By Maya
One of my hardest transitions was getting used to office life in a foreign country. As part of my program, I had to find an internship to work at while in Tel Aviv. After researching a few different companies, I chose to work at Sonovia. Sonovia is a high-tech startup whose main mission is to create technology and build machines that help get pollutants out of textiles, thereby making clothing more eco-friendly. Their vision was in line with my environmental ideals so I thought it would be special to work with them.
I have now been at Sonovia for 2 months and am very happy with my choice. Unlike the experience of many interns at American companies, what I have noticed in Israel is that they throw interns right into the thick of things. Within the first week, I was already meeting with the CEO and giving presentations to potential investors. As a result of this, I have gained an incredible amount of experience and continue to learn more every day.
I have a wide range of tasks, but my usual jobs consist of reaching out and meeting with investors, editing the website, carrying out research, doing customer service, and more. While I conduct most of my work in English, I speak to my bosses and coworkers mainly in Hebrew; this new experience of navigating a bilingual workplace has improved my Hebrew skills greatly. Despite the large amount of work, the company does a good job of making their employees have fun working there too. For example, every Thursday there is happy hour after work and during the High Holiday season, they held a Rosh Hashana party full of cakes, wine, and gifts.
I have really been enjoying the working life and am grateful for the opportunity to get such a valuable experience.
