Ashdod

This weekend was pretty fun as I was able to catch up with a good friend of mine from back home in Mexico. She invited me to spend Shabbat with her and her family in Ashdod, a port city south of Tel Aviv. It is a large industrial city and the port receives about 60% of Israel's imports. Even so, it is also a very well planned city with beautiful beaches, a great port and a huge French community. I met my friend and together we took the train down to Ashdod. After we arrived we spent most of the day at the beach where I was finally able to relax after two busy weeks I have had.

That night, we were invited to Shabbat dinner at her family's home. The funny thing is that I had a Shabbat dinner with the exact same part of the family in the same place the first time I visited Israel almost 10 years ago! It is weird to think how quickly time has gone by, but how many things have changed during this period.  

It was nice to spend the weekend with people I have known for a while. I really enjoyed catching up with them and just disconnecting from what my life has been for the past months.

The next morning was amazing, my friend's cousins invited us to join them on their boat for lunch. We spent the morning sailing up the coast of Israel. Due to the season, the sea was filled with jellyfish. I have never seen anything like it. As we moved we could see a line a jellyfish swimming one after the other. They were all different sizes and colors. Here is a short video I took.

Once we were docked back at the port, we had a really nice lunch with the family on the boat. After a while we returned home to get our things ready to take the train back to Tel Aviv. This weekend was exactly what I needed. This past year abroad has been filled with many exciting and new experiences, but sometimes getting to reconnect to home is important and that is exactly how I felt. As I start the new week, I am ready to keep on meeting new people and experiencing new things.

Working at the ICT

After being here for a month, I feel like I have finally gotten the hang of things. Work at the International Institute for Counter Terrorism is really interesting and I am enjoying every day some much.
My work consists of a few things. First, I am working on my own research which focuses on public resilience in dealing with terrorism and fear. I am still at the early stages but I have already found some really interesting ideas to build upon. Secondly, we work on simulations that allow us to asses potential risks within certain systems. Finally, the third part of it is other projects. Among them I am helping organize the executive Program: a three week course with some of the top scholars in the field of counter terrorism that will be taking place in July.

A typical day in the office starts at 10:30 a.m. which is pretty nice compared to other places. The problem is that you really need to time the bus to the Interdisciplinary Center (the college where the ICT is based) correctly. If not, a 40 min journey can take up to double the time! In any case, at the office we mostly focus on our own research and projects but we have frequent meetings with researchers and among us to make sure we are on track and doing what we need to do. I have to say it is a privilege to be meeting and learning from so many amazing experts in their own fields within counter terrorism. Only in this month, I have already learned so much.

The interns usually grab lunch together at the school cafeteria at around 12:30 and then we go back to the office and keep on working until about 4:30 p.m. We also have certain lectures we can sit in which has been one of my favorite parts. At the end of the day I usually either hang around the IDC or Herzliya before going salsa dancing or I come back to Tel Aviv to do other things.

Although this experience is different to Rome, I am very happy and have been really really busy both within the ICT and in the afternoons. I have kept on going to salsa and now I have my friends there which I really enjoy. Moving forward I want to do some more traveling in the country, but I am also looking forward to continue building on the relationships I have begun to create here. I think meeting people from all over has been one of my favorite parts about being abroad and in different places. Although it will be difficult to say goodbye...again, the people I have met and continue to meet have made of these experiences unforgettable.

Tel Aviv, the Pride Parade and the worst tan of my life

This past week I finally moved to Tel Aviv and I spent my first weekend there. This was great as the Pride Parade took place on Friday.
I ended up going to the parade with a few friends I met during the tour of Jerusalem a couple of weeks ago. It was really hot and crowded but we had a really fun time. What I found really interesting about the whole day is how different Tel Aviv is to the rest of Israel and the Parade really showed that. Tel Aviv is the most secular part of Israel, and although this does not mean that the rest of the country is just full of religious people, it does present a big contrast to a more predominantly conservative society.

