How was your weekend?

The weekend is over, and it was a really special one for me and 14 other participants.

It was the weekend where we left for Vargas Island and went Camping. An island where you are all by yourself, no running water and where you are surrounded by the ocean, forest and yep…there are some wolfs too. But other than that, you are able to have the most beautiful time with friends in a really calm and just breathtaking atmosphere.

 

We started our trip on Friday (12 July 2019) at 10am and before we were able to head to the ferry, we had to pack all our stuff into the cars. 3 cars with 5 people each and then all the camping gear, you can imagine how packed the cars were. We actually had to play Tetris with all the stuff we had to take with us. At around 11am we were finally able to hit the road. It took us a while to get to Vargas Island, but after two car rides, a ferry ride and a trip with a water taxi we finally managed to get to the Island. The sun started to set, and we had to hurry a little bit to build the tents and to get the fire started and then it was time for our first dinner on Vargas Island. We ate burgers, which were really tasty and after that we made some S’mores as you have to when you are going camping.

The next day we just relaxed, played some volleyball and discovered the island a bit more. We ate Pancakes and burritos as snacks in between and then hot dogs for dinner. By now you may have noticed we had a lot of food. Time passed and after the sun set it was time for our last night on the island. It was fantastic. Our own private little beach party was really something no one will ever forget. On Sunday we took the water taxi back to Tofino and spend the rest of the day there. Some of us went surfing, the others just ate lunch and had a look at Tofino. Sadly, every weekend has to end, and it was time for us to head back to Vancouver.

 

 

We were all super tired when we got back, but we are all back safe and sound.

It was a weekend to remember!

See you at the next PUB NiGHT at The Beaver!

-Lilly

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 Vargas Island?

It is time to prepare for our big adventure! We will spend the weekend on the uninhabited Vargas Island. I am sure we will have a lot of fun with 11 great people at this amazing place. Here is some important information for you.

We will meet on Friday at 10.15am at Horseshoe Bay. Keep in mind that this ferry terminal is located in North Vancouver, so you need to plan in some time to get there. From there, we will take the ferry to Vancouver Island. After we arrive in Nanaimo, we will pick up our car and drive to the other side of the island. In Tofino, you have some time to get a snack, grab a coffee and say bye to proper toilets. A water taxi will get us to Vargas Island where we will build up our tents at the beach. A barbecue and campfire are on the program for the night, before we crawl in our sleeping bags.

Let’s hope that the sun will wake us up on Saturday morning, so we can enjoy our breakfast outside. Mission of the day: exploring the island and surviving. So, we can go for a hike and a swim, meet some wildlife on land and underwater, play fun games and just enjoy the beautiful nature. At night, we will warm up at the campfire and prepare ourselves some real Canadian s‘mores.

Sunday morning, we will already leave Vargas Island again. But before heading back to Vancouver, we will spend some time in Tofino. Known as the paradise for any water sport, we will try our luck on a board during a surfing lesson. In the afternoon, we are heading back to Nanaimo and from there we will go to Vancouver. We will be back around 10pm.

You might be wondering what to bring on this Robinson Crusoe trip. Make sure you do not carry too much stuff with you, since we have to change our way of transportation a few times. Here is what you should definitely pack:

• ID
• Water (bottles or containers, at least 2 liters)
• Flashlight
• Rain jacket
• Sun cream
• Good footwear (hiking shoes or similar)
• For those who go surfing: Bathing suit and towel
• Sleeping bag (if you took it home before)

I can’t wait to spend the nights at the campfire with you! See you tomorrow at our PuB NiGHT or Friday at Horseshoe Bay.

– Kerstin

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 – Sebastian Herzog

I am Sebastian and I am 20 years old. Sweet 19 when I arrived from Germany. I am planning to study economics in October 2017.

I decided to come here since Canada, and especially Vancouver seemed to have a great variety of mountains, beaches and a beautiful city itself to offer. After staying here now for quite a long time I still haven’t explored everything around the area.

Internex was introduced to me by a German agency, where I applied for my time abroad. Using Internex is great, as the agency’s office is not back in your home country but just around the corner in the city where you stay.

I decided to do an Internship at a charity company. The management at Internex offered me specific and personalized Internship positions where to apply. This was great, as you end up in the right place and you likely do what you wanted to do. Having an appropriate level of English is necessary in this company. Always stay open minded to tasks that you might never did in you live as well as not being afraid of doing responsible assignments. I would definitely stress out that you grow with your tasks at the company. The practicum was not required for my university program, but I do find it still useful.

