What to do on the Weekend?

As the second week of November comes to an end, we are facing another long weekend. This means we are getting some more time to explore Vancouver at it’s fullest! 

As we’ve been lucky with the weather so far, we have to use any chance we get to go out and explore, before the rainy and cold days are starting any time soon.  

And therefore we are gonna go on a nice hike this Saturday.
The Lynn Canyon Park is one of the most beautiful places to be around Vancouver. And the best part: the suspension bridge is for free ;-). We’ll meet up in downtown and make our way up there together. Just to make sure we won’t leave without you, let us know if you’ll be joining (just one click on “going” on Facebook and you are sorted). This might be your last chance to actually go out before winter is finally here.
This is going to be great, so don’t miss out!  

If you are still looking for something to do on Sunday, there will be the Bear Creek Park Light Festival hosted in the same named Park in Surrey. Furthermore there is the Riley Park Farmers Market happening at the Nat Bailey Stadium on Ontario Street this weekend. If you want to do, what the locals do, this might be a good shot. 

And as I mentioned before, Monday is Remembrance Day. This is a very important and big day here in Canada. For this very special occasion you’ll find many ceremonies and parades in every part of Vancouver and beyond.  If you missed, what and why is happening on Remembrance Day, just check two blogposts below. 

With all this great activities, I am sure you’ll have an amazing weekend and a good start in the upcoming week.
And the good thing: Pub-Night Wednesday is never far away! 

I hope to see you on Saturday.
Have a fantastic weekend! 

Over and out, 

— Nadja 

International Village,
Suite 2077, 2079 – 88 West Pender Street
Vancouver, Canada -V6B 6N9-
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com

INTERNeX News – Remembrance Day

Travelling is not only about taking pretty pictures and meeting exciting new people, of course we all also want to learn something about the country and culture we stay in.

Therefore Public Holidays are just the perfect opportunity to widen our horizon and learn about what people are actually celebrating or thinking of.

As you might know and surely must have noticed when walking through town, next Monday is Remembrance Day. This is not only a topic we should gather some information about, because we are currently staying in Canada, but also because this is a topic each and everyone should keep in mind and think about from time to time. Therefore here some helpful information about what this day is all about.

Starting from scratch, the Remembrance day, or earlier known as the Armistice Day marks the end of hostilities during First World war. It is a day remembering all the fallen soldiers, not the victory or any political and/or military events.
Nowadays it’s not only supposed to remind on First World War, but all Wars!
Because it is and always will be very important to remember all the horror and grief wars drag along. Nobody should ever forget, how hard times like these effected each and everyones life. Even though the first world is long gone, we should think about it from time to time and never get lazy speaking about it.

Most ceremonies in Canada include certain things, like two minutes of silence, the playing of the ‘Last Post’, the recitation of ‘In Flanders Fields’, and the wearing of Poppies. ‘In Flanders Fields’ is a poem written by a Canadian soldier and became one of the most famous symbols of First World War. The poem embodies the sadness, the loss of loved ones, the worries, but also the faith that needs to be kept up. Within the poem John McCrae mentioned the Poppies, which were found on most of the western front. Throughout the bombed and destroyed landscape the poppies were the only thing giving colour to this tragic scenery. Later on the blood-red poppies overgrew many mass graves and therefore they became more and more symbolic for the fallen soldiers and tragedy of First World War. 

Almost in every part of Vancouver you will find different ceremonies, concerning this very important day. In downtown you’ll get one at the Cenotaph Victory Square (located on the corner of West Hastings Street and Cambie), starting about 9:45 am. Afterwards there will be a big parade.
Another big ceremony will take place in Stanley Park at the Japanese Canadian War Memorial, starting at 10:40 am.  

As this is a public holiday, I hope you’ll have a great day off and spent your free-time wisely, thinking about this very serious and important topic. 

Cheers, 

— Nadja

International Village,
Suite 2077, 2079 – 88 West Pender Street
Vancouver, Canada -V6B 6N9-
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com

 

 

What to do on the weekend?

Hands up if you’re ready to do something you’ll regret this weekend. Go forth! You have my blessing. Weekends don’t count unless you spend them doing something completely fun. If you still have no idea what you will regret, I have some things listed down to make your weekend great.

For people who love skiing or snowboarding this will be a good weekend. Why? The Grouse Grind and Mt. Seymour are opening the ski season this weekend. You can get your lift passes with a discount and try the first snow of this fall.

Weekends don’t pay as well as weekdays but at least there’s hockey and to make it even better, there is not one but two games you can enjoy. The Giants will show what they can do on Saturday and Sunday. If you are not a real hockey fan, you probably aren’t Canadian. You can go to the market on Sunday instead. Cannery’s farmers market in Richmond or Hastings Park Winter Farmers Market will be the best options for you to go.

This Saturday is Remembrance Day. Remembrance Day is a memorial day since the end of the First World War to remember the members of the armed forces who have died in the line of duty. There are a couple places where you can go, but the ceremony at the Cenotaph at Victory Square is particularly impressive. Starting at 9:45 am and taking place at the park at the corner of West Hastings Street and Cambie, the service includes a performance by the Vancouver Bach Youth Choir, the sounds of a 21-gun salute by the 15th Field Artillery Regiment firing from Portside Park, and a Royal Canadian Air Force fly-past.

