Meaningful Internship Experience

While I was in Amman, Jordan I interned for a NGO called Sisterhood is Global Institute Jordan (SIGI - JO). During this internship, I was assigned free range to develop my own project to benefit the organization. Given these guidelines, I created a curriculum based on Self-Empowerment and Protection to be taught in sessions to adolescent women at SIGI-JO’s clinic for Syrian and Palestinian refugees and underprivileged Jordanians. Working with a language barrier in a culture very different from my own, provided invaluable lessons in communication, understanding, and empathy.

Throughout my undergraduate career in International Relations, I learned a great deal about the Syrian refugee crisis and the Israeli-Palestinian issue. I knew about the effects both of these tragedies had on the people who experienced them. However, spending time with this group of girls made me realize just how disconnected from all these issues I actually am. I was in Amman to try and make a difference and help those affected by the refugee crisis, but the hardest part for me was that in six short weeks I would be flying back to the United States where, as a woman, I am free to pursue pretty much anything I want. The girls I was working with did not have this same option. While they were very grateful for the lessons in the clinic my colleagues and I provided for them, no amount of physical self-defense, goal setting, and information on the importance of education could change the fact that some of them would still become subject to unwanted arranged marriages, prohibited by their families from attending college, and unable to return to their homes in Syria or Palestine due to ongoing conflict. This made me realize how separated I really am from the issues I study. It made me realize that if I want to go into the field of humanitarian action, I must be able to use my emotions to help beneficiaries of humanitarian aid and not to overtake me. While it was a very heart wrenching and sometimes devastating experience, it made me realize reality. As this was one of the most difficult realizations of my life, it confirmed my plan to work in humanitarian action following my graduation. Before this trip, I had a few ideas of what I might want to use my degree for, but I was never sure. This experience ultimately confirmed my future goals. Though it is an experience that will always weigh heavy on my heart, I am so grateful for it.