Getting to Know You, Getting to Know All About You

It's the end of my second week in Luxembourg! I feel like I know the country a little better now and I am starting to get into a rhythm. Oh, I also went to Germany this week. In this post, I'll give you some of my impressions about the EU so far and the usual weekly update.

Song of the Week: Trace ta Route (Find Your Path) by Alex Toucourt

Over the weekend, I took some time to get my bearings and enjoy the town after returning from Trier. Some of my friends continued to Heidelburg, but I was glad I could relax and explore Differdange (while still getting my homework done). I definitely need to be more conscious with how I spend my time here than in the States because I only have a finite amount of it. While I can take that hour or two to binge watch a something on Netflix in the States, I have to limit myself to one in the evening here. It's an adjustment, but it's necessary one to make in order to maximize both my efficiency and my experiences. I spent most of Saturday walking around the west side of Differdange, looking at the houses and exploring the layout of the town. Contrary to the grid-like pattern we find in the States, Differdange (and other mid-sized towns) has a mixture diagonal, curvy and straight streets, which makes the layout a little confusing. The town has one main street that runs diagonally through town, and curves at more and more the farther you get away from the center of town. The side streets are either completely straight, or they curve back on themselves (as I found out after walking down a few). Since it was the weekend, and people are still away on vacation, not many shops were open, but I still enjoyed looking at peoples' houses and the way the town was laid out. Wandering around Differdange was a great way to unwind and afterwards I felt refreshed and ready to do some work.

"One's destination is never a place, but always a new way of seeing things."-- Henry Miller

During my first week of class, I realized that the information in my classes parallels what I see around me. I have to give credit to my professors, because they are the ones who have crafted the class narratives to suit the context. For example, in my economics class, we are learning about how poverty is measured in America and how it is measured in Europe. There are many different indicators poverty here, and the rest of the class will focus on reasons and instances of both poverty and inequality in Europe. My French class also promises to be interesting, as the professor loves to talk about French politics and connects it to other events happening around the world. The extra curricular events are also engaging. Last week we had a visit from the US embassy, and several of their employees gave us a brief travel talk and talked about their jobs at the embassy. Afterwards, a few other students and I had the pleasure of enjoying refreshments with them in the dean's apartment inside the castle (which is exactly how you imagine an apartment in a castle would be, except with more hats).

As I mentioned earlier, we spent Friday in Trier, Germany, originally an old Roman outpost and also birthplace of Karl Marx. On our way there, we stopped at two places where we have the opportunity to volunteer throughout the semester. The first place we stopped was a horse therapy farm (yes you are reading that correctly). The goal of the horse farm is to rehabilitate people with psychiatric issues and give them the help and tools they need in order to re-enter society. People who have horses but can't stable them bring them to the horse farm, where they are taken care of by the wards for a certain fee per month.The closest comparison I can think of in America is 4 Paws for Ability, the dog therapy nonprofit that trains service dogs for people with disabilities. Like 4 Paws, the horse therapy farm allows people to gain emotional support from animals while still doing meaningful work. We took a tour and got to pet some horses, which was actually quite therapeutic. The second place we visited was a food bank in Esch, the second largest city in Luxembourg. I was surprised to learn that even in a country as wealthy as Luxembourg there are still people who can't afford to meet their basic needs. I expressed this concern to Alex later that weekend and he said that things are so expensive in Luxembourg that the minimum wage or welfare might not be enough to offset the cost of living. The food pantry coordinator said that there are usually three types of people who come here: the Luxembourgers who can't meet their basic needs or can't support their families, immigrants like the Portuguese, or refugees who arrive with almost nothing. And with anti-immigrant sentiments on the rise in the EU, Luxembourg is a popular choice for refugees to settle due to the high amount of diversity here.

Once we got to Trier, we were treated to both a tour of the city square and a wine tasting in the nearby Moselle valley. Trier is guarded by the massive Porta Nigra or "Black Gate" that served as the entry point to the city back when Trier was a Roman city. The sandstone is actually blond, but years of weathering and moss growth has essentially covered it. The guide said that trying to restore it would cause extensive damage to the Porta itself. We walked around for a while, visiting some of Trier's other attractions, but the Der Dom Cathedral took the cake. Commissioned by Emperor Constantine in 1270 and presided over by arrogant bishops for centuries, Der Dom is one of Trier's most distinct buildings. Sources say that at one point, the citizens' church in the town square was taller, but one of the bishops extended the steeple of Der Dom so it was the taller church. The inside of the church is even more ornate than the outside. Sculptures and woodwork line every wall in a hodgepodge of Classical and Baroque art and architecture. On the altar is a raised platform that has been cordoned off, and is said to hold the Holy Robe of Jesus. The Robe has only been shown to the public three or four times in the history of the church, and each showing has brought thousands of people. It is one of the most ornate churches I've seen in my life, and I would say that it rivals St. Paul's Cathedral in London. I encourage you to take a look at the photos page if you want to see more of it. Even though we only had a short time in Trier, I enjoyed hearing about its rich history.

After our tour, we left the city center and headed to the Moselle river valley, which was about 10 minutes away. The winery was nestled between two large hills covered with grapevines. Our tour was given by the owner of the winery, who informed us that it had been passed down through seven generations, going on eight. He was full of energy and continuously surprised us with his explosive demeanor and well-timed jokes. The Moselle region is known for its trademark Riesling Wine, which has a unique production process that yields its distinctive flavor. In order to be classified as Moselle quality wine, the vineyard must have four attributes: a steep hill for the vines, slate or shale rich soil, Reisling grapes and oak barrels for aging the wine. The owner of the vineyard was extremely adamant that there was no way to produce Moselle quality wine without these four attributes. He led us to the cellar, and showed us the barrels of wine, saying that each barrel gave the wine a different flavor, but they saved the oldest barrel for the best wine.

The owner of the winery, standing next to the resting vats for the grape juice before it is processed.

After finishing his explanation and taking a few pictures, he deemed us ready to try the wine. We sat down at round tables in the main dining area, and they brought out the first glass of wine. When everyone had been served, the owner yelled, "NOW, I want to to LOOK at the wine. What color is it? SWIRL the glass. BROAD STROKES EVERYONE!!! Ok, you are doing good. Bring the glass close. SMELL the wine. DO NOT TASTE YET!!! First, we must toast." He began singing at the top of his lungs, and after the first verse, everyone picked up one the most important word: Provst (German for Cheers). At the end of song he said, "Good. Now, KISS the wine, little sip. Then you may drink." I took the smallest of sips, letting the wine rest in my mouth before swallowing. I believe the correct term to describe it is "dry" but it had a predominantly oak-y taste. They served us three more glasses, each one slightly sweeter, and with less alcohol, than the last. The final glass tasted mostly like grape juice, which I thought was one of the best. Before leaving, I ended up buying a bottle of the semi-dry wine (also very good) for when my host mother returns (she is currently in Romania for the month).

While last weekend was restful, the next two promise to be full of high-energy adventure. I'm headed to Paris at the end of this week and then to Killarney, Ireland the week after. Our Paris trip was organized by MUDEC, but I organized the Killarney trip by myself. I am trying not to feel too proud of myself, because something could go wrong, but I do feel a sense of accomplishment.

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Have any suggestions for Paris or Killarney? Want to know more about the winery or Trier? Let me know in the comments!

Until then, I'll keep wandering.