What to do on the weekend?

Are you guys ready for the weekend yet? If you’re still looking for some stuff to do, don’t worry! I got you covered! 😊

First up, INTERNeX is finally going on another Rockies Trip!!!! 🥳 We’re all super excited, since it’s everyone’s first time in the Rocky Mountains! We’re gonna start our tour by heading to Hope and visiting Kamloops, Spahat Falls and then we’re spending the night in Blue River in mountain cabins! On Saturday we’re visiting Jasper, the Columbia Icefields, Peyto Lake and Golden.
Sunday is probably gonna be the most fun day! We’re gonna see the famous Lake Louise and Emerald Lake! There’s also gonna be a tour of Banff and free time to explore! Let me tell you: there’s a LOT to see in Banff! The city is super awesome! 😄 On Monday we’re gonna make our way back to Vancouver and adventure in the Golden Skybridge! It’s home to Canada’s highest suspension bridges and it was actually added as a new activity to the Rockies Trips this year, so I’m excited to see how everyone likes it!

If you’re staying in Vancouver, I also have some awesome ideas for you! If you’re into sports, I suggesting to watch the Canucks play! Obviously tickets to the actual playoffs games are wayyyy to expensive, so here’s some other ways to enjoy the hockey:
1) Go to a bar! Almost every pub n Vancouver shows the Canucks games and some of them even have really big screens! A good place to go is obviously the sports bar by the arena! Good&Co. Granville also has a huge screen and almost all the Freehouse locations have multiple screens and sound as well!
2) Get tickets for the away game viewing parties! The Canucks have been hosting lots of viewing parties at Rogers Arena when they have an away game. These are super affordable, with tickets only being $15-$20. But you still get the awesome atmosphere in the arena, celebrating together with sooo many fans! You also get a playoff towel for free at the viewing parties! 😉

I also heard that the northern lights might be visible again this weekend, so if you have time, you might wanna head to a beach and look for them! From what I’ve been told, they’re better visible through the phone camera, so make sure to check that! Let week they were visible best around 11pm to midnight, so you might wanna give it a shot and stay awake for a little bit longer this weekend!

Whatever you decide to do, I hope you have lots of fun! To everyone that’s joining our Rockies Trip: I wish you all the best; have fun and make sure to go for some ice dips! 😉

Toodles!

-Talea :))

How was the weekend?

Sports, sports and… more sports! INTERNeX was definitely in a very sporty mood this past weekend! I mean, how could you not be with the Canucks advancing to round 2?! Let me tell you all about our fun experience this past weekend!

On Friday some of us INTERNeXers went to the away game viewing party at Rogers Arena. Let me tell you: the experience was 100% worth it! Tickets to the viewing parties are only $15 and you get a free playoffs towel! Almost all the food & drinks shops were running too and the atmosphere is just incredible! OF course, this game was especially fun because the Canucks finally beat the Nashville Predators and made it to round 2 of the playoffs!! 🥳 Woooo! That means that now they have to play against the Edmonton Oilers… those should be some really fun and intense games! In the stadium everyone was sooo happy and it was just such an amazing feeling to celebrate this achievement together with so many fans! After the game there was of course a huge parade from the Stadium to downtown with cars honking, towel power, cheering, clapping and just excitement all over! If there’s another viewing party for round 2, I HIGHLY suggest checking it out cause its just absolutely a once in a lifetime experience! I mean, what are the odds of the Canucks competing for the Stanley Cup Playoffs while you’re in Vancouver?!

On Saturday we also went to a Whitecaps game! This was actually their 50 year anniversary, so there was quite a few people there! I have to say, this football definitely doesn’t compare to the stuff we’re used to from Europe. But the food was so much better lol! We usually don’t really have that many options and there’s also more variety than at Rogers Arena.
It was still a super fun experience and it was really cool to the BC Place! The stadium, is actually huge!! It doesn’t really feel that big at first, but once you see how much larger the actual court is (compared to Rogers Arena), you notice how big BC place really is!

