The Intern's Journal

My real experience! (Part3)

2006-03-15T12:45:00.000-08:00

Hello every one,

The countdown of my Business Internship Program (BINT) day’s balance has been started!

From today I have only 2 more days to go. After finishing this course, I will be back to my regular classes for one more month. And I might register for a computer course here at VEC! They have good ones that may help me in my career life.

You know what?! I haven’t told you before that actually I do have a job in my country (Kingdome of Saudi Arabia) in an oil company called Arabian Drilling Company. I have been working there since August 2002 as an executive secretary.

As you know and every one does how important the English language in the business life is? From this aspect you can understand why my company sent me here to Vancouver English Center (VEC)? And for what reason I selected the VEC only to study at?

My Answer is I haven’t read or seen better than VEC in Vancouver BC, or maybe in the entire Canada! Trust me this is my real opinion and as I believe every student here has the same one. Maybe VEC is not the cheapest center you may find, but defiantly is the best-qualified one! I don’t think any one will mind to pay a little more and only little to get the best quality, especially when we talk about Education!

Stop hesitating, knowledge is worth to pay few more dollars! Nothing to lose and there is more to gain!

Any way as I mentioned earlier, I have been working now for almost 4 years, and maybe you could ask me (so why you have registered for the Business Internship Program for 8 weeks?)

It is simple my friends, do you think every country have the same work system and atmosphere?

Of course not. And to be honest with you guys, I have been doing some works here and learning new things that might be not possible to have or get from my real work at my company.

This is the main point for the BINT program (to be trained as for your first step of your career life or to get more experience in the same filed you work at, but in a North American work atmosphere, what an excitement! This may add positive points to your resume and work experience as well).

This is my tiny gratitude and thankfulness I can give and pay back to VEC. (Thank you VEC)

The Intern's Journal - Journals by Interns at Vancouver English Centre, in Vancouver, Canada.

2006-03-15T12:11:00.000-08:00

The Intern's Journal - Journals by Interns at Vancouver English Centre, in Vancouver, Canada.: "My real experience!"

My real experience! (Part 2)

2006-03-10T11:04:00.000-08:00

Hi guys,

Its me again (Hakeem), sorry I couldn’t write to you during last week that is because I had been through bad time L . My wife was sick during the last five days and I couldn’t even come to work in my second home (my lovely school "VEC"). Any way I have something to chare with you guys. You know, since I am studying abroad from home and don’t have any member of my family with me (except my wife and daughter "2 years old"). It was little difficult to me managing how to come to school for my business internship with the responsibility of taking care of my sick wife and to look after my daughter. But you know, instead of having one of my family members I got plenty and plenty of them! Yes you are right! I mean my colleague at VEC. You can’t imagine how they cared about me during this time!

I just called to my supervisor and explained my situation to him and he totally understood my status. Not only this he asked me to keep in touch and inform him if there is any progress in my wife sickness case or even if I need any help from VEC.

You see how much care I got from VEC, maybe me, you or some body will not have the same level of cares from our on family! Don’t you agree with me?

So what I and you must have learned from this?

Since I am on a business internship program, I have to act as the same as an official employee! (As a role you have to report and notify any case or cause that will make you absent or late from work to your direct supervisor).
Don’t be warred in such an emergency situation as I had, don’t say I don’t have somebody to help me! (You get your on second family which is VEC staff).
Maybe during this week I haven’t done any work that has to be done according to my business internship program, but I learned something that might be happened to me or any one of you in our real job and how to deal with such things!
This situation cleared up my mind and confirmed that I have selected the proper place to study or to do my business internship at. (Imagine the feeling of working in a friendly family environment!).

Will write you more soon.

Bye now!

Hekmat R. Al-Muzel (Hakeem)
Saudi Arabia

My real experience!

2006-02-28T11:36:00.000-08:00

The Intern's Journal - Journals by Interns at Vancouver English Centre, in Vancouver, Canada.

Hi guys,
This is Hekmat (Hakeem) a student at VEC since 13 June 2005. I was registered for 40 weeks ending on 14 April 2006.
I would like to share my experience with you guys who are interested in learning and studying the English language in Canada, British Colombia. As a student studying a second language (English) for the first time abroad, I would say that Vancouver English Center is the right choice I have selected.
All VEC staff starting from the top of VEC organization chart: (the president), moving down through the boughs of the chart tree (the school management and teachers), they are really working hard to treat all the students from all the countries around the world in a great way that makes the students forget that they are away from their home even there family.

If you were afraid to study abroad or scaring from the feeling homesick, from my ongoing experience with VEC School, I would encourage you and all of my relatives and friends to take the opportunity to experience the best material and the best environment to study the English language in such an excellent way that you ever never dreamed about.

In my case I am trying to take the advantages of what I have mentioned above to learn and study the
English language as much as I can, and the above conditions make it easier than in somewhere ells. Even I have been taking the opportunity to practice the English language in a real North American working environment. Any one can do the same too!

VEC School has an excellent business program called Business Internship Program (BINT). This program is carefully well design for those who interested in improve their English language and work experience side by side in the field that you are concerned about.

Like in my situation, I am concerned about the administration field. And VEC arranged my Business Internship Program upon my interests. I did and have done with one moth of my practicum program with one of the leading company in Canada called Scotia McLeod and I really enjoyed it.

Now I got the opportunity to do my second moth of my BINT with VEC management. What a beautiful thing to study and work in the same place! can you imagine this?

I will writ you some of my practicum experience in the near future.

For further information you can reach me at hakeeemss@yahoo.ca.

Bye now!

Hekmat R. Al-Muzel (Hakeem)
Saudi Arabia

First week at VEC

2006-01-27T14:12:00.000-08:00

My name is Heeya Kim who will be graduated as a Wellness Counsellor soon.
I used to be a student at VEC a long time ago and I really liked people at VEC including Mr.Gardner, staffs and teachers. They are so caring and down to earth.
When I thought about where I would like to have my practicum, immediately the name, VEC came to my mind.

I have always wanted to work with International Students since I have been one of them and understood how hard it could be in another country.

I just had an information session on Life Skills Workshops yesterday.
I was surprised to see that many students are interested in learning Life Skills.
I have met some students already expressing their homesickness and I felt needed to be there for them.

Personally, I believe that everyone walks into my life with lessons and they are great teachers to me. I feel that I will have great lessons from people at VEC and I will have fun with them too. =)

Have a great weekend, everyone~!

Introducing Heeya

2006-01-27T11:49:00.000-08:00

Heeya is interning at Vancouver English Centre for two weeks. She has graciously agreed to add her experiences to this blog.

Welcome Heeya!

Learning New Things

2005-10-17T08:24:00.000-07:00

Today I started third week of my internship at VEC. I have learnt a lot in these 2 past weeks. I worked with ColdFusion, the computer programming language which I never had worked with before.

I always enjoy learning new things, specially in my job and this internship and also John gave me this opportunity.

Bita.

Hello

2005-10-06T08:44:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone

I am Bita the new intern in VEC. I have started my internship since Monday. It is nice to work here because i was familiar with the invironment and some people as i studied Bint for 4 weeks here with teachers Joy and Wallace.I work with 2 nice people , John and Wing, as a computer programmer for VEC. I hope to be useful for my team and VEC.

Welcome our newest VEC Intern: Bita

2005-10-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

Bita will be interning with Vancouver English Centre for the next four weeks. She has graciously agreed to add her experiences to this blog.

Bita is an experienced programmer, and we're looking forward to making use of her software programming and technical experience to help improve our internal partner management database systems.

Welcome Bita!

Hello from Japan!

2005-08-12T01:46:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!
It's Eri from Japan, I was a volunteer at VEC last year from January to June. It has been a year since I came back to Japan, and I just cannot beleive how quickly the time goes.
After I came back to Japan, I got a job at a French champagne company as an assistant to Marketing and Communication. My duties at the office are working at reception, answering the phone and dealing with customers, proofreading translated documents, and other asministrative tasks. Although I am not using my English so often, the skills attained at VEC helps me be both effective and efficient as an assistant to the team. I will probably stay in Japan for a while, then I will try something new. So, stay in touch everyone.

Eri
p.s. Does VEC offer any online program? I am very interested in taking online program, especially IELTS, to keep my English.

I am starting my new job on Monday

2005-07-23T22:22:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

I can't believe that I am starting my new job on Monday at a Law Office. My first job in Seattle and I am going to be their legal secretary. Although, I don't have a law background they still gave me a chance to learn the background that I need. I have all the other basic skillz they were looking for. Now, look at that. My first job here in Seattle in a law office.
I was so frustrated the past couple of months, because I couldn't find anything. I am proud of myself that I landed this position and I will definitely take this chance to learn something new that will possibly help me in the future.
I hope all you guys are doing great.
Have I mentioned that I got married in January? =)
I wish you all a great weekend.
Sibel

Time Fries

2005-07-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

Hi~ This is jay (jae-il)who works for VEC as a intern.

Guess what? It's already passed a week. Do you believe it? Time fries. ^^

I've learnt lots of interesitng stuff from John. Have you guys visited the VEC's website this week?

Visit right now, you might see a little bit difference. ^^

Believe or not, because I've upgraded some information on the website(only for Korean. he he).

I'd like to know how you guys have been. Please write down something happened to you.

Have a nice weekend~~~~~~~~~

New exprience in VEC's marketing Department

2005-07-11T14:04:00.000-07:00

Hello~ everyone. My name is Jay. I'm going to work here next for 4 weeks.

I'm very glad to write my exprience here.

Today is my first day. So I'm little bit nervous but I will feel comfortable from tomorrow.

Because I'm good at adapting myself to new environment. ^^

okay....Have a nice day everyone.

See you later.

Introducing Jay...

2005-07-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

Jay will be interning in VEC's marketing Department for the next four weeks.

He has agreed to add his experiences to this blog.

Welcome Jay!

Hello from a former student

2005-04-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone that remembers me.

