What to do on the weekend? (Victoria!)

What? One more day?! Yes, just one more day till the Victoria trip. Have you already packed your stuff? Said goodbye to your roommates? To be even more prepared we have wrote this blog post with some practical information about the Victoria trip.

We will meet each other at 9:30 am at the Tsawwassen Terminal. Keep in mind the ride will be more than an hour by public transit from downtown. Be on time, otherwise the ferry will depart without you. After we arrived on Vancouver Island we take the bus to the hostel where we will drop our stuff. Afterwards we go to check out Victotria Downtown. A nice thing to do is going to Beacon Hill Park for a soft ice cream, walk to the beach,  go through Fan Tan alley and make a quick buzz through Chinatown and Market Square. Irish Times or Bard and Banker are also cool for daytime drinking. We will have diner all together in a really nice restaurant/pub where 18+ are allowed to go. Afterwards everybody is free to stay there, go back to the hostel or check out the other pubs/clubs in Victoria. Local recommendations are the Garriks head, Irish times or Bard & Banker.

The next day we have an amazing breakfast planned. A must do when you are in Victoria, the breakfasts are legendary famous here. Because of that, be prepared there will be a line in front of the restaurant, but in the end it will worth it. After breakfast there is enough time to do some optional activities. You can go to the Royal British Colombia Museum, Butchart Gardens or The Craigdarroch Castle. In the afternoon we will meet in the hostel again, where we are going back to Vancouver. We will be in Vancouver in the beginning of the evening.

For the people not joining Victoria, we have also listed some nice thing to do in Vancouver. This weekend the Fashion Week takes place. You can watch a runway show the whole weekend or look at the fashion camp at Vancouvers Community College’s Fashion Labs. Of you want to enjoy the last summer days, the End Of Summer Tropical Boat Cruise is something you may want to do. If you are not going to Victoria but still wants to see the gardens, you can go to the Darts Hill Garden Park this Sunday. If you din’t do the Grouse Grind yet, it is also a possibility to do that soon before the weather gets bad. For people who like sports, this weekend the BC Lions are playing on Friday. Vancouver Giants are going to play a game on Saturday. Also the Whitecaps play a match on this day. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and the ones who are joining Victoria, see you tomorrow!

– 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

Candidate Exposé – Alyn Engelhardt

My name is Alyn Engelhardt, I am 22 years old and lived my whole life in Viersen, Germany. It is a small town next to Düsseldorf and Cologne. I just graduated from university with a Bachelor of Science in Business Chemistry.

Before continuing with the Master in Business Chemistry I wanted to do a break from university to get some practical experiences by doing an internship. I chose Canada because I was always interested in the nature of this big country and the mentality of the citizens. In addition, I heard that the companies in Canada are really small, that it is not even unusual to know its entire staff. This means, it is more familiar and you might get the chance to get a better overview and learn more than in a big company.

In Germany I worked with an agency, I sent them all required documents and they sent it to Internex who got in contact with me. I was convinced that it is easier to find an internship with an agency that already knows different companies and has experience in working with them.

I was part of two different programs. I stayed for 12 weeks in Vancouver. The first two weeks I went to a language school to do a language course (Business English). Right after that, I started my internship for ten weeks. I chose this program to get some practical knowledge. Right after high school I went to university, which means, I never got the chance to see how a company works.

I am doing my internship at a (non-profit) community engagement organization.

“It is a signature initiative designed to spark, nurture and restore community connections. More than a single place or program, it assembles the hearts, minds, and talents of diverse communities to promote inclusive, intelligent, and inspiring dialogue.”

I am the first international intern they have, but they already had a lot of experience with work students and volunteers. It was an amazing time. They organise different events for people who are interested in community issues.

Communication and teamwork are the most important characteristics you need at this internship. Everybody needs to know what the other is working on and what is still missing; otherwise the events might not become successful. You should be good in organizing, and be flexible in general. Plans might change right before the event. You should also be creative; SFU Public Square loves new ideas.

This internship is not part of my education. Actually, event management does not have that much to do with the education I had, but still I can say I learned a lot. I learned to be more flexible and what good teamwork can look like. Also, I learned a lot on personal level during my internship.

