wants to do something different for the last 2 months of his stay in Canada and thought about coming to Vancouver. Before his journey over here he graduated High School in Germany. Once he’s back in Germany he wants to study Engineering. A reason why he picked Canada is that 2-3 years ago his family hosted an exchange student from this beautiful country and he had never been here by himself, so the exchange student who became a friend persuaded him to choose Canada for his time abroad. His first impression was that Canada is very cold (he arrived here in December). On his Bucket list is just Vancouver Island so far, since his mom has been here before and recommended him to go. Other than that he’d like to go with the flow and see what’s to explore. Good thing we’ll have lots of cool things going on with INTERNeX😎. He loves snowboarding & skiing (he was able to do this during last months in the Rockies). Further, he loves cycling and swimming – we recommend the parks and the beaches in Vancouver for that. What is your favourite park & beach here in Vancouver to swim?

Last but not least we’re introducing our new ‘kid’ on the blog David (he/him). He is 27 years old and comes from Würzburg, Germany. He worked as an engineer for 9 years in Germany and now wants a little change in his life including location and people. In Canada he’ll be doing Work and Travel for at least one year but he is ready to extend his journey if he likes it (we’re sure he will 🤩). He hopes to find jobs as an engineer but he is also open to other jobs. He is also really flexible with switching the location, e.g. if he finds an appropriate work in another city than Vancouver like Toronto or the Rockies, he might move there. David just wants to see how and where it goes. As soon as he arrived in Vancouver he was so impressed with how close the mountains are to the big city. This brings us to his hobbies. He definitely loves the mountains, especially hiking and skiing. Other than that he likes cycling and recently he tried out climbing which he would love to get more into. So if anyone wants to go climbing and needs some accompaniment, feel free to contact David 😉 His Canada trip starts with going to Vancouver Island, which is on his bucket list. He already booked the whole vacation including the accommodation. Fun fact: We are going to do a similar trip at the same time and we’re staying at the same hostel in Tofino, so we hope to see him there! 😉. So far David doesn’t have a plan about what he’ll do after his time abroad. He wants to enjoy his time here and learn more about people, culture and working in Canada.

We all know Pub Night is a great opportunity to get together and meet new people and cultures 🙂

We hope to see you there! ☺️

Cheers,
Anna & Chiara 🙂

New ‘Kids’ on the Blog

Hi friends, 

now it’s our turn introducing ourselves to you 🙂

My name is Anna (she/her) and I’m 24 years old. I live in a small village near one of the prettiest cities in Europe (as CNN reported and I agreed) called Dinkelsbühl. 

Currently I’m studying ‘labour market management’ in Germany. It’s a dual studies where half of the time I work in a local agency and the other half I go to university. Now I had the opportunity to absolve a practicum aboard. Traveling, discovering new places, getting to know new cultures and meeting new people is one of my passions; Therefore, I really wanted to go to another continent. I’ve never been to Canada before but it’s been on my bucket list for so long. My plans for a Canada trip in 2020 got canceled by the covid pandemic. I got a lot of recommendations about Canada, especially Vancouver, so that’s the reason why I’m here. And I’m really happy about that!

As soon as I got out of the plane in Vancouver I was really impressed about the landscape, the city with its buildings and especially the nice people. After discovering (North-)Vancouver for some days I’ve told myself, if I ever wanted to move out, it would be Vancouver for sure. It just feels so comfortable, especially because everybody makes it feel so comfortable.

For the next upcoming six weeks I’m doing a practicum at INTERNeX. I will support the PR Department with writing blog posts, organizing a trip, as well as the weekly pub nights, keeping social media updated and all the daily things that are upcoming. Of course I will also take care of our candidates participating in any of our programs. Some of the activities planned for the upcoming weekends are also on my bucket list like going to Vancouver Island with a wildlife tour. Besides that I would love to hang out at the beach with a picnic, go to Stanley park or do stand up paddle boarding.

After my time here I got some weeks off of work, so I will spend my vacation in Hawaii, the West Coast of the USA and New York. Then I’ll return to Germany to work, but I also already got some tickets for festivals and concerts to look forward to.

My summer of 2023 is gonna be really fun and I’m excited for this upcoming time in Canada and the time after!

