How helping Ukrainian refugees sparked a teaching vocation

What happens when life's journey takes unexpected turns? Louis Grün never planned to become a teacher. After graduating from high school in Luxembourg without a clear direction, he chose the University of Luxembourg's English program for its proximity and interdisciplinary approach, blending his passions for English literature and history.

Louis's story takes flight during his mandatory exchange semester, when family connections led him to Miami University in Ohio – not the sunny beach destination, but a classic American campus "in the middle of cornfields." The experience proved so transformative that he returned for his master's degree in history, falling in love not just with American academia but with his future wife.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the January 6th events in Washington DC dramatically altered his American dream. Returning to Luxembourg in 2021, Louis attempted a journalism career at the local newspaper Tageblatt, where he interviewed politicians and ambassadors but struggled with tight deadlines and readjusting to German after years of English immersion. "It was really tough work," Louis reflects. "I really have an appreciation for the whole journalism profession, but it was just a little bit too tense for me."

When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Louis's local high school needed teachers to assist refugee students. Despite having previously dismissed teaching as a career path, he volunteered to help – and discovered an unexpected calling. "Now I'm really glad that they pushed me into teaching," he admits, comparing the profession to "a stand-up comedian's job" where you entertain students while educating them.

Louis's journey through the rigorous Luxembourg teacher examination process ("concours") and two-year traineeship reveals how our greatest fulfillment often comes from paths we never intended to travel. His philosophy, borrowed from his favorite Studio Ghibli film – "The wind rises, we must try to live" – perfectly captures his approach to embracing life's unexpected opportunities.

Have you found yourself on an unexpected career path? Louis's story reminds us that sometimes the most rewarding journeys are the ones we never planned. Subscribe to Alumni Stories for more inspiring conversations with University of Luxembourg graduates who've navigated the winds of change to find their calling.

Interested in signing up for the Bachelor en Cultures Européennes?

Visit the website : bce.uni.lu

If you have any specific questions regarding this Bachelor, please contact: bce.office@uni.lu

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Transcript

Introduction to Alumni Stories Podcast

Masti 0:02

Hello and welcome to Alumni Stories, a podcast brought to you by the University of Luxembourg. I'm your host, Masti. Let me give you an idea of what Alumni Stories is all about. Whether you've studied here before, or you're curious and consider pursuing your studies at the University of Luxembourg, or just want to listen to interesting people, whatever it might be, you're at the right place. I know it sounds forward, but let me break it down for you. Every episode will star a former student who finished your degrees and has set a foot into the working world, or, as I like to call it, the grown-up life. We'll get a glimpse of each individual their personal ups and downs, their survival strategies, the recipe to balance uni and life, and much more. So if you're, like me, someone who's been looking for the right study program but hasn't been able to find the right fit yet, call this your lucky day, because this podcast is made for you. So, without any further ado, let's dive into today's episode.

Louis's Academic Journey Beginnings

Masti 1:03

Today's guest on Alumni Stories has made quite a way around the globe. Guided by the wind and driven by history and the English language, he finished a BCE in Luxembourg and pursued his master's degree at the University in Ohio. Let's find out why he chose to come back to Luxembourg, why he changed his career from journalism to teaching and his take on his American dream. Please welcome, Louis

Louis 1:27

Thank you.

Masti 1:32

Well, I'm glad to have you here. At first, I was quite fascinated by the fact that you actually studied in Ohio, and now you're here in Luxembourg. Maybe you can tell us a bit about the experience and about yourself in your own words.

Louis 1:46

It's quite a long story, but I guess I could start with why I started at the University of Luxembourg. So it felt like the obvious choice. I finished high school, didn't really know what to do, and then I kind of took a break. After high school I didn't really know what to do, and after a year I was like I guess I should continue. I had this need, I need to continue to do some sort of schooling, and so I chose to go to University of Luxembourg. It was just the easiest choice to do, it was right next door. I used to live in Differdange, so it was right next door. And I chose to do the English program, because it was either that or history: my two passions, essentially. So I did my bachelor's degree and then, it took me all the way to the United States. Mostly because my parents used to host American students at home from my university. So it was kind of the obvious choice, either my brother or I will go there, and it ended up being me.

Masti 2:53

Are you the older one?

Louis 2:54

No, I'm the younger one.

Masti 2:55

That's quite interesting.

Louis 2:56

Yeah, my brother went to Germany to study and I went to the United States after being in Luxembourg, but my first contact was in the exchange program actually. So I did my two years, and then in the third year, in first semester, we had to leave. Well, we had to leave on an exchange semester and I chose to go to my university, just because we had such a connection with the university.