I lived with a host family in Vancouver, organised by the language school. I shared the basement with another student. We had our own living room, kitchen and a bathroom. A host family is a great opportunity for people who are not used to live alone.

When I arrived, my first impression of Vancouver was: Now, I know why they call it Raincouver. The weather was really bad. It rained a lot in March and April. But I refused to buy an umbrella. In May the weather got so much better, so we were finally able to enjoy some outdoor activities.

I attend nearly all pub nights organised by Internex. It is a nice opportunity to meet new friends and to plan weekend activities. We always had a lot of fun and saw different corners of Vancouver Downtown. Besides the pub nights I attend other events like visiting the Lighthouse Park or Fly over Canada. Other places I traveled to are the Rockies, Vancouver Island with a friend I met on pub night, Bowen Island, Seattle, Whistler and soon I will travel down the westcoast of the USA with some friends I met at the pub nights. Furthermore I did a lot of activities like watching an ice hockey game, celebrated St. Patrick’ s Day, went to a boat party and I did lots of hikes.

What I like most about Vancouver is the mentality. There are so many different opportunities here. On one side Vancouver is a city, but it is also surrounded by beautiful nature. One thing I had to deal with was the bad traffic. I think it is not working for so many people. It really feels like you live in a big city with millions of inhabitants. Busses are passing by because they are already to full and in the rush hour everybody is stressed out.

I have three big highlights of my stay here. The first is th event I helped organize during my internship. As second a beautiful hike I did to a crushed airplane in Tofino. And last but not least a stay at the first nations hotel in Chase during our Rockies trip with Internex and Discover Canada Tours. My stay here and the entire experience didn’t really inspire me to travel more, since I already did that, but I might want to see the East of Canada as well now.

I would highly recommend the services of Internex. This agency has great contacts with different companies. In addition if your organise everything through Internex, you will get to know new friends because of the events and pub nights they organise.

When I get back home I will buy some good German bread.

– Alyn

PR-team adventures

As some of you may know, my parents visited me in May and we went on a road trip on Vancouver Island. Although we had many amazing moments, one stood out by far for me: surfing in Tofino.

I already wanted to go surfing for years, but the moment never came until the idea did arise on our way to Tofino, which is kind of the surfing Walhalla around here. So I called the Tofino Surf School and they were immediately able to book me in on an afternoon class. I was so stoked to do this, but once I booked it I was also kind of creeped out because I saw those massive waves earlier that day and me being a 1.65 cm girl would easily get washed away by it. But there was no turning back now, so I showed op for my surf class at 4 pm.

Once I was in the office I was provided with some boots and a wetsuit, which is the hardest thing to get on (later on I found out this was nothing compared to the wet thing I needed to get off after class, which was really the hardest thing ever). We were ready to go and drove behind our surf teacher who had all the boards with him.

When we got to the beach I chose a nice red surfboard and thought it was lighter then I imagined. Though, once I saw the long path I still needed to take to the beach while carrying my board, I was already kind off exhausted before I even got to surf. But we managed eventually and we were ready to surf! It was not that simple and after the instructions on how to stand up, we first needed to do these steps with our boards on the beach, which felt really awkward and funny. So I was paddling and paddling… through the sand and managed to get up at the first time! Just joking, that is easy with that surface of course.

But I was ready and our teacher sent us of in the ocean. I was scared it would be really cold, but once I was in I was actually sweating in the water if that is even possible. I really got to experience how high and strong those waves are and it really made me speechless how strong nature is. I was ready to roll with it with my board. So I was paddling and paddling… and got up at the first time! No joke! It was so amazing to just get along with the wave while you get to see beautiful nature surrounding it. After that I got up a few times more, which was just amazing. After that I kind of got too excited and tired, so I started making mistakes and I couldn’t stand up anymore. It came to an end and I thanked my teacher for the great lesson, while already feeling sore in my entire body. You don’t really feel it while surfing because you are just in a rush, but it is such a workout and I had sore muscles for at least three days!

