New kid on the blog – Tatjana Schmitt

Welcome back! I know it has been quite a while since you heard from us, but the reason for this is the same story for everyone in the world at the moment – COVID-19. But now the time has come. We are very happy to be able to give a sign of life to you guys.
Firstly, I would like to introduce myself. 🙂

My name is Tatjana, 23 years old from Germany and I am the new PR- Coordinator at INTERNeX. I am studying Social Sciences at the Ruhr-University in Bochum. I already finished my bachelor’s degree except for the practicum as part of my studies. Sounds kind of confusing I know because normally you must do the practicum before being able to finish or writing the thesis. But as I mentioned before this pandemic mixed everything up.
Actually, my practicum was planned for 2020 but since I wasn’t able to fly to Canada because of the very strict border restrictions as well as the health requirements I had to postpone my stay. Although some may think it sounds a bit crazy to wait for a practicum abroad for over a year without knowing how the situation will turn out, but I had the feeling that it is worth it. And it was. Right now, I am finally able to start my practicum as the new PR- Coordinator with INTERNeX. Although I have to work remotely at the moment I am very much looking forward and am more than grateful to have the opportunity for this practicum and for all the new experiences and challenges I will face.
Four years ago my “relationship” with INTERNeX already started. I was in Vancouver volunteering at the Wildlife Rescue Association of BC. Because this opportunity was also organized by INTERNeX I already made great experiences with this company back then. I really enjoyed all the trips and kept the international experience I had back then in good memory. The Rocky Mountain trip was definitely the most beautiful and memorable thing I did and I am really glad I joined…and for sure I absolutely fell in love with this country and especially with Vancouver. For me from that first moment the decision was made – I had to go back to Vancouver and use the practicum as an opportunity to combine gaining work experience, improvement of my language skills and getting to know the Canadian culture and lifestyle better. But what is the best part for me about Vancouver?
I think this city is such a special place as there is this big city life right next to the ocean and the huge mountains around the Vancouver area. It is like all in one. Additionally, the people are very friendly and open- minded which makes living here an adventure of a lifetime.
Under normal circumstances as an PR-Coordinator my job would be to organize the activities, pub nights, trips and events and be the first point of contact for all the people staying with INTERNeX in Vancouver. And for sure joining the Pub nights. 🙂 This means working in this beautiful city while exploring the Canadian nature. For me it sounds like a dream.

Even if I am not in Canada at the moment it will give me a lot of pleasure to see what’s going on in Vancouver and support INTERNeX with all the different tasks. And for sure I will try my best to give you a first impression of what to expect in Vancouver as soon as travel will be allowed again.
And from my own experience I can say the wait will be worth it. Canada is a beautiful place to be.

I am very much looking forward to the remaining time of my practicum. Let’s make the best of this situation.

– Tatjana

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

How was your Weekend?

I really hope all of you had a good weekend, despite all the news around COVID-19 and the insecurity that we are all facing at the moment…I know it’s just crazy and as you will see a little further below, this will also affect our events and activities in the near future. At the moment our top priority is to ensure that everyone is safe and healthy.

For me also, it’s really sad since I just started to get know all of you and I was looking so forward to our next Pub Night. But let’s make the best out of it! And as soon as it is possible again, we will meet again for sure! 🙂

In this spirit let’s talk about our Pub Crawl on Saturday which we were still able to do. We met at Waterfront station and from there we made our way to Gastown which is known as a good spot for bars and restaurants.

Our first stop was “The Lamplighter”. I think it’s a great pub and we started our evening with some drinks and shots.
After about 2 hours we moved on without having another destination in mind. We just wanted to walk around and see which pub attracts us the most. So the “Local” it was.
We continued where we stopped at the Lamplighter – we ordered more drinks (but what else to do at a pub, right ?! :D)

All in all it was a really fun evening and we had a lot to laugh about, even in these gloomy times.
On Saturday we also made spontaneous plans for the next day:
We planned on going to Squamish and hike up the mountain and then take the Sea-to-Sky Gondola back down. We even booked our shuttle to Squamish at the pub. But unfortunately we got disappointed the next morning because the gondola was closed due to high winds. At least we could reschedule our shuttle and we will do it on another time, when it is possible again to mingle with others safely.

Since we were prepared for a longer hike a new plan had to come up. So we went to Lions Bay and did a hike there, where we had some great views. 

We also want to give you some important further information:

Due to the developing situation concerning COVID-19 and our first and foremost goal of prioritizing the safety of our candidates and staff, we will temporarily cancel all of our planned events for the coming weeks. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you updated as the situation changes continuously. 

Additionally we would encourage you to avoid going to any large events or venues with 50+ attendees. In general it is better to stay home, avoid transit or gathering places and if possible see if you can undertake your placement activities from home.

Please keep informing yourself about the current news in Canada and the world: https://www.cbc.ca/, but also on symptoms and measures against the virus on the following government page: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/symptoms.html

We also encourage you to reach out to your insurance organization to ensure you are covered if you choose to remain in Canada and contract the virus. We also ask those whose original departure dates are within the next month to consider contacting your travel agent/airline to check the possibility of departing sooner.

We will stay connected with you online while we go through this challenging time, stay safe and remember: We are always here to help! J

Hope to see you soon again, take care and be safe!

Cheers

-Alina & The INTERNeX Team

 
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