Unlike other parades this was a sort of walk. Instead of watching the parade go by, everybody was just walking alongside it. The parade ended on the beach where there was a huge party with vendors, food and people dancing. It was pretty fun and it was great getting to meet people from around the world who came to Tel Aviv especially  for the parade.

After such a crazy day, I spent Saturday on the beach. It was a beautiful day and it was nice to just relax by the sea. The problem was the sun was way too intense and between the parade the day before and the beach I am not only sunburnt but I have the most uneven tan I´ve ever gotten. So as I write this with a bright red back and aloe on it trying so sooth the burn, I just hope that I return to a normal color soon.

Here are some pictures from the parade.

Salsa, salsa and more salsa!

This week was really fun! I found out that there are free slasa lessons pretty much every night all around Israel and naturally I had to check them out. So last Sunday, I went to the Herzliya park to see what it was all about.
Although I have danced ballroom since I first arrived at Northeastern, I haven´t really danced a lot of Cuban salsa. Even so, it was fairly easy for me to pick up on it and soon I was dancing with a bunch of people.
I had a really nice time, and what is even better is that I made a bunch of friends there. This led me to go salsa dancing four nights last week! One of my favorite nights was at a place called Studio B. It is a dance studio, but at night it turns into some sort of dancing venue. In each classroom, an instructor teaches a different style like salsa, bachata, lambada and even Argentine tango and after the lesson they play music pertaining to that style. So for the rest of the night you can basically just go from room to room dancing different things.
Finally at one of the places, I ran into my old teacher from high school. It was really unexpected but I really enjoyed reconnecting with her an hopefully we´ll get the chance to catch up soon.

What I love about dance and in this case salsa is that it is pretty universal. You can go pretty much any place in the world and even though you might not be able to speak the same language you can connect with people and share something everybody likes doing together. It can often be intimidating especially when you get started, but if you go with it, you will slowly improve and build relationships with the people you meet.
In the coming weeks I am excited to continue salsa dancing although maybe not every night :P

Getting into the swing of things...

Although it hasn´t been long since I got to Israel and started my internship, there is so much to do. At the office I am involved in a few different projects. First off, we are all doing our own research on a particular topic related to terrorism. I have been doing some reading, but I am having a bit of a problem narrowing down my research topic, but hopefully I´ll figure that out soon.
Outside of the office I have spent a lot of my time looking for a place to live. I am currently staying with family, but I do need to find a place of my own. I have also been able to do some fun things with the people from the office and have met new people as well.

On Monday all of the interns and staff played basketball together. I don´t think I have ever played a full game in my life, but I still decided to participate. We were 10 in total, 8 guys and two girls. It was a bit intimidating since everybody else was actually good and most of them are really tall even so, I was able to score six or seven baskets so I was happy.

We also had a barbecue of Wednesday at the house of the US representative at the ICT. We had a great time and really interesting conversations around immigration, safe spaces and political correctness on campus, and just a lot of funny stories.

Some of us at the barbecue :)

On Thursday all the interns got together, since one of the guys was leaving. We all went for dinner at an amazing burger place in Tel Aviv and then played Risk. I had never played Risk before, and I have to say I never want to again :P I was so stressed out during the entire thing that once I got home I couldn´t fall asleep! Even so it was tons of fun and I have a feeling there will be a repeat of that night.

Finally, on Friday  I took a day trip to Jerusalem with the university. It was an organized geopolitical tour of the city. As you may know until 1967, the city was divided into the Eastern Jordanian controlled part of the city and the Western Israeli controlled part. In May of the same year Gamel Abdel Nasser, the president of Egypt at the time announced the the Straight of Tiran would be blocked to Israeli commerce, a direct act of war towards Israel. Egypt then mobilized its forces along its border with Israel, which it claimed to be a defensive measure, and on 5 June Israel launched a series of preemptive airstrikes against Egyptian airfields.
The attack nearly wiped out Egypt's air capability. However, Nasser convinced Syria and Jordan to attack Israel by taking advantage of the initial confusion to claim that Egypt had defeated the Israeli air strike. Israeli counterattacks resulted in the capture of East Jerusalem and the West Bank from the Jordanian, and Israel´s defense against Syria in the north allowed it to push Syrian forces out of the Golan Heights. Since then Jerusalem has remained under Israeli control although people from all different religions still live there side by side.
It was an interesting tour and I was happy I was able to meet many other students from around the world.

