2022

TOTAL RECALL 2022 – Part III

Here it is, the last week of 2022! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I’m always still in the holiday spirit a couple days after, so I’d love to tell you about our most recent Pre-Christmas events to let it last just a liiittle bit longer. 😉 If you haven’t read the first two parts of our year review here are the links for you:

Part I: https://internexcanada.wordpress.com/2022/12/14/total-recall-2022-part-i/

Part II: https://internexcanada.wordpress.com/2022/12/21/total-recall-2022-part-ii/

So, here we go:

The closer winter came the more our Halloween activities shifted into Christmas/Winter. 😉 Have you been on the Christmas Market, or to the VanDusen Botanical Gardens Festival of Light? I love these kind of activities to get me in the mood for Christmas, they light up this dark cold winter time and help me stay sane. 😀 Or have you been to a Canadian Ice Hockey game yet? I can highly recommend it, even if you’re not too familiar with the sport it’s a great experience and who knows, maybe you’ll walk out of the arena as a new Canucks fan. 😉

Our last bigger trip this year was to Whistler, but this time for ski season! We had a nice hotel with a jacuzzi in every room which was really nice at freezing outdoor temperatures of -14 degrees! The weather was cold, but beautifully sunny. The first day we went on a stunning snow walk around the golf course, it looked like a real winter wonder land. The main event was obviously the skiing on the following day and for real it looked amazing, plus Whistler is also known for its great Apres Ski parties which many of us enjoyed. 🙂

Now 2022 is coming to an end and to conclude, the year has definitely been challenging with all the changes the pandemic has brought with it, especially in the tourism industry, but we can proudly say we had a great year with lots of adventures, learning curves, and most importantly awesome people.

We are grateful to be back and we want to continue helping you grow through your experience here with INTERNeX in 2023. Off to a new chapter! We wish you all the best for the next year and all the years to follow!

Did you set yourself any challenges for the next year? How has this year been for you? What was your favourite event/trip this year? I recommend sitting down for a minute and really think about what you’ve achieved and how much you’ve grown, it makes you really excited to see what’s coming next, doesn’t it? 🙂

Lots of Love,

Laura 🙂

TOTAL RECALL 2022 – Part II

Welcome back to our flashback trilogy! Walk with me through late summer and fall of 2022.
If you haven’t checked out the first part yet here’s a link:
https://internexcanada.wordpress.com/2022/12/14/total-recall-2022-part-i/

As the summer continued we had a rainy bike ride through Stanley Park which gave us ‘real Canadian’ vibes with the fog lifting above the water and the trees coming through the white walls of clouds, so even though it rained we enjoyed our little bike ride, and not sure if you know it yet, but rain is not very uncommon in Vancouver. 😉 The rest of the summer was quite sunny though, ideal for an outdoor movie night at Second Beach, a fireworks extravaganza, a hike through the beautiful nature of Lynn Canyon including some cliff jumping in ice cold water, a disc golf tournament and the Vancouver Pride Parade! Looking back I gotta say I miss summer!

In August another big challenge was awaiting me, I had to plan a program in Toronto for High School exchange students from Germany, so I was gone for quite some time while Ida arrived in Vancouver and took my place here. First thing she had to do is go on our summer Rockies trip, not too bad of a start I believe. 😉 Until now she said that it was her favourite trip in Canada, so I’m glad she managed to go all by herself getting used to her new role, she did amazing. 🙂 I’m kind of sad I couldn’t join, the photos looked amazing!!! See for yourself:

But there’s always a next time. 🙂

Shortly after Tino joined our team and made sure everyone had a great experience. He only stayed for two months, but let me tell you, he gave it all he got and we love that about him. 🙂

Another of our favourites this year was the Vancouver Island trip in September, where we explored BCs raw rain forests, long beaches and wildlife. In Tofino everyone had the chance to go surfing, and whale watching which was a magical experience for many. On top of that we ended our day with a bonfire at the beach and stargazing, nothing better than that. 🙂 The next day some of us went Bungee Jumping near Nanaimo, so brave! I heard they loved it and wanted to jump again 😉 Would you do it? The trip ended with a beautiful stay in Victoria. Luckily we got blessed with a rather warm and sunny early fall!

