New ‘Kid’ on the Blog

This weeks new kid is an artist from the wonderful Westerwald in Germany. Please welcome Kim to our INTERNeX crew! 

She’ll only be here for a short time, but that shouldn’t stop her from doing lots of amazing things with cool people, next to her volunteering in visual arts, coordinating events and helping with workshops. Back home she’s working at Starbucks which is why a visit to Seattle is on her bucket list. For anyone who doesn’t know, Seattle is home to the first Starbucks store ever! When she’s back in Germany Kim is looking forward to her boyfriend moving with her as well as going to university to become an art teacher. Fun Fact: Her boyfriend is Canadian and came to Germany when he was only 8 years old, now he’s thinking of moving back one day. That’s only one reason why Kim picked Canada as her destination. She’d love to see how life here works, plus she’s already been to a High School Exchange in the United States a few years ago which she really liked, but she was curious about the differences here in Canada. Her first impression of Vancouver was beautiful, but also a little overwhelming. She’s only been to a few big cities before, like New York, but never all by herself. I get that this can be quite a challenge. She noticed the amazing views though and loves that the city is close to nature, we definitely have that in common. 🙂 Other than visiting Seattle she’d love to meet people who like to explore the area like nature around the city, places like Granville Island and someone to try many different foods with! I’m sure there’s lots of you who’d like to do the same. Her favourite food to try would be Japanese, even though she told me she doesn’t eat fish, so her sushi usually comes with chicken. 😉 In her free time Kim loves everything art related, her area is realistic art and portraits. She also likes to dance hip hop and street dance, as well as listening to music.

I can’t wait for you to meet her at Pub Night! 🙂

See you tonight!

Cheers,

Laura 🙂

How was the weekend?

I don’t know about your weekend, but mine was a blast!

On Friday we celebrated St. Patricks Day from early afternoon till late at night! Our first stop was an Irish bar on Granville Street where most of the action happened. We dressed up in green with lots of accessories like tattoos, stickers, head bands, hats and shiny necklaces, just like it’s supposed to be. 🙂 We enjoyed some drinks like a classic Guinness, Irish music and good pub food before we were eager to swing our legs. With every sip deeper into the cup, we wanted to dance more. What better place to let out that St. Patrick’s Day energy than at a club? With a mix of DJ and Live Music we celebrated till late at night, made new friends and some lost their voices over singing too loud. Overall I think it was a success. 🙂 Did you celebrate St. Patricks Day? What else did you do?

Saturday was definitely a day to recover for me since I’m not used to going out that much anymore. 😀 Sunday though we went on a little hike at Deep Cove which is in North Vancouver. I still felt the consequences of Friday night, so we took it slow and only went on an easy to moderate trail that led up to a nice viewpoint over the inlet and some lush areas around. The exercise was definitely worth it and we rewarded ourselves with some doughnuts after. They were still nice and warm when we ate them, and I gotta say it was one of the best doughnuts I’ve ever had (wanting one while I’m typing this). I highly recommend checking out the area with its cute local cafes and shops, and don’t worry you won’t miss the doughnut place, it’s the one with a long queue in front of it. 😀 In summer Deep Cove is also a great place to go kayaking or stand up paddling, can’t wait! 🙂

Sorry if you’re craving doughnuts now, but that’s another reason to go out and explore this week. 🙂 I hope you had an amazing weekend!

Let me know all about it next Pub Night!

See you then,

Laura 🙂

What to do on the weekend?

No question, you should celebrate St. Patricks Day! But before you immerse yourself into this experience, let me give you a little bit of background knowledge.

Saint Patrick lived during the fifth century and is the patron saint of Ireland. His death is believed to have been on March 17, 461 which is the day of the celebrations. The probably best-known legend of St. Patrick his explanation of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) by using the three leaves of a native Irish clover, the shamrock.

Fun Fact: The first St. Patrick’s Day parade didn’t take place in Ireland but in America in 1601.

1772 homesick Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched in New York City to honour the Irish patron saint. From then on the enthusiasm for St. Patrick’s Day parades grew. Today, people of all backgrounds celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, especially throughout the United States, Canada and Australia. Popular dishes include Irish soda bread, corned beef and cabbage and champ. In some places you find green beer, green rivers and of course people dressed in green black and gold.

If you’re really interested in the history, meaning and background there’s more stuff on the internet like articles, videos etc. 🙂

INTERNeX is obviously going to an Irish Pub here in Vancouver to get the full experience. 😉 Are you coming? Or do you have other plans to celebrate?

A good idea is to buy tickets on pre-sale or come early since it’s going to be super busy and it might be more expensive to get tickets at the door. But nevertheless there’s lots of things going on around the pubs as well. I recommend checking out the place in front of the art gallery or just wander across Granville street to take a peak of what St. Patricks Day might be like, but be aware there might be some intoxicated people along the way.

