3 Lessons From My First 2 months In Israel

Spending 6 months away from the comfort zone of my home isn't easy, but I have taken the leap of faith nevertheless. Humbled by the opportunity given by NUS Overseas Colleges to spend a 6-month stint working in a start-up gives me great bandwidth to find out what is work worth doing - standing on the shoulders of giants to value add to a purposeful cause.

Image: Makhtesh Ramon, Negev Desert, Israel 1. Surrounding myself with the right people Temperatures here in Israel fall below 10 degrees. It can get cold especially when it is wet or windy. For someone who has lived in Singapore for the past 20 years, I underestimated the cold. I thought a long-sleeved shirt with some thermals would suffice, but it reached a point when I started sourcing for a thicker coat which could make me feel warmer.

Image: Mount Arbel, Nazareth, Israel In all my travel photographs you would see me appear in this black North Face Jacket. This jacket holds so much significance not because it is a perfect fit, but because it was lent to me by my internship boss, who heard from my supervisor that I was looking for a thicker jacket. As caught up with work as she is, my lady boss never fails to ask me about my weekend after setting our marketing goals for the week. Once in a while, she will walk over to my table to engage in some friendly banter with me and my colleagues, and recommend me places to visit in Israel (she approved my leave to encourage me to travel outside of the city!). This jacket belongs to my boss' daughter, and putting it on now makes me feel like one of her daughters too :) Before being accepted into the NOC programme, I have already heard about the amazing company culture and nurturing founders of the company. I am glad that I have got to set foot in such an environment which gives me the warmth (literally and figuratively) to learn and grow! 2. Exercising Empathy Seek first to understand, then to be understood. The office pantry is where I make my breakfast or get a drink in the middle of the day. Sometimes, I like hanging out in the office pantry a little longer because there is where I get to bump into colleagues from different departments. During lunch, I make an effort to have my meal with different colleagues throughout the week as well. They always seem to have many questions about me - from how I normally drink my tea, to how my name should be pronounced. My conversations with them are never the same. I feel that it comes so naturally for them to genuinely understand a person and make an effort to make you feel at home - something that it is worth learning from!

Image: My colleague attempting to pen down the pronunciation of my name - she stuck it on her noticeboard just so she would remember how to pronounce my name! I still remember how during my interview, I was asked how I was planning to deal with the difference in culture here in Israel at work. 2 months in and it seems like it was not something I really had to worry about after all - and for that, I am really thankful!

3. Learning Intentionally

Over here, learning takes place every day. Be it the tasks I am assigned at work or the conversations that take place with my colleagues or housemates, there is always a thing or two worth learning from everyone. Since the start of my stint, I have gotten into the habit of documenting my learnings as they come (I tend to be forgetful about the details!) and sharing them with the people around me. I have learnt to be open to sharing my knowledge with others and willing to learn and listen with humility when others are sharing - it is always a work in progress!

Image: Me and my housemates at Caesarea, Israel

All in all, these 2 months have been rewarding and exciting! Healthy food, sufficient sleep, good weather and most importantly, great people - there is much more to learn, see and do, while of course, running Skilio at the same time. Looking forward to more opportunities here!

Image: Took part in a hackathon with Israeli groupmates!