How are you guys doing? I was in Vancouver in December but it was a weekend and I knew if I had stopped by I wouldn't have seen any of you since most of you don't work at the weekends. I might be back up there in May to visit my best friend from Germany who is in Montreal studying. Vancouver is his favorite city and he wants to spend his last 2 days there. This would be the last chance to see him before he has to go back to Germany and who knows when I will have the chance to see him again.

I think I mentioned in my last entry that I finally moved to Seattle. Everything is slowly settling in. I have gotten my employment authorization and my Social Security, so all I need is a job. However, looking for a position that I would like to work in has been very frustrating. The fact that some companies don't even bother responding makes me angry. Well, I will keep looking. I signed up with a Temp Service two days ago but they haven't gotten back to me yet.
Anyways....I hope I will see some of you soon.
I wish you all a good day.

Sibel
"Enjoy life. There's plenty of time to be dead."

Hello Guys at VEC

2005-04-25T22:02:00.000-07:00

Last year, I have been for 4 months at VEC and I'm back to Brazil and got a good job. My internship at Molsen was essential to me to get a good job.

I am working at CARREFOUR (French company). Carrefour is the second largest supermarket in the world behind only WAL MART.

Thank you very much everybody at VEC, including staff team and my teachers.

I hope to be back in Canada as soon as possible and see you again.

EDIMAR E. DA ROCHA
Controller
CARREFOUR

Lauren says "Thanks" and "So long..."

2004-11-09T10:30:00.000-08:00

VEC's Internship Coordinator, Lauren Klauzer is leaving the school after November 12, 2004.

From Lauren:

"Hi to all former Bint students from the past three and a bit years. I am leaving the Program this Friday to join the world of job seekers. I want to wish you the best and to say how much I enjoyed working with you all. If you want to keep in touch with me or get a message to me just let John know and he will pass on your name and contact to me. Thanks for being a great bunch of people and such fun to work with.

Lauren Klauzer, Director of Business Internships (former)"

Greetings from Seattle

2004-11-07T19:25:00.000-08:00

Hi John & Co.

Look who is back? hehe. I just wanted to say hello from Seattle. I arrived here almost 2 months ago and I will finally stay here forever. I'm still in the moving process. Wish me luck. Anyways..
I'm going to be in Vancouver in December for a weekend and I will definitely try to peek in. I hope I'll see some of you guys.
Until then...
Have a great week.

Sibel

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

Last Day of Work

2004-08-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

Whoa! It's been a while since my last blog. My time at VEC has just been crazy! I've been kept busy doing so many jobs, and after I wrote down everything I have done here at the VEC for Shirley, I realized how much I accomplished and learned here.
It's been an exciting and very interesting time here for me, and is guaranteed to be an experience I will not forget. From catching a stray mouse to helping students change their homestays and deal with other problems with homestay, my work has been very interesting, and certainly very engaging.
I could not have asked for more out of my job here, and will utilize the skills I have acquired during my stay here the best I can. I will always be greatful to the VEC for letting me work here for the summer. I got a chance to earn some money, and to learn essential employability skills, such as how to work independently or in a group, all at the same time!
So finally, on my last day of work, all I have left to say is -

Thank You Vancouver English Centre!

2004-08-09T16:25:00.000-07:00

I've just finished reading the draft of Brennan's blog, and I must say that I'm appalled at him. He is quoted to say that I "...break all things computer related". This is completely untrue. Technical things just happen to go wrong when I'm in close proximity to them. I have absolutely no control over them. I haven't been doing many new things, and the daysve gone by slowly. Usually the highlight of my day is my daily trip to the bank, and depending on which one I'm sent to, this can take from ten minutes to half an hour. It isn't that exciting, but it's refreshing break from a day of computer work.

Speaking of computer work, I have not had any big computer problems where I've actually had to call Vic. I'm very proud. However, I'm been doing the same thing - making web pages, so not much can go wrong with the computer, despite the fact that I'm working on it.

I really miss pool though. I haven't played in days, close to a week, and we finally got some more chalk, so that the balls don't go flying. I only hope I'll be able to play again soon. Till next time...

Tam

Technically Challenged.

2004-08-03T16:42:00.000-07:00

It was comfirmed today: my computer does not like my company. My PC, is the fastest (and assumed best) in VEC, as I have been told numerous times. However, it the past few weeks it has frequently crashed on me. My record for calling Vic and/or Billy is four times in one day. I've had little to no incedents in the past two weeks, but today half an hour into my work day, it crashed once again. I had to go get Vic, get him to fix it, and all things went smoothly until about 1:30 today. As I was working, with litterally my fingers on the keyboard and my eyes on the monitor, it crashed, again! Right before my eyes, the screen flickered, and it appeared. The all too familiar, much dreaded, infamous, bluescreen. I called Vic, AGAIN, but didn't stick around to see him work on the machine becuase I was delivering a piece of mail for Mr. Gardner. When I came back an hour later, I was told by Billy that I would be getting a different PC, which is the machine which I am currently writing this blog. I certainly hope we get along better. Until next time...
Tam

Fridays Are My Favourite...

2004-07-30T20:42:00.000-07:00

...and I promise I'm not being biased just because it was pay day today and the beginning of a long weekend.

Fridays are always great! Especially this one! I have been working on the computer practically all week and since I didn't have any more computer work left to do today, I helped Carly in activities by stuffing binders and helping out students. It feels great to end a week of intensive computer work by actually being out there and TALKING to people and moving!! I feel rejuvinated and I'm already pumped for Tuesday.

Organization Is Great

2004-07-28T15:56:00.000-07:00

THE STORAGE ROOM IS ACTUALLY CLEAN AND ORGANIZED!!! Once we started getting everything in the room, we couldn't stop and within an hour, we had completely finished. It's amazing at how a little bit of organization can impact a room and save a lot of space. Before we started cleaning it out, it was full without even much room to walk around. Now everything only fills half of the room with plenty of space to get around and find what you need. :D

Wrapping Up Projects

2004-07-27T22:04:00.000-07:00

Today felt more laid-back than I'm used to. I started the day off by painting a second coat on the storage room floor. I don't understand how one little concrete room in the corner of the building can get as hot as it did. All the painting has finished now and although it feels as if it should have padded walls once you're standing in it, the room looks 200 times better than it did before (which I can't really say about my pants). I thought I was being careful not to get paint on me, but as I was walking out of the room to wash my hands, I found paint going all the way up the side of my calves as if I pressed my pants on the floor. I'm yet to figure that one out...oh well, at least I managed to clean it off before it dried...as awkard as holding my leg up to the hand dryer in the washroom was...

After that, I completed all of the faxing that Tina had left Tam and I to do for the Summer.... I just hope all the fax numbers and papers don't end up on my desk again to re-fax...the fax machine is just so slow! Within the time it took me to deliver the notices that Akshay gave me, I could have only done one fax, two if I was lucky. Stupid machine!

Later, Mr. Gardner got John, the resident computer genius, to show Tam, Akshay, and I how to start creating new advertising pages on the VEC directory. I'm excited to work on that as it is what we have been working towards with all the tedious data entry. It will be great to see the final product that many people here at VEC have been working hard to acheive!

Other than that, I just worked on filling in contact information for the International Student Safety Program database. I managed to get a lot of information done in a short period of time today, so I hope to have it all complete before lunchtime tomorrow so Tam and I can put everything back in the storage room tomorrow afternoon. I'm excited to work tomorrow to get these two projects finished and out of the way!

Painting

2004-07-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

I decided since my blogs mostly sound the same, I'm only going to write one every few days or if something exciting and different happens in my day.

Friday felt like it was Saturday, because it seemed as though nobody was here. Since Melanie was away, barely anybody came into the office to talk to her, and Tam and Akshay don't work on Fridays, so it was just me. I cleared some more stuff out of the storage room, did a lot of data entry and then moved on to a bit of faxing before I left. I had a lot of overtime hours so I needed to leave early on Friday. At 11:30, while I was heading out, Mr. Gardner had asked me to fill out information in a database for the International Student Safety Program. He needed it done by Monday, so I was happy to stay and work on it.

Yesterday (Monday), the day mvoed by quickly. Tam and I started by completely clearing out the rest of the storage room. Then we needed to vacuum it. We figured because it was so loud, that we would just shut the door as I was inside vacuuming. It got so dusty that when Tam opened the door, it billowed out. Gross! Afterwards, we were finally able to get a coat of paint on the floor. And by the floor, I mean all over Tam and some on the floor. It was really, really, REALLY hot in that room yesterday, I wish I didn't wear pants. Later on that day, I went to the bank for the payments department and then I did a lot of faxing.

Today, I would like to get the second, and hopefully final coat of paint on the floor, and if it dries quick enough, put everything back in the storage room by the end of the day.

paint can get everywhere

2004-07-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

Well another day is done, and it went by very quickly. In the morning Brennan, and I attempted to clear out the storage room and vacuum it, but the thing is, the vacuums were very, very loud, and in such a small room, the sound echoed and it disturbed the classrooms, so we had to wait until later. Later, after we had vacuumed everything, I had to cut out some plastic that was covering the floor. I felt very proud that I was trusted with an X-acto knife. And then the painting started. Amazingly, Brennan got not a drop of paint on himself (though he was wearing clothes which he didn't want to get dirty). I, on the other hand, did get paint on myself. There was paint on my jeans, paint on my arms and hands, and even paint in my hair - but I don't kno how I mananged that. We're adding a second coat of paint on tomorrow. I hope I'm covered in less paint. Comment if you like my blog! :)
Tam

Long time no blog, it's Eri

2004-07-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

Hi it's Eri, I was a volunteer at VEC until end of June.

It's been almost three weeks since I left VEC. I am still in Vancouver and enjoying traveling and working on some research.
I visited VEC to pick up my letter yesterday.
I had a little time to chat with Mr. Gardner, Ai, Naoko, Inga, Vivian, Jae, Adreana, John, and Carol.
It was really nice to see them and I felt I really miss working at VEC.
I am leaving Vancouver in two weeks, so I really wish I could stay in Vancouver much longer.

