Latvian students find each other in Chemistry and in Nijmegen

After more than three years in Nijmegen, Dariuss feels completely at home. He works part-time as an order picker at catering wholesaler HANOS, has recently moved in with his Bulgarian girlfriend (whom he met here), and has built an international circle of friends from South Africa to the United Kingdom.

 

For Amelija, the adventure is just beginning. While waiting to move into her new room, she’s temporarily staying with Dariuss and his girlfriend. Speaking English all the time still takes some getting used to, and the culture at the university of applied sciences differs from what she was used to back home. “It’s so strange that teachers don’t really mind if you’re late or miss a class. Here, you are responsible for making sure you pass all your courses”, she says.

That Amelija is now studying Chemistry at the School of Applied Biosciences and Chemistry (SABC) at HAN is largely thanks to Dariuss. They went to the same high school in their hometown Riga and bonded over a shared love of ice hockey. Their friendship grew even stronger when Amelija followed the same track in school as Dariuss. Like him, she chose to specialize in biology, chemistry and math three years ago, right when he decided to study in Nijmegen.

 

“Chemistry was the only subject I was really good at, so I looked into my options. The Netherlands and HAN came up. I thought: ‘let’s give it a shot’”, says Dariuss. With no clear expectations, he started a new chapter of his life. After a tough first year, things are now on track. “The first few weeks were very chaotic. Like many international students, I didn’t have a place to live at first. And during the year more and more classmates dropped out, because it’s quite challenging to manage everything on your own. You don’t just have to study for exams, you also have to complete assignments on time. But the program itself is really interesting. You learn something new every day. Plus you get to work with hazardous substances and you’re not stuck behind a desk all day. You immediately apply your knowledge in the lab.”

Encouraged by his positive experiences, he persuaded Amelija last summer to follow in his footsteps. At first, she had planned to take a gap year. “It was inspiring to hear about the positive impact his choice had. He really built a life here. After that, I spoke to my parents. They’re both chemists, so of course they were enthusiastic. It’s a growing field, full of innovation, and one where you’re almost guaranteed a job. Financially, it was also possible for me to study abroad. In the end, I thought: why not?”

 

And she knew she could count on Dariuss to help her settle in. She missed the introduction week, but thanks to his circle of friends, she quickly found her way around and has found a room of her own. Dariuss also introduced her to the Wellbeing in Science Club, a student association especially for international students at SABC. “Everyone here is really kind, helpful, and understanding”, says Amelija. “And since I specialized in chemistry in high school, most of the first courses feel very familiar. The only difference is that everything is in English.”

Her main goal now is to successfully complete the first year without dropping out. “But Dariuss helps me a lot with that”, she says with a smile. He himself has to complete two internships this year to finish his degree. “Right now, I’m working at Radboud Hospital, producing radioactively labeled compounds used in biomedical research, especially in studies on neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia.”

 

After his bachelor’s, Dariuss also wants to pursue a master’s degree at a university, possibly outside the Netherlands. Beyond that, both he and Amelija are leaving career plans for later. For now, they mostly want to enjoy a promising year together in Nijmegen.

 

For more information on the Chemistry program: hanuniversity.com/chemistry

 

Photo Manouk Giesen