Masti 3:22

So you were in high school, you're like "I have to go for the academic road, this is what I want to do", So you pursued the uh university of uxembourg. Because it made sense to you, it was nearby and they offered, at that time, the English studies. I'm not sure when that was exactly.

Louis 3:40

Oh my, I always get the dates wrong so I have to come back. I think I finished high school in 2014 or 13, so I think it was in 2015.

Masti 3:56

Everything was still quite new, right?

Exchange Experience in Ohio

Louis 3:57

Yeah, yeah, they just moved to Belval. I think they they were here maybe a year or two, so for me it was completely new as well. Or for For the people that essentially moved here. I had not heard anything about the campus in Walferdange but I heard everybody saying,"when we were in Walferdange it was like this, and that..." was like I had no idea. But yeah, the English program was just a one year program and then, then you would move on. It was kind of like a preparatory thing. A lot of my friends that I met in the first year actually went to the UK. I t's really funny because I'm still friends with them, even though I only had class with them for one year.

Masti 4:35

Sometimes you just bond like that.

Louis 4:38

Yeah, and I regularly still meet them.

Masti 4:40

So, of course it was convenient that the uni was next door for you, but how did you end up picking the English studies and what did you see yourself like? Where did you see yourself with that?

Louis 4:54

That's a good question. Well, like I said, it was one of two choices either history or English. It wasn't really a coin toss but it was more a thing like, which one do I feel more passionate about. And with the interdisciplinary focus of the bachelor en Cultures Européennes, I'm going to be able to do some history. I was just like I'm going to do what I feel most passionate about at that time, which is English. From the get-go, I was really hooked because of the classes they offered. It went from literature to linguistics to... It was an interdisciplinary approach where we were able to take philosophy, history, secondary languages. I just felt like I wanted to do English, without really knowing what I wanted to do afterwards.

Masti 5:47

Okay, that was my next question. Because when you choose something like English or history, I feel like most people don't have a broad approach to it. It's more like, "I will become a teacher, I just have so much passion for this subject and there's no other way. But then, teaching wasn't your first thought?

Louis 6:06

Not at all, no. When I was in high school, or young high school, I had one history teacher and I wan ted to become like him. Over the years, I was like I can't become like him because I will never live up to that expectation. So, I thought maybe I'll do something else. And I was always passionate about diplomacy and stuff like that, but I didn't necessarily think that I would use my English to do that. That was only when I went to my master's degree. But then later, I was like yes, maybe teaching is the avenue to take because everybody was like well, if you do english or history, you know it's going to be

Masti 6:47

How did you find out that teaching was the right approach for you? I feel like it's more of a personality thing sometimes too.

Louis 6:55

It was kind of a combination of things. I just finished my job at the Tageblatt, at the local newspaper, and I was thinking what am I going to do? What's going to be my next step? So I was at the job agency meeting and I really didn't know what to do.

Masti 7:13

So you didn't like working as a journalist before?

Louis 7:15

No, it just didn't really work out. I was on a probation contract, or like a tryout essentially. And I came back from America and then, three months later, I was working for a German-speaking newspaper and my German was so bad. My colleagues made fun of me, saying that I had an American accent when I'm speaking German. Fun of me, like jokingly of course. And it was really tough work. I really have an appreciation for the whole journalism, newspaper, writing... but it was just a little bit too tense for me, I guess. It didn't work out in the end, but I was very grateful for the time that I got to spend at the newspaper.

Masti 8:01

Was it stressful?

Louis 8:02

It was yeah, because it was the deadlines. You had to meet the deadlines. Even though my working hours were from 10 to 8 or from 8 to 5, I would always or often stick there until 11 o'clock to really finish my newspaper. And one of the problems was my limited language, or having to get back into German language. I just didn't have the level of it and it took me a while to get into it. I got to do some amazing articles, some amazing stories. It was in the middle of the covid pandemic, so I got to do a lot of research, talking to the director of the European center for disease control. I got to talk to luxembourgish

Masti 8:44

Exciting things!

Louis 8:46

Yeah, and I got to talk to ambassadors. I got to do exactly what I wanted to do as a job later. I got the experience to talk to them and, yeah, that was really exciting.

Masti 8:57

However, it still wasn't actually the thing you imagined it to be.

Louis 9:00

No. I think we all have a glorified vision of what a journalist or a newspaper story writer or a news show host is really like.

Masti 9:12

I mean, it depends maybe. Some people, I think, work very well under pressure, so maybe that will be a great option for them. But I also think that sometimes, like you said, we have a glorified version of those things in the media world in mind. And working there is a great thing, like you did, just to see if it's really the right approach for you.