The Old City in the background

Coop Part Two: Israel

I hit the second part of my Coop running. I started my internship at the International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT), the same day I landed in Israel. So as I wrap up my first week, I am excited to write my first post from Israel.

So I know this is a bit confusing, but let me explain. During my Coop Application process, I interviewed for both the NATO Defense College and the ICT. Although I heard back from the NDC first and I took the job, I was also interested in the ICT. This is why when they got back to me, I asked them if it would be a possibility to start my internship in May instead of January. They agreed, and since the Coop at NATO was only three months long, I was able to fit these two experiences into one Coop period.

I am currently staying with my grandmother´s cousin. I had never met her before coming here, but she is lovely and I have really enjoyed hearing all of her stories. Even so, I will only be staying here temporarily while a find a place to stay.

The internship has been great. The funny thing is that out of the seven interns here, I am the only girl…again. Even so, they are all great. There are 2 other students from Northeastern who will be wrapping up their Coops in the next month, two Italians, a Dutch guy and an Australian. They are all really great, and they have really helped me get into the hang of things.

Although I´m new, I am already involved in a few projects and it has been really amazing. The crazy thing is that in a month, all of the interns will have left, and new ones will replace them This means that I will be the experienced one in the team. This is why I am making sure I learn as much as possible from them, so that I am able to do everything that is needed later on.
Outside of the internship I have just been trying to settle in. I have yet to get a phone as there are only a few companies that are available for international students. I am looking forward to this weekend to finally catch my breath and get everything done.

Even so, I am happy. It is nice to be back in Israel and to stay with family. Furthermore, I know that I will gain a lot from this internship. For now, I´m looking forward to arranging everything to get myself into the hang of things and start getting to know the city and people better.

"Roma non basta una vita"

There is a saying in Rome that says "Roma non basta una vita" meaning that for Rome a lifetime is not enough. Yet just like that, my time in Rome has come to an end. As I embark on the second part of my Co-op I leave with a lot of mixed feelings. Living in Rome, was a challenge in many ways. I came here not knowing anybody or what to expect. It was the first time I lived completely on my own, without being part of an academic program, and having to really leave my confort zone in order to settle into my new life. It was also a challenging work environment that constantly had me second guessing myself. Finally, as a city, Rome is a hard place to live in. There is a lot of traffic, people can be quite unwelcoming to strangers and living far from the center made me spend a lot of time on the metro.
However, this experience has also been wonderful. Although the cancellation of the NRCC (NATO Regional Cooperation Course) had a big effect on what my work at the NATO Defense College looked like, I feel as though I was able to contribute to my team and I leave having learned so much about the current international security environment.
My Co-op in Rome also allowed me to meet amazing people that have taught me so much. I have had amazing conversations and adventures with individuals from all over the world and I have been inspired to continue working towards my goals.

I have already talked about what working in a predominantly male military environment was like, but in short, being a young civilian women in this environment had certain individuals questioning the reason for me being there. If I learned something from this situation it is that your work ethic and the products you deliver speak for themselves. Instead of focusing on proving yourself, you just need to continue working hard and doing your job. By the end, I believe that the people that had doubts about me were proven wrong. Not only was I able to show that I was capable of the things I was doing, but I also got to interact with them more, getting to know them and sharing more about myself. I even became pretty close with some of them by the end.