Perfect for more fun events like another hike up Grouse Mountain, a visit at the Richmond Night Market, a Canadian Country Night, a day trip to Whistler, and a hike at Joffre Lakes. INTERNeX was pretty active this summer, I can tell you! I would talk more about it but pictures speak louder than words or how was that again? 😉 So here’s a little slideshow with event highlights:

And what would this year have been without ANOTHER trip to the Rockies? Yes, you see this one’s pretty popular and if you’ve missed out so far don’t worry there’ll be a couple of those next year also. In case you still don’t have enough (like me, I can never get enough Rockies content), you swell in memories, or you want to mentally prepare to see this beauty in real life, here are some impressions from Tino’s Rockies trip. 🙂

As fall settled in, it got a little more quiet (well at least compared to all the summer action) We visited a bunch of Halloween events to get into the spirit and we had our own Thanksgiving potluck at the beach with games and lots of food, it was delicious!

Speaking of delicious food, are you ready for Christmas this week? What are your plans so far? What do you normally eat on Christmas? Do you have any Holiday traditions? Whatever you end up doing I hope you have a wonderful time!

Merry Christmas,

Laura 🙂

What to do on the weekend?

We are getting closer and closer to Christmas, who’s excited for the Holidays?
I sure am. This weekend I have a few great suggestions for you on what to do.

The first one is the Christmas Cabaret which will be an immersive experience with the theme of Light, Love and Liberty. Guests will explore a labyrinth like space filled with live music, weaving voices, corridors of original paintings, movement artists, all flowing inviting the audience to come on magical journey for a few hours. There’ll be wine & cheese, coffee, hot chocolate, mulled apple cider and other Christmas goodies, perfect to get into the Holiday spirit. Be prepared for 11 musicians, 6 actors, 3 movement artists and 4 painters. See what Vancouvers art scene has to offer and maybe take a walk along the beach beforehand. 🙂 The price for this event is by donation, recommended is around $25, but really just see for yourself how much you’d like to give to support the artists. 🙂
Let me know if you’d like to join. 🙂

Link: https://youtheatresociety.com/2022/11/04/christmas-cabaret/

Maybe you’re not into arts? I have a few other events that could prevent you from being a Grinch this year. A bunch of you asked me about the Capilano Canyon Lights and it’s for sure nice to experience. If you want to go to the Capilano Suspension Bridge I’d go during this time rather than in summer time. It just has a nice touch to it, kind of like walking through fairy land if you ask me. But be prepared for crowded paths, like almost every event here in Vancouver it gets quite busy. The entrance fee is $62.95 plus tax. You can get there free with a shuttle bus that leaves from Canada Place. Make sure to buy your tickets online in advance for the planned date.

Link: https://www.capbridge.com/events/canyon-lights/

If your budget is low because you’ve been buying lots of Christmas presents I totally understand! How about a nice stroll through Stanley Park? I feel like that’s always a good idea to spend the weekend. There’s of course the seawall, or different paths through the forest, just make sure to stay on the path and give wildlife its space. 🙂 The weather will be sunny, so make sure to catch the sunset on your walk and maybe you could end up at the ‘Bright Nights in Stanley Park’. Volunteers of the Burn Fund set up their dazzling displays including an antique fire truck, a giant red reindeer, and a sparkling tunnel of lights in the plaza. There’s also going to be food vendors offering churros, pretzels, popcorn, hot chocolate and more for a cozy evening in Stanley Park. Enjoy some live entertainment and donate as much as you’d like to support the Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund when you leave this event. 🙂

Link: https://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/bright-nights-train.aspx

Whether you decide to immerse yourself into the Holiday spirit, go last minute gift shopping because I just reminded you that it’s next weekend, or avoid it all by watching movies in bed, I hope you have a great weekend!

Let me know how it went at next week’s pub night. 🙂

Cheers,

Laura 🙂

TOTAL RECALL 2022 – Part I

Wow, what an eventful year! INTERNeX came back from the ashes like a Phoenix. Even though the company officially reopened for candidates in September 2021, the real deal started with the reopening of the office in early spring, 2022. A new office in the same building, a small team with lots to do! As this year is coming to an end we’d like to walk down memory lane with you and look back on some experiences we’ve had.

First of all thanks to everyone who chose to join our INTERNeX Family this year, you made it so special. More thanks go out to some of our older candidates who decided to come back and visit this beautiful city one more time, once with INTERNeX, always with INTERNeX, you’re welcome here any time. 🙂

For me as new PR and Program Coordinator here at INTERNeX it was a challenging but rewarding year and I won’t forget to mention all the amazing help I’ve received through Tatjana who was the PR coordinator before me and helped me figure out many things to make my start smoother, and of course my awesome Practicum Students Ida and Tino. Their positive attitude was contagious and made working with them so easy. I think I speak for everyone when I thank you all for the great events you organized, the crazy pub nights you made people feel welcome at, and the exciting trips you managed.


