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Expat life in Nijmegen: Carl, Wales

In the series "Expat Life in Nijmegen", expats talk about their lives in the Netherlands' oldest city. How did they end up here? What do they do in daily life here and what do they think of the city and its surroundings? 

Here's the story of Carl from Wales...

"Moving to Nijmegen was a whole new discovery. I had been to Amsterdam before, so I knew the city – from the perspective of a British person. But when I first moved here, I wouldn’t have been able to point out Nijmegen on a map.

I’m originally from Wales, but I have lived in and around Nijmegen for eight years now. The first time I came to the city, I visited for two days for an interview at the science faculty of Radboud University – which is close to where I work now, at the HFML-FELIX facility. I remember walking around the Grote Markt in the city center and thinking that it was very European. You have a lot of cafés where people are sitting on the terraces, even in the evenings. Seeing that makes you understand the word gezellig.

What surprised me when moving here was how big Nijmegen is. It feels very small, but it spreads out. You go to the Grote Markt, which is really at the center of the city, and within five minutes you’re alongside the Waal. Within another five minutes, you’re in Nijmegen Lent, which has a completely different feeling to it. The nature nearby even hosts highland cows. So, even though it’s one city, it has a lot of features to it.

One of the things that I really miss from the UK is the food, though. I’m used to what could probably be considered quite unhealthy food. So, for example, I like a big English breakfast. Which is not very good for you – but it’s tasty. There are nice restaurants in Nijmegen – there are, for example, surprisingly good Italian restaurants – but it’s not the same.

The Dutch weather, on the other hand, is fairly similar to the weather I’m used to from home. I’m from close to Swansea. I think, one year, we received the most rain of the year in the whole of the UK. I think it rained for more than 250 days. So, I’m very used to the Dutch rain. When I first moved to the Netherlands, I came with a big umbrella – a typical English umbrella – and it feels quite suitable here. I still carry it."

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Studying & working in Nijmegen

Nijmegen has a lot to offer in terms of studying, working and business. The oldest city in The Netherlands is also one of the largest student cities in the country. The city presents itself as a leading global player in solving social issues and problems. With its significant position in the Health & High Tech sector, Nijmegen belongs to the international top when it comes to improving the quality of life, healthcare and the development of high-quality technology for various social applications.

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