In terms of the job itself, I think that the NDC is a great institution and the work being done to promote understanding and cooperation between Course Members from many different countries is important in creating a more effective international organization that can make the important decisions. Although I enjoyed my work, more than one day coming back as staff or faculty, I would love to come back as a Course Member. I thoroughly enjoyed every opportunity I had to attend the lectures, the discussions and to interact with the Course Members, which gave me a great insight into what being a Course Member is like.

The people I have met within the NDC as well as through dance, my roommate and other experiences really made my time in Rome very special. I got to meet people really from all over and I have created friendships that I hopefully take with me for the rest of my life. I have been inspired by many of them and I look forward to staying in touch.

As a city, I have conflicting opinions about Rome. It is a beautiful city to visit and it is true that for Rome, a lifetime is not long enough to see everything there is to see. However, living here was definitely a challenge. All in all I enjoyed my time a lot, however, I am also looking forward to this new chapter.

On my last day at the NDC, we had a Pakistani delegation come visit, which was a great to wrap up my time there (on one of my first days we had a Saudi Arabian delegation visit the college). However, the nicest thing was after. The whole Middle East Faculty, as well as many other people from the college took me to lunch. It was really amazing to see all the people that wanted to join me for my last day and I am touched they all came. I also received a diploma for my time at the college.

All in all, I am very glad this whole experience happened. I have learned so much about the world and about myself and I leave more motivated than ever to continue to work hard. I am also very sad to leave the amazing people I have met. Even so, a new experience awaits me in about 12 hrs to be exact (I´m writing this from the airport as I am on my way to Israel). At 11:00 a.m. tomorrow (yes it´s a Sunday, but that is how the work week in Israel is organized) I begin my first day at the International Institute for Counter Terrorism. Everything is going by so quickly, but I am excited to meet new people and to continue learning more in order to better understand the world we live in.

So goodbye Rome, it has been great and I hope to see you soon, and next week I will hopefully be writing with great new stories for this new chapter :)

Meeting the Pope!!!

Never in my life would I have thought that one day I would meet the Pope, but today I had the amazing opportunity to meet him, talk to him and even take a selfie with him! If it is a must to take a selfie with President Aoun during our time at Northeastern, I knew that this was my golden, once in a lifetime opportunity to get a selfie with the Pope. So before you all think I´m crazy and I am making this up, the proof is in the pudding. So here is my selfie with the Pope :)

Pretty cool huh! I can´t believe it myself and I am still shaking after having shook his hand and talked to him. But before I tell you more about this crazy experience, I should back track and tell you how this happened. To make the story really short, my aunt has super crazy wish granting powers and thanks to her and a few other amazing people who worked tirelessly I was able to meet him during one of my lasts days in Rome. I am so thankful to them!

The Golden Ticket

So what happened...

Today as every Wednesday, Pope Francis was having the Papal Audience which consists of small teachings and readings mainly in Italian but also in English, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese and sometimes other languages depending on groups visiting. The Pope greets everybody in each language and shares his insight with everybody present. If you are ever in Rome on a Wednesday, you can go to the Vatican and see him as it s free of charge. However, I was given a special place to sit at that was on one of the sides of the stage where the Pope gives his blessings. Furthermore, at the end of the event he comes around to greet and talk to everybody.

The whole experience was crazy, I was greeted by Monsignore Murray, the personal secretary to H.E. the Cardinal Pietro Parolin. He took me through the Vatican (areas you really can´t visit when you are just touring the museums) and then led me to my seat. The whole ceremony was very interesting to watch and I really enjoyed listening to the Pope talk about his visit to Egypt after the terrible attacks that took place there a couple weeks ago. But what amazed me the most is how kind the Pope was. He did not just walk around to say hi or shake people´s hands but he truly listened to everybody.
I was extremely nervous as he approached me but we talked in Spanish and he was just wonderful. I also wrote a letter for him. They told me to bring a copy and give one to Monsignore Murphy to make sure the Pope received it which I did, and I kept the other one in my hand throughout the entire ceremony. The funny thing is that when I finally met the Pope I was so nervous I forgot to give it to him, which is why I am so glad I rewrote the letter and gave the copy to Monsignore Murphy.

