New service launched to help expats settle

Luxembourg City authorities have teamed up with the Just Arrived Ambassadors Club to bring additional services to those who have just landed in the Grand-Duchy.

Monthly meetings will be held at different locations in the capital and the group's ambassadors will be available at the town hall on Place Guillaume II every Tuesday morning.

The aim is to make the initial period and the integration process smoother for those who are new to Luxembourg by helping and supporting them with various tasks and offering advice.

The ambassadors, most of whom are women, have been in Luxembourg for a long time and are there to point new-arrivals in the right direction.

British national, Claire, recently joined the JAA Club as an ambassador and has been living in Luxembourg for 18 years.

"I had a difficult time at the beginning," she explained. "I was pregnant, alone, there was no internet or Facebook at the time! For three years I felt very isolated and I want to avoid other people having to experience that. Of course, I help them with administrative procedures but I also know where they can meet other British people, where they can find home produce like Marmite for example!"

Another ambassador, Sirli, from Estonia arrived in Luxembourg in 2004. "I didnt know anyone," she said. "I joined the club to offer my help to people in the community who need support when they arrive. I want to build bridges with the country. We all have a lot of experience in Luxembourg and can be useful to new-arrivals."

In October 2015 the team behind Just Arrived started the Just Arrived Ambassadors Club – an association created to provide intercultural support which consists of around 30 ambassadors from around the world.

The monthly meetings last around two hours and vary between the Lëtzebuerg City Museum, Villa Vauban and Cinémathèque. Participants take part in a tour of the building and get to know the ambassadors and others taking part.

The next meetings are:

• November 16 at midday in Cinémathèque
• December 15 at 5.30pm at Villa Vauban
• January 18 at 5.30pm at Lëtzebuerg City Museum
• February 9 at midday at Cinémathèque
• March 16 at 5.30pm at Villa Vauban
• April 19 at 5.30pm at Lëtzebuerg City Museum
• May 17 at midday at Cinémathèque

(Christelle Brucker, Heledd Pritchard)