You don’t like partying? I’ve got another idea for you this weekend that involves cultural program. I heard a lot of you like dancing, so how about checking out the Vancouver International Dance Festival? There are performances this weekend in different locations and the tickets range from $20-35. If you want to find out more check out their website: https://www.vidf.ca/

Another good thing to do if you like to be more active outside and are into winter sports is spending the day at a local mountain like Seymour or Grouse for example. Enjoy the last days of the season before spring arrives and the slopes won’t be as good to ski or snowboard anymore! Right now mountains are easy accessible through a shuttle or public transit. A lot of gear can be rented on the mountain as well, so really there’s no excuse for you not to go. If you are lucky you even get an amazing view over Vancouver when you’re up there!

As always, I can’t wait to hear about your weekend at our next Pub Night!

See you then!

Cheers,

Laura 🙂

New ‘Kids’ on the Blog

To no surprise, we have some pretty interesting candidates joining our INTERNeX crew this week! 😉

Let me introduce you to the dream team Lucas (left) and Simon (right), both from France on the finish lines of their dual BBA studies. Simon spent a chunk of time studying in Finland while Lucas was in Dortmund, Germany. Now they are looking to gain some hands-on experience in Canada to refine their knowledge in Business, Finance and Marketing. At first the two wanted to go to the USA because of the country’s strong influence in the world and they just like the States a lot, but there ain’t no INTERNeX in the US which is why ultimately they decided to come to Vancouver, with no regrets. 😉 Their first impression was that the city is beautiful and people are amazingly nice. Plus, Vancouver has North American charm and is still close to the US so they can easily travel around in their free time. Also, the weather in Vancouver is pretty similar to the weather in France, not too cold like the rest of Canada which is another reason why they like it here. I’m sure we can convince them of how cool and underrated Canada actually is compared to the States and make their time here a great one!

While Lucas wants to explore Stanley Park with its large trees and the impressive Lions Gate Bridge, Simon can’t wait to find a place to play basketball which is one of his biggest hobbies, next to music and movies. He enjoys Comedies the most with Deadpool being his favourite movie. Lucas also enjoys watching movies, mostly Marvel and other superhero themed motion pictures. He started playing soccer when he was just 5-6 years old which makes it his main sport to play, but he also likes volleyball, badminton and more. Great that Vancouver offers lots of possibilities, especially in summer. Once back in France they’d like to finish their studies, Simon wants to spend some time with his family and Lucas is eager to find a job and place to live as soon as possible. One thing’s for sure, these guys seem to know what they want and they go for it! 😉

Let’s get to know Mila from Berlin, Germany! While in Vancouver she’ll be volunteering at an animal rescue centre and enjoying her time exploring the city with its mountains all around. Her first thought was that she loves the landscape with city and nature combined. Makes sense since she’s a nature, as well as a city girl. 😉 On her bucket list are seeing the city and ocean, hiking, meeting people, and watching an ice Hockey Game, I think we can arrange that! After finishing High School about half a year ago, she worked at a restaurant which she loved and a home decor store to save some money for her travels and enjoy life without school. She’s been in the US a lot already and now wanted to see Canada after hearing from a lot of people that Vancouver is really beautiful. I can sign that! Plus, the program at the rescue centre sounded very exciting to her. 🙂 After her stay here she’s meeting her best friend in San Francisco for 9 days before it goes back home. In her free time Mila likes to dance, read, hike, watch movies, go horseback riding and most of all to socialize, so make sure to say hi next time you see her. 🙂

I’m excited for you to meet the three at Pub Night.

See you then!

Cheers,

Laura 🙂

How was the weekend?

It was rainy and still kind of cold on the weekend which called for cozy nights and things to do inside. Let me tell you about my weekend Highlight.

After a change of plans INTERNeX met Friday night to watch a movie at VIFF and I gotta say, I haven’t been disappointed yet. The movies they show are not really comparable to all those Hollywood Blockbusters that you find in a classic cinema. “VIFF strives to engage and empower communities, encourage dialogue, educate, and champion local artists.” So it’s not just sheer entertainment, but whenever I attend a movie at VIFF I leave a little bit wiser. I learn about different cultures and the movie stays with me for a while after I leave the theatre, thinking about what I just saw and reflecting on it. I find it very special and love to support the artists of the film.

This time we watched a movie about a group of Arab and Jewish women attending a video workshop at a small town community centre run by a young filmmaker from Tel Aviv, who teaches them to document their lives. As each student shares footage from her home life with the others, their beliefs and preconceptions are challenged and barriers are broken down. It gets very emotional and gave us lots to talk about after we’ve seen it. It’s like looking into another world without leaving yours and in my opinion that’s what cinema is about. That and the fresh popcorn of course. 😉 Overall I really enjoyed the night and from what I’ve heard, so did the others. 🙂

Are you a movie lover? Would you be interested in watching a film like that, or do you prefer the classic Hollywood movies?

Let me know in the comments or at our next Pub Night! 🙂

See you soon,

Laura 🙂