Working life
Alumni All Over the World
In this article, four alumni of Intermate talk about their experiences living abroad. How did they end up there and what is it like working abroad? Maybe their stories can inspire you to do the same Text & Images: Mirjam van Esch, Alain Starke, Mara van Welle and Azel Zeijen
Axel Zeijen (Switzerland) Hi, I am Axel Zeijen, living in Zürich, where I am current-ly finishing up my PhD at ETH Zürich. It is a very international city, so I did not experience much of a culture shock. The biggest difference in my daily life is that I meet and work with people from all over the world, and this has become completely natural. During my studies in Eindhoven, going abroad was mandatory for us, so everyone at Intermate either had plans to go or stories to tell. It was never a question of whether to move abroad, but rather where you wanted to go. You could say my exchange semester got a bit out of hand. I liked the university and the city (and fell in love!), so I kept searching for reasons to come back. Going abroad makes you, in my opinion, more open-minded. It also made me realize how much I care about the quality of life where I live. I might just come back to the Netherlands, as the quality of life is really good there! I once met an expat who started to complain about how the Netherlands is a country of mediocrity. He probably did not mean it this way, but I would say it is a compliment!
Mara van Welie (Germany) Hello, my name is Mara van Welie and I currently live in Bremen, the Northwest region of Germany. As you would expect, I drink beer and eat bratwurst all day... and also work on business model development for a European research project on Smart Grids. My time at TU/e has helped me to become a globetrotter: I really enjoyed my semesters abroad (in Rwanda and Norway) and the international environment in Eindhoven. So, after obtaining my MSc, I did not hesitate to seize an opportunity to move to Switzerland for a PhD job, especially because it involved research time in Kenya. I never intended to live abroad, but I just took the opportunities that came my way. Moreover, Germany is not all that different from the Netherlands, even though I have been quite aware of the influence of my Dutch upbringing on my day-to-day work Of all the places I have been to, Norway was the loveliest one. I also would not mind getting back there in five years from now, even though it is quite cold. If an opportunity ever crosses you path to do something similar, seize it.
“I never intended to live abroad” June 2020
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