How was the weekend?

A lot of fun! Friday I went to a free Argentine Tango dance class at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza. It’s one hour of learning the basics and afterwards there’s time to dance and practice some more. If you are intrigued now let me tell you that there’s one more class for Argentine Tango this Friday at 6.30pm at the same spot! All you need to bring is some water. You’ve got nothing to lose, so I encourage you to swing by and Tango! Maybe we can do an INTERNeX Tango night soon? 😉

Saturday INTERNeX went to Queen Elizabeth Park (seems to be a theme this weekend) and played Disc Golf. It was everyone’s first time, but after a couple baskets we got the hang of it! The weather was nice and sunny, the court had lots of trees for shade, or throwing your disc in. 😀 Since our discs got caught in the trees multiple times, we decided to skip the baskets that stood behind the big pond. We had a lot of fun and decided to walk around Queen Elizabeth Park some more after our game to see the beautiful gardens and the lookout over the city. 🙂

A few of us visited the Conservatory where you can see lots of tropical birds and plants, others went to grab a bite on Main Street, which is a really cool and hip area here in Vancouver. They have lots of different cuisines and craft breweries along the street, as well as art and artisan shops. If you haven’t been there yet, I recommend you check it out. 🙂 Camilo and I went back home on our bikes and made a quick stop at Rain or Shine Ice Cream, one of my favourites here in Vancouver. They make their cones fresh in house, so good! Another thing to try this summer if you haven’t done it already.

How did you spend your sunny weekend? Let me know in the comments, or tell me at our next Pub Night, Wednesday 7pm at The Ballyhoo.

See you there!

Cheers,

Laura 🙂

What to do on the weekend – Canada Day Edition

This week is short, which means it’s already weekend, and it’s a special one! Tomorrow is Canada Day, the national holiday which celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation from July 1st, 1867 where the three separate colonies of the United Canadas, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick were united into a single Dominion within the British Empire called Canada.

There are a few options to celebrate Canada Day:

You could come celebrate with INTERNeX at Wreck Beach. The weather will be sunny and there’s a big party going on. Everyone is welcome to join. Just make sure you bring enough food and drinks with you since the beach is not too easy to access with it’s 490 steps. The walk is worth it though, from here you can see the most beautiful sunset in Vancouver. The vibes are immaculate. It’s definitely something you have to see for yourself, but be aware: at this beach clothing is optional, so it’s nothing for sensitive eyes. 😉

Another option would be Canada place. Each year there’s a bunch of food trucks, live music, and entertainment. Performers include Johnny Reid, The Boom Booms, Omega Mighty, and many more.The event at Canada Place is the second largest Canada Day celebration, next only to those in Ottawa, Canada’s capital. To be honest though, it seemed very small to me when I went. If you look for a parade, jazz concerts, street performers, and craft activities, Granville Island is the place for you. It’s a little more family oriented than other locations, but still a fun place to visit, even on regular days.

I think in general you just need to go outside and you’ll find a celebration somewhere! Your dress code should be red and/or white, the same colours as the Canadian flag, for the full experience. 😉

There’s also another side to Canada Day that I want to talk about. It attracted a negative stigma among some Indigenous peoples in Canada and their allies, who feel that it is a celebration of the colonization of Indigenous land. That’s because prior to European colonization, present-day Canada was inhabited by Indigenous peoples, with distinct trade networks, spiritual beliefs, and styles of social organization. You’ve probably noticed signs in and around Vancouver that refer to the Indigenous peoples and their language. This topic is very complex and takes some time to explain, but I think it’s important to spread awareness and talk about different sides of this country. If you are interested there’s lots of things to learn!

Here are, for example, some links for you to check out about Indigenous languages in BC:
https://maps.fpcc.ca/languages
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WugI6-XUzA

I think it’s good to acknowledge the different feelings Canada Day sparks amongst the population. For many, it isn’t about history though, it’s a day to celebrate people, diversity, and inclusion in a beautiful country, and that’s what I like to celebrate!

Whatever you decide on, I’m sure you’ll have a great weekend, and an even better Canada Day! 🙂

As for a few others of us, we’ll go to Las Vegas on Sunday for even more celebrations! But that’s a different story. I’ll tell you about it once we’re back. 🙂

Can’t wait to hear about your weekend!

Cheers,

Laura 🙂

How was your weekend?

The weekend is behind us, so let’s take a look at what we did this weekend.

