As I look back at the past two months I am overwhelmed with joy. The experience that I have gone through compares to no other. Taking part in an internship overseas is not something that just anyone can say they have done. This experience has taught me so much.
Coming into this internship I was told to expect something casual and that the way of work in Israel is very different from what I am used to in the United States. With this being said I just didn?t understand how casual work was in Israel. In America when going to work everyone is dressed very formally and put together, going to work in Israel individuals wear anything from jeans to skirts to slacks. This at first was a hard adjustment, because I feel that when you are dressed for work you are also mentally prepared for work. By the end of the internship, I was comfortable going into work with no suit on and still getting into the work mindset. The office environment was also very welcoming and friendly. My coworkers and boss made an effort to get to know me and ensured that I was enjoying my time both in the office and outside of the office. This made my time overall better since I knew that I would see individuals that cared about me every day and wanted the best for me. With this being said, at first, I was surprised at how involved the owner of the company was with my internship. He would always check on me and want to meet with me. This wasn?t something that I was expecting, since I know that in the US this isn?t usually the case. This was very meaningful to me as I felt that my boss truly wanted me to succeed and did everything in his power for this to happen.
Another thing that stuck out to me that was different between the culture in the United States and Israel was the aspect of food at work. In the United States, it is very acceptable to go out with coworkers and get lunch almost every day or order food in the office. In Israel, most individuals pack food from home and stay in the office to eat. This is something that I didn?t really get used to and was kind of hard for me to understand. I saw lunch as a time to clear your head from work for a little in the middle of the day and take a break, but that just wasn?t the case in Israel.
The final difference that I took note of was the difference in the work days. In Israel, individuals work Sunday to Thursday rather than Monday to Friday. This is done to allow for the religious community to prepare for Shabbat. It was something that was a little harder to get used to as I am used to having Sunday as a day for myself to prepare for the week ahead. Also during the weekend most things were closed since on Shabbat most of the state doesn?t work and on Friday they need to close early to make sure to get home before Shabbat starts.
With these noted differences in the business culture, I am more than grateful for the opportunity that I had to come to do an internship abroad. This experience helped me grow a lot as an individual both professionally and personally. I am going to remember this experience for years to come and am excited for what is in store for the future.
