How was your weekend?

How my weekend was? Hmm.. I can’t decide which word describes this weekend the best: great, wonderful, awesome, perfect, gorgeous, fabulous, fantastic, spectacular or exceptionally good? At least I had a lot of fun, because this weekend was our trip to Kelowna. Oh, now I got your interest? Well, sit back and read all about our adventures in this beautiful city.

The adventure started Friday at 12 pm at the Pacific Central Station. People showed up with their suitcases and bags to get in the bus. And there we go, a five-hour ride to Kelowna! We saw some beautiful views on our way. After a long sit we arrived in Kolowna. We dropped our stuff in our rooms and walked to this awesome steakhouse. One of the hardest decisions was: What are we going to eat? So many nice choices like burgers, chicken and ribs. When the hunger was gone and we finished our meals it was time to have a little party at the hotel. We played some fun games and, since it was carnival, we played some nice carnival music.

*BIEP BIEP BIEP* At 6:45 the alarm went of. Time for all the skiers and snowboarders to get some breakfast and prepare ourselves for a day in the snow. After one hour in the bus we arrived at the Big White. In the lift to the top we realized how beautiful the view is from there. A sky as blue as a millionaire’s swimming pool. We went down a lot of times from different slopes. The area was very big, so we could do every time a different slope to see them all. The trials where not crowded at all, so many times we had the mountain for ourselves. We ended the day with a beer during the après ski next to the campfire. Then it was time for us to take the bus back to our hotel. We had a little time to prepare ourselves for another dinner and night out. This time we went to an Asian restaurant next to the hotel. Also here we enjoyed some delicious food. We decided to taste our wines we bought at the wine tasting tour and do another fun game before going to Sapphire, the biggest club in Kelowna. A 00’s party was going with a DJ who played all our classic sing-alongs.

Rise and shine, a new day has arrived. We woke up fresh and energetic to start the day with a boost. Ok, maybe not, but at least we stood up to have breakfast. When the rooms were clean and the luggage was packed, we took the bus to Kelowna downtown. In the city we did the scavenger hunt game. The groups had to do as many fun assignments as possible to get points. So we proposed, hugged, fished, danced and so on. After three hours, we met at the bus again to get our luggage and go home. This time we could enjoy a bus ride for 7 hours. Since we did not sleep that much this weekend, we could catch some sleep during the ride.

It was really great to hear that all of you had a great time! And so did we! Thanks to you, it was a really nice weekend. If you did not went on this trip, I am happy to tell you all about it tomorrow at PuB NiGHT in the Lamplighter. See you then!

– Bart

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

 

Are you ready for Kelowna?

Count away the nights! Just two more days before we are in the bus to Kelowna! That means time to start packing your suitcase. But what to bring? What are we going to do? No worries, I will tell you all about the trip in this blog.

We meet on Friday 12:00 pm at Pacific Central. We drop our baggage in the bus and prepare ourselves for a five-hour ride to Kelowna. At approximately 5:30 pm we arrive at the hotel. After checking in, we prepare ourselves for a dinner in Kelowna. The rest of the night is yours. If you want to ski or snowboard, keep in mind that the bus will leave early the next morning to the Big White.

Rise and shine, next day arrives! Breakfast is ready from 7 am till 10 am. For the ones who want to ski or snowboard, the express bus to the Big White departs at 8 am. This shuttle will cost you $25 dollar for a round trip. You can pay a ticket in the bus. After one hour you will arrive at the mountain where you can spend the whole day in the snow. A lift ticket will cost you $95 dollar (or $80 dollar for students). Bring your own skis or rent them on the mountain for $45 dollars. After spending the day in the snow it is time to go back to Kelowna. At 4pm the express bus will depart from the big mountain back to Kelowna.

For the ones who are not going to the Big Mountain, there are a lot of activities to do in and around Kelowna. One of the options is doing a wine tour. Kelowna is very famous for the many wines they produce there. Other options may be zip lining, doing the tree obstacles tour, go for a hike or just chill in the hot tub at the hotel. We meet back at the hotel at 5pm to prepare ourselves for the second night in Kelowna. After dinner it is time to party in one of the pubs or clubs Kelowna has to offer.

On Sunday, unfortunately our last day already in Kelowna, we are going to discover the city by daylight. After our breakfast we will head to the city and do a scavenger hunt. After the great success from the Whistler scavenger hunt, we have a new version 2.0 ready for you! After the craziness we will get back to the hotel to pick up our language and go to the bus. At 4 pm we will take the bus back to Vancouver. At approximately 10 pm we will arrive back in Vancouver.

I hope you are all as excited as I am. Don’t forget your passport and a second piece of ID. Also for the people who want to swim in the hot tub, don’t forget to bring your swimwear. Keep in mind that the office will be closed from Friday till Monday. I can’t wait to see you all on Friday! And of course tonight at PuB NiGHT as well!

– Bart

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

Candidate Exposé – Andreas Bächler

 

My name is Andreas. I’m 21 years old and I’m from Denmark. I came to Canada in May 2016 and I am going home now one year later. At the moment I’m not studying anything but I plan to do so after the summer. Which education, I’m not sure about yet. The reason I came to Canada is that I went to Toronto to visit some family in 2009. Back then I fell in love with the country and decided then I would return one day.

