What interested you in becoming a journalist?

I always enjoyed writing: fiction, articles, dreadful poems… Becoming a journalist would allow me to write every day, my younger self decided. (I recently unearthed an article I wrote at age ten about the 2004 tsunami. It was a bit too dry, in hindsight.) Later on, the film and publishing industries called me. I gave it a try and enjoyed it a lot. However, I felt frustrated--especially during the pandemic--because it was hard to keep up with everything that was happening, make sense of it, and feel like I was contributing to the greater good--while also dodging fake news and misinformation. So, I chose to go back to what I really cared for: sharing information, understanding the world, and meeting people. Major events, such as climate change, also attracted me to the field.

You’ve lived in the UK and Japan. What was the biggest culture shock coming back to Luxembourg?

For context, I lived in small Luxembourg villages for nine years as a child, and moved to Brussels as a teen, which was a big change. I think that experience--and the frequent moving--made me get used to major cultural shocks and changes. Coming back in 2019, I was positively surprised by the evolution of the grand duchy’s cultural scene. As a 13-year-old country bumpkin, going to the village fest or the Kinepolis in the “city” had been the pinnacle of coolness after all.

Obviously, age plays a big role in how you experience a place, but Scotland, Brussels and Japan are just so much bigger and thus have many, many kinds of events and communities that haven’t reached Luxembourg yet. But I’ve witnessed a positive evolution since coming back. One thing I do miss though, is the relative anonymity you get to experience in bigger cities and countries. It does feel nice to come across people you know here and there though!

How do you unwind?

Not to be boring but I really enjoy cleaning my house, sorting through my books and rearranging my living space to help me de-stress. Other than that, I love discovering and reading books--two different hobbies, really, as one mainly contributes to growing the enormous pile of books to read--drawing, meeting up with people for a drink or walk, calling my friends who live abroad, or going to the movies. Swimming or rollerskating are also some of my go-tos to unwind. If I happen to be on vacation, I make it a point to visit any historical or natural sciences museum I can find.