Paperjam: Please tell us about yourself.

Abir Gallala: I was born in Germany but then we moved back to Tunisia, so I grew up and did almost all my studies there. I’m 33 years old. I’m married. And I have two kids, five and three.

Professionally, I’m an engineer in IOT, so the internet of things or “enabling technologies.” My master’s degree is in artificial intelligence and my doctoral degree from the University of Luxembourg is in engineering. Now I work at ArcelorMittal as a business development manager.

How did you end up in Luxembourg?

I was looking for internships at the end of my master’s. I didn’t know Luxembourg before--I was looking by topic. And I found one at the List [Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology]. I had other options in Germany and Singapore, but I really liked the topic at the List. It was more about innovation. I’m very passionate about technologies and innovation.

So I googled Luxembourg: middle of Europe, a nice, small country… I like to travel and discover cultures and people, so I said: okay, I’ll go back to Europe. The internship is for six months. Then I’ll move. [She laughs.]

At the end of the internship, I was all ready to go back home. I had my luggage. And I received an email from the professor so I went there, to the University of Luxembourg, for an interview for a doctorate.

You were on your way to the airport?

Yes, I took my luggage to the interview! I met the professor, I liked the topic. I went back home to Tunisia, defended my master’s degree, then came back after a few months. So… it’s destiny. My plan at the time was to go to Canada because my husband was studying there. And then everything changed. I started my doctoral degree in Luxembourg and I told him, why don’t you just come here? I like this place. It’s nice for families. He applied at the university, got accepted and came the next semester.

Did your job flow naturally from your PhD?

Well, my daughter was born a few days after my doctoral defence, so I went on maternity leave. That was for a few months, and then I started at ArcelorMittal. I applied. Went to the interview. It was easy. Now I’m there.

Oh, wow. So you didn’t have to send 100 applications?

No. I applied to just two other places.

When you arrived for your internship [in 2016], what were your first impressions of Luxembourg?

I really loved it. It’s a weird mixture of cultural and modern. When I go to Germany, I feel like it’s somehow old… all these old buildings and everything. Here it’s a mixture. I lived first in Belval, which is quite modern. But then there’s the heart of the old city, with its culture. It’s unique.

Did anything surprise you about Luxembourgish culture?

What I didn’t expect was how you get integrated into the local communities. Because you deal with two kinds of people here: locals and outsiders. With outsiders, it’s fantastic: all these different cultures, languages, backgrounds and so on. But dealing with Luxembourgish people was the surprise. Beforehand, I knew German people. I knew French people. But Luxembourgers are different. They’re so open with culture and with their minds. I’ve never felt like an outsider or that I don’t belong here. I really feel that I do belong here. And maybe that’s the main reason why I wanted to stay in Luxembourg.

How about the languages thing that Luxembourgers do?

They switch immediately to French, English, German--unbelievable! I have many Luxembourgish colleagues at ArcelorMittal who speak, like, five languages, seven languages. Incredible. The nice thing is when we’re talking in a group and we can speak three languages in the same sentence. But the bad thing is… it’s not helpful for learning Luxembourgish!

What do you speak at work?

English is the main language because we have people from lots of different countries. But we sometimes speak French too. And I can hear Spanish, Italian, Luxembourgish, German, everything in the office. It’s fantastic. Something we also do that’s very nice: we organise, among colleagues, an informal coffee where you teach your own language. I taught some Arabic to my colleagues, and have gone to other colleagues to learn some German, Luxembourgish and Spanish.

Talk to us about food and weather.

The weather is different, absolutely! Maybe for other Tunisians it’s a bit difficult, but I don’t like it when it’s too hot, even in Tunisia. I’m more comfortable in Luxembourg. Especially in the summer, I prefer to stay here.

For the food… in Tunisia you can find Tunisian food everywhere: street food, fine dining and so on. But for Luxembourgish food there aren’t too many options. I like to go to Schmelz in Belval, it’s nice. Authentic. Brasserie K116 in Esch is also very nice. But I also like trying other things like Japanese or Portuguese restaurants.

Favourite Luxembourgish dish?

I like Gromperekichelcher.

Oh, great pronunciation! For the life of me, I can’t say this word.

I already know some German… I was born there. So it’s a bit familiar to my ear.

Any other favourite spots in Luxembourg?

With the kids we’re into playgrounds, and the good thing is that they’re everywhere. In Esch there’s a park, too, which is nice for a walk. Sometimes I go during my lunch break. And I like Remich during the summer, there are places for the kids to play and to get ice cream. The vibes remind me of my home city. And for nature, maybe the Mullerthal, good hiking. And Belval: I always remain loyal to Belval!