Before I knew about INTERNeX I was in contact with a Danish travel agency, Travel Alott, who helped people like me – people who want to explore the world – to reach our dreams. They directed me to INTERNeX, who I was told operated in Canada and therefore would be able to help me out with my dream, which was to go abroad and work for a year in Canada.

I participated in the Work and Travel program, because I wanted to earn some money as well during my stay so I was able to go on small trips around Canada and the US without being worried about money. I liked it, even though I worked a lot I got to see everything I wanted to see when I came. Even a bit extra that I didn’t expect to do before I came. It was indeed a good mix of “Work” and “Travel” during my stay in Canada.

I was placed at a coffeeshop in North Vancouver. I was a barista and made delicious drinks for the customers. I liked the work a lot. Even though I had to spend an hour and a half in the bus to get there, it was worth it. The beautiful location was just amazing. From the counter we had a great view over the ocean and the mountains in the horizon. It was, more or less, always busy and the customers were so nice and polite and were always interested in knowing where you were from. I had the best colleagues and a good relationship with my boss. If I wanted some days off for a trip to wherever, my boss always did everything he could to make it possible. So to sum up, I couldn’t’ t have imagined a better place to have worked at.

To work at a coffeeshop you need to be good with people, have some good communication skills and be able to work under stress. Sometimes there were cues to the door and you might had 5 drinks lined up, so you should be able to keep yourself calm and still be able to work fast. Cooperation is an important skill as well, because you might work with two or three persons and you needed to be sure who did what and when, so you still would be able to make drinks for the customers but also do the different chores that need to be done, such as cleaning.

If you wanted to, you could also try out latte-art, which is a creative way to make the drinks better. You taste with your eyes as well and therefore a heart or nice flower in your latte will make the drink better for most people. It took a bit more effort than making a regular drink, but people always were so happy when they got it, which made it worth it.

During my stay I lived with a host family arranged by INTERNeX in East Vancouver and I absolutely loved it. I felt welcome from the first day till the last. My first impression of Vancouver was, how friendly and open its people were. I had chats with people everywhere I went, in the bus, on the streets etc. It was really cool, made me feel welcome to their city.

I still have the impression now that Vancouver has a really open-minded population. Its big diversity of people makes everybody feel like home, no matter where you are from. Besides that I just fell in love with the city after a while. If not for the people, then just for the beautiful location Vancouver has. Close to the ocean and the mountains and only one hour away from the US. It couldn’t’ t be any better.

I tried to participate in as many INTERNeX events as possible. Pub nights, trips, everything. I enjoyed them a lot. I thought it was a great place to meet people. And putting the pub nights on a Wednesday was the best idea ever, since putting pineapple on pizza. The PR-team was always good to help out new people and make them feel part of the group.

I went to the Rockies, Portland and Kelowna with INTERNeX. Besides that we went hiking a couple of times, had a Halloween party, saw the Chinese New Year Parade, celebrated Canada day and much more. Besides that I visited Whistler, Bowen Island, Sunshine Coast, Toronto and Victoria.

What I like most about Vancouver is the diversity of people and the beautiful surroundings. Canada in general I would say the people. No matter where I’ve been to in the country, I always met friendly and helpful people.

The only challenge I really had to face here was when it was winter and there was a lot of snow around, it was I’d say challenging to find a bus that drove so I could get to work.

It is really hard to find one really memorable thing so I will just mention a few.

• When I went to the Rockies with INTERNeX. We had such a fun time. I saw a lot of beautiful nature and partied with the best folks at night.
• When I hiked Black Tusk. We were with five people and it took us 10 hours from where we left the car till we got back. The view from he top of the mountain was gorgeous and incomparable to everything I’ve seen before.
• All the times I went to Whistler. When I went there with my parents during the summer and hiked on top of the mountains. Also the times I rented a car with friends and made a short road trip out of it.
• And of course all the times I’ve been skiing. I finally learned it, and now I miss it. Cypress Mountain and The Big White it was an awesome time.

INTERNeX really helped me to get started. They advised me about a mobile plan, bank and tax return. And if you ever had questions at all, about anything, they were always happy to help you out. So I would recommend the service of INTERNeX to others.

The first thing I will do when I get back home is just having a descent Danish meal with my parents and brothers. The trip definitely inspired me to travel more. This summer I’m going to travel a bit around Europe to visit people I’ve met in Vancouver.

– Andreas

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

Review: Kelowna Trip

Yesterday we all arrived home after a very good and exhausting weekend. It was really great to explore Kelowna together with all of you! Thank you all for joining the trip!

It all started at 6 pm. All of you gathered at the Greyhound Station for the bus to Kelowna. Unfortunately, it was not possible to sit together on the bus, as the bus was quite full and you were not able to ensure enough spots. After almost 6 hours of travelling you finally arrived in Kelowna and got picked up by me, Daniëlle, Tess and Kristina. We already checked in for you and you were already able to get into the motel when you arrived. This was really great, as most of us were really sleepy after the long bus ride.

