Embracing AddVision as my new challenge

On July 2022 I moved to The Netherlands following the love of my life, an amazing Dutchman. I have lived in two other countries (Norway and Slovakia) besides my homeland (Mexico) so I want to believe that these experiences prepared me for The Netherlands. Only with one difference, those experiences were temporary and this time I came to build a life here.

I have always been fond of learning about different cultures, costumes, and people. Since day 1, I have been curious about Dutch society and reading books about it, my favorite is: “Why Dutch people are different”.

Some months after arriving in The Netherlands I started my quest in finding a job, in a country full of opportunities I started looking for “English-speaking jobs”. It was a surprise for me that after I made a LinkedIn post with my profile I got reached by Martin, from AddVision.

I connected immediately with the goals and the commitment of AddVision to contribute to building a better society and strengthening the region of Zeeland. In my previous experiences, I have always worked with organizations committed to leadership development and positive impact. Therefore I was very excited to take AddVision as my new challenge.

But there was still a question, my Dutch was not so good yet and I had to learn a lot from the context of the region. Furthermore, Zeeland is a region where English is not used as much as in Amsterdam or Rotterdam and AddVision works mainly with municipalities (gemeentes), provinces, and local companies. Nevertheless, that did not impede for me to take the challenge.

Luckily, I began learning Dutch vocabulary 4 years ago and just a couple of months ago I started with proper lessons and practicing the language on a daily basis. These efforts paid off, when I first started in AddVision I couldn’t have a simple conversation with a colleague, after 8 months I can say that I can handle meetings and documents in Dutch. This couldn’t be possible without the support from AddVision and my colleagues that helped me with feedback, patience, and encouragement. And also very important, fun. Laughing with me about my mistakes or my Latin accent.

Thanks to my expertise in soft skills development and youth empowerment I could join one of the main projects of AddVision, Talent Voor Zeeland. A traineeship program that helps young people to boost their carrier and to develop the skills needed for their roles. Currently, I contribute to the creation of the program’s content and deliver training in topics such as team dynamics, time management, critical thinking, etc.

In general, my experience has been challenging but also very rewarding. I found a place where I take myself out of my comfort zone every day. Learning new things, learning a new language, and meeting great people that work on amazing projects. In comparison with many internationals that go to the Randstad, I decided to give a shot here in Zeeland and I can say that it has been the best decision. Maybe I will tell you more about it in my next post 😉