I've been in Luxembourg for almost a week now! In this post, I'll give you the 411 on the culture, the food, the people and Luxembourg society.
Song of the Week: Location Unknown by HONNE
Many students are already making travel plans to visit other European countries on the upcoming weekends. I tried not to get swept up in the frenzy, but I found myself making plans to visit 3 different countries in one week! As per the first day of classes, everyone was rather energetic and a little frazzled (at least, I was), but I expect the excitement to die down as we realize that we actually need time to complete our assignments and may not be able to go to another country whenever we want.
That being said, I did have the pleasure of visiting France this weekend. After finishing our integration in Northern Luxembourg on Saturday, I took a restful Sunday in France at Alex's house. He lives in a small town called Villerupt, which was an important battleground during WWII. The main attraction there, as is the case in many small European towns, was their church which featured a beautiful, fiery stained glass window. Alex made some delicious grilled chicken, lamb chops, sausages and mushrooms, while Maria prepared the salad and the baguettes (which were just as good as you imagine they'd be). While they were preparing the food, I sat on the couch with Maria's mother and watched a French game show called "Les 12 Coups de Midi" which is basically Who Wants to be a Millionaire, but with played with 4 contestants instead of 1. Maria's mother talked to me periodically throughout the show, telling me how she used to be a medical assistant and a gymnast in Romania when she was young.
Finally, it was time to eat. Even though I only understood about half of the conversation (it was in 3 different languages), everyone made an effort to make me feel included. We talked about the vinegar that Siyu, my housemate brought (it's made of out honey!) and about religion. Almost everyone at the table had a different religion: Maria and her mother are Orthodox, Silvio and Alex are Catholic, Eddie (the neighbor from Montenegro) is Muslim, Siyu is a type of Buddhist, and I am Protestant. As good as the conversation was, the food was much better.
Classes are going to be challenging, but in a good way. I think they will expose me to new perspectives and different ways of life. I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to manage both my homework and traveling all the time, but I think I'll be able to find a balance as the semester progresses. The more immediate challenge is finding a good place to hang out and do work. I might just stick to the chateau, but this week and next I'll be exploring local cafes. The idea of a "coffee shop" here is transposed to the local cafes, where people usually hang out for a while and either drink a coffee or a beer. As I'm writing this, I'm sitting in a gelateria/cafe in the local supermarket. The coffee was a little too expensive (2.70E for the cup on the left), so I might try to explore some of the cafes run by locals next time.
From taking the train to going to visit the doctor, the steps to live in Luxembourg can be both simple and complex. Taking the train, for example, is a little more difficult than one would expect. Due to the recent economic growth and increase in construction, some of the train lines have been closed. So instead of just hopping a train straight to Luxembourg City, we first have to take the bus to a nearby town, then hop the train from there until mid-September. Going to the doctor, however, is just as simple as walking down the street and answering a few basic questions about your medical history.
"I was certainly never the pretty girl at school, but I can go a lot of different places with this face." -- Mary-Louise Parker
Differdange is a much more diverse city that I expected. I was talking with Maria, and she told me that there are over a hundred different nationalities here in the city. Since Differdange is the third largest city in Luxembourg, I guess that makes sense. Other than the Luxembourgers, the most common nationality is Portuguese, but there are many people from French-speaking African countries as well. The other evening as I was walking back from the Shueberfouer (the giant summer festival in Lux City), two women started speaking Portugese to me, and I told them (in French) that I didn't understand Portuguese. They switched to French and asked me what nationality I was, and were very surprised when I told them I was (biracial) American. They were also surprised when I informed them that Siyu was Chinese. It was an interesting experience, but it made me realize that people think I'm probably Portuguese when I'm walking down the street. Well, except for how much I smile and speak English.
One of the things I that's hardest for me is not smiling at strangers. In America, we are used to smiling at stranger and we do it almost unconsciously, especially if there are children around. Several times I've caught myself grinning at the most adorable children on the street, and their parents just stare me with this mildly surprised expression. Another huge difference is how much people smoke here. I would say about 30-40% of the population smokes, including my host family. They usually smoke outside so it's not a problem, but I'm not sure what's going to happen once it gets colder.
Overall, I'm enjoying my experience here so far. The people have been polite and helpful, and I'm slowly but surely learning the ins and outs of living here in Differdange. And of course the food has been incredible.
What else would you like to know about Luxembourg? Let me know in the comments!
From now on, expect weekly photo and blog updates on Tuesdays, unless otherwise noted.
Thanks for reading! Until next time, I'll keep wandering.
Excellent post. I see you will have a task ahead of you, for scheduling time. Remember our motto - Work hard - Play harder. Love Dad.
Wow - I didn’t realize the % of folks that smoke! Your meal sounds delicious - and can’t wait to hear about your travels. Thanks again for sharing