Louis 9:34

Yeah, indeed. Having to call people up like politicians, social leaders and stuff like that, just getting a hold on them, that's very tense. Like you need to call them between a certain time frame. Then, you need to write up what they said because you need to put it into their words, but in another language, and that was quite challenging. Even though it was really nice actually talking to some of the leaders of Luxembourg politicians, social leaders, normal folk too... it was very tense and maybe at the time I didn't see it. Now I can really say I don't think I would have stick with a job for much longer because, it just wasn't what I wanted . Which brings me to teaching!

Louis 10:22

I was at the job agency, trying to get some inspiration, trying to get some help finding something. Then, the Ukraine war broke out and all of a sudden, there were so many refugees here. And the high school in my hometown, the École Internationale de Differdange, was looking for teachers to help the Ukrainians. Even though I didn't speak a word of Russian or Ukrainian, I was thinking to myself that I want to help people. And I felt kind of helpless. I was like well, I have an E nglish degree, I have a history degree that I did in my master's, so let's go into teaching! Even though I really told myself I don't want to go into teaching. So there were a lot of people pushing me into teaching, essentially; I'm now really glad that they did.

Louis 11:16

ut a teacher once told me that if people are forced into the job of teaching, they will be horrible teachers. And I kind of took that as like a prophecy, or like I shouldn't do this. And then, I was like, let's go and try it. I had two months of a kind of training period, because the summer holiday were just around. Then, they offered me a temporary contract to keep me on for another year. And I was accepted to do it more.

Masti 11:43

So you liked it?

Louis 11:45

I liked it. That was quite different, because I just had Ukrainian students in my class. And then afterwards, I was given the traditional Luxembourgish classes to teach English and I started to develop a liking for the job. I mean, I'm still in the job and I'm enjoying it. It's a very fulfilling experience.

Masti 12:05

You just mentioned your master's, and where did you do your master's?

Louis 12:09

I went to the United States, to Miami University in the state of Ohio.

Masti 12:14

So, again to the same place.

Louis 12:16

Yeah, the same place I did in my exchange semester, just because I liked it that much. And I also met my now wife there.

Masti 12:24

Okay, wait, there are so many things! So just to get things straight - you were here, started the English studies, you had your exchange in Ohio, then you proceeded to change universities and studied there?

Louis 12:38

I came back to finish my bachelor's degree.

Masti 12:40

So

Louis 12:40

Yes, and then I went back after.

Masti 12:42

Okay, okay, okay, now it makes sense.

Louis 12:43

My apologies

Masti 12:44

No worries.

Louis 12:45

But yeah, then I went back. I really liked it. The teachers were great, what I experienced there was great. But since I did English, I'm going to do my other passion, which is history. Just in English. So it kind of was a combination of the two and it was frankly amazing. I met lifelong friends there that I talked to, not daily but at least a few times a month. I try to meet up with them every time I go back to the United States, which I do regularly. But yeah, it was just very different from the University of Luxembourg. But I think the University of Luxembourg really prepared me for what I was going to face in the United States.

Masti 13:26

And what terms prepared you?

Transition to Teaching Career

Louis 13:29

Academically, mostly. When I went there in my exchange semester, I felt like wow, I'm not really being pushed that much here. I felt, let's say, superior in the regard that I had no worries about assignments. There were more assignments than here. I always say that the University of Luxembourg is more difficult because you don't get that many chances to really push your grade up. You have to put everything in one, two, three assignments. In the US, you were constantly like little mock-up exams. You had pop quizzes, research papers, and so you were able to constantly push your grade back up and I had no worries whatsoever. Because the bachelor was more tough than theirs, I felt like in the master's, I was really prepared to take it on.

Masti 14:21

o the exchange is obligatory. How, how come you ended up picking United the States united It's Because far so far, it's like a total . time.

Louis 14:35

At the time, I think most of the bachelor's programs had to do the exchange program, but I'm not entirely sure there. Usually people go on the Erasmus program, but I felt like I wanted to go further. So we had the opportunity to go on the Global Exchange program and you had choosing between the US, Japan... because that was another passion of mine to go to Japan and study there. In the end, I chose the US just because of the connection that we have in terms of my family and so on, hosting American students so long, and having the opportunity to go to Miami university where we had all of these dozens of students that stayed with us. To really know, to experience what did they experience and to finally see where they came from. And so you had to essentially go into an interview; it was for the US universities where you had to explain why you wanted to go there. So it was essentially like a job interview. I don't remember who was in the committee, but one of the persons was from the American embassy, to really see if that was a match. And I kept talking about universities I was interested in and then they asked, "well, and Louis they asked well, louis, you kind of s ound really interested about Miami. What about the other ones?" Well, I kind of just want to go to my right? And uh"oh people were like, oh my god, you're going to miami. It's like, no, . It's kind of Miami, it's like in the middle of nowhere, it's in the middle of cornfields.