Later this Saturday we will meet at the Escape room. We will solve some puzzles that lead the way to the exit. It’s all about teamwork and logical thinking. Can we make it in time? We will meet up at 6:30 pm in front of the escape room. See you there!

– Bart

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

HIGHLIGHTS REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2015: October, November, December

OCTOBER

Last but not least the fourth quarter of 2015. I hope you guys had as much fun as I had looking back on all the awesome things we did.

October started with our amazing overnight trip to Whistler with a group of 22 people. The trip was the perfect opportunity to get to know everyone better and I must say that those people are just amazing. Therefore it’s no surprise that we had an awesome time in Whistler with a lot of fun. Additionally we were pretty lucky with the weather.
The sun was shining the entire weekend. On Saturday and Sunday most people did zip lining, some did bungee jumping and some just explored the amazing view on top of the mountains when hiking. We also had two birthdays to celebrate that means we had a good excuse to party.

Canadian Thanksgiving, one of the most famous holidays is celebrated at the second Monday in October. It is similar to the English and European Harvest festival, symbolizing people’s gratitude for everything given by nature or God that sustains them. While the actual Thanksgiving holiday is on a Monday, Canadians may gather for their Thanksgiving Dinner on any day during the long weekend. The traditional dish for the Thanksgiving dinner is roasted turkey, cranberries, and pumpkin pie.In celebration of the Canadian Thanksgiving the INTERNeX group certainly had a Thanksgiving Dinner. We spent a lovely evening on top of Vancouver’s roof. While enjoying our Dinner at the revolving restaurant in Robson Street we had an incredible view down on Vancouver.

 

NOVEMBER

 
In November 11 Canada  ‘celebrated’  Remembrance Day. We remember soldiers fallen in the line of duty, especially those during World War I and World War II. The date and the time on which the festivities are taking place certainly have a special meaning: The hostilities of World War I ended officially on the eleventh day of November 1918, in the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour. So, every year at that time is at least one minute of silence to honor all those, we need to remember. Connected to this day is also the custom of wearing a red poppy the weeks leading up to the eleventh of November. This symbol evolved due to the popularity of a poem written by a Canadian writer and soldier John McCrae, In Flanders Fields. It is one of the most famous pieces of Canadian literature and represents the emotions connected to Remembrance Day.

 

We could also cross Seattle off our to-do list since we crossed the border to the States for a day trip to Seattle. As you can see on the photo we had amazing weather! And not only the weather was good. We had super yummy fresh fish at Pike Place Market and quite a lot to explore in downtown Seattle.

 
DECEMBER

Since a bunch of people will be here for Christmas we decided to enjoyed a nice Christmas Dinner together in association with doing Secret Santa. Besides that we also didn’t miss the chance attending at the annual Santa Claus Parade. We went to the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park seeing the hundreds of thousands of lights, the ‘German” Christmas Market and to the Bright Nights in Stanley Park. 

December and also 2015 are slowly coming to an end as well as my practicum here at INTERNeX. No reason for freaking out, being sad or becoming desperate though! Vivien, one of our candidates is taking over and is managing and organizing a couple of pretty cool events and trips for January and February. Of course we also won’t leave you in the lurch on New Years Eve!

For all the upcoming events check out our Facebook page and stay turned on our social media sites.

The only thing left to say is: HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hope everyone will have a good start in the New Year 2016! Wish you all the best.

 

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

REMEMBRANCE DAY

As you might know it’s Remembrance Day this Wednesday, November 11. The holiday is also known as Poppy Day or Armistice Day. But what is Remembrance Day you might ask? Well, basically it’s a day to remember all Canadians who sacrificed their lives during World War I and World War II. On that day Canadians commemorate the fallen members of the armed forces like soldiers, sailors and airmen. The date and the time on which the festivities are taking place certainly have a special meaning: The hostilities of World War I ended officially on the eleventh day of November 1918, in the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour. So every year at that time is at least one minute of silence to honor all those fallen soldiers. Connected to that day most Canadians wear a red poppy the weeks before November 11. This symbol evolved due to a poem written by a Canadian writer and soldier John McCrae, called “In Flanders Fields”. It’s one of the most famous pieces of Canadian literature.

In remembrance of the soldiers fallen in the line of duty Vancouver had a parade last year. Our PR-Coordinators participated and they were absolutely fascinated. They wrote a review about that day; here is a short extract about how they experienced it: “A lot of people met up to show their respect and support […]. It wasn’t just a parade. We could also hear the sounds of shots being fired from cannons; we could see old 2nd World War airplanes flying overhead, poems were being read out loud… For sure this was an unforgettable experience.”

This year the Remembrance Day Ceremony and Parade will start on Wednesday, November 11 at 9:45am at the Victory Square Cenotaph at West Hastings Street and Cambie Street. For more information to the Parade, click here.