TOTAL RECALL 2022 – Part III

Here it is, the last week of 2022! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I’m always still in the holiday spirit a couple days after, so I’d love to tell you about our most recent Pre-Christmas events to let it last just a liiittle bit longer. 😉 If you haven’t read the first two parts of our year review here are the links for you:

Part I: https://internexcanada.wordpress.com/2022/12/14/total-recall-2022-part-i/

Part II: https://internexcanada.wordpress.com/2022/12/21/total-recall-2022-part-ii/

So, here we go:

The closer winter came the more our Halloween activities shifted into Christmas/Winter. 😉 Have you been on the Christmas Market, or to the VanDusen Botanical Gardens Festival of Light? I love these kind of activities to get me in the mood for Christmas, they light up this dark cold winter time and help me stay sane. 😀 Or have you been to a Canadian Ice Hockey game yet? I can highly recommend it, even if you’re not too familiar with the sport it’s a great experience and who knows, maybe you’ll walk out of the arena as a new Canucks fan. 😉

Our last bigger trip this year was to Whistler, but this time for ski season! We had a nice hotel with a jacuzzi in every room which was really nice at freezing outdoor temperatures of -14 degrees! The weather was cold, but beautifully sunny. The first day we went on a stunning snow walk around the golf course, it looked like a real winter wonder land. The main event was obviously the skiing on the following day and for real it looked amazing, plus Whistler is also known for its great Apres Ski parties which many of us enjoyed. 🙂

Now 2022 is coming to an end and to conclude, the year has definitely been challenging with all the changes the pandemic has brought with it, especially in the tourism industry, but we can proudly say we had a great year with lots of adventures, learning curves, and most importantly awesome people.

We are grateful to be back and we want to continue helping you grow through your experience here with INTERNeX in 2023. Off to a new chapter! We wish you all the best for the next year and all the years to follow!

Did you set yourself any challenges for the next year? How has this year been for you? What was your favourite event/trip this year? I recommend sitting down for a minute and really think about what you’ve achieved and how much you’ve grown, it makes you really excited to see what’s coming next, doesn’t it? 🙂

Lots of Love,

Laura 🙂

What to do on the weekend

Here’s some inspiration of what you can do on the weekend:

The Holiday Spirit continues and INTERNeX is going to The Van Dusen Festival Lights. This magical winter wonderland has more than one million lights decorating this beautiful garden. Wander around the lakeside and experience all themed areas that offer their visitors tasty treats, unique light features and holiday music. Let us know if you wanna experience this event together on Saturday evening. Price: $21 + taxes and tickets are available online only. 🙂 

Then there’s The Big Elf Run at Stanley Park on Saturday, December 10th. This holiday themed run is suitable for all ages and offers a 5km, 10km, 15km run around Stanley Park. Run together with hundreds of elves, enjoy DJ, “elfie station”, prize giveaways and more. The run starts at Lumberman’s Arch and goes on a trail that passes the Vancouver Aquarium and winds its way along paths surrounded by old oak trees, the seawall with views of Coal Harbour and the Burrard Inlet. Check-in opens at 11.30 and you can read more about their timeline on their website for more details. Let’s check it out! Admission: from $35

Last but not least: Steveston Festival of Trees at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery in Richmond. This event is perfect for getting into the holiday spirit, exploring a display of illuminated holiday trees inside the historic cannery at Steveston Festival of Trees. This event is an ongoing event and runs from December 1st until the 24th. The Christmas Trees are designed and sponsored by local merchants, so let’s vote for our favourite 🙂

Hope you find it inspiring and whatever you decide to do on the weekend, we hope you will have a great weekend!

Cheers

Ida

The PR Team has a new member!

I am not the best one when it comes to writing about myself, but I will try my best. So, lets start at the beginning. My name is Lilly-Therese, but everybody just calls me Lilly, guess it is easier that way. I am 19 years old and I normally live in a small town near Berlin (Germany) together with my mom and my chocolate Labrador called “Maja”. And yes, she is the cutest 😉 and I will miss her! My older sister already moved to a different city to become a doctor in medicine, that is why it is only my mom and me.

Why am I in Canada? Well, in Germany I am studying European Management and I know what a lot of people might say:” then what is she doing in Canada and why isn’t she in Europe”. The answer to that is quite easy. For my studies a compulsory internship of 3 months is necessary, and we have to do it abroad, no matter if in Europe, Africa or America, the main thing is to do it outside of Germany.

From the moment I knew that I have to do that internship it was clear to me that I would loooove to do it in Canada, especially in Vancouver…city, mountains and seas all at once, sounds pretty great. As you might know, it is really difficult to find an internship in Canada, so I searched my way through the internet and came across INTERNeX. Which, looking back was the best that could have happened. I will now support the PR team for the next 3 months in organizing all the events and trips. I hope I will meet a lot of you guys there and that we have a great time together.

I think that were enough information for now, see you at this week’s PuB NiGHT at the Colony!

-Lilly

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

Time to say goodbye

So, this is it. It’s time to say goodbye. After spending 7 months in beautiful British Columbia, I am writing my last blog post. With a heavy heart, obviously… And not knowing where to start, because there are way too many great stories to tell.

I got a very warm welcome when I entered the world of INTERNeX. Not so warm was the weather in Vancouver at the beginning of my stay though. I remember a lot of snow, more than the city was apparently used to. I also remember hiking through the Lynn Valley during that time with shoes that weren’t winter and especially not water proof. So, guess who had wet and cold feet at the end of that day and a bit of a bad mood? Yep, me.