Despite all that soreness it was just great and I would always remember it! I also think if you just love something and you may be able to do it, just go for it. So I just got out of the Discover Canada Tours office to book my next trip to Tofino with Iris. I am really happy I am going to improve my skills on those waves and to make new memories while surfing!

So guys little advise here; do the things you always wanted to do while you may still be able to do them! And go surfing, surfing is just great. Our PuB NiGHTS too, so I hope to see you tonight!

– Tess

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? – Victoria Day Trip

Oh Yesterday! It was a cool Sunday morning when we gathered for our trip to British Columbia’s capital city. It took us quite a while to get down to ferry at Tsawwassen Bay. And shortly before 11am we were finally able to board the Spirit of Vancouver Island. On the ferry we first had to figure out our way around, but eventually ended up on the open deck where we enjoyed the sun and the open water all around us. At some point there was even an interesting presentation on sharks and stingrays that live near Vancouver.

Finally, we arrived in Victoria after taking another bus from Swartz Bay. The first thing we noticed? No skyscrapers! Also, everything looked quite different from Vancouver. Before, going on this day trip I had heard Victoria looks very European. And it’s true! The capital really had a European-ish feeling to it.

Our first stop took us to Craigdarroch Castle which seemed to be home to a deer that came by to check out the property. It’s amazing how nonchalant it looked. It seemed like it was just taking a stroll in its backyard.
Later we walked around Downtown, just taking in everything around us and when our stomachs started complaining we made our way to Fisherman’s Wharf for some Fish &Chips.

Time flew, so we headed back to catch the ferry in time. On our return we were able to see an amazing sunset which completed our day.

Next weekend: INTERNeX Goes Rockies! Can’t wait!

Your PR Team
Natasja & Amiel

INTERNeX International Exchange – PR Coordinator
work + live + learn

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Review: Trip to Victoria

We’re back from our monthly overnight trip to Victoria! First of all, thank you guys all for joining us, it was lots of fun!

So we started our trip on saturday morning. Originally we wanted to leave at 7am but because of a chain of unfortunate circumstances we didn’t made it in time, but then just took the later ferry at 10am. Already the drive on the ferry was great, we were lucky and got the seats right at the top deck in front of the front window, so we had the best view of all passengers. The only consequence of our delay was that everybody was even more looking forward to our lunch in one of Tim recommended pubs, the canoes Brewpub. Nearly all of us had the famous Canoe Burger, which was amazing, but huge! But we wanted to do lots of things so there was no time for an after lunch nap.

First we went to see one of the smallest streets of the world in Chinatown (it was really small!!), then we check out the famous Empress Hotel and the Building of Parliament, which are both located on the beautiful harbour. And because we were really sporty that day we made it to build a huge human pyramide in front of the Parliament Building. We had a nice walk along the water to the fisherman’s wharf where we chilled in the sun for a while and had ice-cream and mini donuts.

We also went to the Beacon Hill Park, which is a really nice park just near the Royal BC Museum (and the Bug Zoo). Later we went back to our hostel and got ready for dinner at the Spinnakers (as well recommended by Tim). We had lots of different stuff to eat and some nice drinks, especially the Oysters were interesting, but everything was really delicious. Even though everybody was exhausted and tired after dinner because of our long day with a lot of walking, we decided to check out one of the local pubs and the nice lighted Building of Parliament.

The next day we slept in a little bid and then went to breakfast to a nice cafe where they served typical north american breakfast. So we had pancakes with bacon or french toast with hash browns or waffles with cream. It was awesome! Of course we had to burn all those calories again, so some of us decided to rent a bike and had a really nice drive along the ocean with lots of stunning view points. As our good-bye meal in Victoria we went to the old Spaghetti Factory and then we went back to Vancouver, where we arrived at about half past nine.

Check out our other pictures of this fun trip here.

Our next monthly overnight trip will be to the Rockies, for which you can sign up until the 5th at 12pm. If you haven’t checked our that trip yet you should definitely do that, its a great opportunity to see the rockies in the summer if you haven’t done that yet!!! We’ll have our PuB Night at wednesday in a pub near the beach and then we can go to the beach afterwards and watch the Celebration of Light together! Please remember also that our office will be closed on friday!

Hope you guys gave a great start in the week!

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