I know you may all be wondering why I wanted to meet the Pope so much since I am Jewish. I think that this may be best explained by a part of the letter I wrote to him. So here it is:

"Like you, I come from a family of immigrants. My great grandparents from my mom´s side where forced to leave Europe during the Second World War because of their faith. They left to find a place where it would be possible to have a life with freedoms and the ability to practice their religion without risk. Destiny brought them to Mexico giving me a new community I now belong to. On my dad´s side, religious persecution in Iraq forced my grandparents and my six month old dad to escape to Canada.
 Although my life has a complicated origin, my purpose in life is simple: our obligation as human beings is to not be witnesses to the whims of history, but active architects of a better world for all.

This is why in my twenty-one years I have done everything I can to find myself in a position where I can make a difference that will have a positive impact on my community, my country and if possible on the world.

Your Holiness has showed me that this is possible and that it is important to fight for our principles and for the need to create a more just society for all; a place where socio-economic, gender and circumstantial inequality does  not exist.You have taught me that although we come from different places, or we have different ideas, opinions and even faiths, solidarity and fraternity between people must be the basic principle that guides political, economic and social decision making in our countries and in our lives."

So all in all, today has been a day I will never forget. Without making this post too long, here are some more pictures.

NDC, Viterbo and Gelato: my last weeks in Rome

As my time in Rome is quickly coming to an end, I am spending my last few weeks making sure I connect with all the great people I have met. It is always hard to close a cycle, this is specially the case for me because I find it very hard to say goodbye to people.
Even so, this past week has been very special as I have had the opportunity to interact with many of the course members and the staff at the NDC in a more personal way. I have gone to dinner with three of the course members (from Belgium, Turkey and the US) and through our conversations I have not only learned more about them and their experiences, but they have also shared a lot of valuable life lessons with me. It is truly inspiring to hear what they have to say and to see all the things they have done that have led them to where they are today.

With some of the Course Members at "Jolie Jeudi" (social event in the evening)

I also took a day trip to Viterbo with one of the women that works at the college. Viterbo is a medieval city an hour away from Rome. It was founded by the Etruscans and later taken over by the Romans. Through its history, it developed into an important medieval center, and in the 13th century became the seat of the popes. During WWII it was bombed heavily in WWII, but a lot of its historic areas survived and today it is a great place to visit. Instead of boring you will all the details, here are some pictures. This particular day, there was a flower market all around the city which made it even prettier and a wonderful place to walk around.

 

The gelato festival also took place this weekend. I joined my roommate and her friend and together we went to check it out. I have never eaten so much ice cream in my life! The festival was a competition and visitors were invited to taste all the flavors and vote for their favorites. I don´t think we even made it through half of them but it was pretty amazing. Among my favorites there was a pistachio gelato, a strawberry red pepper sorbet and a dark chocolate rum gelato.

Strawberry red pepper sorbet

Me in a coma after so much gelato!

Finally this weekend I also organized a group tour as part of the Arts and History program at the College. The tour was about Caravaggio in the Churches and although I have been helping with this program throughout my time at the NDC, this time I was pretty much the one responsible for the logistics and the staff in charge during the event. What is nice about having this responsibility is knowing they trust me and that I am a reliable part of the team. The tour was really interesting and it was wonderful to get to see Caravaggio´s work in the settings and environment they were meant to be seen.

