New week, new Kid on the Blog! Please welcome Cahya.
Let’s not make you wait any longer and introduce you to Cahya (he/him) from Winterthur in Switzerland. He’ll be volunteering at a business association where he has the opportunity to organize a festival amongst other tasks. After receiving his high school diploma and working for 9 months in the field of business back home, he thought it was time to gain some international experience to tune up his career which is why he’s here with us now. He decided to come to Vancouver because he wants to be as far away as possible from Switzerland in an English speaking country to improve his English skills and get out of his comfort zone to grow. Back home he wants to study economics in September. His first impression of Vancouver was not exceptional because he was nearly asleep when he arrived. Over time though, he thought that Vancouver is a huge and lovely city compared to all the smaller cities in Switzerland. On his bucket list is visiting Vancouver Island, watching different sports games, e.g. hockey, soccer, and otherwise go with the flow and see what’s there to explore. The INTERNeX events are perfect for this 😉As you might’ve guessed by looking at his bucket list, Cahya loves watching different kinds of sports on TV and he loves to work out in the gym which makes him an allround sports lover. Maybe some of you can give him a recommendation for a good place to work out or watch sports games together 😄
Hi everyone, my name is Anna. I am 21 years old and I spent the last three months in Vancouver. Going there was a rather spontaneous decision on my behalf because I wanted to get away for a little while. To be honest, Canada was not a conscious choice and more of a where-ever-my-organization-takes-me one. In the end, working with INTERNeX was a lucky coincidence.
My current home is in Berlin, Germany and I am doing my Bachelor in education. My main reasons for going abroad were work experience and taking a break from studying. INTERNeX found me a spot at a lovely preschool in Vancouver together with a homestay for the time being. Mainly, I assisted in supervising the children and all the other tasks that come up, e.g. laundry, dishes, clean up. The preschool I volunteered at is an inclusive one where classrooms consist of children with and without disabilities and/or special needs. Even as a volunteer I still needed organizational skills, patience, diligence and creativity. I loved that I didn’t have to be too strict but instead got the opportunity to play with the kids and experience their joy in learning new things. I consider myself very lucky to be able to work with colleagues who gave me a lot of freedom in getting to know the kids and how to best handle my work. Generally, everyone welcomed me with open arms and always stood by my side with advice and helpful words.
Spending three months in a different country is a bold decision. Nonetheless, I made that one very easily. I have wanted to go abroad for a few years now and finally took my chance. I knew that living in a homestay would never be the same as living at home. For me, that was exactly the point though — experiencing a different culture, living situation and work environment. It also sometimes means that not everything will work out perfectly. Problem solving is definitely a quality everyone should expect to use during that time.
Vancouver is a very diverse city with many possible activities. Downtown and also the rest of the city provide many opportunities for going out to restaurants, bars, clubs and activities like bowling, golfing, shopping or movies. Its location on the west coast of Canada means that there are several beaches with access to the Pacific Ocean. There is also a lot of nature to be found in Vancouver and surrounding areas. Many parks like Stanley Park or Queen Elizabeth Park are right by the city. Just an hour outside of downtown you can find forests and mountains which can be walked or hiked on numerous trails. Lastly, further up north are several snow topped regions during winter. Especially outdoor-lovers have a plethora of possible activities right next door. Personally, I loved the togetherness of all of those things. I could go out for drinks and dancing on Saturday and then meet friends for a hike on Sunday. The diversity of people living in Vancouver means that there are lots of choices concerning food, music and entertainment.
Additionally, INTERNeX provides students with at least two outings per week. On Wednesdays there is always pub night, allowing people to meet and connect with each other and make plans for the weekend. Moreover, there is usually a weekend activity. In the past, those included fashion and art events, festivals, hikes, movie nights or sports events. During my time there we also took two weekend trips to Whistler and Sasquatch Mountain. All of those opportunities made it so much easier to make friends and find people with common interests. Without that I wouldn’t have met so many people my age that were as willing as I was to go out and do stuff. I have spent many nights laughing, dancing and having a great time with amazing people.
Let me tell you, INTERNeX makes it really easy to take part in excursions to see Vancouver and find people you like. I encourage everyone to spend some time abroad. I gained more work experience, learned many new skills, got even more independent and found a confidence I didn’t have before. I would do it all over again and stay longer if I could. So be brave and take that step!
Today there are three new kids that we’d love to introduce to you.