Nevertheless, the longer I stayed in Vancouver, the more I started to love the city, its weather and its surrounding. Looking back at my time there, I cannot imagine anyone who does not love this place. Vancouver is such a multisided city that has everything you need: a busy downtown, beaches, mountains, beautiful nature, a great nightlife and many wonderful people to meet.

So many wonderful people, indeed… I am a very lucky person who can say now that I have good friends coming from Sweden, Germany, Brazil, Belgium, Denmark, England, and so many more countries. You made my stay unforgettable and my favourite memories include you guys! To name some of them with their insider jokes: DO YOU WANT CHICKEN WINGS?! – Aiiiiiiiis – whoop whoop! – Vodka quoi? – Kiiiiii!… I know, for most of you readers, this might sound very confusing and weird… But I also know that some of you know EXACTLY what I’m talking about.

BUT, those words only won’t be enough to describe the awesome things I did and saw. Thanks to INTERNeX, I could go twice (!) to the Rocky Mountains, for example. Once during winter and once during summer. Both times, I was stunned by the beauty of the country. I was especially mesmerised by the view and the colour of the water Peyto Lake, Lake Louise and Moraine Lake had during summer. But one of my favourite moments was doing the Polar Bear swim in the 4-degree cold Bow Lake. Brrrrrr, I’m glad that so many of you joined me in this craziness.

However, not only did I go on trips with INTERNeX, I also had the chance to organise one on my very own. And so, the PR-team and I decided it’s time to get out of the country. My task became to plan a weekend in Portland, USA! What a challenge, but totally worth doing so. We visited the Chinese Garden, ate Voodoo doughnuts and played mini-golf in black light, to name some of the activities we did. Let me tell you guys: the city itself is simply great!

You know what else is great? That every Wednesday, we had our famous PuB NiGHTs! It gave me the chance to chat the nights away and to enjoy the delicious Canadian beer with you. I also loved that sometimes, we could play (music) Bingo during some of these evenings.

Play hard – work hard. Or something like that, right? The time I had at the office was just as awesome as my time outside of it. This, on the one hand, thanks to the possibility that we could organise so many weekly events like playing laser tag, a pillow fight or hiking. And on the other hand, because I had the honour of working with a fun and wonderful team! This practicum gave me many opportunities to learn and to grow. Thank you!

And now, it’s definitely time to say goodbye. Goodbye INTERNeX, goodbye candidates, goodbye Vancouver, goodbye Canada. Thank you for all the fun times! To quote Doktor Kosmos: ‘Oh, everybody, now. Don’t look at photographs ’cause photographs is not going to change the world. You can’t look back, no no. You must look forward, yes (…)’.

I see you all soon again and I cannot wait to create some more exciting memories. Scherbatsky out!

– Nadine

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

So no one told you life was gonna be this way

Like all good things, my time at INTERNeX has come to an end. What an amazing six months this has been! Although it is time for me to say goodbye now, I would like to tell you about my time here in this beautiful country before I do so.

I arrived in Vancouver on the 28th of February. A little bit overwhelmed by all these new impressions, I walked into the office the next day to have a look at the place I was going to be working at the next couple of months. The main topic at the office that day: the trip to Salt Spring Island that was taking place on the weekend. Yes, that’s right. Two days after my arrival, I dove straight into the world of INTERNeX by going on a trip! Staying in a big house in the middle of nowhere, hiking, cider tasting… yeah, not a bad start. Since I only just arrived, I still had to get used to the different time zone, the new surroundings and of course, being in a new country with new people. But you guys made me feel right at home. Because of you, I knew right away that my time in Canada would be an adventure I would never forget.

Over the past six months, I have seen many beautiful places, done lots of fun activities and I have met amazing people from all over the world. One trip I really loved was the one to Portland, Oregon. Going to the US has been a dream of mine for years and being able to explore Portland, a city I really wanted to go to, for an entire weekend was definitely a highlight. I also loved our day trip to Seattle, it might have been short, but I enjoyed seeing the first Starbucks, the famous Gum Wall and watching the skyline from the Columbia Center observation deck.

Obviously, when talking about my favorite trips, I have to include our trips to the Rockies. How many people, well, non-Canadians, can say they have seen the Rockies during the winter as well as the summer?! From walking on Emerald Lake whilst wearing 10 layers of clothes and slowly sinking into the snow, to canoeing on the lake and being able to see its beautiful, clear blue water. From not seeing any wildlife due to the time of year, to spotting a deer, two elk and a beautiful black bear. Crazy! Seeing a bear was high on my bucket list, so I am glad I could tick it off.

Besides our monthly trips, I truly enjoyed getting to know all of you a little better at our weekly PuB NiGHTs. (Music) Bingo, beer pong, karaoke, ‘who am I?’, we did it all. I will definitely miss all of your stories about life in your country, your work, family and your thoughts about Vancouver. Not only did I have lots of fun with you at PuB NiGHTs, I loved experiencing the weekly events we organised for you as well. Hiking in the Lynn Canyon Park, playing laser tag, watching movies at the outdoor cinema, being a Dutchie for a day (even though I am one every day)… I could go on and on. Not to forget, kayaking on Bowen Island with some of you on my birthday and spending Friday nights at the country bar The Yale Saloon to go line-dancing are definitely some of my favorite memories!

Not only did I have an amazing time outside of the INTERNeX office, I had a great time at the office itself as well. I was at the office all day five days a week, planning and organising amazing events and trips for you all, and I feel very lucky to have spent these days with such kind-hearted and supportive people. I have learned a lot from my time as a Public Relations coordinator and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

Before I say my final goodbye, I would like to thank everyone I have met during my stay in Vancouver. It was an adventure of a lifetime! I am grateful for all the friends I’ve made along the way and I cannot wait to reunite with you somewhere else in the world!

That was easy!

– Angy

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