The next day, the INTERNeX group divided itself in two groups. One group went skiing on Big White and the others went to the Farmers’ and Crafters’ market and for a hike. The snow conditions on Big White were amazing and therefore, the perfect place to go skiing. Some of the group practiced their skiing on the beginners mountain, as it was their first time skiing. And the other part of the group went to the bigger and more difficult slopes, which had amazing views. The group who did not go skiing went to the Farmers’ and Crafters’ market. This is a place where you can get a lot of fresh food and hand made products. After that we decided to go for a hike on Knox Mountain Park. We took the first hiking trail that we could find, which was apparently the most difficult one of the mountain. After we reached a viewing point, some of us went back to the motel and some of us decided to hike a bit further. This hiking trail passed the Okanagan lake and was on a medium level. Therefore, it was much easier to walk at this trail. After that we all met each other at the motel. At the motel there was some time for a swim or some relaxing time in our rooms. After that it was finally time to eat some of our day’s special: spaghetti á la Nils. We ended the night with some drinks in Nils’ and Andreas’ room.

The day after there was a choice to go on a wine tour or to go to Downtown Kelowna with Tess. During the wine tour we went to 4 different Wineries; Cedar Creek, St. Hubertus, Summerhill winery and Tantalus with a great tour guide, who knew a lot about Kelowna, the wineries and the Okanogan Valley. All wineries had beautiful views on the Okanagan Lake. We drank about 4 different wines, red and white, at all the wineries. However, at St. Hubertus we got to taste even more and it was all included in the price. After these 4 wineries, we even had time left to go to a spirits tasting. At the spirits tasting we got the chance to taste 2 different vodkas, 2 different gins, a whiskey and a blackberry or raspberry liquor. It was great to taste something different after all these wines. The other group went to Downtown Kelowna for a brunch with a great view over the Okanagan lake and had a nice walk. After that we all got together again at the Mc Donald’s at Walmart and relaxed till we had to go back to Greyhound station again. This time we made sure that we had spots together, so that we could get the most out of our bus trip.

I hope you guys all had a great time during the trip. We certainly did! Hopefully, I will see you all at The Distillery!

– Iris

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

 

Practical information on Kelowna

Only two more nights and then it’s time to go to Kelowna! The biggest part of the trip is already clear for most of you, but we wanted to give you some extra practical information.

Friday
On Friday the bus will leave at 6:00 pm from the Greyhound station at Station Street. However, you will need to be there an hour before, so at 5:00 pm. We will meet up in front of the station. If, for any reason, you won’t be on time, please send Janel a message. If you don’t have her contact details please let us know and we will send it to you.

If you have your own skies or snowboard you can take them on the bus, but you do need a bag for them. Besides that you are not allowed to bring alcohol, glass or metal cutlery in your hand luggage. For a full list of what you can or can’t take, please click here.

The bus will arrive in Kelowna at 11:45 pm and then we will have a twenty minute walk to the motel (so please keep that in mind when packing your luggage). Most of you probably just want to go to bed by then, so we don’t have any plans after that.

Saturday
On Saturday we have two groups: the skiers/snowboarders and hikers. Janel, Tess and I will go with the skiing group to Big White. The shuttle bus that we need to take to Big White will leave at 8:00 am and the bus stop is 15 minutes from the motel. So we will have to leave around 7:15 am. This is the only bus that goes up, so if you are late we cannot wait for you. The bus back leaves at Big White at 4:00 pm sharp from the Happy Valley Parking lot, in case we lose track of each other during the day. Again, please don’t be late since these will be the only busses going down. If you bring your own skies this will cost you around $120 including the shuttle bus and lift ticket. If you need to rent skies this will cost you around $160.

For those who want to join Iris to visit the market and hiking, she would like to leave at 10:00 am. For more information on what she is planning on doing, send her a message. If you would rather do something else on Saturday you can always go and do that too!

We have a room with a kitchen, so if you would like we can use that for cooking dinner together or we could always go out to find a spot to eat. After dinner we would like to have a few drinks and enjoy the night together as a group. 🙂

Sunday
On Sunday we have a wine tour planned and we already know who is coming and who is not. For those who are coming along, we are being picked up at the motel at 10:30 am and we will be back around 2:30 pm. The tour takes 3 hours and we go to 4 wineries. Since it’s pretty early, please make sure you have a big breakfast! Janel, Iris and I are joining the wine tour and Tess will go do something else. So talk to her about the other options on Sunday. The wine tour costs around $75 dollar and needs to be paid Friday on the bus.

The bus back to Vancouver will leave at 6:00 pm and arrive at 11:00 pm, we have to be there one hour before like we did on Friday.

Packing list
To make the packing a bit easier for you guys we made a little list of things you definitely don’t want to forget on this trip:
□ Bathing suit (we have a indoor pool at the motel)
□ Skies and ski clothes (if you’re planning on going skiing)
□ Walking shoes (if you plan on hiking)
□ Clean underwear 😉
□ Toothbrush
□ Passport
□ Credit card
□ Cash
□ Phone + charger
□ Student card (Big White has student discounts)

– Danielle

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