Hi my name is Chiara (she/her) and I’m 21 years old. My hometown is Tuttlingen in Germany and I’m here for six weeks to do my practicum at INTERNeX. Currently I’m studying Guidance for Education, Career and Employment at the Corporate University of the Federal Employment Agency of Germany. The study is subdivided into a theoretical and practical part where we are learning more about the German labour market and various other fields related to that.

For the time of my practicum I will be supporting the PR-Team at INTERNeX. My tasks for those six weeks are updating the social media accounts, planning the Pub Nights/Trips and getting in touch with the candidates to make them feel welcome and ensure they have a great time. 

I decided to come to Canada because I wanted to go abroad to advance my English skills and get a better insight to the culture, people and also the working culture. My first impression was that Vancouver is a very busy city, the people are so friendly and the weather conditions here change from hour to hour (my first purchase was an umbrella). On my Bucket list are visiting Vancouver Island and Whistler, hopefully seeing  grizzly bears. 

After my stay in Vancouver I’m going to do a road trip from San Francisco to San Diego. In my free time I like to dance in a latin formation, coach children and young adults in athletics and travel to new countries.

We’re so thankful for this opportunity and to be part of INTERNeX. See you in Vancouver! 🙂 

Cheers,

Anna and Chiara

New ‘Kids’ on the Blog

I know you missed it last week, but this week won’t disappoint and introduce 3 new ‘kids’ on the blog!

Let’s start with Dalia (she/her) from Germany where she last lived in Leipzig to study. Her goal is to become a teacher for children with special needs and give them the best chances to find a job after finishing school. She’s very aware of the great responsibility that comes with her job and it shows. Here she’ll volunteer at a pre-school in order to get to know the Canadian school system better and learn from it. She told me that the Canadian school system and education was always given as a great example during her studies, so for her it was clear that she has to come and look for herself. Afterwards she’d also love to work in Ireland for a bit and get to know the school system there before going back to Germany. Her first impression of Vancouver was that it’s super multicultural with great food options! She loves to wander around foreign supermarkets and check out what exotic things she can find to try. 🙂 Another big thing she noticed was all the Indigenous art at the airport and around the city which she enjoyed and would like to explore more since it’s an important part of this country. She’s very interested in different cultures and learning about them. Another thing she wants to do while she’s here is going on hikes. No better place than BC to do so, am I right? 😉 Other hobbies include running and baking. Dalia used to be part of a running group at university and already ran a half marathon! Her regular route is 8-10km long, meanwhile I was on my 10km Sun Run and thought I wouldn’t make it. 😀 I guess the shortbread cookies she likes to bake give some sort of special energy boost, I’ve gotta try them! 😉

Meet Jannik (he/him) from Augsburg, Germany. He loves taking care and working with animals so he’ll be volunteering at an Animal Rescue Centre for 4 weeks. It’s more of a hobby though, back home he studied Education but realized he doesn’t quite see himself working in a classroom, so he’d rather study Art and History when he returns to Germany. Never too late for a career change (especially when you’re only 22). It’s most important that we like what we’re doing on an every day basis, wouldn’t you agree? 🙂 Jannik has pets on his own, two cats and a tortoise, so he comes into this with some experience. He also enjoys watching Ice Hockey a lot! It’s one of the reasons he picked Canada next to the weather and the nature that intrigued him to travel here. He’d love to watch an Ice Hockey game while in Canada. Unfortunately the Canucks are done playing for this season and only a few Canadian teams are left in the Stanley Cup! Since Jannik plans to travel to Toronto by train after his volunteering, he might be able to see a game. Let’s cross our fingers the Maple Leafs are going into the next round, so Jannik gets a chance. 😉 We’ll make sure to at least watch a game at a sports bar so we get the stadium like atmosphere! His first impression of Vancouver was that people are friendly and the city is very beautiful. In his free time he likes playing lots of sports like tennis, going to the gym, watching movies and rock out to Metal music. I’m sure he would’ve liked to join me to the Megadeath concert last Friday. 😀

