The capital of... Luxembourg! (Yeah that small!)
In this small country, trapped between 2 of Europe's greatest nations- France and Germany, as well as Belgium, a young girl was born, rather uneasy and with dangerous consequences for both mom and daughter... But still she was born and both survived!! :P
During my first years on earth my parents struggled with me because I was constantly sick with either a cold, inflammation in my middle ear (Otitis Media), inflammation in my throat (Angina Pharyngitis), fewer, other fancy virusses... So difficult child and one of my parents main concerns (in a negative way) pretty much from the minute they got me... Because of all of these different diseases I ended up loosing 50% of my hearing ability on the right ear... But this phenomenon wasn't discovered till my grandmother one day told my mother to bring the phone up to my left ear, because she had noticed how little I reacted to what she was saying and how many times I said "What?" when talking to me.
So SURPRISE!! Now my diseases had gradually decreased, but instead I had another handicap! As much as my parents thought and still think I was unfortunate to have a hearing disadvantage, this handicap has instead grown into being quite a charm of mine... :P
Whenever there's a thunderstorm I can settle with sticking a finger in my left ear, when I want peace and quiet when falling asleep I simply rest on my good-hearing ear and I sneak around behind the people I am with, to place myself in the best possible hearing spot... So as quirky and weird as it may be and sound, people find it charming and funny... :P
After having defeated my years with sickness, I calmed down and became a quiet, happy and easily satisfied little redheaded girl. Till my sister was born...
Then I became quite a bitch, told my parents the minute I had glanced a look at her, to bring her back to where she came from, because I was'nt interested in sharing my parents, family and attention with a little terrorist and wild child like her!
(These hateful and jealous feelings towards her have disappeared throughout us growing up together, though!) :P
Well to continue with my time in Luxembourg, growing up as a danish girl with only my closest danish relatives in a foreign language I always felt at home and yet somehow, not at home... I couldn't speak the languages for the first while when I started kindergarten and despite living there for over 15 years I still wasn't native in either Luxembourgish, German or French and struggled with the grammar and vocabulary throughout my whole life!
But what I love about Luxembourg is the multicultural society- In the different classes I was during my school years, I came across Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, German, French, Dutch, English, Russian, Bosnian, Serbian, Romanian, Italian, Spanish, Greek, Belgian, Norwegian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Moroccan, Kenyan, , Indians... I mean never have I experienced so many different cultures, ethnicities and languages at the same time and place!
School was filled with disciplin, respect, authorities, homeworks, tests every week (sometimes even twice a day), many and strict rules and a fearful view on the authorities! I clearly remember rarely daring to speak up, ask for help, advice or feedback on bad tests... And this type of situation was very common in this school system, which resulted in a sort of mechanic and unvarying learning process.
Else life was good! My dad with a great job as director in a bank and my mom was always there for us all as a stay-at-home mom and housewife. So no money, love or attention missing at all! Friends on the other hand were never something any of us practiced a lot, because we probably all felt a little like outsiders (despite loving the country!) and instead cherished each other! Of course with regular visits from classmates, colleagues and other acquaintances...
Yeah, little about my time in a fast-growing industrial country...
Despite being separated from my parents homeland and the rest of the family, I look back at my time there with great love and pride!
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