New ‘Kids’ on the Blog

Another week with a growing INTERNeX family, yay! Again, we have many new people joining us (10!!!), so to introduce them all to you in this blog post, I will use bullet points instead of paragraphs (like a German ‘Steckbrief’), that way you have the chance to get to know them all. 🙂

Name: Miriam
Age: 18
Home: Munich, Germany
What are you doing in Canada?
-> Practicum at an orchestra
Why Canada?
-> To improve English skills; Canadas diversity
First impression of Vancouver?
-> Big and hot (lucky she just came in time for summer) 😉
Future Plans?
-> Study anything with music
Bucket list while here?
-> Leaves the planning to Hannah and will join her on her bucket list
Hobbies: Playing the piano and the violin, Dancing, e.g. Modern and Contemporary

Name: Hannah
Age: 18
Home: Dortmund, Germany
What are you doing in Canada?
-> Practicum at a radio station/ journalism
Why Canada?
-> Been in Canada (Quebec) before and liked it a lot
First impression of Vancouver?
-> Likes the city and the mountains
Future Plans?
-> University for social studies/ politics & society
Bucket list while here?
-> Vancouver Island including Victoria; Seattle
Hobbies: Wants to play field hockey again (maybe her and Paula can set up a match?) 😉

Name: Fee
Age: 18
Home: Düsseldorf, Germany
What are you doing in Canada?
-> Finished language school; now 6 months practicum in Stanley Park
Why Canada?
-> Didn’t really know where to go at first, Canada was the only available option at the time, but doesn’t regret it, thinks Vancouver is amazing 🙂
First impression of Vancouver?
-> Breathtaking
Future Plans?
-> Home for Christmas, then travel to Bali and visit her best friend in Australia; study, but not sure what
Bucket list while here?
-> Hawaii; Rocky Mountains
Hobbys: Tennis, Piano

Name: Larissa
Age: 25
Home: Stuttgart, Germany
What are you doing in Canada?
-> Semester abroad for her co-op studies; her German company sent her for a practicum/ International Business/ Development/ Marketing
Why Canada?
-> Australia and New Zealand wasn’t possible, so she chose Canada
First impression of Vancouver?
-> Big!
Bucket list while here?
-> Nothing specific, goes with the flow
Hobbies: Loves action, hikes in nature, any kind of sports, riding motorcycles
Random fact: Larissa speaks Spanish

Name: Kathi
Age: 20
Home: Münster, Germany
What are you doing in Canada?
-> Practicum in law
Why Canada?
-> Nature; not as mainstream as the USA or Australia
First impression of Vancouver?
-> Beautiful city with kind people, but sad about the homelessness and drug issues
Future Plans?
-> Finish law degree
Bucket list while here?
-> Explore nature; take it as it comes
Hobbies: Horseback riding, Gym, Hiking

Name: Hanna
Age: 25
Home: Near Stuttgart, Germany
What are you doing in Canada?
-> Language school and Ranch Stay
Why Canada?
-> Since she was a kid she told her mom that she needed to come to Canada, it was always a dream
First impression of Vancouver?
-> Big; lots of different cultures
Bucket list while here?
-> Nothing specific, just going with the flow 🙂
Hobbies: Saxophone, Horseback riding
Random fact: Her grandpa had a farm

Name: Sebatian Upegui
Age: 18
Home: Munich, Germany
What are you doing in Canada?
-> Practicum wildlife rescue
Why Canada?
-> English, nature, people, outside of Europe
First impression of Vancouver?
-> Beautiful mountains and nature around city
Future Plans?
-> Travel to Thailand, travel around Europe; study, maybe Biology, Medicine, or Geography
Bucket list while here?
-> Vancouver Island
Hobbies: Parkour, Basketball, Paint (mostly sketches)
Random Facts: His parents are from Colombia, so he speaks fluent Spanish; he’s been travelling to the Rockies already, Moraine Lake was his favourite