Overall it was a very fun weekend and we’re so excited to watch the second round of playoffs and of course we’re gonna cheer as loud as we can for the Canucks! The next game is actually gonna be during our Pub Night, so I’ll see ya there! 😄

Toodles!

-Talea :))

What to do on the weekend?

The first weekend of May is around the corner! Are you ready yet? Well if you’re still looking for something to do, keep on reading cause I have some awesome suggestions for you! 😄

First off, you can join INTERNeX on Saturday where we’re going to watch a Whitecaps football game (or soccer for all you North Americans). Since most of us are European, we’ve kinda missed watching some games, so we thought why not go watch the Vancouver team! The tickets are actually not that expensive, around $36 each! We’re super excited and if you’re a fan of sports, you should definitely join as well!

Another thing that might be interesting to you if you’re a sports fan are the NHL playoffs that are currently happening. The Vancouver Canucks are still in the first round, but they only need one more win to go into the second round where they’ll have to play the Edmonton Oilers. The next game is today (Friday) at 4pm! The Canucks are actually hosting another public viewing event at Rogers Arena where you can watch the game together with lots of fans in the stadium! Tickets are only $15 and I feel like this is such a fun event where everyone can come together and celebrate with each other! Unfortunately, tickets are almost sold out already, but don’t worry there’s more awesome spots you can go to to watch the game! You can go to a bar with a couple of friends and watch the game there – I think literally every single bar in Vancouver is showing the games lol! Some of them even have huge screens and you watch the game together with other fans as well!

If you’re not really into sports, don’t worry I have some other ideas for you as well! Saturday is supposed to be fairly good weather, so I suggest going for a walk or hike! As most of you might know, my favourites for a more relaxed walk are Stanley Park, Queen Elizabeth Park and Lighthouse Park! They’re all incredible options and all of them are super close to downtown. To be fair, Lighthouse Park is a little further out, but the views from there are amazing! It’s probably my favourite sunset spot in Vancouver cause it’s right by the water!
If you’re looking for more of a challenging hike, I suggest Lynn Canyon, Grouse Mountain, or Deep Cove. They all have amazing hiking trails, and especially Grouse and Deep Cove have awesome viewpoints! Of course at Lynn Canyon there’s the suspension bridge, which is always fun to see and makes for some great pictures!

Whatever you decide to do, I hope you have lots of fun and are able to enjoy the weekend! Fingers crossed for the Canucks and the Whitecaps!!

Toodles!

-Talea :))

How was the weekend?

This past weekend INTERNeX was in a very sporty mood! We went to three sports games and all teams won – I think we’re a lucky charm, eh? 😉

Firstly, we saw the Canucks game last Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings! The game was super fun to watch! Since the office is right by the Rogers Arena we met there and headed over to check out the stadium! The first third was a little slow but then they picked up the pace very soon! The game was actually very non-aggressive, which we kinda appreciated lol! During the breaks some of us got some snacks and overall, it was definitely worth the experience! I definitely think everyone should go to at least one Canucks game while they’re here, especially since they’re doing sooo well this season!! I mean they’re literally in first place right now! Absolutely a must-see!

On Saturday, we went to UBC to watch the Volleyball teams! It’s actually a super budget-friendly way to watch sports games! You purchase one ticket for $5-$15 and that ticket includes two games: one women’s and one men’s game! Usually the ladies go first and the men’s game is right after! This Saturday was actually the Canada West finale and UBC won both games!! Even if you don’t know all the rules, it’s still super fun to watch! I always recommend going with friends because a) it’s even more fun and b) chances are, someone know at least some of the rules lol! Btw yes, I took one (1) picture lol! I guess I was just too immersed in the game. Unfortunately, I believe that Volleyball season is over now, as well as Basketball. Buuuut the Hockey team is in the semifinals that are happening this week and you can watch Baseball, Rugby, and Softball!

What did you do this weekend? Did you also feel a little sporty? Maybe you also watched a game? Or worked on your own fitness? I can’t wait to hear about it next Pub Night!

Toodles!