Louis 16:06

Yeah, it's typically like you see them on TV. Like those huge campuses with tens of thousands of students, but it's just in the middle of nowhere. It's such a tiny town and then, there's a huge campus. That's the experience I wanted.

Masti 16:22

Yeah, it's also a very different experience on what we have in Luxembourg, essentially. You have smaller classes here, probably teacher know you by name and there, it's like you're one of ten thousands. But it's also a good experience in its own ways. Both have good and bad sides.

Louis 16:41

Yeah, when I was an exchange master, I really noticed a difference. Here, I felt more like they knew me. Like you said, the teachers know your name. In the US, it was more of like a number, it's the typical thing they say. But then, in the graduate program, it was more personal again because we weren't that many people in history. We were like 14 people, so they knew us. But yeah, the bachelor's program here felt more familiar just because you knew your classmates; maybe not in the auditoriums when you had like 200 people sitting there, that's the same in the us. But if you had your seminars, you knew who the people were, you knew your teachers, you did more things together. When I think back to my exchange program, I didn't really do stuff with the people I got to know in the auditoriums because it was just too impersonal. You had your friend groups. In that regard, it was very interpersonal; I mean, here in Belval, you're really like in the middle of civilization let's say, in terms of Luxembourg. But back then, there was still not a lot of stuff happening. But you had stuff, you had stores, you had restaurants, you had bars, you could go out with your friends. You had the same in the US but you had to go uptown, essentially; you had the campus completely separated.

Masti 17:57

That's quite interesting to me because, like you said, here you're like in the middle of civilization and there, you're totally far away from civilization.

Louis 18:09

The town where Miami university was, it was called Oxford, Ohio. To get there, I had to take an Uber, because it was in the middle of nowhere. There was no public transportation in the US. Until I met people that could actually drive me around, it was -

Masti 18:24

it took some time.

Louis 18:25

Yeah, it took some time. The closest metropolis in that regard was Cincinnati, which is quite a big city but that's an hour away.

Masti 18:35

Why was Miami university so appealing to you?

Louis 18:41

Well, mostly because of just the experience we had with Miami students at home. I was always fascinated by the United States and the US culture. When I was younger, we went to the US once and then I didn't get to go back until 10 years afterwards, when I went on my exchange. But I always felt like the US was a fascinating place. Everything's bigger. Just like the proportions, it's a completely different world.

Louis 19:13

I recently talked to people that I met at university, we never really think about other Western nations that you can get culture shock. But in the US you definitely get culture shock. Especially when you go to the midwest, to Ohio, to those states they call flyover states. The reason is because people don't go there. And that's where you will experience culture shock. Not in New York or in California, maybe a little bit, but it's still -

Masti 19:39

Yeah, it's not the same.

Louis 19:40

You're still familiar. A lot of tourists come there, so people know how to act with it. In Ohio, they are always so fascinated when you're from a different country. They can immediately tell you you're not from here. So yeah, I was drawn to the United States for some reason and, like I said, I still regularly go back there.

Masti 19:59

But then, why you chose to come back?

The Teaching Examination Process

Louis 20:02

There's an easy response for that, and that's the pandemic. So I finished my degree in the middle of the pandemic in 2020. I had to extend it actually by a few months; I was due to graduate in May of 2020, and then I did it in August of 2020. I was thinking, well the pandemic is in full force. What am I going to do? I wanted to stay in the United States to work, which I was able to do. In November, I found employment and then, I was living with my girlfriend back then. Then, the January 6th riots happened in Washington DC and we were like, we need to get out of here. The combination of pandemic, social upheaval, everything costing so much, health insurance being too pricey... We just didn't feel safe so we made the choice to go back to Luxembourg. In May of 2021, we moved back. Well, my wife is American, so she made the choice to move with me. Luckily she was already in Luxembourg a few years before so that she was able to make that choice. She felt comfortable so like let's go back back to Luxembourg.

Masti 21:18

It changes the plans you probably had before?

Louis 21:20

Yeah, for a long time, I really had this vision, almost like a dream, like I want to work

Masti 21:27

The American dream!

Louis 21:28

laughs] Not necessarily the American dream, but some sort of dream. Maybe a Luxembourgish dream of going to America. Even though I got to study, I got to work and live there for a while, it felt like it was interrupted. I wouldn't say that I necessarily regret not being there longer, but it would have been nicer to do it a little bit longer. Just to get the full experience.