One of Caravaggio´s works

After the tour, the Course Members that attended insisted I join them for a drink. During these couple of hours I got into some very interesting conversations. Among them I began discussing feminism with one of the officers. The truth is I have never really considered myself a feminist in the way many of my peers do. I think that for me, in order to deal with inequality I have always tried to prepare myself as much as I can to be able to get the jobs that I wish to attain. However, during my time in Rome, I have felt that my role as a women is sometimes predefined, and my reasons for being here have sometimes been questioned. Even so, I have felt as though I have been able to prove that I am as capable as a guy and that I have a reason for wanting to be at NATO and for being there as well.
Even so, during this particular conversation, I was a little surprised to hear the course member tell me that is was undeniable that women and men have different aspirations. I believe that our aspirations are determined by our interests and what we want from life and not by particular societal norms, which is what I told him.
Without getting into much more detail, our conversation touched on aspects of being attracted to somebody in a professional environment. It seemed to me that in his view a man had to act on these emotions, however, this completely overlooked the fact that women may be attracted to somebody as well. In the end all I can say is that there are assumptions in place that really do make female/male interactions in the workplace difficult and sometimes even uncomfortable. This may be even more noticeable because of the military environment I have been working in. However, I do think that these conversations need to be had, but more than that, as individuals, we should not let society determine what we can, cannot, should or shouldn´t do. Our limitations are set by ourselves and only we are capable of achieving our own goals through hard work.

Adventures on the metro...

The metro in Rome is a very interesting place. Due to the amount of ruins that can be found under the city, it has been almost impossible for the city to build more than two lines. Currently, they are working on the third line near the Colosseo, unfortunately they continuously find new ruins and for the same reason it seems unlikely that they will ever finish it.

This situation makes getting anywhere by metro extremely slow as in order to switch lines you must always go to Termini, the main station and the only one that connects them. In order for me to reach my dance class which should be about a 25-30 minute drive (without traffic and with a dependable bus system-which is not the case in Rome), it takes me about an hour each way. This is why I usually try to make use of this time by reading or answering emails, etc. However, the metro is packed during rush hour and it is a hotspot for pickpocketing, so you have to be really careful about what you are carrying on you.

Map of the Metro

Even so, today I had an experience unlike any other. On my way back from Friday night services, a group of students on board, that were members of a religious group, started professing their strong religious faith on the train. I was on my own and it was late, so I just sat there listening to what they were saying. Although we have different faiths, I firmly believe in respect and I didn´t make much of it. A few minutes later, one of them approached me and started asking me whether I believed in Jesus, to what I responded that I was Jewish. He introduced himself and started asking me what I thought about what they had said, to which I replied that I had a different faith but that I respected his beliefs and that I thought that at the end of the day it was all about being a good person. He than asked me if he could pray for me and I said he could and that I would pray to him in return. To my surprise he sat down next to me and asked me to start praying. I looked at him in confusion and he said he meant right there. I wasn´t very comfortable with this so I told him I would pray for him in my own way which for me wasn´t on the train. I respectfully asked him to end the conversation there but he refused. I asked again and again until he finally agreed and walked away to join a different conversation on the train. At this point, the other members of the group which were sitting next to me and in front at me just stared disapprovingly, so I turned to one of them and in my rudimentary Italian told them that I thought each person should be able to make their own choices. None of them responded and they just kept on staring.

After a couple more stops, I realized that the girl sitting next to me was a native  English speaker, so I turned to her and asked her about what they were doing. She said it was a group of students that wanted to spread their love for Jesus. Perhaps it was my mistake all along for engaging with them, but I felt very frustrated and decided to explain to her why I felt so uncomfortable with the situation in order for us to perhaps reach an understanding. So I told her what it was like being Jewish and living in a predominantly Catholic country. I explained to her that I had just left a religious service that was guarded by three soldiers and that by many I was not liked because of my faith. I told her that I appreciated that what they were doing was creating a much needed conversation to remove barriers and generate the understanding and tolerance the world desperately needs, so I thanked her for that. However, I also told her, that I felt a bit uneasy about the way I was approached because I felt as though they were preaching to me and not really hearing me out. I told her that I believe in being a good person above all and I thought she was a good person as well, however that I also believed in respect and tolerance towards people that may think a little differently than you do. She listened, however, once I was done, she responded that for her Jesus was at the center and that there was nothing more important. I told her I respected that and although I had different beliefs we were all striving to become the best version of ourselves, that at the end of the day, through our actions we reflect what our religions are about, to which she just shook her head and told me that Jesus was everything and that this is what her life was centered around. At this moment I got to my stop, I turned to her and told her that although we may not see I to eye I respect her and I wish her the best.

