This month the team of CID got bigger: we welcomed an intern coming from Istanbul, in the framework of the project ”Honeycomb of participation”. Gökay Genç will spend the month of October learning about organisational management and assisting with office tasks. We asked him about his first impressions and expectations from this internship.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Gökay, but people can call me Gjoko. I have economic studies, but I don’t see myself working in the field. For two years I was working in TOG, as an intern in the financial department, and as a volunteer helping the manager of the schopaship department.  I also studied Sports and Media for six months, and I am planning to continue with a Master degree in the field.

How did you find out about the internship?

I was looking for a long-term EVS, and contacted TOG for information. They had the opening for this internship, which sounded like an interesting opportunity that would allow me to gain experience in a foreign NGO.

You arrived in Kumanovo a week ago. What were your first impressions?

I read a lot of stuff about political nervousity but I realized upon my arrival that there was nothing to worry about. And I was expecting to see a small village without a lot of things happening, but there is everything for me. So I am glad that the reality exceeded my expectations.

What are your expectations from the project?

I like writing articles. I am eager to practice both my written and oral English by interacting with people and by contributing with written inputs. A part of my project is to translate the toolkit related to this project into Turkish, and I am excited about it. I also expect to share my experience on democractic management on NGOs and learn from CID as well.

How about your free time?

I like the Balkans, I feel comfortable here. I would like to travel around and experience the true Balkan lifestyle. Skopje and Ohrid are on my list for sure, but also I am planning a Balkan trip before returning to my country. And, of course, I am interested in meetinglocals from Kumanovo and making new friends.