Spain vs. Latvia One great thing about being an American in Latvia is that I get to sit back and just observe the way the world works with a whole new perspective. I get to watch people, like an anthropologist, and make notes about what I see. Today, I witnessed the clashing of tribes—a showdown …
Zeme: Earth As I become more acquainted with my mother and father-land, I am trying to put it all in some big picture perspective. What is the big takeaway? What am I learning about myself and life in the process of relocating to Latvia? The short answer is that I do not know, but one …
Darbu 25 August 2017 I am sitting in my old friend, the Beer House having a celebratory IPA and fish and chips while pondering my future here in Latvia. Today I signed a contract for a half-time teaching job at Gymnasium 2 in Riga, Latvia. Rita tells me it is where her heroine, Anna Bērzkalne …
Piebalga August 19-20 This weekend, Rita invited me to join her for the last day of her folklore collecting project in the region of Latvia known as Piebalga which is right in the center of the country. This is a map of beer breweries throughout the country, and you can see Piebalga to the east. …
LATE This is just a quick post (which has now dragged on for days) to let you know that I am now a card-carrying member of LATE (pronounced like latte (which is not pronounced like matte)). I attended the 25th annual Latvian Association of Teachers of English conference last Thursday and Friday. It was a special …
Time/Laiks After over a week in Latvia, I feel like I’m a bit of an expert on the whole thing. (Do I need to point out I’m kidding? Probably…) From what I can tell, time moves differently here than in Nebraska. Maybe it’s because it’s summer, and I don’t have a job, but the rhythm …
Atšķirības I suppose that one of the interesting topics to write about is how Latvia is different from the United States. Since it is a part of the European Union, I’m sure that some of the differences will carry over to other countries you might be interested in visiting, but I am also even more …
Kapu Svētki Alūksne, Latvia 5-6 Augusts 2017 After renting a car and dropping off Gita, I went to pick up Rita for our trip across Latvia on the A2 “highway” to our overnight stay in Aumeisteri just east of Smiltene, where my father, Vitauts, is from. The manor was a last minute choice. Every hotel in …
Week in Review 7 August 2017 I have been away from the United States for over a week, and tomorrow will mark my first full week in Latvia. I had been meaning to write a post per day, but time gets away from you when you are traveling the bumpy highways of Latvia! Last week …
Krex, Brex, Fex! Friday, 4 August 2017 What a day! Sometimes these days seem to last and I do more than I ever thought possible… I am sitting in my lovely little cottage with wi-fi (story to follow) on a Friday drinking a Tērvete beer and getting ready to watch some Netflix before I finally …