Luxembourg Waffle

Jade Marie Bajai

The English language is more prominent than ever in Luxembourg, but British culture started being exported to the Grand-Duchy a long time ago. The British Ladies Club (BLC) is one of the big names, part of this community. So, Teo and Laura sat down with the non-profit organisation’s chair, Jade Marie Bajai. She took over at a time when the BLC was at risk of closing. Now she’s looking forward to the organisation’s 30th annual car boot sale, where one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Jade also talks about her experience moving to Luxembourg. Being from Scotland, driving on the right-hand side of the road is one of those things she chose not to get used to, and she didn’t convert her driver’s licence. Luckily for her, living in the capital and Luxembourg’s small size have played to her advantage. On the flipside…there is no Irn-Bru here. You win some and you lose some.

*in English

Silvia Chilet Jorge on volunteering

If making new connections and using your time to have an impact on society are on your New Year’s resolutions list, look no further than Luxembourg Waffle’s solution : volunteering. To chat about that, Teo and Laura are joined by Silvia Chilet Jorge, curator of the Global Shapers, an international network of young people. The Valencia-born tax lawyer got into volunteering because her uncle was a member of Rotary, another global organisation engaged in projects with a positive impact on society.

For Silvia, the Global Shapers’ activities are a great way to learn how to carry out a project, which often translates into useful skills at work for the network’s members. Meeting people and exploring the country is another big bonus, although she admits that she still hasn’t connected with too many Luxembourgers. As always, we throw a couple of Luxembourgish phrases at our guest and go over some misconceptions about Spain, but we admit you’d be hard-pressed to find anything polarising about this country. I mean, who doesn’t like having a siesta?

*in English

Stephany Ortega on being a performer

Christmas is just around the corner, but the skies are still very gloomy, so the Luxembourg Waffle brought a guest from the sunny Dominican Republic. Stephany Ortega, a classical and soprano singer, is just as excited about the festive period as our hosts. And actually, it turns out that Christmas is a huge deal in the Dominican Republic, despite its Caribbean climate. Palm trees don’t make for great Christmas trees, so the locals make their own handcrafted ones.

Stephany crossed the Atlantic to find herself in Luxembourg after finishing her studies. And although she subsequently left for China, she came back to the Grand Duchy, which clearly has a pull on her. So much so that she is throwing her hat in the ring at the Eurovision trials, which will determine who will represent the country at the singing contest. Luxembourg returns to the competition after a 30-year long hiatus, which didn’t put too big a dent in its stellar status because the country’s five wins mean it is only second to Sweden and Ireland.

Tune in to hear how Stephany prepares her bid to represent Luxembourg at Eurovision and how she found her place in the Grand Duchy.

*in English

Ricardo Rodrigues on journalism

It's time to celebrate : Lëtzebuerger Journal turns 75 ! For this special occasion Laura and Teo got lucky and were invited to record at the Kulturhuef Grevenmacher, where they were not only joined by their super interesting guest, fellow journalist Ricardo Rodrigues, but also by His Royal Highness Grand Duke Henri, who came to listen to their recording. The topic this time : journalism, and what role it plays in democracy.

Ricardo, who's originally from Portugal and thus the first Waffle guest from one of Luxembourg's biggest communities, has already worked in many countries and is an experienced (and awarded !) investigative journalist specialising in environment and social matters. During this summer, Ricardo went on a three week stroll through Luxembourg to find out what kind of changes its citizens are experiencing, and what stories they have to tell. Together with Laura and Teo, he discusses how to make interesting what is important and why journalism is the fourth pillar of democracy, giving readers, viewers and listeners insights on relevant topics, while also keeping policy and decision makers in check.

Tune in to hear why it's so important to have many different media in Luxembourg and get a glimpse into the working world of three freelance journalists !

*in English

Christos Floros on voting awareness

Ahead of the upcoming elections, Laura and Teo sat down with political activist Christos Floros to chat about voter engagement and the diverse identity of Luxembourg. At first glance, the topic seems somewhat charged, but this episode is anything but that. Sitting cross-legged on the grass at Merl Park, Christos takes a walk down memory lane : from his early arrival in Luxembourg and studying in the European School of Luxembourg to getting involved in Luxembourg’s political life. Actually, when he first arrived in Luxembourg, he was only a couple of months old and his passport did not even have a name on it at the time.