On Sunday we went on a trip to Joffre Lakes. We left Vancouver at around 8 in the morning in our own bus, which was great as we could listen to our own music. On our way, we stopped at Shannon Falls, which is the third highest waterfall in British Columbia. Thus, you can imagine, that it was quite impressive. On our way to Joffre Lakes, our guide, Corey, pointed out some interesting facts along the way. For example, did you know, that the McDonald’s in Squamish is the busiest McDonald’s in British Columbia?

It was a sunny day, so we had the perfect hiking conditions when we arrived at Joffre Lakes. The Lower Joffre Lake, was close to the parking lot, so we were able to get there within 5 minutes. It was nice and peaceful. After a few minutes we headed towards the Middle Joffre Lake, which was 3 km away. I think, I can speak for most of us, that this was the hardest part of the hike. Not only was the hike 3 km long, but it was difficult due to the extreme incline. So by the time we reached the Middle Joffre Lake, we were a bit exhausted. At this lake, we had our lunch break and enjoyed the amazing view of the blue water of the lake.

Afterwards, we headed to the Upper Joffre Lake, which thankfully wasn’t too far away. On the way there we saw an amazing waterfall from up close. At the Upper Joffre Lake, we were happy to see that it wasn’t frozen. Again, we had a spectacular view and we seized the opportunity to take more amazing pictures. The hike back down was a lot easier.

On our drive back from Joffre Lakes, we stopped at Whistler for a dinner break. It was cool that we were able to see Whistler Village on this trip as well. After our delicious dinner we headed back to Vancouver. But we had to make one quick stop on the side of the highway for the scenic view. By 8:15 pm we were back in Vancouver.

Overall it was a great trip, even though it was a little exhausting at times. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Thanks to everyone who joined!

Have a good day and see you on Wednesday at Pub NiGHT!

-Megan

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

How was your weekend?

It’s Monday, so sadly the weekend is over. I hope you are all doing well and enjoyed the extra day off. Here is a little recap of what happened over the weekend.

Despite the weather forecast, it was great weather on Saturday and Sunday. So on Saturday, a few of us met up to ride bikes in Stanley Park. Once we got our cruisers, we were on our way. We followed the bike path around the park by the seawall. Thus, we had spectacular views the whole time. Further, we were able to see the water planes take off, which was quite impressive. We stopped a few times to take some nice pictures. One of our first stops was the Brockton Point Lighthouse.

After a while we split up as some wanted to make more stops and also hung around at some spots and enjoyed the view. Some of us continued with the bike ride. We saw Lions Gate Bridge, which leads to North and West Vancouver. We also saw the Girl in a Wetsuit, which is a statue on a rock out in the water. Afterwards, we passed the amazing beaches the park has to offer. At Third Beach we had a break to have some ice cream. Towards the end of our bike ride, we passed by the Lost Lagoon, and there were a lot of cute baby geese. Overall, it was a fun and cool way to explore the park. Thanks to everyone who came and joined us!

I actually enjoyed Stanley Park so much, that I went there the next day again. But this time I walked, which was a bit more relaxing. On Sunday, I also explored the center of Stanley Park. It was really neat and remarkable to see, how much nature there is, considering that we are in a big city.

Stanley Park is beautiful and has so much to offer. I highly recommend visiting the park, if you have not done so yet. Especially, if you want to get away form the stress of the city,  it’s the prefect place to relax.

Have a good day!

-Megan

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

What to do on the weekend?

It’s a sunny day in beautiful Vancouver, and you know what makes this day even better? The fact that it’s Friday and the beginning of the weekend! In case you need some ideas as to what to do, here are some suggestions.

The Richmond night market is starting today, where you can find amazing foods from all around the world. You can choose from 120 vendors with over 600 food items, making it North America’s largest night market. Each year the market has over one million visitors. This year’s theme is “summer chill party”, making it the perfect place to end your day. The market will take place over the whole summer and is open from Fridays to Sundays from 7 pm to 12 am. Admission is $4.75 pp.

Since it is so sunny, you probably want to cool off somehow. Maybe by enjoying some ice cream? In this case, you should check out La Casa Gelato. They have 238 flavours in store. Let me repeat that….238 flavours. So if you are bored of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, you have to go there. You can find them at 1033 Venables St.

Other than that, I would just recommend spending as much time as possible outside, either at a beach, on a hike or simply by strolling through the city, and enjoying the wonderful weather.

PS: Don’t forget, Mother’s day is on Sunday. Remember to call your mom and tell her how amazing she is!

Enjoy your weekend!

-Megan

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