I will write every once in a while. Keep in touch everyone!

eri

Oh so tired..

2004-07-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

    Well it's the end of another week, and I'm very tired. Yesterday, Brennan and I were cleaning out the storage room, which had a surprising about of things contained in it for just a small room. In it, we found two christmas trees, a pair of ski boot, two coffee machines, four fans (two wall fans, two standing fans), two old scanners, a fax machine, two soccer balls, four poles for a volley ball net, the rest of the volleyball net equipment, and approx. 1000 pounds of brochures, which needed to he moved into the mail room. And there was more. There was also a plastic rat from Halloween decorations, which Brennan delighted in scaring me with.

      But we found ways to make it more fun. We have yet to clear everything out of the room, vacuum and paint the floor. I would have like to paint it a bright red, but Mr. Gardner said no bright colours, so then Brennan and I thought it would be better to go with grey.

      Until next time, and please reply to my comments if you have anything to say! Thank! :)

Tam

My Feet Hurt

2004-07-21T20:18:00.000-07:00

Thinking for titles of your blog every day is hard. Especially when the days are basically the same.

Before I left work last night, Mr. Gardner asked Tam and I to clean out and organize the storage room. A seemingly easy task took us all day and we still haven't finished. We had to take everything out of the room so we could vaccuum it and then paint the floors. Afterwards, we would need to install some shelving and put everything we took out, back in. One thing let to another and eventually Tam and I were repacking all of the boxes as nothing was where it should be.

Since all of the holiday decorations were in the storage room, a fake rat (for Halloween) happened to be laying in between piles of boxes. Of course at the time Tame and I didn't know it was fake. She screamed - I laughed. It inspired me to put it under Sharlene's desk since she wasn't here this morning. By the way, for those of you that don't know, she is one of the Director of Studies. I think I pushed it too far back under her desk so that it will be hard to find. I may have to go in there tomorrow while she's out and put it in her desk drawer instead. SHHHH!!

AAAAAANNYWAYS... I have to take tomorrow off (which I don't want to do) and leave early on Friday. I'm not looking forward to Friday though. Some students that I have gotten to know will be leaving..

Another day...

2004-07-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

I think it's far to say that today can be summed up with two words; Data Entry. It was a dull day today, as I did little more than data entry. And I got a lot of files done, approx. 122, but it felt very sluggish for some reason. Even pool didn't have it's usual appeal. The chalk for the cues has vanished, and with outr lack of skill, one bad hit sends the balls flying dangerously. However, tomorrow should be more active, we'll be cleaning various places, such as the storage room. I think I might enjoy that. Well, more later.
Tam

Untitled

2004-07-20T16:06:00.000-07:00

There isn't much I can say about today. I did data entry for all but one hour of the day besides the few minutes it took to deliver the cards and notices that Akshay gave me. Other than that, Mr. Gardner introduced me to a new data entry project. It's really nice considering I get to look around on the internet to find the information that I need to enter as opposed to pushing the same keys over and over again.

This pay period I have worked a total of twelve and a half hours overtime, so I need to take time off to make up for it ...which I really don't want to do. I like coming in every day. I am going to take Thursday off and leave work early on Friday which is probably for the best anyways, as I should be enjoying every spare moment I can with my friends before the Summer break is over.

One thing that I have noticed about VEC is that everybody is really friendly. I can help a student out once and he or she will always talk to me in the hallways or at the very least say, "Hi." Even the students that I have never spoken to will say greet me...which I can't say about the rest of the world, or at least Vancouver.

Monday Equals Fun-Day

2004-07-19T17:36:00.000-07:00

I started off the day doing none other than data entry. I was working really quickly and I wasn't getting bored of it so I had to keep fighting off Tam's idea of playing pool. It's something that is better to do once you're bored with data entry. But unfortunatly, we never did got to play pool today..(unfortunatly- ha!), because I was asked to take a group of 35 students to Fort Langley and then to a berry picking farm. It was really nice considering I've lived in Fort Langley all of my life and had that home advantage that Amberly had in Whistler yesterday. I was able to show all of the students around and tell them some interesting facts.

I was anticipating rain today so i wore pants, a long sleeved shirt, and a sweater. I definetly regret that bad, bad choice! Picking berries in a field dressed like that while the sun is as hot and bright as it was, is not a good idea...we'll leave it at that. The raspberries and blueberries sure were delicious though. I picked some for Tam's older sister, Peggy, who works in payments, but knowing my family, they probably won't make it to VEC tomorrow.

Not that it has anything to do with my day today, but I was too tired to mention it in my blog last night..I have met Amberly and Carly, the two new activity coordinators and they are both really kind, outgoing, responsible, and organized people. Mr. Gardner, expect great things to come from them!

It's been a while...

2004-07-19T16:08:00.000-07:00

     Sorry it's been a while since I've posted but I just haven't been able to write anything. Anyways, I'm going to tell you what I've been up to for the last little while.

     Let me start off by thanking whoever thought of the pool table, becuase it is such a lifesaver when data entry gets really, really boring. I'm happy to say that my game is improving.   It's not good yet, but it's getting better. But enough about what I do on my break.

     Over the past two weeks or so, I've done a lot of different things. And I mean a lot. I have: updated and cleaned computers; faxed advertisments to potential costumers; transported money to the bank; gone on an activity to Storyeum; bought office supplies; and last but not least, called homes to see if they would like to be a host family.

     I have to say that calling people was one of my favorites things to do.   Brennan on the other hand hated it. I don't know why he would hate it, I much preferred it to data entry.   He even gave me a page of his numbers to call that he was assigned, while he did data entry. It was a good arrangement. It occured to me as I was doing all these phone calls that I should have gotten a job as a telemarketer istead. But as I was speaking mostly to answering machines, I don't think I would have fared well with people.

      I also like going to the bank in the afternoons.   It gives me a break from not moving most of the day, and I enjoy walking around. I also don't mind running errands. Of course I never forget that data entry is my first priority, but I still like doing other things.

      I haven't played a single game of pool today, as Brennan is currently In Fort Langley, most likely picking berries at the moment. It'd be nice to go on other activities. Or even just play some pool...
                                                                                                             Tam

A New Week

2004-07-19T15:23:00.000-07:00

Monday. The beginning of a new week. Most regard this day with a sort of mild dread, and that was the atmosphere amongst many students in the VEC today. Many a time has this phenomenon been referred to as the 'Monday Blues'. Well, soon to follow after Monday is Tuesday, so by tomorrow, the students should be more excited.
Today has been a relatively slow day, without much activity from the students. So today I caught up on my database entry, where I lagging far, far, far behind Brennan and Tam who seem to be some kind of Database Entry machines. I've been busy with some other work as well, I made some calls, and tried to create an Emergency Host List for the weekend of July the 24th and 25th, and so far have found 3 takers. I hope to finish the list by Thursday.
Well, hopefully by tomorrow the students will be a little more buzzed and awake, and perhaps more lively! I've never heard of the Tuesday Blues... yet.

P.S.
My Comment box is feeling lonely! =( comments anyone?

Whistler Day Trip

2004-07-18T20:55:00.000-07:00

So today one of the new activity coordinators, Amberly, and I, took a group of Chinese students and a few Mexican students to Whistler. Whistler was a lot of fun, as it always is! We went sightseeing at Shannon Falls, on top of Whistler mountain, and all around the village, we went to Lost Lake, and we went shopping as well. It was painfully hot outside today as you can probably tell if you see my burnt face around VEC, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

I'm struggling to keep my eyes open right now, so I'm going to cut this entry short. Besides, it's not like anybody actually needs me to talk about why I think Whistler is the best place in all of BC. Majority probably feels the same! How could you not?

Busy Week

2004-07-15T15:33:00.000-07:00

It's just been a crazy week here. It all started out with intake day, where some of the madness began. Since then, it's just been work, work, work! I've been kept occupied over the past few days with helping in the distribution of Student ID cards and various notices to classrooms, and the teacher's tray. I also learned how to use the VEC Student database, which has helped me immensely in doing my job, by providing me with quick, up-to- date information that I so desperately need.

The week also involved with helping several students with their homestay issues, and trying to work them out, so as to provide a solution both parties appreciated. It has certainly been quite an experience in interacting with students and helping with their questions. I discovered that an enormous amount of information could be carried out through sign language if a student was having difficulty with what I was saying. On the whole, the interaction has been a lot of fun, and it was nice to talk with some of the students once in while, and help them out while I was at it.

Next week is sure to bring up more work for me, as students start settling down and deciding whether or not they like their homestays. Unfortunately, it seems almost sure that some students will be unhappy with their homestay status, and would like to change their homestay and move. Hopefully, everyone will find the family they've been looking for and enjoy themselves. This week has been fun, but also a lot of hard work. I look forward to next week with anticipation!

The Entire Ice-Cream Store!

2004-07-15T15:03:00.000-07:00

All I asked for was chocolate, but I ended up with the enitre ice-cream store! <--Refer to last blog to understand. Today was a GREAT day!

I started out entering data today. I did it all morning without any problems. It really is wierd how some days I'll be so sick of data entry that I want to crawl under my desk and cry, and other days I can do it for even longer and not even be bothered. I've found that the trick is not thinking...at all, because once you start thinking, you can't stop, and before you know it, you're hating your data-filled life.

Not long after, Akshay gave Tam and I some more of his work to do. I'm always happy when he brings us some of the cards to deliver since it's just a nice break to get out of my desk and walk around a little. Later I did some faxing and then Shirley came into the office and asked Tam and I if we would lead the conversation club again. We happily accepted; however, no students bothered to show up. This was probably a good thing though, since I was already preoccupied with a few students at the activities desk.

