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.