Name: Marie
Age: 18
Home: Near Heidelberg, Germany
What are you doing in Canada?
-> Practicums at the Cat Sanctuary and Stanley Park
Why Canada?
-> Nature and wildlife
First impression of Vancouver?
-> Beautiful city with nature around
Future Plans?
-> Travel to Singapore; study, maybe Economics and Sustainability
Bucket list while here?
-> Whale watching, Victoria, Seattle, explore nature
Hobbies: Piano, Athletics, Climbing

Name: Merle
Age: 19
Home: Flensburg, Germany
What are you doing in Canada?
-> Work and Holiday/ Hostel or coffee shop
Why Canada?
-> Nature, friendly people, English
First impression of Vancouver?
-> Surprisingly peaceful
Bucket list while here?
-> Skiing, travel East Coast, visit National Parks
Hobbies: Volleyball, Handball
Random fact: Her and Levke came here together 🙂

Name: Levke
Age: 19
Home: Flensburg, Germany
What are you doing in Canada?
-> Work and Holiday/ Coffee shop/ Service industry
Why Canada?
-> Mix between big cities and nature; improve English and French
First impression of Vancouver?
-> Not as busy as expected; nice and calm
Bucket list while here?
-> Seeing a Grizzly; getting to know Canadian people and culture
Hobbies: Handball, spending time with friends and family

If you want to know more join us for our next Pub Night and get to know them better. 🙂

See you there!

Cheers,

Laura 🙂

INTERNeX Through the Looking Glass -Hospitality Program

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” is what an author named Neale Donald Walsch once said.
It’s Amiel and I’m back once again! The quote above describes one of the core reasons why I began my practicum at INTERNeX. Sticking with what you know is safe and comfortable just as the name suggests. But it also leaves you with an extremely narrow path to travel in the journey of life. Try out new things, go to a different country and live there for a few months! Who knows? You might find out something profound about yourself.

Today we’re continuing with INTERNeX’ programs and will take a look at the Hospitality Program.
The process of this package is bit different from the Practicum Program I wrote about last week.

Just like with a practicum, it all begins with a conversation about what your personal goals are. Do you want to know how it is to live and work in another country? Improve your language skills? Learn about the service industry in other parts of the world? Or just meet people from different nationalities? The Hospitality Program should then peak your interest!By the way, this time you actually do get paid. You could say it’s similar to doing work & travel, but not quite. And here’s why: INTERNeX takes care of everything for you! All you have to do is show up at your chosen destination and dazzle everyone at the job interview the staff helped prepare. This still sounds like a lot of pressure right? But you needn’t be so worried. INTERNeX supports you at every single step you take in order to make you fully prepared, like with giving advice on useful interview techniques for example. Even in the off-chance that you won’t be taken in by the company on your first try, there will be more opportunities lined up for you.

The biggest difference between common work & travel programs and the Hospitality Program is the safety INTERNeX provides. With them you will be able to completely focus on what you want to achieve and enjoy the life of a world traveler! Also, after you start working the staff will stay in contact with you to make sure that you’re satisfied with your experience.
Hospitality offers a great opportunity to travel and gain important life skills you won’t be able to learn so easily elsewhere.
If you want more detailed information on the INTERNeX Programs check out www.internexworld.com

For the upcoming week I’ll be writing about the 3rd main program: Ranch Stay.

Buenos noches!

 

INTERNeX International Exchange – PR Coordinator

work + live + learn

pr@internexcanada.com – Email
www.internexworld.com – Web
www.internexcanada.com – Blog
www.facebook.com/INTERNeX – Facebook
www.youtube.com/user/internexcanada – YouTube
www.twitter.com/INTERNeX_Canada – Twitter
www.instagram.com/internex_canada – Instagram
www.flickr.com/photos/internex – Flickr

INTERNeX Through the Looking Glass -Intro

My name is Amiel and I’m taking part in INTERNeX’ Practicum Program as a practicum student at INTERNeX. Wow, that almost sounded like a tongue twister! 😀

Alright, why am I here writing this blogpost and introducing myself? What I want to do today is tell you a little about INTERNeX from my perspective with the topics of: Who are they? And what do they do?