OK, so you're probably wondering what was so great about today considering all that I have mentioned thus far is basically a typical days work. *Drum roll* I GET TO GO TO WHISTLER ON SATURDAY!!! Mr. Gardner asked me if I would be interested in going on the day trip to Whistler tomorrow with a group of students, and the new activity coordinator who hasn't yet been out on an activity. I think her name's Megan? I should probably find out hehe. It will be a lot of fun though, because Whistler is my favourite place in all of British Columbia, and I always enjoy speaking with the students! With the exception of very few, they are all very nice, outgoing people in which contribute a great deal as to why I enjoy my job so much!

Vanilla Ice Cream

2004-07-14T20:12:00.000-07:00

Today was alright...not good, not bad, just alright. Hence the title of this entry. :D (I'm already out of ideas for blog titles, if you can't already tell.)

I started the day by searching for the names and numbers of criminal lawyers in about 7 different cities, and then I started faxing some of them. The ones that I started off faxing had already received the adverttisement from me before. Tina, the teacher who told me to do all of this, decided we should fax them all over again which is really annoying, because it feels like I'm working backwards. On top of that, the fax machine is really slow and Tam an I only have one between us and it's at her desk.

However, once Mr. Gardner sent me new e-mails of listings I began entering data until the end of the day. I hope that tomorrow some odd job pops up so that I may do something different for a little while. By the end of the Summer, I'm never going to want to see the numbers 1 or 2 on a keyboard or anywhere else for that matter, as they're the two keys I push for hours at a time for data entry.

I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to Friday or not. Since Tam and Akshay don't work on Fridays, last Friday, I had to help out in homestay, because the homestay coordinator, Jean, was desperate and Akshay usually helps her. Since I've never liked talking on the phone, I can't stand working in homestay! Not only am I calling people all day, but I'm saying the same things and getting exactly the same responses! Ugh - poor Jean!

I hope that tomorrow will be a little more chocolate, or at the very least, neopolitan...vanilla's only good in small doses.

TGFTPT

2004-07-13T22:09:00.000-07:00

TGIF has nothing on TGFTPT. By the way, TGFTPT = Thank God For The Pool Table...you'll understand why in a few minutes. Unless you are considering or should consider signing up for some classes here, then it may take you a bit longer. (I kid! :P)

OK, so I'm getting too much grief from everybody at work for liking my job too much, so i'll make this entry especially negative...just to balance everything out. It shouldn't be too hard considering the day I had today... <---Notice the negativity, and stop harassing me! ;)

The day started out lively. In the morning I helped the new students find their classes and solve any problems that arose, such as not having their name on the class list. Unfortunately, this didn't last too long. By 9:30 I was in my office, where I remained, entering data for the rest of the day.

My relationship with data entry is so love-hate. I enjoy it in waves. I'll do it for about two hours, then get sick of it and a while later I'll start enjoying it again. For this reason, days full of strictly data entry, are horrible! When I'm hating it, it's just the worst thing on Earth, because all I'm really doing all day is pushing the same 2 keys (3 if I'm lucky...four is just dreaming). Usually it's no problem, because the information is set up in such a way that I don't really need to pay close attention to what I'm doing; however, every so often, I will get a chain of e-mails full of listings that are almost completely random, causing me to go through each individual listing and change certain parts myself.

Most of the time, however, everyone is really good about giving Akshay, Tam, and I many different projects to work on so we don't hate our lives full of data entry; rather, we will enter data for a while, move on to something else, and later come back to data entry and not be stuck in one of those waves of not liking it.

Whoever had the idea of buying a pool table is a genius! I'm completely ecstatic that VEC has one. Playing pool with Tam during our breaks on days like these feels like I'm going to Disneyland. It keeps me sane...what would I do without it?

This should be long and negative enough. I'll stop being harassed now, right?

A New Session

2004-07-12T22:11:00.000-07:00

OK, so it was intake today...150 new students. I was asked by Kathy to come in a bit earlier today to help sign all the students in, which was fun. Everybody looked so scared, especially the ones awkwardly pretending that it was just another day. I thought it was funny, because having worked here for just over 2 weeks, I know they have nothing to be nervous about.

After the long line up disappeared and all the new students were where they should be, I went into the office and did some data entry until Jean had me on the phone again asking people if they would be host families. I generally just got the answering machine, and those that did pick up were either angry that we've called them about 3 times in the last few days, or booked full. I'd have to say, out of everything I've done here, calling people is by far the worst, but Tam will tell you otherwise. What more can you expect from a girl? :P

After lunch, I went back to data entry, filled my quota for the day, and Mr. Gardner came into our office and asked me to go buy some bus passes for the new vacation students. I got to go to the bank to get his cheque certified, and afterwards, all the way to Metrotown station to the Translink headquarters. It was such a great suprise that he asked me to do this... I was beginning to think- err, dread, that today was going to be my first not-so-fun day.

Anyways, I'm looking forward to tomorrow, because I think I am helping the new students out again by showing them where their classrooms are. By the way, I'm trying to be as minimalistic with these blogs as I can...still too excessive?

Intake Day!

2004-07-12T15:47:00.000-07:00

Wow! Today was just crazy. The sheer number of new students coming in left me in awe. I was really impressed by how efficiently and relatively quickly they were dealt with, and the effort put into minimizing confusion. This morning I helped out with the intake, and it was interesting to see all the different students from around the world who come to our school to study. Unfortunately, I arrived towards the end of the intake, and missed most of the students.

Otherwise, my work is diversifying, as I get to do more and more during my time here. I helped several students with their homestay inquiries today, and the experience is really aiding my skills in conversing with international students and trying to get across a language barrier, if one exists. It's really cool to meet all the different students and talk with them. It really is a culturally enriching experience.

Anyway, I cant talk on this thing forever! I have to get back to work. Look forward to blogging tomorrow!

I Get Around

2004-07-09T22:06:00.000-07:00

Today was really hectic - everybody wanted a piece of me and I think I did a good job getting around.

On our first day, Mr Gardner suggested that Tam and I complete 70-90 e-mails full of listings a day. I got about 50 done by 9 30 when Jean, the homestay coordinator, showed up in my office with 50 pencils I needed to sharpen by hand and after that, she had me working with her in homestay as we needed to find places for 50 students BY MONDAY!! I went through so many files and called so many people, but even if they did pick up, I got the same answer. They already have students or are expecting students during that time. It was really frustrating, but at the end of the day, I think Jean managed to find enough room, which is great!

Then at about 3 today, I went back to my data entry and completed another 20 or 30 e-mails with listings. As I did the listings between 3-4PM, I helped out a few students which is always fun.

Normally I leave work at 4 30, but since it is intake next Monday, my mom, Kim, the director of studies, had to work late to arrange the classes for the coming session, and I thought I would go shopping and then later come back to work and go home with my mom. I realised all my shirts have stripes or plaid on them which isn't a good thing... But at about 4, Kathy, an activities coordinator told me that we need to prepare bags with information for 150 new students that will be coming on Monday. She seemed desperate, so I was happy to work late to get them all done for her.

Why put off until tomorrow what can be put off even longer? Words I once lived by mean nothing. If I learned anything today, it's not to procrastinate. It seems like all the little things that don't seem like such a big deal at the time get put off until last minute and cause the greatest amount of stress.

Since Monday will be really hectic with all the new students coming in, Melanie has asked Tam and I to help them out by showing them where their classes are, telling them how to check in, and just talk to them to ease their nerves. I'm looking forward to that - dealing with the students is a lot of fun. But I guess so is watching paint dry once you've done so much data entry. Haha - kidding John...sometimes I miss data entry when I'm doing other things.

It Gets Better And Better

2004-07-08T21:32:00.000-07:00

Today was great! I worked on my data entry all morning, but Mr. Gardner suprised me by asking if Tam and I would be activity coordinators for the afternoon and take a group of vacation students to Historyeum. It was a lot of fun! The group was really nice to talk to and we didn't have any problems at all. Historyeum was really interesting...as I'm a resident of BC, in school, I have been learning about British Columbia's history since I was little, so it was really interesting seeing it as opposed to reading about it. I'm sure it was a much better experience for the students as they are all learning about our history for the first time. All of the them said that they really enjoyed it and think that other students would as well.

When we got back to VEC around 4PM, Tam and I were asked to do the Conversation Club until 5. It was fun talking to the three students that showed up and getting their perspective on Vancouver and this school. It was a great way to end a great day.

Anyways, I should stop writing now...I don't think anybody actually wants to read this much about my day.

My First Full Week!

2004-07-08T14:26:00.000-07:00

Hi! My name is Akshay Singh, and I am a new employee at the VEC. At first, I was quite nervous and a bit apprehensive towards the idea of coming into work because of my inexperience. I soon realized these apprehensions and jitters had no basis, and were easily dismissed. The VEC provides me with a comfortable working environment, good hours, and an enjoyable job! Since I going to be going in the 12th Grade, and my last year in school, it is essential that I gain additional skills to help me attain employment, and the VEC provides me with both - skills and employment. Does it get better than this? At the same time, I am making money that will hopefully be useful in paying some of my tuition fees next year for university.

Though I started off a bit later than the others thanks to my History provincial (unfortunately), I managed to catch up and get into my own niche in the homestay department, making calls and finding hosts for homestay students. The job provides me with several skills that I require, such as being able to converse freely with strangers, and not being nervous about it; as well as teaching me how to file folders and documents efficiently.

I hope and expect to enjoy myself further for my duration of work at the VEC and look forward to my next day of work! My first full week of work has been great! Thank you everyone for all your patience and help in getting us all started and prepared for what I know will be an excellent experience at the Vancouver English Centre!

Hard at work!

2004-07-07T16:11:00.000-07:00

Well, let me start by introducing myself. My name is Tam Phan, I'm 15, going to grade 10 of Delview Junior Secondary and I'm working for the first time. Understandably, I was quite nervous for my first day of work last week, but I shouldn't have worried at all. At VEC, the people are so nice, and it's a great environment to work in. People are always willing to help and answer my questions, and even come to my aid when my computer has decided to quit working!

