Born and raised in Poland, Jadwiga Poniatowska (27) followed a ‘regular’ path until she was 17. ‘But I have always been quite ambitious when it comes to learning and pushing myself’, she says. ‘At school, I applied for a scheme through the United World Colleges/Polish Scholarship Scheme to win a scholarship to study abroad.’ She was successful, and was selected to attend an international high school in Vienna, Austria, for two years.  

Traditions

This marked the beginning of a journey that would eventually lead her from Poland and Austria to the UK and finally the Netherlands. Although her decision to study in the UK was largely influenced by her language skills – ‘I don’t speak German well enough to study in it’ – she found herself immersed in a highly international environment at the University of Edinburgh. After completing her Master’s degree, she decided to continue her academic journey. ‘I was looking at different research groups in sustainable materials, and TU Eindhoven seemed the best fit for me.’ 

One of the main differences between Eindhoven and Edinburgh was their respective focuses and educational styles. ‘Eindhoven is much more innovation-focused and directed towards current issues, trying to solve them in new, modern ways’, Poniatowska explains. ‘Edinburgh, on the other hand, is an incredibly old institution, with a lot more tradition, which also influences the chemistry education.’ She appreciates the more fundamental perspective at Edinburgh and the application-focused engineering at Eindhoven. Both institutions provided a welcoming, international atmosphere. ‘Personally, I have always felt included and happy. You learn a lot about other cultures while carrying your own traditions with you.’  

Moving 

The most challenging aspect of all her travels was moving abroad. ‘It’s a great way to learn and expand your horizons, but it’s also quite tiring.’ Poniatowska thinks that moving is glorified. ‘Filing taxes in different countries, finding housing, packing your life into a few suitcases… It’s not all fun and games.’ 

’You learn a lot about other cultures while carrying your own traditions with you’  

What is fun, she says with a smile, is the people you meet. ‘If you always stay in one place, your horizons become very narrow. We learn a lot through diversity. It’s great that I’ve had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world and learn how they navigate life, especially in the current political climate. You can learn a lot from working happily together.’ And let’s not forget all the Duolingo courses that were started and the attempts to teach people Polish. ‘Having friends abroad also means you always have a place to stay when you go on holiday!’  

Poniatowska recently bought an apartment in Eindhoven and intends to stay here for a while. ‘I really like my life here and the field I’m working in. I’m not quite sure how I will progress in my career, but there are plenty of opportunities.’ She feels at home and doesn’t miss her country of origin much. ‘I’ve discovered that I’m international at heart, too. I’m more attached to people and experiences than to anything specific to a particular country.’