From 2 March to 25 July 2026, Irene took part in a nearly five month European Solidarity Corps (ESC) volunteering project in the Netherlands with Cherry International Foundation, supported by Fundació Catalunya Voluntària. What she expected to be a carefully planned experience quickly turned into a journey full of unexpected challenges, personal growth and new perspectives. Today, she shares what these five months have meant to her.
These five months in the Netherlands have been an incredible learning experience. The project, and myself, if I'm being honest, challenged me in every possible way. Looking back, I feel much stronger, more confident and better prepared to face whatever comes next.
When I arrived, I had very clear expectations. I knew what I wanted to achieve and I had already imagined what those months would look like. But during the first month, that picture completely fell apart.
At first, it was difficult. We had problems with the accommodation, the city we lived in wasn't what I had expected, and at times the organisation also made things more complicated than they needed to be. At the same time, however, those first weeks were when I started becoming part of the local community, discovering nature in a completely new way and overcoming challenges that, before leaving Barcelona, I would have thought impossible.
That was the moment I realised that preconceived ideas simply don't fit an ESC volunteering experience. Having an open mind and a proactive attitude was the key to turning those months into something truly meaningful.
From then on, I decided to let the experience surprise me instead of trying to control it. I wanted to make sure these five months became much more than just another story to tell.
I started doing things that would have been unthinkable in my previous life. I walked around the city asking how I could help, joined yoga classes in a language I could barely understand, learned to repair things using tools I had never seen before, volunteered in a community garden and travelled alone, staying in hostels and having dinner by myself in places I had never been.
If I had to describe these five months in one sentence, I would simply say that they became five months of saying yes to everything.
This ESC experience also helped me grow professionally. Before joining the project, I had been working in a sector that had left me completely exhausted and without motivation. I was looking for direction, new challenges and a different way of imagining my future.
Volunteering showed me possibilities I had never considered before. It opened my eyes to different ways of working, living and finding fulfilment, and I will always be grateful for that.
To anyone thinking about joining an ESC project, I only have one piece of advice: do it.
It took me months to make the decision. I researched dozens of projects and carefully tried to find the perfect one. In the end, almost nothing happened the way I had imagined. But that's exactly what made the experience so special. Sometimes the best things happen when you allow yourself to be surprised.
Most of the expectations and fears you have before leaving will probably disappear along the way.
One of my biggest concerns was my age. I'm thirty years old, right at the upper age limit for the ESC, and I was convinced I would feel too old or that the opportunity had come too late for me.
Now I realise that fear only existed in my own mind. When you meet people who are going through a similar experience, the connection you build is far more important than any age difference.
What really matters is your willingness to explore, to challenge yourself, to contribute and to stay curious. Being proactive is equally important. Opportunities don't simply appear. You have to go out and create them.
Now that my volunteering experience is coming to an end, I have mixed feelings.
On the one hand, I'm happy to return to Barcelona. I miss my life there, and I feel that I made the most of every single day in the Netherlands.
On the other hand, I already know that I will miss this life. I'll miss contributing to a community with a different language and culture that still made me feel at home. I'll miss meeting people with completely different backgrounds, challenging myself every day and, of course, travelling.
It has been an incredibly enriching experience, and I would do it again a thousand times.
Looking back today, I feel nothing but gratitude. Gratitude for everything I learned, everyone I met and, above all, for having the courage to take a step that I once believed might already be too late.