Here we have Hannah (she/her) as well from Germany, close to Mainz. She’s been here for 4 weeks already attending a language school before volunteering in Marketing. Before her journey over here she graduated High School back in Germany. Her plan when she goes back is to study Business Chemistry which will give her many job options later on, e.g. working in a lab or an office. She wants the best of both worlds. 🙂 Her main goal is to improve her English which is why she wanted to come to an English speaking country. Originally she planned to go to the United States, but the people around her were not too impressed with that idea since they think it’s not very safe, so when she decided to pick Canada instead her family was very happy. 🙂 Her cousin was in Vancouver already and liked it a lot, so it seemed like a great option for Hannah as well. Her first impression was that Vancouver is very rainy (I’m not surprised, indeed people call it Raincouver) but thankfully summer is starting soon which means less rain and more sun. 🙂 She thought it’s very beautiful though and enjoyed a couple days at the beach when it was sunny, so now she’s looking forward to experience summer in this amazing city. On her bucket list are visiting Seattle, Vancouver Island and Whistler, as well as going for hikes. Good thing we’re planning a trip to Vancouver Island at the end of this month. 😉 In her free time she likes to go to the gym, play sports and meet friends. Let’s make sure she has lots of new friends to hang out with here!

I can’t wait for you to welcome our new ‘kids’ into the INTERNeX family at tonight’s Pub Night!

See you then,

Laura 🙂

New ‘kids’ on the Blog

This week we don’t have 1, not 2, but 3 new kids on the blog!

Our first new ‘kid’ is an absolute animal lover! Say Hi to Antonia (she/her) form Offenburg in Germany. 🙂 During her time here she would like to spend some quality time with furry friends which is why she decided to volunteer at a Cat Sanctuary for the next 7 weeks. Besides the cats Antonia is very eager to see Orcas in the Pacific Ocean which is also one of the reasons why she chose to come to Vancouver! After some research she read that Vancouver Island would be a great spot to see the lovely killer whales in action. Good thing we’re planning a trip to Vancouver Island next month. 😉 After her stay in Canada she goes on for another 7 weeks to South Africa. There, she will volunteer in Kruger National Park, again with animals of course. 🙂

After reading all this you must think she’d like to do something with animals in her future career but actually she’d like to work in an office for a large company. She’s already worked at that company back home, but in a different position that’s not necessarily for her. Before working she just finished High School and is now taking some well deserved time off for herself. Her first impression of Vancouver is that it’s very calm and nice with lots of nature close by. Other than seeing Orcas, not much is on her bucket list. She will go with the flow and if she does see one of those beautiful whales, she’d like to get a tattoo to remember that experience by. I’m optimistic that she won’t leave Canada without crossing that point off her list. Maybe you want to join her on a whale watching tour? 🙂 Or maybe you’d rather play a round of darts with Antonia? That’s her newly found hobby which was influenced by her father’s passion for the sport. I say we go to a bar and practice some throws. Maybe at Pub Night?

Next we have double trouble. 😉 Justine (she/her) and Marie (she/her) are both from a small town in the South-East of France. They met each other about a year ago in Business School where they attend their second year together right now. Both need to gain some hands-on experience in an English speaking country, so they decided to volunteer at a Fashion Organization here in Vancouver. They are interested in how it operates, how it got where it is today, and they’d like to discover many different areas like design, communication, or social media.

Justine picked Canada because she wanted to experience a different culture and get out of her comfort zone back home. Vancouver is far away and gives the perfect opportunity to explore new ways of life. Her first impression was that Vancouver is big and beautiful with lots of nice people around. On her bucket list is to see an Ice Hockey Game and in general to discover as much as possible in the next 4 months. 🙂 Her hobbies include fashion, Formula 1, and sports in general. She used to especially like Handball! Her favourite food is Italian, so take out your recommendation list and let us know where to get the best Italian food in town. 😉

Marie always wanted to visit Canada because she thinks it’s a beautiful country, isn’t she right? 😉 Her first impression of the city is that it’s big, diverse and has many dogs – which she likes, so it’s a good thing. 🙂 While she’s here she’d like to experience many local things and immerse herself in the authentic culture of this place. Her interests are fashion, music and asian cultures, especially Korean and Japanese. She really enjoys K-Pop and Anime. One of her favourite foods is Sushi. I’d say Vancouver is a great place to have some good Sushi, what do you all think? 🙂

I’d love for you to meet the three at tonight’s Pub Night! Make sure to come by!

Cheers,

Laura