Masti 21:56

Then you came back, you went to journalism, you quit the journalism, you went into teaching, so things kind of worked their way around

Louis 22:04

Yeah now, when I look back, I'm happy that it worked out that way.

Masti 22:09

I'm just curious because, from what I know, in Luxembourg you have to do the concours. Did still did you still have to do it?

Louis 22:16

Yeah, I did the concours the year after I started, I had already the experience with the Ukrainians. I had a little bit of experience with Ukrainians and Luxembourgish students. Then, I said I'll just do it in case I need it, in case I stay within the job. So I did it in January 2023.

Masti 22:40

Would make sense in terms of time.

Louis 22:42

Yeah, I passed it, luckily for me.

Masti 22:49

The way you say it, it's like it was so easy. From what I hear, it's like so stressful.

Louis 22:55

The crazy thing is I attempted two concours at the same time. I tried the history one, since I had my history master's degree, and then the English one because of my bachelor's. And funny enough, people ask me why did you become an English teacher, and not a history? Well, just because I failed the history concours. So, the history one, I completely agree, is tough as nails. I wasn't used to that.

Masti 23:20

You're used to also the American way of learning and doing things.

Louis 23:24

That too, but it's mostly you're not taught to memorize 200 years history and then go in, and write a paper about it. ou're do research over weeks, over a month, and then you produce a multi-page paper at the end. And here, it's like, " these are the topics". So when I went it was Russian imperial history from Peter the Great to Nicholas II. That's 300 years of history! Give or take; and then, you're just supposed to memorize that stuff. And that's not the way I wanted it to work. The English one was a bit different. You had to pass three examinations. First, we did the translation work, then you did a grammar where you had to, for instance, fix mistakes, you had to explain why some things worked the way they are. It was kind of a combination of luck and knowledge. Then, the third one was a literary essay, and I'm so thankful we did that so much here in Luxembourg. I still knew how to do that, I just had to refresh a little bit my literature. Once, once you pass those three, you were accepted into the oral exam, which you also had to pass. I was really lucky, I pulled out of the American literature folder because that was my expertise let's say. And I pulled a poem that I had seen here, at the University of Luxembourg, in one of my classes. It was Chicago by Carl Sandburg. And I remember the teacher, one of my favorite teachers here, I just remember how passionate he was about Carl Sandburg and about American modernism. And it just came me, me and that essentially pushed me so far up in terms of the ranking. And yeah, then I passed it.

Masti 25:04

Kind of like a little and laughing a little little, this experience is so burnt into your brain. I can tell.

Louis 25:10

When I think back to my time university, a lot of the classes that come back are mostly English department, some history classes then, and then just Dr Gertholm with his American modernism class, his class on Edward Steichen. I wrote my thesis on Edward Steichen because of him, because I was, and he was, so passionate about it. I was like I want to use that passion and my interest in it to then write my bachelor's work.

Masti 25:40

Would you say that those kind of experiences - also with a professor like the one you just mentioned inspired kind of well inspire you to go for the like, oh no, this has nothing to do with each other?

Louis 25:55

never thought about that. I would say that it did have some sort of effect on me. I knew that I would go into a master's, there was no question about it because if you just start a bachelor's it just feels unfinished. So I needed to do the master's at least. I was even playing with the idea of maybe starting a PhD, just because I was so inspired by lots of the teachers that I saw. But then, maybe that's little bit too much for me, but I I still keep the doors open now. Maybe later in when I'm more interested in pursuing. I was really ready to go into the working world now because I had studied so long and I had a bit of a brain drain at that point. I was tired of studying a lot and ready to

Masti 26:39

How different is the working world from the student life?

Louis 26:44

You know when your teachers tell you to enjoy your time at school because you'll wish that you'll be back at school, that's exactly what it's like. Not necessarily back to high school but now when I'm thinking back, if I could get one more year at university, just the time we had, and despite the pandemic, it was so great. The working world, like you said, especially teaching combined with the concours, combined with the stage afterwards, the traineeship as they call it, it's really tough! You need to have a lot of will to really pursue it and, like I said, I was a little bit tired of studying so much. And then you come back and you think I'm gonna work, and then you gotta study more to work and that's a little bit... Now, I'm fine. Well, I don't want to say that they will still do the lifelong learning which I'm a fan of actually. But the official part where I need to test myself for other people to really think I deserve to be here, that is now, at least in my mind, over.