At VEC, my first priority is to enter data for our web directory, and I work in an office with Brennan, who is another student worker, and Melanie, who s very niceand funny and keeps us laughing. Entering data isn't a hard job, although it does get very repetitive and boring, so I'm always happy to do other things to help. So far, I've done some faxing to help our advertising, updated and cleaned the computers in the computer lab, filed papers for the homestay department, and even gone on errands to the bank!

Although I'm not quite as zealous as Brennan to be working, I certainly enjoy my job. It's a very fun environment, and I enjoy coming to work each morning (though I can't say the same for waking up so early each morning). I hope my job continues to be interesting! It'll be a great summer!
- tam

Business As Usual

2004-07-07T15:47:00.000-07:00

Today was a lot of fun. I got to help out the activity coordinators by preparing backpacks full of information for new students. Sounds boring? No way! After doing data entry for a few days, it felt like I was going to Disneyland. I'm not speaking negatively about entering data, it's just that being productive motivates me, so usually it feels a lot better seeing all the work that I have done in front of me as opposed to just knowing that I have been productive.

I feels as though I haven't done much today when really, I have done a lot. I suppose it's because I have been having fun and doing so many different things. Of course, I worked with the activity coordinators, but on top of that, I did my data entry, sent fax's to potential advertising buyers, and updated computers in the computer lab.

The more I work here the more jealous I get of the students. I wish I could be coming to Vancouver to learn English. VEC seems like a lot of fun for the students. They get to meet a lot of new and different people, as well as do daily activities organised by the activity coordinators. I'm jealous of them as well. Granted they do work hard, but they also get to go on these trips with the students. I'd do that for free! (Don't get any ideas, Mr. Gardner... ;) )

I also like helping the students out whenever I can, for example, when Mel isn't in the office. I was able to do this a few times today. Anyways, I'll stop rambling on and get back to work now before I leave for the night...

It's my second week on the job!

2004-07-07T08:42:00.000-07:00

I really don't know how I should be opening my first blog entry. I may as well just introduce myself. My name's Brennan Hodge, I am a highschool student in Langley (about 40 minutes from VEC) and I am working here full time over the Summer with two other students, Tam, and Akshay. Since my mom, Kim Hodge, is a Director of Studies, I have come in to VEC on many different occasions to help out, so I already felt comfortable in being there on my first day. Although, there's no reason why even a stranger could feel uncomfortable. The staff and the student's are great!

As I have only recently turned seventeen, I will be beginning Grade 12 this September; therefore, I will only be able to work at VEC for the Summer. I intend on working as much as I can, from Monday to Friday, 8:30AM-4:30PM. My mom suggested I keep the job and work on weekends and maybe some days after school. Now, I'm really interested in doing so and I'm sure you will understand why once you are through with reading this entry.

I've been here for just over a week and the novelty is yet to wear off. I'm not convinced it ever will. I really enjoy coming to work every morning. VEC is a fun, diverse atmosphere. The staff is really generous and a lot of fun. I've found that they all have a great sense of humor, especially the president's assistant, Melanie, who Tam, a girl also working here for the Summer, and I, share an office with. Also, it's really nice to have the chance to be around the students, as I don't know of many places where you can go and find all these people from so many different cultures and backgrounds all under one roof and getting along so well.

As sad as it may seem, every night at around 7PM, I look forward to later going to sleep as that means I will be at work soon. I even feel a bit guilty enjoying myself on the weekend. It feels as thought I am wasting time, like I should be doing something productive, and honestly, I look forward to the end of the weekend so I may begin another week at work.

So far my priority has been entering data as part of the web directory project. It's so easy that anybody could do it. The only problem is that everything is the same, so it is very repetitive and often tedious. The first day at work was the worst! I suppose because I wasn't used to being such a robot; however, now I'm practically mechanical. No complaints though, those that are above me (which is everybody) manage to keep me occupied with various tasks to keep me from getting bored.

Other than data entry, my less important jobs have included updating computers, contacting potential buyers of advertising, cleaning, preparing packages for new students, or simply delivering a letter to the local barrister's office. I'm at the bottom of the food chain, so to speak, and basically, everybody is entitled to telling me what to do.

Anyways, this entry is more than long enough, so I better get to work!

Thus begins the era of Akshay, Brennan and Tam...

2004-07-05T16:37:00.000-07:00

Akshay, Brennan and Tam are onboard for the summer to help our web marketing staff finish our "VEC Directory" business listings project. Plus, they'll also help our Administrative and Homestay departments with various things...

Welcome guys!

Thanks Eri!

2004-07-02T16:59:00.000-07:00

We'd like to thank Eri hato for her contributions to the "Intern's Journal" blog. Her daily posts have helped to "paint a picture" of her time helping us at VEC. We will miss her smile and sunny nature, and we wish her all the best in her future.

Thanks Eri!

(If you feel like logging in again to keep us up-to-date on your activities Eri, please do!)

My Last Day

2004-06-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that today is my last day at VEC. It's been about six months since I started working, and I don't feel I'm leaving.

There was a nice surprise before I finished working today. Everyone came to say goodbye to me, and there were some cards and gift for me. Honestly, I didn't expect that, so I almost cried (but I didn't.)

I don't know what to write here now, but I had such a wonderful time. Whenever I had questions, there were always someone to help me. Also it was new and exciting experience for me to work for marketing even though I had worked for several companies in Japan as an assistant. I really enjoyed talking to students, and I was really happy whenever they said "thank you" to me.

Thank you so much for being nice to me, and I am going to miss everyone at VEC.
Hope I will see everyone in near future.....

eri

Custodianship Form

2004-06-29T16:38:00.000-07:00

I feel like I haven't done so much today, but it went fast today.

I came to school 9 a.m. as usual started working some translation from yesterday. I double-checked with Ai if the translation was right. I needed to know about a Custodianship Form, and it seemed like a little complicated for me. There is a rule if students come to Canada to study, they require a custodianship form until they are of legal age of the province of destination. Some students are at VEC they are quite young, also I will be asked about it from agents and individuals, so I will be ready for it.

I also compiled data from students' questionnaire. Actually, I kept forgetting to do this. It was very interesting because some answers were not what I expected. I think it is a good idea that we receive questionnaire or feedback from students to know what they really need.

Well, that's about it today, enjoy your evening.

eri

Reception, Translation, and Administrative Work

2004-06-28T16:13:00.000-07:00

It was a nice weekend. I went to Vancouver International Jazz Festival at Granville Island with my friends, and we enjoyed it. This festival is from June 25th to July 4th, so if you are interested, you still have a chance to enjoy it.

I came to school 8 a.m. this morning. I started working from some administrative work. Honestly, it is a little hard for me to be ready for working on Monday. I was at the main reception and another reception during the day to answer students' questions. I also prepared some stuff for the airport reception, and I worked on some translation. When I was working on translation, there was a tricky word that I couldn't find it in my dictionary. (the word was "custodianship") Unfortunately, I couldn't finish this translation work, so I will work on this tomorrow.

Have a nice evening!
eri

Time Flies

2004-06-23T16:38:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned yesterday, I took a Spanish lesson after work. My tutor, she was from Mexico explained basic pronunciation and some words. It was so much fun for me, and I felt I really wanted to visit Mexico or Peru after the lesson .

I tried to find some good sites where "Intern's Journal" could be placed. I asked Ai where she is promoting "Dear Ai" then I wrote them if I could post my blog there. It is a really good site for students and ESL teachers. So I hope I can join them. (I put the web address above.)

I also answered questions from students as usual. Sometimes it took me for a while to explain the details about school, but I don't want to give wrong information to the students. Well, I just try my best!

Buenas noches
eri

TOEFL

2004-06-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

What have I done today? I tried to collect more information about TOEFL, Test of English as a Foreign Language. It is an academic English proficiency test, and international students take the test to study at colleges and universities, especially in North America. I wanted to ask ETS if they could send us Bulletin, so students could read information. Sometimes it is confusing for students to look for information on the web.

Also, I compiled some information from students. It includes popular places in Vancouver, popular websites, and what kind of visas they have. I will use this information to understand students more.

I have a Spanish class tonight, this is my first time! And I will see how do I like it.

Have a nice evening.

eri

Alcan Dragon Boat Festival

2004-06-21T15:46:00.000-07:00

There was Alcan Dragon Boat Festival in Vancouver this weekend, and I worked as a volunteer. It was 16th year, and there were over 90,000 people and more than 180 dragon boat teams from across the Lower Mainland and around the globe. I was at the main gate to check if people had passes or tickets to enter the festival. Most of them were very nice to me and asked me questions about the festival. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to be trained, so I couldn't answer all of questions. Anyway, I really enjoyed it, and I would like to volunteer if I have an opportunity. Obviously, it is a good way to meet new people, so I recommend to join these festivals as a volunteer.

There will be a lot of events going on in Vancouver. For example, there will be Jazz Festival, Canada Day Festival and Powell Street Festival. Hope everyone enjoy summer in Vancouver.

eri

As Usual 2

2004-06-16T16:51:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe this is my 69th post since I started it. Time just flies, and honestly sometimes I don't know what to write.

I answered questions from students a lot today. I am still confused immigration procedure, what kind of document students need to extend their stay in Canada. I checked Citizenship and Immigration Canada's website, but still confusing.... Anyway, other marketing representatives helped me, so it wasn't so big problem. I haven't done something new today, I'll try something different next week. (I am not going to write what I will do here...)

eri

Inquiries 2

2004-06-15T16:31:00.000-07:00

It was a very nice day, so I didn't feel like working today.

I worked on some translation and filled out some questionnaires to agents. Also, I was sitting at Reception and another reception, Arrival, where students normally came to ask general questions. There are many students now, so during lunch break it was busy.

Also, I visited Health Canada's website to collect information about STI, sexually transmitted infections. I have noticed that a lot of international students came to Canada, and sometimes they tend to forget how to protect themselves. If you need information about STI, you can download more information from the website.

