Edition 1 - The Beginning
The Adventure Begins
May 30 - June 23
The 10-hour time change has proven to be difficult when it comes to keeping everyone updated on my life and adventures here, in Israel. So instead, welcome to my weekly newsletter updates! Each week, I will attempt to share what I’ve been up to at my internship and socially (plus, any extra adventures that pop up along the way). Stay tuned! Let’s jump in.
First Things First: What am I Doing Here?
I left the US on Wednesday, May 30th for my Birthright trip. For those who don’t know, Birthright is a free 10-day trip to Israel for Jewish young adults aged 18-26 focused on creating a connection between young Jews and their ancestral homeland. I went on Birthright through a Brown University ( a college also in Providence, Rhode Island where my university is located) program in hopes that most of the people on my trip would go back to Providence for the next academic year and I would be able to continue my relationships with them. Little did I know that most of these Brown University students had just graduated and would be moving away following this trip. Nevertheless, I was still able to meet some great friends that I will stay in contact with. During these 10 days, I made many fantastic friends, hiked Masada, and probably ate gallons of hummus.
After Birthright ended, I had a few days to myself in Jerusalem to experience and explore. Afterward, I moved into Lev Yerushalayim (a hotel in Jerusalem, right off of Ben Yehuda Street) for my internship program. Now, I am participating in an internship program called Onward Israel: Boston - Jerusalem. This program helps college students find internships to gain industry experience in Israel. Everyone in my program either attends a university on the East Coast or is from the East Coast. My internship this summer is at Finn Partners Israel, an international public relations agency with 16 locations all over the globe - one of which is here, in Jerusalem!
My Internship So Far: Finn Partners Israel
I have just completed week 1 of my internship at Finn Partners. The Finn Partners Israel office is fairly small, with just 13 people, and almost all of them made aliyah (immigrated to Israel) at different ages and for varying reasons. So far, I have enjoyed talking to all of my coworkers about when and why they decided to move to Israel and how it has impacted their lives. Currently, there is one other intern at my office but we will get one more in mid-July. While this first week focused a lot on introductions and getting accustomed to the office, I have enjoyed my internship experience, the people I work with, and the beautiful view from my desk so far.
The People: Yes, I Made Friends!
In my hotel room, I have 3 roommates. One goes to Johnson & Wales University with me, but we didn't know each other well before before this program. Everyone in this program is so different - we all come with varying passions, experiences, and lives. This makes our group of about 40 young adults such a diverse and complex bunch. The other participants go to both big state schools like the University of Connecticut and smaller women's colleges like Wellesley, alike. Yet somehow, we have all grown so close in just 10 days. Our adventures so far consist of a 2-day trip to Haifa where we briefly learned about Druze villages and kayaked down the Jordan River, a Shabbat picnic in the park, Havdallah at the Kotel, and much more!
