Written by Irene Van Walsum
Hi! I am Irene and I live in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. I was a Marketing Manager for the large enterprises and corporate market at a Dutch IT and Telecom provider. After my study Business Administration and a Master in Human Resource Management I didn’t exactly know what to do and starting at this big company seemed like a logical choice. I already knew for quite a long time that this was not the place to be for me but not knowing which place is was holding me back.
I learned a lot in the corporate world, but one of the most important things I realized is that I would fit much better in a different environment and I needed to change direction.
So I decided to quit my job without knowing what my next step would be. Not long after that decision I decided to book a one way ticket to Asia and go traveling again. No longer in a ‘hostels, full moon parties and the more you see the better’ way, but staying longer in the same place, volunteering, going to an ashram in India, hiking the Himalaya, visiting a friend in Sydney and those kind of things.
When I heard about the Immersion Programme with _SocialStarters I was truly enthusiastic and I applied right away. I am passionate about traveling, people and different cultures and I can’t wait to see India from another perspective, to get inspired by new ideas and insights, meet mind-liked people and having a challenge in a sector I am really interested about.
At the moment I am in India already, in Goa, and I am really excited to go to Hyderabad in a couple of weeks!
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If you’d like to #JoinUs in either India, Sri Lanka or Brazil we’re always on the look out for talented business professionals looking for an overseas adventure. You can choose to do anything from 2-12 weeks on a solo assignment, or join our 6 week structured group Immersion Programme. The next Immersion Programme is running in Rio de Janeiro 29th October to 10th December, and the deadline for applications for this current round is 27th August 2016. Only 5 more places available and spots go on a first come first serve basis so apply now if interested HERE.
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