I will work on translation and probably help students as usual tomorrow.

eri

Being Professional

2004-06-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

It was a nice weekend. I watched a movie, Paper Moon (1973), and I really liked it. The story is set in the depression-era Midwestern region of the United States. A man, Mose, and an orphan, Addie, travel from town to town, and make money in every dishonest way. Although it is a little old movie, I think it is a good movie for ESL students.

I feel I haven't done much today, but it went so fast. Mainly, I answered questions from students, I am spending a lot of time for this these days, about schools, tuition fee, and programs. VEC is having more students now, so it is important to give appropriate answers to them. Also, I visited other blogs to list my blogs, but there were so many... Well, I will keep working on this.

Have a nice evening everyone.

eri

At My Desk

2004-06-09T15:49:00.000-07:00

I have done my work at my desk today, I am sitting at Satoko's desk (Satoko is Marketing Director) while she is in Japan. From this place, I can see students get coming and going.

I helped a student who was interested in studying a high school in Wistler. He told me that he came to Vancouver after graduating from a junior high school in Japan. Unfortunately, there was not so much information about high school in Wistler, so we worked together to find more information. He was very interested in studying at diverse environment, so it would be great experience for him. After I talked to him, I thought what I was doing when I was his age, I didn't even think about studying abroad! I hope he has a wonderful experience in Whistler.

Other things I did today were I posted "Dear Ai" for her blog page, and visited other blogs on the web to find more information. There are so many blog website, and some of them have rules to blog. For example, only Canadians can put their blogs. I'll try to find more Japanese-related blogs.

eri

As Usual

2004-06-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

I was reading a book at a cafe in downtown yesterday. Three young boys came up to me and told me that they were doing research for school project. I was asked if "Marijuana should be legalized." Where I come from, Japan, we don't talk about it openly, so this question made me think about cultural difference between North America and Japan.

I finished translation, VEC News, from yesterday. It includes information about summer campaign, VEC's English Only policy, and VEC Directory. This news is also available in Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Spanish. If you are interested, visit the website above for more information.

I haven't tried listing this blog and "Dear Ai" these days. I feel I'm such a procrastinator... Probably I'll do it tomorrow.

eri

Some Administrative Work 2

2004-06-07T15:34:00.000-07:00

It was a nice weekend, I started reading "The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn" and watched "The Last Samurai." I was a history major in Japan, so "The Last Samurai" was quite interesting for me to watch. I was interested in how they depicted Japanese culture from Western culture. I recommend you to watch this movie if you are interested in Japanese culture.

I came to school 8 a.m. this morning and started working. I did some translation work and answered questions from students. Also, I counseled trial lesson students after they finished their classes. Seems like most of trial lesson students enjoy their classes, which is the most important thing, and we receive good feedback from them. I am not sure if we receive feedback from VEC students after they finish each session. I would also like to know how they like the classes.

I will be working on translation and some other works tomorrow.

eri

Inquiries

2004-06-02T15:54:00.000-07:00

I have been receiving a lot of inquiries from permanent residents these days. They were interested in VEC's programs and wanted to know about tuition fee. VEC offer them a 75% tuition fee discount, unfortunately this offer is not for international students, if they have been living in British Columbia for a minimum of 60 days. It is very good for international students, because permanent residents add a welcome diversity to VEC. (I love Vancouver because of its diversity.) One thing I had to be very careful about was I had to give them appropriate information.

I also answered some questions about cancel policy, high schools in British Columbia, and TOEFL. As a member of marketing, there is a lot to know to help students. That's what I felt today.

eri

A Hectic Day

2004-06-01T16:21:00.000-07:00

My friend and I went to Orpheum Theatre to see Vancouver Symphony Orchestra concert last night, because she got complimentary tickets to the concert. It was orchestra with soprano Jane Eaglen, the greatest Wagnerian soprano in the world today. Honestly, I don't know much about classical music and opera, I was really impressed by their performance, even she performed in German.(of course, I didn't understand the lyrics)

It was a little hectic day today. I think I have done a lot. Inga, Vivian, and I had an errand to run to pick up a cake at a bakery, because it was Ms. Yvonne Gardner's birthday today. (Thanks Inga, you organized almost everything!) And Ai, Assistant Marketing Director, took a day off, so I answered inquiries from agents and students about Vacation Study Program, trial lessons, and counseling. I felt it went so fast today, which is good! I couldn't list my blog and visiting other blogs, so I will do it tomorrow.

eri

How to List My Blog in Search Engines 2

2004-05-31T15:27:00.000-07:00

I came to school 8 a.m. this morning and was supposed to start listing my blog and visiting other blogs. Before I started working, I received an interesting phone call from a movie company. I have no idea how they found VEC, probably from the internet, and they wanted to know how to say "Who sent you?" in Japanese. It was a very simple sentence, that because it was too hard for me to translate. So, I asked context, then I could explain better. I felt a little strange about this incident. After that I started working on listing and visiting jobs on other websites. It was very interesting to visit other blogs to know what kind of topics were popular and different kinds of opinions. Mainly, I tried to list my blog and Ai's page, Dear Ai, on Japanese websites even though both of our blogs were written in English, it is a good opportunity for Japanese to know what is internship like in Vancouver. I will continue this tomorrow.

Have a nice evening, see you tomorrow.
eri

How to List My Blog in Search Engines

2004-05-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

It was a nice long weekend. I went to Abbotsford to meet my host family's friend and Hyack Festival at New Westminster this long weekend. (I put a link about Hyack Festival above, so if you are interested, check it out!)

I worked on web marketing today. John, Web Developer, gave me some tips to make my Blogs more popular the other day, so I asked Naoko, Japanese Web Developer, how I could list my blog in search engines. It was very interesting, and I felt there were more things to promote my blog and VEC. I will be working on this tomorrow.

Also, John suggested that we could place a hyperlink to the Newcomer's Guide, which I had worked on, on the blog. Hopefully, it will attract more people to visit my blog.

eri

Some Administrative Work

2004-05-17T15:21:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful weekend. On Sunday, my roommate and I were invited to a barbecue party at a friend's house, and we had a really good time there.

I came to school 8 a.m. today to help new students. It is always fun for me to meet new students from different countries and see the difference among students. Some students are so excited about studying at VEC(mostly Mexican students), and others look a little nervous(mostly Asian students).

One of our students was interested in studying at a high school in Vancouver, Squamish, or Wistler, so I collected some information. I could find information about high schools in Vancouver, but there were not so much information about high schools in Squamish and Whistler. I checked Canadian Embassy's Website, but they don't have enough information that student wanted to know. I hope more information will be available soon.

I won't be at school on Tuesday and Wednesday, so see you next week everyone!
eri

back in Hamburg/Germany

2004-05-13T14:36:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone.

As you can see I'm back in Hamburg. UNFORTUNATELY! The day after I got sick, I suppose it's the weather. I'm glad that I found a job the first week here. Yep, started my old job at the marketing research company I used to work for. So now I'm translating automotive surveys for JD Power & Associates.
It's a matter of fact that I'm still trying to get a job in Seattle (story of my life) and I'm not going to give up! I sent out some applications and I already received my first rejection :( By the way, thanks Lauren for you advice. I didn't have the chance to email you back!
Anyways, juts wanted to say HI. Keep up the good work!

C-Bell

At the Airport

2004-05-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

I have worked with Kazumi, Airport Receptionist, at the airport for four and a half hours today. There were not so many people at the airport today, but I really enjoyed working there. I had opportunity to talk with people from different countries, and the most frequently asked question was "Where I should go to transit domestic flight?" It was very interesting to see people at the airport, some of them looked so excited and others were a little tired. VEC has a booth at the airport, so I will discuss about how we can promote VEC better and grab attention from people just arrived in Vancouver with other market representatives.

That's about it today, so have a nice evening everyone!

eri

Proofreading

2004-05-11T16:34:00.000-07:00

I did proofreading and typesetting for New Comer's Guide to Vancouver and some administrative work today. There was no major problem with New Comer's Guide, but I found a few mistakes on it, we will revise it later. I could really concentrate on proofreading because, while I was sitting at reception this afternoon, phone didn't ring so much.

Also, I read through "Dear Ai", which has good advice for ESL students, to see what kind of questions students had, and how Ai answered their questions. It is good to share ideas that how ESL students can improve their English skills. Ai, she was one of the ESL students before, gave students really practical advice.

I will be working with Kazumi, Airport Receptionist, at the airport probably for four hours tomorrow and I am really looking forward to it.

Have a nice evening everyone!
eri

Counseling

2004-05-10T16:11:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a nice weekend. Mine? I have been a little sick since last week, but I took a enough rest,so now I am 100% OK.

I had a opportunity to counsel a student today. It was my first time, and I didn't expect doing that today. (I should have observed how Ai counseled students before!) Anyway, I explained about programs, courses, and fees, the student seemed to enjoy knowing about VEC. She asked me about number of students, nationalities, and what makes VEC special. I enjoyed doing myself doing this, hopefully I will have a opportunity to counsel students.

The New Comer's Guide to Vancouver is finished editing, and it looks good on paper! We will provide this at the airport to help new comers know about Vancouver.

Have a nice evening!

eru

Translation

2004-05-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

I didn't come to school yesterday, because I was sick....., but I feel much better today.

I worked on some translation today. One of them was information about VEC Summer Promotion, and another one was information about International Student Safety Tips. The Student Safety is about how students make a report to 911.(of course only if it is emergency) We are going to use this information as a part of Newcomer's Guide to Vancouver which I have been working on. Ai and I will revise this a little more.

Well, that's about it today. Have a good evening everyone.

eri

Wow - the Intern's Journal is starting to grow!

2004-04-28T23:47:00.000-07:00

Hi - this is John, the Webmaster at Vancouver English Centre, the sponsor of the Intern's Journal web log.

I have counted 52 messages posted here since we started this blog in February 2004.

Our interns and volunteers who have been posting their experiences here have truly been doing a good job. Now, we have two full beginning-to-end work experiences described here (by Sibel and Katharina), and Eri continues to document her daily experiences as she volunteers at VEC doing many different kinds of work.