Our first new ‘kid’ is Marcus (he/him) from Portsmouth, England. He is a fresh graduate in Geography and International Politics. He’ll be volunteering for 2 months at an Organization that is focused on Community Service including helping people who want to immigrate to Canada. One of his tasks could be helping people with their visa application which he’d love to do. He decided to go to Canada because of the stunning place and lovely people- as we all agree. Also there are some similarities to his home like the language. His first impression was that Vancouver is massive as well as multicultural. After volunteering he’ll try to find a job in the Rockies which is also one point on his bucket list. Other than that he wants to visit Toronto and some other cities/ places. He wants to take it as it comes. One thing we think he shouldn’t miss out on is Vancouver Island. Luckily we’re going on a trip there soon 😉 After his time abroad he wants to work in England which is also a reason why he wants to gain international work experience in Canada. In his free time he likes to play soccer and travel around the world. His goal for being abroad is getting new hobbies, especially outside. What are your favourite things to do outside in Vancouver? There’s so many to choose from, we’re sure he’ll find at least one. 🙂
The next candidate is Theodor (he/him) – but you can call him Theo – from Hamburg in Germany. He’s been in Banff for 5 months where he did housekeeping as part of his Work and Travel Program. Now he wants to do something different for the last 2 months of his stay in Canada and thought about coming to Vancouver. Before his journey over here he graduated High School in Germany. Once he’s back in Germany he wants to study Engineering. A reason why he picked Canada is that 2-3 years ago his family hosted an exchange student from this beautiful country and he had never been here by himself, so the exchange student who became a friend persuaded him to choose Canada for his time abroad. His first impression was that Canada is very cold (he arrived here in December). On his Bucket list is just Vancouver Island so far, since his mom has been here before and recommended him to go. Other than that he’d like to go with the flow and see what’s to explore. Good thing we’ll have lots of cool things going on with INTERNeX😎. He loves snowboarding & skiing (he was able to do this during last months in the Rockies). Further, he loves cycling and swimming – we recommend the parks and the beaches in Vancouver for that. What is your favourite park & beach here in Vancouver to swim?
Last but not least we’re introducing our new ‘kid’ on the blog David (he/him). He is 27 years old and comes from Würzburg, Germany. He worked as an engineer for 9 years in Germany and now wants a little change in his life including location and people. In Canada he’ll be doing Work and Travel for at least one year but he is ready to extend his journey if he likes it (we’re sure he will 🤩). He hopes to find jobs as an engineer but he is also open to other jobs. He is also really flexible with switching the location, e.g. if he finds an appropriate work in another city than Vancouver like Toronto or the Rockies, he might move there. David just wants to see how and where it goes. As soon as he arrived in Vancouver he was so impressed with how close the mountains are to the big city. This brings us to his hobbies. He definitely loves the mountains, especially hiking and skiing. Other than that he likes cycling and recently he tried out climbing which he would love to get more into. So if anyone wants to go climbing and needs some accompaniment, feel free to contact David 😉 His Canada trip starts with going to Vancouver Island, which is on his bucket list. He already booked the whole vacation including the accommodation. Fun fact: We are going to do a similar trip at the same time and we’re staying at the same hostel in Tofino, so we hope to see him there! 😉. So far David doesn’t have a plan about what he’ll do after his time abroad. He wants to enjoy his time here and learn more about people, culture and working in Canada.