Masti 27:50

So that pressure is gone, a

Louis 27:52

Yeah, I passed my the traineeship before the easter holidays. It was literally two months ago or so. I was in the midst of the most stressful period of my life because my whole career depended on this. My whole life depended on this, essentially. I put all of my sweat and tears and guts in there to really pass it and I was really lucky when it was over. It was like a huge weight fell off my shoulders. I didn't realize, and still don't realize, that I passed it, that it's done now. and that I'm starting next year. I'm an official high school teacher.

Masti 28:35

Then, are you at the moment moment, currently?

Louis 28:37

Well, they call us essentially trainee teachers.

Masti 28:41

So you have to pass your traineeship which you mentioned is two years?

Louis 28:46

Yes, correct.

Masti 28:47

And then, it's finalized that you become a teacher?

Balancing Stress and Personal Life

Louis 28:51

Yeah, so the traineeship is two years where you go to the formation center in Walferdange, you do training. Then, the second year of your traineeship is where it gets serious. That's where you have a three-week examination period, where you'd have to send in documents as to why you chose this teaching method, as to what you're teaching. And then, they pick one week out of that where they will potentially come and see you. So four days of the week, they might show up and you go to school, and you're just waiting. When are they showing up?

Masti 29:35

You just never know.

Louis 29:36

You just never know, it's really like that and they're like, don't even bother trying to figure out. Just because a teacher has time that day doesn't mean that they will come that day, you know. And yeah, so you have to pass this. Essentially, from January for me until now March, it was the the period where I had to really put everything into it to prove that I deserved to be there. Now it's over and I feel like a lot of pressure has gone away because now I'm really there. I'm still in training officially now but in September, I will be an official teacher.

Masti 30:11

Wow, I actually didn't know that, after the concours, you still have to do these two years of training and then, still have to prove yourself.

Louis 30:19

Yeah, if you don't do the concours then you essentially stay a chargé, you have to work more hours and do the training. But if you're a fonctionnaire/ stagiaire, so essentially the trainee but you pass the concours, then you get less working hours and the training kind of like compensates for that right. You still have to teach 16 to 18 hours and then four hours are training; whereas the chargé has to work more than 20 hours, and they still have to do the training as well. So it's a little bit tougher. The concours is the one thing that really differs. If you pass the concours, which is super stressful and super tough, it will make things easier later. Instead of being tested in the first term, you'd have the first time to kind of get to know your class, to prepare, and then be tested in the second term.

Masti 31:07

But what I do kind of like about that is that you don't necessarily have to be able to pass the concours and still get into the teaching. But it will be harder a little.

Louis 31:16

Yeah a little bit harder, but it also gives you the opportunity to actually taste what it's like to be a teacher. I have a friend now who started a few weeks ago. It's a very fulfilling job, she's really enjoying it. She's still thinking about doing it, but she asked me about the dates for the next concours, so it seems like she's going to get into it too.

Masti 31:36

So is it a thing where you, now that you experienced it a little bit, you think it's the right place for you to be?

Louis 31:47

I still have this yearning, I guess, for diplomacy. Like, at one time in my life, I want to represent my country, represent the best interests for people. It's kind of like a yearning but, at the same time, I'm really happy with the job. If you asked me a few weeks ago, I would have said I'm not very happy just because of the stress. But now that I finally finished it and, looking back, I'm really content. I'm teaching, standing in front of the class. I told my students last year that teaching is kind of like a stand-up comedian's job. You know, you stand in front of the class and you're just trying to entertain them, either in a funny way or in a strict way. And I chose the more easy going way because I've noticed that's the way you get them involved. Well, also you have to experiment; not everybody likes it that way. That's the thing of the the teacher. After two years, even though I passed my examination, it doesn't mean you know automatically. It gets easier with time. But now I've really established what I want to be in my job, how I want to teach.

Masti 33:02

So You also mentioned in the beginning that there is this one history teacher you had in high school that you really looked up to, but you never wanted to compare yourself to him. Because you thought you could not live up to the expectations. So what do you think about it now that you're in that position?

Louis 33:21

I still wouldn't compare myself with that teacher, just because I have a huge respect of him.

Masti 33:28

But he did greatly shape you, I think.

Louis 33:29

Yeah yeah, he definitely did, just the way he's so passionate. He was so passionate talking about history, about geopolitics, about geography. I think I do have the same passion when I teach my students, but the way he presents: he always showed up in suit and tie every day. And before I had him as a teacher, I always made fun of it or I thought it was funny, like, "oh, look at the serious teacher, haha. And then when I had him, it was completely such an experience as like, wow that's what I want to be like. And, looking at it, I'm not like him and I think that's good too, everybody is their own person. But at least, I try to bring the passion into my classes too, to make students passion about English or I always try to let a history flow into a little bit just because I can't help myself.