During my time in Vancouver I stayed with a host family. Looking back I am really satisfied. We did some trips together including camping and lots of hikes, which were awesome. Staying in a home stay where a fellow Internex candidate is staying is a bonus as well. Someone can show you around and later you can introduce Vancouver to the following student.

In the beginning Vancouver seems really big but by now I would say it feels like a familiar town where you now every second corner.

I attended lots of activities organized by Internex. They where well organized and there was lots of variety. It is even more an opportunity to get to know the country and know people from all over the world. The list of places I visited will never end, so some main places are; Whistler, the Rocky Mountains and Kelowna.

I cannot tell what I enjoy the most here, but there are quite a lot little things, which makes this time special. For example getting up every morning, seeing the downtown skyline with the bay in the background and all that in front of beautiful mountains looks just great.

Running out of money is a struggle that most of us have here I guess. I’ve probably never been that broke in my life than at some points here. Sorry mum for that.

Traveling to Whistler and seeing all the waterfalls and frozen lakes on the way will always stay in my memories. Besides that I saw a wild black bear next to our tent at the camping ground, which is awesome looking back on it.

The first thing I will do when I get back home is seeing all my friends and family again.

– Sebastian

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

Vargas Island Tour Guide: Activities

The camping trip is only 2 weeks away! Here is another blog to get you totally ready for the trip! This time I will inform you about the activities you can do on the Saturday.

Tofino

There are a few things you can do in Tofino itself. Tofino is known as one of the best surf spots of the world, so when you are there you should definitely try out surfing. There are several surfing schools on the island, so don’t let your lack of experience hold you back! As it is an island, it is perfect for other water sports too such as kayaking and stand up paddling. If you would rather explore Tofino by foot then you could go for one of the hikes around the town, for example the Rainforest Trail!

Whale Watching

First of all, Tofino is known for its whale watching tours. During March and April there are lots of gray whales migrating from Mexico to the north. In May till November there are over 200 gray whales that stay in the waters next to Vancouver Island. Between June and September they have the highest sightings of Humpback whales. So there is a lot of chance that you will see whales if you go on a whale watching tour during our trip!

Hot Springs Cove

There is also a hot spring close to Tofino. If you want to do this tour you even might be able to see some wildlife. When you arrive at the dock in Hot Springs Cove you will first walk through a rainforest and on the end of this walk are the hot spring pools, a waterfall and some great views of the Pacific Ocean.

Meares Island

Meares Island is an island close to Tofino and Vargas Island. There are two hikes on the island. The first hike is the Big Trees Trail. This trail will lead you through world’s largest Western Red Cedar Trees on a boardwalk. The second hike is for more experienced hikers. This hike will get you up the Lone Cone Mountain. It takes around 4-6 hours to go up the mountain and back.

I hope I informed you guys enough about the activities. Next week there will be an update about the schedule! If you would like to know more about the camping trip, then check out our event page. There is only one more week to sign up, so come by the office and sign up to ensure your spot!

– Janel

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

Vargas Island Tour Guide: Places

In the weekend of the 9th of June till the 11th we will go on a trip to Vargas Island and Tofino! With the following tour guide blogs we hope to inform you more about the places we will visit, the activities and the schedule.

During the weekend we will camp on Vargas Island. A water taxi will take us there from Tofino and we will set up our camp on one of the campsites for the following 2 nights. On Saturday we will go back to Tofino for one day to do some activities.

Vargas Island is a Provincial Park close to Tofino. The park contains 5788 hectares of land. It has 3 amazing wilderness campings, two at Ahous Bay and one on the north beach of the island. If we are lucky we might even see whales pass in the distance. The Ahous Bay has a west-facing beach looking straight out at the Pacific Ocean. Vargas Island is home to wolves. The wolves are used to the people, but food must be stored out of reach.

Tofino is a small village on Vancouver Island. It is a really easygoing and friendly town with only around 2000 inhabitants. The village is a big tourist destination in summer and it attracts lots of surfers, hikers, campers, whale watchers, fishermen or just anyone looking to be close to nature. Tofino was even named best surf town in North America in 2010. As Tofino is part of the Pacific Rim National Park, there are also lots of hikes around the village.

I hope I informed you guys enough about the places we will visit. Next week there will be an update about the activities! If you would like to know more about the camping trip, then check out our event page.

– Janel

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