We all know Pub Night is a great opportunity to get together and meet new people and cultures 🙂
This past weekend INTERNeX went to Art Vancouver and it didn’t disappoint. We started by gathering at the Convention Centre where the event took place. Inside we saw lots of exhibitors with their unique art pieces. It was amazing to see so many different styles and motives from nature, to neon and glitter, to portraits, places, photography, details, sculptures, simple structures, abstract art, to different textures. The artists were mostly sitting near their work which made it easy to ask questions about their process, journey and art. They were super open and loved to answer all of our questions, we even got invited to stay at one artists house in Zimbabwe. 😉 I enjoyed the diversity and the Programme the show offered. We listened to a very interesting Panel Talk about AI Art, found out that AI is actually over 20 years old, but now trending with things like chatgpt 4. The artists voiced some opportunities but also some concerns regarding the progress of AI technology. What’s your take on that? Do you find it rather helpful and interesting, or do you see some dangers with it as well? After the talk we grabbed some coffee and tea at their little bar and wandered along more fascinating art until the grand finale of the evening – a masters art competition! Eight artists were given a topic and a mystery box of supplies to create their painting within one hour, that’s pretty wild! We as the audience were allowed to then vote for our favourite painting. The topic just got revealed while they were on stage and it was ‘magic’. I loved how different and creative everyone interpreted and executed this theme. Some people just used their hands and a foam brush or spatula. One artist got really creative and hung a cut off prop foot out of silicone on her painting. 😀 It was definitely the highlight of our visit and I would recommend everyone to come watch the competition next time! 🙂
Another thing I’ve tried for the first time this weekend was forest bathing. Let me explain it a little bit. We went to Pacific Spirit Regional Park with a guide specialized in Forest Bathing and it was all about slowing down, de-stressing and spending some time in nature engaging all your senses. First we listened to our surroundings, we focused on what we can smell and then walked around paying attention to different movements in the forest as well as different shades of green before exploring nature’s textures through gently touching trees, plants, moss, rocks etc., without disrupting the environment of course. In the end we were told to find a spot off the trail close to a tree and just sit still for 10 minutes, trying to focus on our surroundings rather than on our thoughts. It was incredible what I noticed compared to when I just go for a walk with a friend. I heard lots of different birds chirping, including a woodpecker. I saw caterpillars and everything just seemed very peaceful. To top it up we had some herbal tea and snacks before ending our experience.
If I’m not wrong the concept comes from Japan where lots of people were so stressed out that some even collapsed at their desk at work. The minister of forestry had the idea to take them out into the forest for three days, no cell phones just connection to nature and the benefits were mind blowing. Now this concept is starting to gain more popularity in other parts of the world as well and I understand why. It felt truly good to reconnect with nature, to slow down, notice everything around in a different way than before. I think it’s very important to go back to the roots every now and then and escape the busy city life, so if you have been caught up in work lately or seek some peace, I recommend you try this out some time. 🙂
How was your weekend? What did you do? Let me know all about it next Pub Night!
This weekend an amazing event is taking place and INTERNeX is going! I’m talking about Art Vancouver, a prestigious art fair that “brings the international art world together”. The show is going on from the big opening night on Thursday until Sunday evening. We picked Saturday as our day to go with lots of exhibitors talking about one of their art pieces, their journey as an artist and more, the chance to sign up for hands-on art classes, an interesting panel talk about AI Art and an Art Masters painting competition at the end of the day. At the competition the artists will be given a theme and their task is to express this within one hour, using a mystery box of supplies. We as the audience vote for the winner! 😉 I’m sure we’re going to have an amazing time with lots to learn and take in. I’m excited, are you? 🙂
If you want to warm up for this day of fun on Saturday I recommend you go to the Art Gallery on Friday where you have free entrance between 4pm and 8pm, only every first Friday of the month, so this is your chance if you love art and want to save a buck. 😉 Current Exhibitions include ‘The Children have to hear another story: Alanis Obomsawin’. Alanis is an activist and filmmaker born into a dark period of Indigenous history. Despite this, she managed to access public platforms and tell Indigenous stories. Another Exhibition is ‘Shary Boyle: Outside the Palace of Me’ which reflects on “contemporary constructions of self through language of costume, character, set design and stage effects, Byole explores how we see each other and how we see ourselves.” Those are just two of the five exhibitions that are taking place at the Gallery right now. I don’t want to spoil too much, so why don’t you take a look yourself?
More into sports than into art? How about grabbing your buddy and going to a sports bar to watch an Ice Hockey game? The Stanley Cup Playoffs are happening at the moment and it’s a major event since, you know, it’s Canada’s National sport. 😉 There’s lots of good sports bars around that offer delicious pub food, cold drinks and big flat screen TV’s showing the game. I’m sure if a Canadian team is playing you’ll feel like you’re in the stadium. 😉 Afterwards you could go out and explore Vancouver’s Night Life! Want to avoid conversations about Ice Hockey with others at the bar because you don’t know enough about it? Don’t worry we’ve got you covered, just check out our blog post about the history and basics of the Stanley Cup and in no time you’ll be able to make conversation with one of the locals at the bar: https://internexcanada.wordpress.com/2023/04/26/canadian-knowledge-test-101-the-stanley-cup/
I hope you have an amazing weekend and can report lots of fun things at next weeks Pub Night!
INTERNeX Canada 