Masti 34:27

I mean, it's an interdisciplinary approach you have from the BCE.

Louis 34:30

Of course, that's the beauty of it. At the high school too, well it's called English, right. And so, what is English? Do you talk about language? Do you teach them grammar 24-7? Do you teach them vocabulary? It's just so wide. So that's the beauty of English. If I would have gone into history, it would just be history, you know. And here it's like I can talk about culture, I can talk about language, I can talk about grammar. Some lessons are a bit drier than others. But when we get to the cultural part and they have the opportunity to ask me so many questions, they're always ask "did you do this in the united states? Have you, have you tried that food? Have you done this? And it's so wonderful being able to respond to the questions passionately, and I think they appreciate that.

Masti 35:16

Yeah, I can imagine that. You just mentioned that the last few months were very stressful. And I imagine that also throughout bachelor or master's. You probably had similar periods too. Is there like a way for you to really cope with stress? Or how do you balance life and be like, "I have so much to do, but I also have a family and I also have to do this and have friends? How do you do it?

Louis 35:44

If you would ask my wife, she'd probably say that I can't cope with the stress. But I guess I can start with a little bit of a flashback. When I was younger, I always said like I need to have a stressful life because otherwise, I don't know I'm living, you know. And now I'm like, why did you say that? And now, I'm constantly faced with stressful situations and it's really difficult.

Louis 36:13

When I was in university, you had different obligations, different things to think about, so I think it was easier to cope with the stress. Friends were one of the things that gave me an outlet, just going out for drinks, going to concerts together, talking. So, social life. That really was a good outlet of stress. I joined the university football team, or soccer team for American listeners, and that was really fun. It gave me at least once a week a time to really let out that stress. And then just pursuing my hobbies, I love video gaming, I love cooking. That was kind of like the other thing that gave me an outlet.

Louis 37:00

And now in professional life, it's a little bit more difficult if you think about it. I hit the gym because it gave me a schedule, essentially and I did it two, three times per week. It helped me a little bit get rid of that and just have a plan on what I'm doing per day. Unfortunately, when the stressful examination period came around in January, I didn't have time for that anymore. So it was troublesome to find something to really take off that stress. But I sank myself a little bit more into my video games, which I would say was both good and bad.

Masti 37:33

It was also kind of like socially interacting with people when you have the headphones on.

Louis 37:37

Yeah, I am more of a single player in that regard.

Masti 37:41

Or just shooting people [both laugh] This is so relieving.

Louis 37:49

It was a mix of games and there was stuff like that too. But no, I felt really stressed, I was really not able to meet that many people. I essentially just had time for my wife. I try to see my parents now and then but, if I'm thinking about my friend circle, I really just saw my best friend and that's about it. And I noticed now, when it was over, over the last three weeks I've seen my friend groups way too many times, if you count the days. It just feels so good. And maybe if I would have used that as the socializing aspect to take off some stress, that would have really helped.

Masti 38:28

I would also say you're rather an extroverted person. That's how you come across, that's why socializing is how you fill your batteries.

Louis 38:38

Yeah, people always ask me, especially also in the mornings - Well, I wouldn't say that I'm a morning person but I'm always very positive or at least, with my humor I try to be positive. And yeah, it's like socializing loads my batteries, right; and sometimes, I'm drained too from just too much socializing. But yeah, I'm very extroverted, I love talking to people. I mean I'm talking right now, which brings me lots of joy too.

Masti 39:07

Which is also very helpful for the classrooms, I think.

Louis 39:10

Oh yes! Why go into teaching if you can't even talk? You know, if you're stressed all the time, if you can't... One thing I always liked was standing in front of people or talking in front of people, be it in small groups, larger gatherings, doing interviews for tv. I never was shy in that regard. I mean, that also came good in hand when I was a journalist because I had to talk to people. So that was always one of my strengths.

Masti 39:38

Yeah, it's a good skill to have.

Masti 39:40

motto you typed in, "the wind rises, we must try to live which I know actually is from a Ghibli movie. But how did you end up choosing that? I think it's very different from the approach you had as a younger student where you wanted a stressful life. This kind of makes me think you really want a soft life and want to it.

