Luxembourg/Spain. A beautiful diversity of the world.

I am currently halfway through my ESC volunteering project in sunny Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
After finishing my first year of university, not really enjoying my classes, I felt lost and didn’t really
know what I wanted to do in life. Then my brother recommended me to do a volunteering year
abroad, telling me about the great memories he had from his experience volunteering in England.
Since I’ve always wanted to learn Spanish, I thought, why not take the biggest step in learning a new
language and move to a country where people only speak this language ?
One of the things that I learned (apart from the language) is gaining my own independence. Coming
to a new country without knowing anyone demands a certain level of being able to take care of
yourself, organise your life outside of your daily work etc. Of course, you are never alone and there
are people there to help you along the way, such as your sending and receiving organisation, your
mentor, and the other volunteers.
One of the biggest difficulties that I had in the beginning was the language, not so much the
understanding of others, rather than my lack of self-confidence I felt when speaking myself. But of
course, the best way to learn a language is to speak it and make mistakes while speaking. At some
point I just had to get over this fear of speaking, and that’s when I felt the most progress.
I think any form of travel is beneficial to broaden your horizon, but actually living in a foreign country
for a longer period offers an even richer experience. While volunteering you make friends with
people from the country you’re in, you learn about the field of work you choose to volunteer in and
learn to live with and find similarities between you and the volunteers from other countries. I would
definitely recommend to anyone to step out of their comfort zone and do an ESC volunteering
project. If I were to do it all over again, I would go even further than Spain and look for a project in
South America. Although, I am sure, now that I feel confident speaking the language I will travel to
this part of the world in the near future.
What I learned through this experience is how everyone lives in their own personal bubble. And it
truly would be such a shame if you are too scared or don’t want to step out of it and learn about the
beautiful diversity of the world. Experiencing a new culture while being respectful of its people,
requires the volunteer to have an open mind and be willing to learn from the locals. In my experience
living in Santiago de Compostela, the people of its region, Galicia, are very proud of their language
(galego), and of their Celtic heritage, that has influenced many of their local traditions. Adapting to
the locals’ way of life is also a must as volunteers. In Spain for example it is normal to eat lunch
between 1 and 3 pm and dinner from 9 to 11 pm.
All in all, I will forever be grateful for this experience that taught me a better understanding of
Spanish culture and the benefits of being open and accepting of a culture different than your own.

Updated on Mardi, 17/02/2026