La vie est une aventure...

The benefit of the organisation I am working for is that I can discover the country while working. And that is not just because of the bad sense of direction of my supervisor (and I must confess mine isn't better) but also because we travel a lot with the students, visit different places and in general, we are always on the move. I am pretty sure after that year I'll know every little corner of Luxembourg as well as of the bordering areas.

Time flies. The first month already passed and it is incredible how soon you get used to your new environment. One of the best things about being a volunteer is that there is no daily routine. As the academic year started, we were busy making publicity for our organisation at different campuses in the country. Every Friday we have encounters for the students with varying topics for example students or volunteers present their countries, cook traditional dishes and many other things which is always a great possibility to get to know foreign cultures and traditions in a multicultural environment. Apart from that, we also discovered a bit of the beauty of the north of Luxembourg as we were visiting a castle called “Larochette”, close to the river Ernz. Due to several trips within the Grand Duchy I found out that the north of the country is characterized by beautiful landscapes and nature while the south is more populated and the industrial part of the country. But also the capital has a lot of things to offer. Last weekend we took part in a guided tour through the city and got to know some interesting facts about the history of the country. The tour guide was a worldly-wise man presenting facts to the students with a good value of entertainment.

Well, speaking of entertainment fits the topic perfectly. Life is not just work, especially as a European volunteer. So I decided to make use of a long weekend to visit a friend in Amsterdam, a place which has always been on top of my list. And as one of the best things about Luxembourg is the location in the heart of Europe, it is a perfect starting point for weekend trips within the Benelux, France or Germany. Therefore, I bought my tickets and set off for a 5 day trip to the Netherlands. After another long journey by train (I am slowly getting used to this...) it was great to discover the most bicycle-friendly capital in Europe, of course by bike. I was lucky with the weather. That's why I decided to skip the museums and enjoyed festivals, street food markets, exhibitions and of course Amsterdam's nightlife. It is a city with incredible liveliness, rich in activities, culture and art. I was fascinated by the vibe and the Dutch way of life even though I expected the inhabitants to be a bit more pleasant. By accident, you will discover a range of places at almost every corner so that you will never get tired of places to go out, have a drink or for wild clubbing. I can highly recommend the venue called “Wester Gasfabriek”. There was a great atmosphere at the neighbourhood flea market which included also a street food market, exhibitions, cafés, secondhand vintage stuff and so on. So, all in all too much for one afternoon. Anyway, five days are for sure not enough to visit this vibrant city. I will definitely come back.

As I was talking about the nightlife of Amsterdam also Luxembourg City has cool things to offer, although you have to search a bit more. By chance, I joined a little blues concert with a friend this week. We stopped by at a bar called “Liquid” which is a good place to enjoy live music (Jazz and Blues) on weekdays. In general, “Grund”, the main party area in Luxembourg, gives nice opportunities to spend long nights in town, either for an afterwork beer in “Scott's Pub” or a tasty dish in “Oscars”. More situated in the Haute ville you can find a bar called “De Gudde Wellen” which has a nice and chilled vibe, friendly people and it also offers live music. Another cool event I took part in was the “On Steitsch” Festival at the new cultural centre called “Rotondes”. They offered live music and dance, delicious drinks and street food with a young and hipsterish flair. Good to know that Luxembourg is not just classy and posh. Another event approved this as well, the “Oekofoire” at Luxexpo. I visited the biggest exhibition venue in Luxembourg for the first time and I was not disappointed. I've been given the chance to try lots of tasty ecological food and to get to know more about production processes and fair clothes as well as art handicraft, natural cosmetics and numerous other environmentally sustainable things.

Well, I didn't want to write so much but as you can see there are plenty of stories to tell and slowly but surely I am discovering all the hidden gems of this country. And also my cosy little home has been through some changes and I have experienced very special culinary art by my cohabitants. After seeing my Chinese flatmate cooking every night I dared to try one of her exotic dishes. It turned out that the quite crunchy thing in my mouth was part of pig's ear. She had lots of fun to see my face after telling me that and I must admit that it is sometimes better not to know what you are actually eating. Anyway, what I wanted to tell you is that the cultural diversity in our house was broadened by my new colleague and flatmate from Russia. He is also volunteer in my organisation and we will spend most of the year together. So, it looks like a promising future....to be continued :)