Louis 40:10

You accurately saw, or recognized, that it's from a Ghibli movie. It's actually my favorite Ghibli movie, which always shocks people when I tell them the Wind Rises is my favorite Ghibli movie. But I guess you can look into it a different ways. The way I look at it, it's like, even when things get tough or when life just throws you backwards, you should always seize the moment and try to enjoy, to live it, the best way you can and to take your opportunities. And even though the last few years were a bit calmer, when we look at my life in general - if I look at the job only, then it's not calm at all - I still want to... I'm a very explorative person, I want to discover new things, I love to travel, I love to talk to new people. In that regard, it's like the wind rises, like there's new opportunities, take them, you should really live. It's not like a YOLO approach like you only live once, but more like, when it looks up, take the chance and explore new things. Live your life to the best extent.

Masti 41:20

Something I also liked I think - it kind of works with that well - is that you still, until this day, keep your doors in a way open. So you're like, "I like this job, but really I also like the diplomacy and maybe someday it will lead me there. So you're like open to to all these opportunities that may come into your life.

Louis 41:41

Exactly. If somebody approaches me about new opportunities, I don't try to shy away. Like I said, I'm content right now just because I just passed a very stressful period of my life. So for the next few years I don't mind doing what I do. They always say that teaching is a vocation. It's not a job, it's a vocation, like you're called to it. And I would agree with those people but I still think that there's other things out there for me Yeah, past . teaching, I was joking with a bit the biggest flex would be I passed and then bye; you. You know, like I went through the most stressful period of my life and then I just quit, which is just hilarious to me. But I said no, I really enjoy it and I grew into this job. I learned all these things. Why waste them, you know? And so I'm more than happy to continue . And, and even if this will be my job for the end of days, okay, but like you said, I'll always keep my doors open.

Masti 42:44

were able to tell your younger self an advice, be like what the conversation look like?

Louis 42:58

First of all, I would tell him to stop wishing for a stressful life, or for a hectic life. But what I would tell him is, if you have something that you want to pursue, really do that. It's a lesson that my grandpa taught me. He's always been very supportive. God rest his soul. He told my mother, "if Louis or his brother want to pursue something or do something, let them. Let them do whatever they want, let them go to university, let them work here or there. And that's really an approach that I would tell my younger self. Just like, if you have a dream or if you have something that you want to pursue, do it. Like the worst thing I can say is you will be told no or it will not work out, which happened when I finished my high school. I wanted to go do voluntary work and I wasn't accepted into the program. So there's some things that work out, others that don't. But always try, and that's what I tell myself now nowadays too. I mean, that's why I got into teaching. I took a chance and tried it out. So that's what I would tell my younger self, just take your chances.

Masti 44:06

Nicely said. In terms of now that you're a teacher, I'm just wondering is there like something a teacher back then said, maybe it could be a sentence or maybe it's just a life lesson, that you see yourself incorporating that into your classroom in a way? Is it the suits?

Louis 44:35

I usually show up more of a semi-formal way, I always try to wear at least a shirt, but then I wear sneakers and stuff like that. You might mistake me for students sometimes in the hallway, but nobody has ever complained. So I accept that. That's like okay, it's good enough. But no, it's maybe not the lesson that they taught me. But the same teacher who said that if you're forced into the job, you will not become a good teacher, said the following. He said people that are rowdy in the bus will become bus drivers, people that talk constantly in class or the class clowns will become teachers. So it worked out in the end. It's kind of like the people that you will complain about if you're a teacher in class like he talks constantly, he can't shut up well they might become teachers afterwards. Because it takes a lot of energy to be in front of a classroom and talk.

Louis 45:33

I had a student last year and, when I met their parents to talk about them, I said I see myself in this person. This is me 10 years ago. It's really funny to see yourself as a younger person again. And so I'm really looking forward. It will take a few years to see which students I will see later that said went into the teaching. Not necessarily because they me as a teacher, but just to see who makes it as a teacher or who went into it. When I talk to teachers that have been in the job for 15, 20 years, they are always surprised who ends up being a teacher, it's always the people you least expect. Yeah, it's also what makes the class really live up. You know it's a little funny jokes, sometimes they are appropriate, sometimes they fit, sometimes they're disruptive... but you learn, you learn.

Episode Conclusion

Masti 46:17

Yeah, it's quite interesting to have this experience. I think you're also the first person that has talked about that global exchange, like going to the United States, having those dreams but still coming back and because things change and that's just what life is like sometimes, and you're still able to be kind of happy with what you're doing now and whatever comes, you will just go with the flow.

Louis 46:46

Yeah, essentially.

Masti 46:48

I hope you enjoyed this episode of alumni stories. If you want to get in touch with our guests, are interested in applying or need more details about the bachelor of European Culture study program here at the university of Luxembourg, check out the description of today's episode, where I've added all the information you'll need. That's all for now, but we'll be back soon, and I hope you will be too. Maybe even soon on campus.