First, something about myself. I’m a German university student, in my final year before completing my Bachelor’s degree in International Business Administration. Here in Vancouver, I’m currently about half way through my 4 month practicum working as a PR Coordinator on the one side but also doing Social Media Marketing on the other. I’ve already learned so much and had extremely fun experiences! Time really flies and there’s always much too little of it.

Now, who is INTERNeX?
The company was founded by Timothy Wells in 1998. In a nutshell, it’s an organization that gives you the opportunity to explore the world by helping you live and work in a foreign country. However, I believe it is so much more. INTERNeX is a global community of people eager to meet and learn about new places, people and their cultures around the world. Besides providing their services to the candidates they integrate all of them in weekly and monthly social activities, making it feel like you’re hanging out with a bunch of friends. It’s really incredible and I haven’t met or even heard of any other organization that does the same for its participants.

So, what exactly does INTERNeX do?
There are three main programs: Ranch Stay, Hospitality and the Practicum Program. They also give you the possibility to take part in a Volunteering Program through Fronteering (check out their website at: www.fronteering.com). INTERNeX has a close and lifelong relationship with them. In other words a partnership.
Through the help of these programs participants who want to gain practical experience are able to receive placements well-suited to their needs. The mission is to promote personal success and assist the candidates in achieving their goals while nurturing cultural understanding in this multi-cultural community.

Well, that was all for today! This week was only an introduction into the world of INTERNeX. In case you want to learn more, check out my blogposts over the upcoming weeks in which I’ll be going into more detail about the programs INTERNeX provides OR just visit the homepage at: www.internexworld.com

 
Cheers!

INTERNeX International Exchange – PR Coordinator
work + live + learn

pr@internexcanada.com – Email
www.internexworld.com – Web
www.internexcanada.com – Blog
www.facebook.com/INTERNeX – Facebook
www.youtube.com/user/internexcanada – YouTube
www.twitter.com/INTERNeX_Canada – Twitter
www.instagram.com/internex_canada – Instagram
www.flickr.com/photos/internex – Flickr

Expose of the Week

Sonja, Germany

How did you find INTERNeX international exchange?

I was looking for an organization that offers a farm stay on the Internet and found Ayusa/ INTERNeX.

Why did you choose INTERNeX international exchange?

INTERNeX to me seemed to be a serious organization and I read a lot of positive field reports.

Why did you choose to go to Canada?

I always knew that I wanted to travel abroad and I wanted it to be an Anglophone country. Canada and the US were my favorites, as I already traveled to the States several times and really enjoyed it. I finally decided to go to Canada in order to get to know a new country and new places and because I really wanted to do the farm stay, which didn’t work out for the States.

How did you find a place to stay?

The program that I chose has different farm types to offer (horse ranches, guest ranches etc). As I already had a lot of experience with horses I definitely wanted to be placed on a horse farm. I just needed to fill in some questionnaires and prove that I had experience in this sector and then INTERNeX “brought me and the “farmers” together.

What kind of program were you doing and did you find it useful?

As I already mentioned, I participated in a program called farm stay. For me, this experience definitely was useful, useful in a way that I learned a lot of things, and not only new things about training, working and living with horses, but also about the Canadian mentality and last but not least about myself. Although I’m not planning to work with horses for a living, I wouldn’t want to miss the experiences I made. Working with animals always tells you a lot about yourself, useful things for a life time.

How did you like your program?

I liked it a lot! It was one of the best times in my life and I’m really happy that I decided to do the farm stay. Although I first made some really negative experiences (I had to change the farm) everything finally turned out to be great. The people I lived with soon became a second family and I met many wonderful persons and really enjoyed my work.