Thanks everyone! Keep going Eri! :)

Promotion

2004-04-28T18:08:00.000-07:00

I finished editing New Comer's Guide to Vancouver today. It contains 10 pages so far, and Ai and I will revise this to make it more unique booklet.

Also, I had a opportunity to join a mini meeting today. VEC is offering special benefits, 20% tuition reduction until April 30, to students right now. So, Mr. Gardner, President of Vancouver English Centre, explained about next promotion project. It was very interesting for me to know that how the school can attract more students and agents and to share ideas from each marketing representative, Spanish, Korean, and Japanese.
Hopefully, I will have another opportunity to join meetings.

Well, that's about it today. Have a nice evening!
eri

Translation and Editing 3

2004-04-27T16:31:00.000-07:00

I spent a whole day to edit New Comer's Guide to Vancouver. I almost finished editing it, but I need a little more formatting. This is going to be an interesting booklet for those who are new to Vancouver, because it includes information about culture and customs in Canada, mainly in Vancouver.

Also, I was sitting at Reception for two hours this afternoon, and answered inquiries from students. A guy phoned from Europe, I forgot the country, asked about VEC's Business Internship Program. He seemed to be satisfied my answers, and I was glad I could answer his questions.

I didn't have a chance to observe how Ai provided counseling for trial lesson students today. Hopefully I can observe it sometime soon.

Have a nice evening.

eri

Web Marketing

2004-04-26T16:47:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful weekend, I played with my host family's dogs (a border collie and an American cocker spaniel) yesterday, and they were so happy to play with me.

I learned some tips about how to promote the internal Journal and VEC's website from Naoko, Japanese Web Developer, today. It was very interesting to know that how Naoko promotes our Japanese pages and submits web site addresses to good search engines or other directories. VEC's website contains different languages pages, and popularity varies. For example, the most popular VEC's English site for today was
English Pronunciation Practice, and the most popular Japanese site was the top page. (and Intern's Journal page is becoming popular!) I didn't have questions today, but Naoko said she was happy to answer questions, so I will ask her some questions later.

Well, that's about it today, have a nice evening!

eri

Back in good old Germany

2004-04-26T06:20:00.000-07:00

Hey you guys,

I'm back home! I arrived on Thursday and suffered from jetlag until this morning. 9 hours time difference and more than 9 hours of flying don't pass easily. :o)
I' m trying to get used to speaking German every day. Yes, I'm trying. It's not always easy.

I hope you enjoy your time in Vancouver! I have (otherwise I wouldn't think about coming back).

Take care, Katharina

My Trouble Day

2004-04-21T16:57:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that it went so fast today!

I had a little bit problem today. I needed to go to the bank today, but I realized that I lost my bank card! I called to the bank to cancel my bank card,so now everything is OK. I didn't expect that would happen to me, but I learned that the important thing was being calm and following the procedure you need. I will be careful about it.

I was supposed to ask Naoko about some tips about how to promote the Intern's Journal today, but I couldn't do it. (because of the reason above) So, what I have done today was I filled out the form from one of the agents to explain about VEC, and helped some students at the reception. Also, I asked Ai, Assistant Marketing Director, if I could observe her counseling to know how she talked to trial lesson students. It will also give me some tips to promote the school.

Well, that's about it today, have a good evening.
eri

Popularity of "VEC Intern's Journal"

2004-04-20T15:38:00.000-07:00

I asked John, Web Developer, about how many people have accessed to VEC Intern's Journal the other day, because I was wondering how the Journal promoted the school. John told me that it currently had aGoogle PageRank of 3 out of 10, which is a good start for such a young page. Also, I am interested in helping to increase the popularity of the Journal. I will ask Naoko, Japanese Web Developer, some tips about how to promote the Intern's Journal tomorrow. This is going to be great because I can compliment my existing web experience, and I can be a famous web personality!!

Other things I have done today was some pieces of translation and answering questions at the reception. It went so fast today, I cannot believe that it's already 4 o'clock today!

I'll be working on translation and more.

Have a nice evening.

eri

New Session Started

2004-04-19T15:41:00.000-07:00

I came to school 8 a.m. this morning to help new students. New session started today, so we had a lot of new students. It was very interesting for me to meet students from Latin America, Asia, and some other countries. Most of students were new to Vancouver, so they asked me how to get to the bus stop and open a bank account in Vancouver.

Also, I worked on translation "Arriving at YVR" which was very important information for students who applied Airport Pickup Service. While I was translating this, it reminded me of the day arrived in Vancouver. I remember that I was so excited to meet my host family at the airport.

I was a little sick on weekend, so I didn't do much. (I feel much better today.) I will be working on other translation tomorrow.

Have a nice evening!

eri

last day

2004-04-16T09:18:00.000-07:00

Good morning,

today is my last day of work (at least in Vancouver - I'm not retiring or anything). I can't believe that I'll be leaving tomorrow. I guess, today I'll be doing some things for the last time: taking the bus to North Van, going to the movies, working here, ...
talking about work. Yesterday, I made a list of those articles I worked on so far. I have so say (without wanting to praise myself) that this list is quite long. I'm actually quite proud of what I achieved in such a short period of time. :o)
Even though it's only been a short internship here with the school, I really enjoyed what I was doing - really! For once, I'm not exaggerating! I really had a good time here and everybody (at the reception and everywhere else) gave me the feeling to be part of the team. That was great! Thank you!
I hope you guys will enjoy your stay in Vancouver as much as I have! Take care (and behave)!

Regards,

Katharina

Good morning, Vancouver English Centre, Katharina speaking ...

2004-04-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

Hi there,
I started my day by showing a new student around the school. Apart from the daily walk I have from the bus stop to the school, this was my first exercise for today. :o)
Today, I will focus my work on the section "courses & programs" (again). This section is one of the most popular ones and it really needs revision. It may look as if I weren't getting anywere, but there's lots to do and it just takes a while until the "public" can see good results. I'm starting to get there - step by step.
Is anyone interested in purchasing a bus ticket (2-zone) for the rest of April? Since I'll be leaving on Saturday, I don't need my ticket any longer. If anyone of you arrived just a few days ago and doesn't want to buy Faresavers all the time, I can offer you my ticket for $ 30 only. With this ticket you'll be more flexible than with the simple Faresavers. So, think about it. If you're interested, come and see me at the reception area (I'm the one with the braids ...)
Talk to you later, Katharina

only three days left

2004-04-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

Good morning (in Vancouver, Seattle and everywhere else),

yesterday evening, I started to pack one of my suitcases. Man, I can't believe I have only three days left here in Vancouver. The only thing I can think of that's good to go back home is that I don't have to take the bus every morning (I suffer from motion sickness). Well, there might be another advantage: I can practise my German. I'm not kidding. Some of you may have experienced the same with their native tongue. Sometimes, some things are easier said in English than in German. Isn't it strange that somehow your native language seems to slip way back in your brain?
Well, anyways, back to what I'm doing at work. Guess what, I'm still working on the German website. There's lots to do. It's great to see some progress. If you know German, you can check out some of the links I've worked on the last couple of days. I've worked on the section converning costs and fees for the different programs offered by the school. It's a jungle out there, but I have a big knife and am fighting my way through it. :o)
Take care, Katharina

Translation and Editing 2

2004-04-13T16:35:00.000-07:00

I worked on translation of the Business Internship Program (BINT) page, and editing New Comer's Guide to Vancouver. Business Internship Program page had only two paragraph, so it was not hard to translate. However the sentences were short, it took me some time to make the sentences flow in Japanese. Also, I have been working on Newcomer's Guide to Vancouver, I would like to add more information about recycling system, consumer information, and safety and security for international students. I will be working on this tomorrow.

I also helped some students to answer their questions. I think I become confident of answering questions, and I feel really happy when they say "Thank you" to me.

Have a nice evening and see you tomorrow!
eri

2004-04-13T08:57:00.000-07:00

Good morning,

when I left the house this morning, I didn't think the sun would come out today. Fortunately, I can see it out there! :o)
Yesterday, I concentrated my work on the item "courses and classes" in German. I had been working on "Life in Canada", but it seemed to me that being able to present correct German on the most crucial parts of the website would be important. So, that's what I'll be working on today as well.
I can hardly believe that this is my last week in Vancouver. Time flies by so fast. To all of you who only have a short time left in the city, I can only tell you to do as much as possible while you're here. Who knows if you'll have the chance to come back someday.
Ok, folks, that's all for now!
Enjoy the day!
Katharina

hi from seattle

2004-04-12T23:05:00.000-07:00

Hi John & Co.
I just thought I would let you know how I was doing here in Seattle. I'm sill trying to find an Internship that I could start in December of this year.
Yep, I'm leaving here in almost three weeks. sigh.
So I see you have a new German intern. That's awesome. Well, Katharina I know how you feel about the German websites since I corrected 95% of them and on top of that translated some also. It's not easy but hang in there because it's worth it. Plus you will probably have more time to finish then I did.

The search engine optimization is very interesting. I assume that John has told you a lil bit about it because you mentioned it before. All I can say as a marketing researcher is that I was very impressed with the optimization tools. Anyways, I don't want to bore you. Enjoy your time as an Intern.

Well John & Co. I hope you all are doing great. Wish you all the best and I'll hopefully see and talk to you soon.

C-Belle

New week

2004-04-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

Good morning everybody,

I hope you enjoyed the Easter weekend as much as I have. I had so much fun in fact that I got a very nice sunburn. I guess I should have bought some sunscreen. Oh well, there is something that will last a little longer.
We have a new week ahead of us, starting today in fact. I'm still working on the German website. I guess, I will be doing that for the whole week. I like it. What I like even more about it is reading the "old" version of the site (there are some good laughs sometimes) and turning it into something worth reading.
I will keep you informed, but now I have to continue working (I don't want my boss to get mad to me ...)!

