The pandemic thrust us into a new reality where we didn’t know what tomorrow would bring. We were operating on the hope that things would be better and were trying to hold back the fear that things would not improve.
During this long period of uncertainty, I decided to lean into the unknown. I stayed in Israel and did not return to my native Italy because I felt safer from a medical and health point of view. This meant being away from my parents, who remained in my hometown. I was unable to see them for more than a year.
I decided to take advantage of this period to get to know myself more, practice new activities, and use my free time to learn and develop professionally.
I learned to cook, starting with simple dishes, continuing with my mom's recipes and professional Italian dishes. I brought the Italian food culture into my Israeli apartment. It brought me comfort and joy to be able to recreate a little bit of home in my new setting.
I also entered the working world, applying for various internships and jobs, while proceeding with my studies at university. I got the opportunity to work as an intern in two companies practicing and applying my field of studies in different positions. I was thrilled to take on a role at Datonics as an Operations Team Member, and begin my career.
I am grateful to have had this time and opportunity to experience it in the way that I did. The skills I have acquired will carry me through the rest of my life. I learned about resilience and that I can count on myself to get by in difficult times. I discovered so much about myself and my values.
In addition to the experiences we have had, there are also the feelings we will keep forever. For example, seeing my family in person after a year was incredible. As well as the feeling of going back to study at university in person, and going to the office to meet my colleagues.
This year has cemented the things that are most important: health, family, personal freedom, and work security.