What kind of tasks were you responsible for on a daily basis?

Actually every day looked really different, but what definitely was an essential part of my work was the training of young horses that had little or none experience with a rider on their back. Of course other chores like feeding and brushing horses were a part of my work as well, although not on a 100 percent daily basis.

What do you like best about Canada?

I really like the Canadian mentality, I like that everything is more relaxed than in Germany and that the great majority of people are always welcoming, friendly, helpful and generous. I like the wide spaces, the nature, the wilderness, the contrasts and the diversity that you can find everywhere…!!

Where have you been in Canada?

I lived more than two months in Valemount, a small town about an hour away from Jasper. I also spend a longer time in Vancouver and travelled to several places such as Vancouver Island, Whistler, Jasper, Edmonton, Nelson etc. And hopefully there are many more places to come!

What do you like most about Vancouver?

I really like that Vancouver is as green as it is, that you can find parks and recreations areas almost everywhere. To have the sea and Vancouver’s beaches just minutes away from the mountains is awesome. The city has lots of different faces as well, many different neighborhoods, each of them with its own character. And I really like the sea bus and the aquabuses 😀

Where have you been in and around Vancouver?

I’ve seen most of the downtown areas and hot spots and also lived a short time in Burnaby and North Vancouver.

What was the most memorable thing that you did in Canada (so far)?

I did a lot of memorable things, things that I never would have done in Germany and things that told me a lot about Canada and its people and myself. To see whales diving into sunset on Vancouver Island for example was unforgettable as well as being out in the Canadian wilderness for some days during my farm stay.

Let’s sum it up: What was the best thing about your program in Canada (so far)?

It’s hard to find one best thing, but I guess the thing is not a thing but some of the people who I met and who hopefully will stay friends for a life time. It’s also a great feeling to know that you found a second home at the other end of the world.

And what the worst thing?

The worst thing … Probably my first week where I had to learn that not everybody welcomes you with open arms and that reality most of the times doesn’t meet your expectations.

What is the first thing you will do back home in Germany?

First thing is to embrace my family and friends and then go to my favorite bakery and buy everything they have 😉 and eat it!:D

Would you recommend INTERNeX international exchange?

Yup!!

Cheers Sonja

 

INTERNeX International Exchange
International Village,
Suite 2077, 2079 – 88 West Pender Street
Vancouver, Canada -V6B 9N9-
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com

About INTERNeX: Invaluable Life Experience

Whether it be working, studying, volunteering, or to just get some life experience, INTERNeX definitely has it all. If you are thinking of working abroad or wanting to get out of your home city, checking out INTERNeX would be well worth your time.

I always wonder what it is like to travel abroad to a foreign country to live there, and I mean really live there on my own. Wouldn’t it be insanely difficult? Lonely? And wouldn’t it be sometimes downright frustrating because of language barriers and confusing directions?  But that is exactly why INTERNeX exists! We also offer great experience in programs such as Internships, Au Pair, Volunteer, and Ranch Stay.

Of course trying to adjust to a new country, new place, and new people will be tough but at the same time you will gain an invaluable life experience. People from all walks of life, from different ethnic backgrounds to different personalities come together here at INTERNeX. We provide a bridge to help you get what you are looking for! 

And here in Vancouver, when you aren’t working or if you are feeling tad bit lonely, INTERNeX Canada will always find fun and exciting things for you to do from weekly pub nights to fun activities such as snow tubing and overnight trips! Being involved with INTERNeX will also lead you to new people who are all different from you yet similar in so many ways.

So if you have this burning desire to go out and do something totally different and maybe even out of your comfort zone, I advise you to consider INTERNeX!

Cheers,

Flora

INTERNeX International Exchange
Suite 200 – 211 Columbia Street
Vancouver BC -V6A 2R5-
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Phone: +1 (604) 662 8149
Email: pr@internexcanada.com