Work

I worked as a mostly frontend web developer on an internal HR recruitment/onboarding portal. Estarta is a big company with many applicants, so the goal of the system was to organize all the applicants, their documents, and where they were in the process. I worked in a 2-man team with a recently hired React developer. It was a really nice working relationship where we got to know each other and trust each other more along the way. Our technology stack was React and Express.js with mySQL in the bottom. I started out only doing frontend, but then near the end also doing some full-stack tasks changing minor things in the API as well. Initially Estarta offered me a job in networking, but after explaining my experience and wishes I got a new offer within software development. The first two weeks of the internship were about getting familiar with React and web development in general. Since I had some experience I did the tasks within the framework of creating a small system for ordering lunch. My supervisor was very welcoming of letting me get more familiar with React within my own project. After a while I got tasks that were more linked to the project my supervisor was working on, and at some point I officially joined him on the project. I got the impression that the internship was created a bit as we went, which was fine for me actually. Other interns with less experience were not put on an official project after the initial weeks but rather tasked with creating an online store from scratch, and produced some very impressive results. I was nudged to work more than the agreed 8 hours, but I made it clear that I don't work extra unpaid and that was very much respected.

Experience

All the IAESTE interns lived in a hotel close to the university of Jordan. The hotel had some minor issues like water leaking from the shower into the rest of the bathroom, and nobody fixed this during our stay. But certainly our accomodation could have been worse. The beds were comfortable and the rooms were spacious. We shared rooms with one same-sex roomate. We as interns mostly organised our own minor trips and happenings. People were eager to explore and there was something going on every week, somtimes several times a week. IAESTE didn't organize much official events throughout the internship, but they organized one big AMAZING trip to Wadi Rum, Petra and Aqaba, even staying in a 5 star hotel. It was really really great. They also welcomed us at the airport and helped us with visas (but do your research, we had to pay for our visa when extending it even if we had a Jordan Pass) I wish the hotel had a communal area where we could hang out. There was a cafe nextdoor linked to the hotel but the music was a bit loud for doing some light work or just chilling. In general food in Jordan is a bit expensive so we ate a lot of cheap falafel and shawarma which isn't too healthy and I gained some weight while there. The cooking facilities in the hotel were also a bit meager with one low-power tabletop stove for each room, and really cheap pots and pans that were curved in the bottom so the heat wouldn't transfer properly. Still it was possible with some patience to cook some food. Amman as a city is very car--centered with much traffic but recently things have gotten better with dedicated metro-bus lines opening up. There was one right next to the hotel which was great, although getting to downtown still took 25 minutes. There are some areas like downtown and the surrounding hills where you can walk and there are things to do, which I recommend! I recommend anyone going to Jordan to get out of Amman and explore the rest of the country! A few of us did a trip to Ajloun in the north which was a different vibe and very nice. Nightlife in Amman ends early. I mostly went to some bars and lounges and didn't try one of the night clubs as it wasn't recommended to me. I did go to a rave in the basement of C.Ling, which was difficult to get into as a guys only group but we managed in the end by being a bit creative. The bouncers were very professional. Oh yeah, there is a 300% alcohol tax so bring your own booze if you want to save money. Although I will say there wasn't a very big focus on drinking as it's not such a big part of jordanian culture. I also got to know one of the other Jordanian interns quite well and we went to a chalet with a pool together among other things which was really great and I am thankful for the experiences.

Discover

I was doing the finishing touches on my master's thesis when my internship started. I wanted to learn more about arabic culture, and also how it is working in a company that other companies outsource to. I think my main learning is that Estarta Solutions and seemingly other IT companies in Jordan based on what another intern said, are quite similar to western IT companies. There is maybe a slightly lower level of trust, for example we didn't get working access cards as interns. But the managers and other employees were very open, friendly and communicative. I felt very blessed in my team as our Product Owner was also a SQL specialist, and his wisdom was great for our young team. I also got invited to Estarta's annual event where it was highlighted how many jobs Estarta has created in Jordan over the years. In a country with much unenployment it is actually really inspiring from a perspective of creating a business, because the jobs you create are changing lives. I had some initial culture crashes where I would expect some things to be a guaranteed yes when asking my boss for permission (going home an hour early and working there), which were actually totally not allowed. But good reasons were given and I appreciate that. A particuclarly memorable moment was all the interns being summoned for a meeting where we got explicitly banned from playing card games during lunch after I brought Ligretto one day. While in my previous internship in Norway we would take a break and play with our boss. (That was a very lenient company to be honest) So there are some culture differences. I gained very valuable professional expeience as a full-stack web developer from the internship which will be helpful for me going forward, and has been helpful in my current full-time job as a backend developer. Finally I will say going to Jordan you have a great opportunity to visit Palestine and/or Israel, and I whole-heartedly recommend going to Ramallah, Jerusalem, Bethlehem (staying in Dheisha refugee camp), Hebron and Tel-Aviv via King-Hussein bridge. That trip after my internship was insane.