But let’s rewind and reflect on what actually happened this year. For me it all started with the first Rockies trip in April. Frozen lakes, snowy mountains, camp fires, hot tubs, slippery hikes, scenic Banff with lots of possibilities to explore the cold spring in Canada. If you ever get the chance to go, I recommend taking the Gondola up Sulphur Mountain, it gives you breathtaking views over mountain ranges and the valleys. Another nice activity was a hiking trail at Lake Louise which gives an amazing outlook on the lake and the Fairmont Chateau, reminding me a little bit of Hogwarts from above. 🙂 Please keep in mind to dress properly for this hike in winter since it’s really icy! Even though we had a lot of fun sliding down the mountain I believe the experience is better with proper shoes. 😉 Let me tell you, the Rockies are always a good idea no matter if winter or summer, and so was this one. See for yourself:

The next trip didn’t wait long. In May a small group of us went to Whistler which is only a two hour bus ride from Vancouver. We were relaxing in our condo with it’s own hot tub, played games by the fireplace, went out for lots of partying and even managed to go on a bike ride the next day to explore Whistlers beautiful nature. 😉 A lot of times Whistler is associated with skiing, but it’s also a great place to visit during summer time for hiking, biking, or simply escaping the big city life for a couple of days. 🙂


In June the first large group arrived and only had a limited time of 4 weeks to enjoy Vancouver so that meant events after events! We’ve climbed the challenging Grouse Grind (I dare you to do it), played a heated BubbleBall match (sooo much fun), celebrated Canada Day at the beach, saw an awesome performance at Theatre Under the Stars in Stanley Park, and got wet in a kayak at Deep Cove! On top of that INTERNeX went to Las Vegas for the 4th of July, yes I know it was such a crazy time, but I’m grateful for all the experiences that came with it and that no one actually got lost. 😀

Another of my favourite days was probably the day trip to Victoria with Moose Bus in July. We had amazing weather and our tour guide Mike was a real specialist in the area, so he made sure we get the best out of our short stay in the capital of British Columbia. We wandered through the Fisherman’s Wharf, enjoyed wide ocean views along a pier where we also saw some otters, and had free time to walk around the city, I personally really liked the little hidden alleys in China Town. I realize that BC just has so much to offer, it never gets boring!

What was your favourite summer event? Are you ready for next summer yet, or do you enjoy the colder winter weather?

Stay tuned to go with me through last fall in our next year review blog post.

Until then, have a great week!

Cheers,

Laura 🙂

How was the weekend?

The INTERNeX gang visited the Festival of Lights at the VanDusen Botanical Garden on Saturday and it really was a bright, colourful evening. 🙂

With over one million lights decorating the 15 acres of the Garden there was no dark spot! It was like walking through a magical winter wonderland, just the snow was missing. 😉 There were many themed areas, like Reindeer Meadow for example, or a path filled with Candy Canes, another one with a lot of colourful lights, and as the theme song of Bridgerton was playing we walked past a garden of bright white lights sparkling like snow in the dark, so yes not only are there lots of lights, but also music to enhance the experience, mostly Holiday themed of course. 🙂 They also served treats like mini doughnuts, or chocolate fondue, hot chocolate, coffee, and tea throughout the garden so you can stay warm on your walk along the lakeside and the lit up gardens. My favourite parts were the tunnels because you’re completely surrounded by lights and the Candy Canes shimmering in red and white among the trees. 🙂
After taking in all the glimmer and sparkles a few of us went downtown to grab dinner before going home. It was a great relaxing evening that brought me little more into the holiday spirit. 🙂

The rest of my weekend was pretty chill with inviting friends over for brunch and going for a nice Sunday stroll around West Point Grey. It’s one of my favourite areas to walk in, the Pacific Spirit Regional Park is beautiful and quiet with views over the ocean at some points along the way. If you haven’t been yet I recommend you check it out when you seek some peaceful quiet time in nature away from the city. Listening to the wind rushing through the trees and the waves of the ocean can be medicine. 😉

How was your weekend? What did you do? Have you been to the Festival of Lights yet, or is it on your bucket list?

Can’t wait to hear all about it at Pub Night on Wednesday!

Until then, have a great week!

Cheers,

Laura 🙂