Do you know that moment where you start seeing things with different eyes? Where you realize that you always looked at them from a different angle? The moment you realize you have never really captured the beauty that lies within a thing or a situation. But then, click. Suddenly everything seems clear and you can never go back to the way you used to think.
You are now able to perceive the exact same thing, moment or situation in another, better way.
Well I had one of those moments last spring. It all began with an assignment that we got at university. The whole project consisted of choosing any possible destination that we have to travel to and create a website about. Maybe you can imagine how excited a first-year tourism student suddenly gets, having such an opportunity. I immediately started thinking about the most exotic places on earth, searching for countries I have never even heard of before. But then. The first click. I asked myself how it would be to choose my home country. To ‘travel’ home and see it with different eyes. And so I chose Luxembourg.
And now is the moment I share my experience with you, showing my home country through my eyes, my lens.
While preparing our trip for a few weeks, planning where we want to go, what to visit and who to interview, I have to admit, I started the whole project with mixed feelings and doubts. As I took a friend with me, I was already wondering how she will experience the country I call home.
So the day has come that we left the Netherlands and arrived at a place that my Finnish friend describes as ‘cute’. And indeed, Luxembourg is cute. Small. Little. I got it. For some people it’s a village. But a village that has more to offer than you would think!
Day by day I could tick off all the places and things from my list. We visited so many beautiful villages, old buildings, museums and cafés. The main places we went to were Clervaux in the north, Esch-sur-Sure in the west, Diekirch and Vianden in the east and Luxembourg city in the south. My main aim for the project was to better promote locals to young tourists. So I surveyed weekly grocery markets, local shops, cafés and hidden spots which are unknown for regular tourists.
By doing this, I came across so many kind, welcoming and helpful Luxembourgish people. And there it was again. Second click. The moment I started perceiving Luxembourgish people from a whole different perspective. The image I previously had was characterized by snootiness, conceit and sometimes impoliteness. But I can tell you that I was surprised myself how quickly such an image, or better said, such prejudices can change and disappear. You know, we run through our lives, restricted through stereotyped thinking that we are sometimes not even able to have an open mind anymore. We don’t take the time to walk in somebody else’s shoes. Or sense through their lens.
Welcome to my blog! :)
By the way, if you're curious how the website of Luxembourg looked like at the end of my assignment, here is the link:
(All the photos and video footage were shot in Luxembourg by my Finnish friend and me.)