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Marie-Rose Steil-Blang

Listen to Marie-Rose Steil-Blang VO Luxembourgish

Marie-Rose Steil-Blang was born in Esch-sur-Alzette, the largest industrial city of Luxembourg.

At the age of 19, she married Xavier Steil one week before embarking on a journey to João Monlevade together.

The technician Xavier accepted ARBED’s offer to work at their Brazilian subsidiary. He followed the employer’s advice to marry his girlfriend and take her with him to Brazil.

The Steil family lived in a small house on Rua Siderúrgica near the river and stayed in Monlevade from 1951 to 1957.

Three of their five children were born in João Monlevade, but the family returned to Luxembourg shortly before the birth of their fourth son.

Marie-Rose, now a 89-year-old widow living in her hometown Esch-sur-Alzette, happily recalls those seven years lived in the "Tropical Wild West".

We meet the widow in her home in Esch, where she recalls the struggles of being a housewife in Monlevade.