-Talea :))

What to Do in Vancouver – hockey edition

Learn more about ice hockey – a summary of the basic rules – Go Canucks, go!!!
What’s Canada without hockey? There’s definitely something missing.
As indicated in the last blogpost; today’s posting is all about understanding (ice-) hockey 🙂
Taught by an expert like me 😀 just kidding but I’ll try my best

Let’s start with the basics 🙂 What is ice hockey (known as hockey in Canada) anyway?
First a historical fact but no worries I’ll keep it short. This sport was originally developed from field hockey in the second half of the 19th century. Hockey is a game played on ice between two teams of 6 players each, one of which is the goalkeeper. Of course, the teams consist of more players, substituted during the game. This normally happens every few minutes. Which means that hockey is definitely a really fast and intensive sport. The players use long curved sticks to hit the puck, a small rubber disk (weighing exactly 166 grams), to score goals.
As many of you may know the puck is really small. One surely wonders if it’s possible to follow the puck as a spectator in a big stadium at all? I think it’s kind of easy. Where there is the crowd of players there must be the puck 🙂 Also how do you know a goal has been scored? As in many professional sports you will see a light flashing behind the goal. So, everyone can see that a goal has just been scored. The game is played in three thirds of 20 minutes with breaks between every third. The time will be stopped in every interruption during the game. Additionally, there is a change of sides after every third. That’s why a game usually lasts much longer than 60 minutes (normally about 2-2.5 hours). Which also means you can enjoy watching longer than expected 😉 and don’t forget to join singing the national anthem at the beginning of every match.

The Rink: Have you ever taken a closer look at the hockey rink? It’s full of coloured lines with different meanings. The two lines on each end where the goal is located are called the goal lines. Unlike in soccer the players are also allowed to play behind these goal lines. The blue lines divide the surface into equal thirds, called zones. The zone right in front of the teams own goal is the defensive zone.
The opposite one is called attacking zone or offensive zone. Between the two blue lines is the neutral zone. The dots with circles around them form the face-off circles, which can be used as a start point after an interruption.

Penalty: In hockey, penalties or even brawls are certainly not uncommon. However, the use of the body is an important part of the game. Thus, it is allowed to “check” a player of the opposing team.
But of course, there are rules 🙂

A really common penalty is caused by using the stick inappropriately. This must never be held above shoulder height, especially to hit someone in the face. Also not allowed are fouls such as elbowing, fighting (when players drop their gloves and throw punches at each other), kneeing (fouling an opponent with the knee), slashing or tripping which can cause an opposite player to fall by using a part of the body or the stick or charging which is taking a long run at someone or specifically targeting the head with a hit. Penalties can be 2 minutes for a minor or 5 minutes for a major (or 10 minutes for fighting… or a game misconduct for something very serious); 5 minutes major penalties do not end when the fouled team scores as it does with a minor penalty… it keeps going for the full duration. Sometimes you will receive a double minor with is 2+2 minutes… this is often the case when someone gets a “high stick” to the face which is 2 minutes and another 2 if they drew blood during the hit. Crazy.

Powerplay and Man-Down: Of course, such a penalty situation is only bad for one team. The resulting overpowering situation for the other team is called powerplay. A good chance to score a goal. The penalized team is considered a “man-down” or “two-men down” if the play results in a 5 vs 3 scenario when they are double penalized

Offside & Icing: If a player enters the offensive zone before the puck that is considered offside. And I think that’s way easier than in soccer 😀 BUT if you shoot the puck the full length of the ice it is called icing and the play is called back to the defensive zone of the team that “iced” the puck. However if a team is a man down due to having received a penalty they are allowed to ice the puck so you will often see them shoot the puck the full distance to get it out of their defensive zone during the penalty.

So that’s it for now I hope I could give you a good first insight into the Canadian national sport.

Have a look at the upcoming season schedule. There are only 4 days left till the first game of the year.
Find further information on https://www.nhl.com/canucks

Cheers,

– Tatjana

INTERNeX International Exchange
2005-689 Abbott St., Vancouver, BC, V6B 0J2
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com