I don´t know why this encounter affected me so much. I admire people who have such strong belief systems in the same way I do, but to me the way she responded unwilling to even acknowledge my point of view was very frustrating. It felt as though she saw me as misguided or inferior because I did not ascribe to the same belief system. But to me it is confusing because at the end of the day, faith should lead you to become a better person and to make the world a better place. So what does it matter what exactly you believe in, if it guides you towards bettering your life and that of those who surround you. So many people have died because of ideology rather than actions. We put so much weight into the intangible regardless of how it manifests itself in the physical world. I respect others and want to learn from them, however, in order to create a fruitful environment, others must do the same and this is what I felt was missing. Especially when I was alone on a train with people who felt differently than I did. 

Looking back, I could have chosen not to engage, to pretend I didn´t understand, or to just move to the next cart. Even so, to me this is the problem with our current system. We have been putting such a focus on political correctness and safe spaces, that we have forgotten the importance of honest dialogue in order to create understanding. However, in order to promote the kind of dialogue we are talking about we must be able to acknowledge and respect the other person's side, even if it is not exactly what we like to hear. To be clear, I respect these students for the way they think, but I wanted them to do the same in return, or at least acknowledge that there are other valid points of view.

I am not against any religion, and this is not an attempt to offend anybody, it is just a situation I lived through and an attempt to make sense of it. All I want is to be able to have a sincere conversation and to be understood as well as understand. It is very easy to just overreact, and I hope none of you do, as a matter of fact I would love to here your point of view. All I am saying is we need to shift our conversations towards learning, not just to say blank statements or get somebody to change their mind, but to create understanding and tolerance between people. The same way I respect other people's ways of thinking I would hope that others do not try to change mine just for the sake of it, if in the end its all about making this world a better place. 

Briefing the Course Members at the NDC...

I am having a bit of a hard time writing today's post because although it has been an extremely rewarding week, I have also been grappling with a lot of mixed emotions. First off, I am aware that my time at the NDC is coming to an end. Today I sat in on the last lecture the college will have before I leave and although there are three weeks to go, the Course members whom I have really gotten to know will only be here for one of those weeks. I hate endings and goodby's and although I have had to do this a lot in the past few years, it doesn't get any easier, and what makes this particular occasion even harder is how much more I enjoy my Coop every single day.

On Tuesday I was asked to brief the Senior Course on the Arts and History program. What this entailed is me standing in front of 40-50 military officers, or the civilian equivalent and deliver a presentation on Caravaggio. Although this sounds like a simple enough task, it is quite overwhelming to stand in front of people who have had so much experience and who know so much. I was extremely nervous about it, but in the end my supervisor was very happy with how it went. This has been one of the biggest challenges during my Coop. Although public speaking has never been a problem for me, standing in front of the NATO podium was a totally different experience and I am extremely relieved that I was able to deliver the presentation.

Life in Rome

Life in Rome has been challenging. Moving to a new country for Coop is different than studying abroad (whether that be at Northeastern in Boston, or in London for study abroad last semester). This is because, when you are on Coop, you are not part of a set program with people your age with whom you engage on a regular basis. Instead you need to meet people on your own. More often than not, the people you meet at work are older than you so it can be challenging to find a stable group of people. Although it has taken me longer to settle in, I am happy here. I love my job and coming to the College every day. I have forged great relationships with the staff and the Course Members and I am extremely engaged with the lectures I attend.