Still, Christos values his Greek origins and travels frequently to Athens, where he is from. He reflects on the people’s perception of Greece shifting when the country entered a debt crisis in 2009. Laura also checked his range in Luxembourgish, with a couple of old school words that are now mostly replaced by English or French ones in everyday life. Tune in to find out how Luxembourgish people used to say "weird" back in the day.

*in English

Ivana Larusson on self-employment and creativity

For this episode, Laura and Teo were lucky to catch some of the last sunrays before "summer in Luxembourg", i.e. rain, rain and even more rain hit the Grand-Duchy. Their toes in the sand of Theater Plage in the city center, they met up with Ivana Larusson, a visual designer and fellow freelancer, although that's not what she calls herself. Ivana moved to Luxembourg at the age of 18 and has since then been self-employed. Born in the US with a Croatian family background, Ivana is a bit like her home of choice : a mix of many things. Above all, Ivana considers herself a creative and does not only run her own make-up studio, but also specializes in video, photography, social media management and brand identity. Tune in to hear about how to take a foothold in Luxembourg's media industry, a common misconception about drafts and why we all love "Gromperekichelcher".

*in English

Sanran Gulsen on Sports and Cycling Culture

In the midst of Luxembourg’s uncharacteristically hot summer, Teo and Laura found some shade at Kyosk and sat down with cycling enthusiast Sanran Gulsen to chat about sports culture in Luxembourg. The Turkish national joined the Waffle crew to recap his 518km cycle route across the Alps which he did to raise money for charity. He talks about combining his passion for sport and raising awareness for wildlife preservation and ridding the ocean of plastic. Cycling routes in Luxembourg are also on the agenda as is the FatBetty.Run marathon group which brings together locals and foreigners all year long. Tune in to get the full story and some tips on where to hide from the heat during Luxembourg’s hottest months.

*in English

Mariana Florea

In this episode recorded at Novotel, the president of "The Network", Luxembourg’s oldest international business women’s association, tells us about her own struggle to fit in almost 23 years ago, when she had to find her way in the Grand Duchy while being pregnant. Laura and Teo also talk politics and elections with the outspoken advocate of citizen participation, while confronting her with some hearty Luxembourgish expressions and stereotypical claims about her native country of Romania. One key learning right away : When it's time to fast, Romanians don't mess around.

*in English

Sam Miller

In this episode recorded at Café Interview, the candid teacher from the U.K. talks about his professional experience in the Grand Duchy's education system, the perks of being married to a woman from Luxembourg and his passion for Dungeons & Dragons. He also gets straight to the point when it comes to stereotypes, from fridge magnets to queuing habits.

*in English

Brad Elsbury

In this episode, the chatty engineer from the USA talks about the innovative work at Luxembourg-based company Gradel, shares some amazing stories about his side gig as a daring artist and photographer, and confirms some stereotypes surrounding Texans (and yes : cowboy hats are part of the discussion). Laura and Teo gauge the level of Brad's assimilation in Luxembourg and broaden his horizon with some Luxembourgish culture.

This episode was recorded on February 14th.

*in English

Lisa McLean

In this episode, the managing director of Ara City Radio shares her experience of coming to Luxembourg almost three decades ago. She emphasises the significance of socialising at a community level, expresses her caution when using the term "expat" and elaborates on the traditions of her native country, Scotland, for example : deep-frying almost anything. Laura and Teo explore how much the Grand Duchy has influenced her and why she appreciates the local ways. Tune in to hear all about it.

*in English

Sasha Petrykov

Oleksandr, which is his real name, hops in for this pilot episode and chats about leaving Ukraine to study abroad, comparing the Netherlands to Luxembourg, presenting Ukrainian stereotypes and more. Laura and Teo check to what extent Luxembourg has already grown on him, and how much Luxembourgishness still needs to rub off on him. Tune in and get the full story.

*in English