Talk to ya later! Katharina

schedules

2004-04-08T16:47:00.000-07:00

Hello again,

today I was very busy revising and translating for the German website of the VEC. Actually, I was sitting in front of the computer from 9 to 5. I'm not complaining. I'm having fun doing what I do, it's just that my eyes get a little tired after a while. I guess I'll be working on the German website for quite a bit still since there are a lot of things that need to be corrected or translated. It seems that not everybody who worked on the establishment of the German website was actually a German native speaker. This is crucial especially when the texts translated are being posted on the internet (or any other public media). I don't mean to bore you with this, I'm just describing my work to you.
What about the upcoming weekend? Well, up until now, I don't have any specific plans, but I might do something together with my hostfamily.
That's all for now. You'll hear from me again on Monday!

Have a great Easter weekend!

Katharina

First day

2004-04-08T09:05:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody,

my name is Katharina and I'm an intern with the VEC. Yesterday was my first day to work for the school. Since I'm German, I'm to revise the German website and make sure that the German language used is not only understandable but also correct. Sometimes the revision involves further translation which I'm comfortable doing.
I was also given an introduction to search engine optomization. What this means exactly I still have to find out. Hey, it was only my first day. Give me some time to figure it all out, ok? :o)
If you would like to see what I've done so far, why don't you check out the website mentioned above. I guess it's only for those of you who speak German ...

Introducing Katharina

2004-04-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

Katharina will be working as an intern in our Marketing Department for about the next two weeks. She has prior experience as an Internet Marketer and also has an excellent speaking voice and a warm and friendly personality.

Katarina will give us some help with our web site, amd also provide some support at the reception desk.

Welcome Katharina!

Translation and editing

2004-04-06T16:38:00.000-07:00

I worked on translation of Sightseeing in British Columbia Canada page today. You may know there are so many wonderful places to visit in British Columbia. For example, Thompson Okanagan is famous for BC's fruit and wine making, and in the BC Rockies we can enjoy river rafting, hiking, sailing, kayaking, boating, golfing.

Also, I worked on New Comer's Guide to Vancouver while I was sitting at Reception. It will take a little more days to complete editing and formatting.

Since Daylight Saving Time began, I feel I want to do something more after work, so I played with my host family's dog yesterday. I think I will take him for a walk today!

Have a nice evening everyone!

eri

The Intern's Journal

2004-04-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

It was really nice weekend, I went to Commercial Drive for shopping on Saturday, and Stanley Park on Sunday. Also, Daylight Saving Time began on Sunday, on the first Sunday of April. At 2 a.m. we set our clocks forward one hour ahead of standard time, so we can enjoy outdoor activities in the extra daylight hours now.

I worked on translation of The Intern's Journal page today. It was very interesting for me to translate this page, because I am the one writing the intern's journal. I am enjoying "weblog", but I don't know how many people have accessed and read my journal. I hope my journal will give you an idea of what it's like to be an Intern at VEC. (If anyone has questions about what it's like to be an Intern at VEC, I will answer your question!)

Have a good evening and enjoy extra daylight hours!

eri

New Comer's Guide to Vancouver

2004-03-30T16:14:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post what I've done at VEC these days. When I concentrated on something, time passed so quickly then I forgot to "blog". (I heard that Japanese Prime Minister started to blog, but I've never read his.)

I've worked on preparing "New Comer's Guide" since last week. I've collected most of information I needed, so I will format those information later. It is a little inconvenient that I cannot type text in Japanese on my computer, so when I am sitting at Reception(computer at Reception, I can type message in Japanese), I work on document formatting in Japanese.

I won't be at school until next week ,due to personal reason, so see you next week!

eri

Granville Island Tour

2004-03-24T16:39:00.000-08:00

I took a student to Granville Island this afternoon, and it was my third time to visit there with students.

Granville Island is a really nice place to shop and relax. There are a Public Market, a Kids Market, an art school, shops, restaurants, theatres, galleries, and a hotel.

Public Market - We can buy fruits, vegetables, meat, bread, fish, and handmade accessories.
Kids Market - There are wooden toys, children's art supplies, puppets, stuffed animals, baby things, glitzy costumes, and handmade clothes.
Arts - There are three theatres, a lot of studios and galleries. We can also enjoy street performance.

Too bad, there was only one student went to Granville Island today, but we enjoyed walking around and talking. Many students just stay in Vancouver only for short time, so I hope they come and enjoy activities.

Eri

Research

2004-03-23T16:36:00.000-08:00

I've continued working on "Manual" since yesterday. I focused on collecting information about Employment Standards in British Columbia, Tax Returns, and How to open a Bank Account in Canada. Canadian tax system is different from Japanese one, I was a little confused to understand. I've certainly found that the more I research, the more questions I have as well. I hope the information I collected will be useful.

I will continue working on research tomorrow. Sorry, there is nothing interesting about my journal today.

Eri

New Promotion Project

2004-03-22T15:44:00.000-08:00

VEC will promote our school at the airport in near future. I worked on collecting information about Vancouver to prepare manual for newcomers, especially who have Working Holiday Visa. This manual will include "how to" find a job, prepare a resume, and employment standards in British Columbia etc... Although there are many information available in Japanese, sometimes it is complicated to understand own rights here in Canada. Ai and I will be working on preparing this manual, hopefully it will be done this week.

New session just started at VEC today, so we had a lot of new students. I think they came really good time, because it is going to be nice weather from now. (I saw cherry blossoms started blooming, and that reminded me of Japan.)

Sibel has gone last Friday, so I'm the only one writing intern's journal now. Hope everyone enjoy reading my journal!

Eri

Game Over

2004-03-19T16:20:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, today was my last day as an Intern here at the VEC. Yup, 4 weeks are already over.
I want to thank all of the VEC Staff for helping me whenever I needed it. I enjoyed my time here with you and maybe I'll see you all again. I can only encourage every student to experience what I experienced here as an Intern and as a student.

I truly appreciate the fact that the staff didn't treat me as a student but as an employee like all the others. Too bad that you weren't here today John. Thank you so much for showing me all the little details about Web Marketing. It'll definitely help me in the future. Get well soon my friend.
Also thank you Mr. Gardner for your help and advices, for being patient and explaining everything to me.
I'm still speechless and don't know what else to say. Thank you VEC for everything!

I will hopefully see you all again!

C-Bell

More Translations and optimizations

2004-03-18T16:49:00.000-08:00

It's thursday already and tomorrow is my last day. :(
I discovered some more english pages on the german VEC website so I translaed those. These are really the last pages that I translated. No more pages to translate for me. hehe.
I also optimized some of the pages that I translated a while ago.
I had a really nice lunch time with some of my co workers and I know for sure I will miss those times when I'm gone. Who knows maybe I'll be back someday ;) watch out..

That's all I've done today. This time it took me ahile to translate from english to german. I forgot my mother tongue so unbelievable but true I had to look up some german words.. ::blush::

Have a good day!

Sibel

North Shore Orientation

2004-03-17T17:15:00.000-08:00

I was at the North Shore Orientation today with two other Japanese students and it was fun.

Our first stop was Robson Street. An awesome shopping place, especially during the weekends at nights you can see amazingly styled men and women. Never seen so many beautiful people..hehe.

Well our next stop was Stanley Park and I want to tell students that it’s a walking distance. You can walk to Stanley Park. It’s only 30 mins and it’s worth it.
We saw the popular Totem Poles, Prospect Point, which has a beautiful view to North and West Vancouver and the Lions Gate Bridge. You can see 2 Lions “watching over” the Bridge. It was built for Queen Mom Elizabeth I. 60 years ago. Other than that we also got to see English Bay and some beaches.

Arrived in North Vancouver Jim, our guide showed us the Capilano Mall, which is one of the biggest Malls in Vancouver. Too bad we couldn’t shop or at least window shop there.
After, we drove to Lonsdale Quay where the Sea Bus Terminal is located. So it’s really easy to find especially for Students that live in North Vancouver. One of the Japanese Students lives in North Vancouver and she didn’t know that place so she was really excited to see something close to her place since it was a little Mall. ;) So Jim gave us 20 minutes to explore the Quay and walk around.

Next stop was Lynn Valley and Lynn Canyon. This is definitely my favorite place. It’s so beautiful that I can’t even describe it. It’s nature pure, I’ve never seen so many huuuuuuge and thick trees. They are gigantic. I’m sure the Students have heard of the popular Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver. Well, the one we saw was exactly the same, maybe a little bit shorter and for FREE. We had an amazing view when we were on the Bridge. We saw waterfalls and creeks.

Instead of driving to Cypress Bowl Look Out, Jim drove us to Lighthouse Park since it was raining and we wouldn’t have had a good view from Cypress Bowl Look Out. So we all agreed and visited Lighthouse Park where we again saw those gigantic trees and the Pacific Ocean.

All in all I can say it was an amazing trip and I’m so glad that I took the chance to go since I’m leaving Canada on Saturday. I saw so many beautiful places within only 3.5 hours.
I can only encourage every Student to take the opportunity they have here at school and take trips to different places in a group. It’s more fun being in a group plus you get to see so much more. Things you don’t expect to see. Until today I didn’t know that Vancouver offers so much diversity. Thanks a lot to the Activity Group for giving Students this great chance.

C-Bell

Short day

2004-03-16T16:59:00.000-08:00

Well, I continued working on German VLC (Vancouver Language Centre) websites and optimized them for a lil bit.
Added some headers and links to it. I'll do more tomorrow.
Unfortunately, there's nothing more that I could tell you, since this is all I have done today.
I wish you all a great day even though the weather is not all that great :(

C-Belle

Business Internship Program

2004-03-16T16:31:00.000-08:00

I worked with Lauren, Director of Business internship, this afternoon. My job was to make phone calls to companies if they were interested in having internship. I called publishing companies and accounting firms and asked them what qualification and position were available now. (I felt I was doing some research about companies.) Although they seemed to be busy, they kindly answered my questions.

I think sometimes it is a little hard to find a company that exactly matches students request, and I feel I am lucky being a intern at VEC. I hope VEC students have good experience during their Internship Program like me!

Eri