Even so, it can get lonely sometimes which is why you have to create a support network for yourself with people you can count on, things you like to do and goals that keep you motivated. I have done this through dance, the people I have met and finding ways to create work for myself at the College. As I come to my final month at the NDC I am extremely surprised at how quickly time has gone by. In a way I wish I could stay longer as I finally feel I am getting the hang of things. That is why having is 6 month Co-op is nice. Even so, I am excited to pursue new adventures in Israel where I will be doing the second part of my Coop at the Institute for Counter-Terrorism. More so, I am looking forward to being back on campus. Since I was studying abroad in London last semester, I haven't been in Boston for about a year and I haven't been in classes at Northeastern for about a year and a half (I did my first Coop the semester before studying abroad). I am eager to be back on campus and to apply what I have learned throughout this year and a half to my studies.

The last weeks at the NDC

For the past couple of weeks the Course Members have been out of the College on a Field Study to some major European capitals. Although this means that we haven't had lectures, this has given me the opportunity to sit in on some very interesting events that have taken place in the College.
I got to listen in on a working group on Cyber Security and the role NATO may play within this area. It was a very interesting and quite scary discussion about how these technological developments have also left us vulnerable to new types of attacks. It also talked about the role of the military in cyber security and the difficulties this may bring as you need very specialized individuals to work on this particular field.

The NDC also hosted a Conference on NATO and EU cooperation in the South (the MENA region). Top experts and high level officials from NATO and the EU came together to discuss many issues around the increased threats to NATO and Europe from the Southern flank and the challenges and advantages of NATO-EU cooperation. More than anything sitting in the room with these people was really inspiring and it made me want to be in their shoes in the future.

That´s me in the right hand corner :)

The discussion during the conference was quite interesting among the most important points raised was the fact that within the EU and NATO, there continues to be a bias towards security in the North (Russia) when it comes to security and defense priorities. This was evident as the debate kept on shifting towards Russia when the purpose of the talks were to discuss the Middle East. It was also quite interesting that Article 3 of the North Atlantic Treaty came up. This refers to the responsibility of each NATO member to build up their own capabilities individuals in order for Article 5, common defense, to work. This is important because a lot of the current debates around NATO and and its importance are based on the principle that countries must contribute to their defense capacity building. Finally, it was really interesting to see how much speculation there is around what the US´s policy towards NATO, Russia, the Middle East and pretty much everything else is. Although there were really high level officials there, it seems that nobody really knows what will happen which is quite nerve racking.

At the end of the conference, I got the opportunity to meet two of the participants. I was really nervous to talk to them, however, I decided to go up to them before I regretted not having said anything. My conversation with them was really inspiring. Getting to listen to people who truly care about the world we  are living in and are trying to make an impact truly makes me want to keep on working harder to someday be in their shoes. I learned a lot from them and I´m excited to see what my path will be.

This couple of weeks at the NDC have been different: a bit more quiet than usual and a lot less familiar faces. Even so, my experiences this week have been some of the best I´ve had and I look forward to the month ahead.

Florence

Last weekend I decided it was time to take a break from the craziness of Rome. This is why me and the other intern at my office Daniel (yes we have the same name) went to Florence for the weekend. The city dates back to 59 BC, when it was founded by retired Roman soldiers. What is perhaps most distinctive about Florence is the amount of wealth that was accumulated within the city which allowed for a lot of art to be developed. From 1434 until 1737, the Medici family ruled Florence. During this period the family commissioned a lot of artwork, architecture and many different projects. A highlight is the Uffizi Gallery which houses the personal art collection of the Medici family including Sandro Botticelli´s famous pieces. Furthermore, due to the wealth in the city, the Renaissance really began in this small city in the 15th century. Florence is full of amazing art, architecture, literature, etc. and you can feel the culture as you walk through its streets.

During our time in Florence, we visited the Uffizi Galleri. What is wonderful about this place is that the last Medici to rule donated the entire collection to the people of Florence. Thanks to this, all of these pieces are still together and not in Austria or scattered around the world.
We also visited the Duomo built by Fillipo Brunelleschi. We climb all the way to the top. It was a wonderful experience as you can really get a feel for the architecture by climbing up it.