Internships
Nissa Berntsen's Internship with FNF MENA
- Where are you from and what is different in Amman from where you are from?
I'm from the Netherlands. There are many differences of course in terms of climate, nature, culture, politics, but there is one difference between Jordan and the Netherlands that I have come to really appreciate: People here are very spontaneous and socially undertaking. At home, I already know which friend I am seeing where in two weeks from now. In Amman, my friends invite me one hour in advance for a gathering, or two hours in advance for a trip outside of Amman. It helped me to rid myself on my need to plan and have a fully scheduled social life. It leaves me with more room to do what I want to do in the moment, rather than being dictated by whatever plans I made earlier.
- What was the highlight of your internship work with FNF Amman?
The highlight was definitely the project development retreat with the project coordinators in January. I enjoyed getting to the bottom of the programs of FNF Jordan, hearing the opinions from my colleagues, and participating in the thought process. Having arrived at FNF towards the end of the year, and with the corona situation, the opportunities to engage with FNF's projects were limited but the retreat gave me this chance.
- What is your main Take-Away from this internship and how might this be helpful to you in your future endeavours?
During my internship I set-up a CRM system, and to other colleagues this was rather vague and technical. So from this I learned how important it is to communicate clearly what you are working on, and why. This is essential to get everyone on board with your project, even if they are not directly involved in the creation, their commitment is necessary in the outcome. So I learned to be more pro-active, and to lose the feeling that you are taking other people's time, or that it is not relevant to them.
