In January 2025, we informed you that Nathalie had begun her secondment at LUMC in the Netherlands. Now, two months later, she is excited to share her testimony, which you can find below.
Lab experience
I was fortunate enough to be part of Dr. Jan Wijnholds’ team in The Netherlands for 9 weeks to produce AAV vectors. The entire team was incredibly welcoming, and I felt at home immediately. I mostly worked together with Charlotte Andriessen and Dr. Xuefei Lu. Charlotte showed me the ropes and made sure to include me in all the little inside jokes. Xuefei helped me with the AAV vector production. She shared her knowledge with me and made the long days in the lab feel a little bit less long.
I really enjoyed the working culture in the Netherlands, the kindness and the stimulating scientific environment. The lab meetings and Jan’s extensive knowledge and feedback always left me with food for thought, further broadening my understanding. It gave me extra motivation to continue my research in Germany.
Life in The Netherlands
Living in The Netherlands felt like coming home to me. The Dutch language and culture are very familiar, and I was incredibly lucky to be close to home for a few months. I got to eat all my childhood favorites again like ‘hagelslag’, ‘kroket’ and ‘stampot’. The Dutch directness and cheerfulness made the experience even better.
After getting used to the mountainous landscape in Tübingen, the flat meadows interrupted by countless trenches were a nice change of scenery. This pattern continued in Leiden where the Rhine runs through the city with dozens of bridges connecting the different parts. With water playing such a big part in everyday life, it’s not unexpected that life partly takes place on the water too, from a casual drink on the Rhine to houseboats.
I really enjoyed life in the Netherlands. However, I did perceive an unexpected language barrier. Apparently, there is a significant difference between Dutch and Flemish, as I discovered while trying to order fries in the village I lived in during my stay.
Greetings !
Nathalie – Doctoral Candidate 3