How to survive the Dutch winter

Dutch winters can be long, cold and dreary, especially for internationals. Ananya Doraswamy, a Resource columnist and Communication, Health and Life Sciences Master’s student from India, asked her fellow students and others for tips on how to survive winter in Wageningen.

Candles

Marèl Bloemendal, Communication, Health and Life Sciences MSc student, Netherlands
‘My go-to winter dishes are soups – split-pea soup is a personal favourite – and curries. Candles also work well to bring a little sunshine into my day.’

Soup

Bhanvi Sharma, Nutrition and Health MSc student, India
‘Staying indoors and cooking is what gets me through these days! My favourite recipes are garlic tomato soup with sourdough bread and creamy lentil soup.’

Stamppot

Ilse van ’t Leven, recent MSc graduate in Food Technology, Netherlands
‘I survive these autumn and winter days by making things cosy at home and cooking myself nice dishes. In the autumn I like to cook pumpkin and in the winter I like stamppot, with mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, red cabbage or endives. It’s nice to invite friends over for dinner or to cook together with a theme.’

One day climate change will come, and winter will be a thing of the past so enjoy winters while you can

Thin layers

Maeva Benetto, Resilient Farming and Food Systems MSc student, Australia and Spain
‘Rather than choosing awkward, bulky coats, use thin layers and thermals to stay warm. Make your home as cosy as possible so you feel comfortable inside while it’s cold and miserable outside. One day climate

Cuddle up

Jeanne Lagerweij, Nutrition and Health MSc student, Netherlands
‘Winter weather is perfect for cuddling up with someone, whether housemates or pets. In the summer it’s always sweaty, but in the winter it’s nice to use others as your personal feet defroster.’

Fresh air

Laura Esche, Resilient Farming and Food Systems MSc student, Germany
Fresh air can make such a difference so don’t forget to let it in. The most energy efficient way to ventilate your home is to open the windows wide for ten minutes with the heating off. We Germans call it stoßlüften.’

Make your home as cosy as possible so you feel comfortable inside

Vitamin D

Ralph Ali Yaha, recent MSc graduate in Biosystems Engineering, Mauritius
‘Find something to jumpstart your day. I used to go swimming every morning in the winter, which made for a great start. It’s more the lack of sunshine than the cold that makes the winters seem longer, so maximize your time in the sunshine and take your vitamin D pills. There are also lights you can buy that mimic sunlight — that’s good to start your day with.’

Be social

Tanvi Agarwal, PhD candidate in Water Commons, India
‘I have spent winters in various parts of Europe, and I think it’s important to make the most of the few sunlight hours there are. When it’s light go for a walk, do a sport or whatever floats your boat. What helps me the most is being more social, being around people, doing fun things. I really recommend this, because the cold and the dark in combination with isolation is a recipe for loneliness!’

Sunshine

Axel Hernandez, Resilient Farming and Food Systems MSc student, France
‘I like to adapt the “fake it till you make it” attitude to the winter. So focus on whatever little bit of pleasant weather and sunshine you get and do what makes you feel better.’

Christmas market

Nika Cozijn, Nutrition and Health MSc student, Netherlands
‘In the winter it’s nice to visit different cities, to go to Christmas markets and go ice skating. Have movie nights with friends or go into the woods to spend some time in nature.’

Buy warm, waterproof clothing

Veggies

Nikshep Trinetra, Environmental Sciences MSc student, India
‘Find indoor hobbies, get into board games, find ways to exercise indoors, take your vitamin D and include lots of veggies in your diet, get out and talk to people — and keep loving life.’

Enjoy

Jordi Vilà, hoogleraar Meteorology and Air Quality bij WUR, Spanje
Jordi Vilà, professor of Meteorology and Air Quality, Spain
‘I am from Barcelona, so winters in the Netherlands can be rough for me. It is difficult to make a forecast for the 2024/25 winter. Our models have become much better and more accurate, but the uncertainty for a forecast in two to three months is still very high. There are two main types of winter in the Netherlands: mild temperatures, wet and a lot of cloud; and cold, dry and sunny. The latter type, normally associated with ice on the canals and the possibility of skating, is becoming less frequent due to climate change.

My advice as a foreigner is that whatever the winter type, get waterproof or warm clothes and go outside and enjoy the Dutch landscape. As we say in Spain: “When the weather is bad, put on a good face”.’

Live with winter

Neha , Climate Studies MSc student, India
‘My first winter started really well. I was very excited by all the winter things that I’d never experienced before. There was snow for two weeks and I went on short trips within Europe. I was also invited to a family Christmas dinner by a Dutch friend. But after December things started getting difficult: I was feeling very tired and had a lot of muscle pain.

I have been living in the Netherlands for many years now and I have a few tips. Make sure you have a good raincoat and waterproof overtrousers. Stay active throughout autumn and winter, go for walks when it’s sunny, do classes in a hobby. In the end, you need to learn to live with winter and not resist it.’

Easy on yourself

Marta, PhD candidate in Soil Physics, Italy
‘Go easy on yourself, if you’re not performing your best in winter. It really helps to do some sports because this releases endorphins and helps set a routine for yourself.’

Board games

Silvia Martinez, Nutrition and Health MSc student, Italy
‘I realized that it was the darkness that affected me most. Rather than focusing on the lack of sunshine, plan dinners or meet-ups with your friends, or board-game or movie nights.’

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