A Chilly Adventure
Well, another week has passed! And though somehow I seem to be getting more tired earlier with each passing night, I can't let Sunday go by without posting an update from this week! It's gone by pretty quickly, and I'm afraid time will only increase in speed from here on out. With the advent of March came the realization that we really don't have much time left out here. I'm starting to realize how much I'm going to miss Latvia when the time comes. And I'm so grateful for that perspective! It means that the time remaining is that much more precious to me, and I'm so excited to see what those coming weeks bring.
I started the week off still recovering from the sickness I seem to have picked up from Berlin. Honestly, I'm still not quite better. I would've forgotten I was sick altogether this week, but as you know I'm working in a dental clinic, and since I'm not supposed to cough there, it became all the more obvious when I had to cough. At home it was easier to ignore. Luckily, the cough was a minor nuisance and I didn't have to take any days off of work.
Even though none of us here at the apartment have really been feeling sick, we still didn't get out of the house much. Part of the reason is probably that we're more aware of our money after how much we spent in Berlin. Another part is definitely how cold it's been. This week had the lowest temperatures we've seen so far in Latvia. Temperatures of 11 degrees Fahrenheit were lowered by the windchill factor, making it a balmy -4 degrees some days. Admittedly, this is not the coldest weather I've ever lived in. But I can't help hoping that Spring is around the corner, especially when I hear birds singing on the streets.
Although the cold weather is tough, one great thing I've noticed about Latvia is that cold temperatures typically mean clear skies. So while the streets have been frigid, we've had the sun shining in our apartment all week, which actually means that inside it's been warmer than usual. Needless to say, I've been extremely grateful for those rays of sunshine.
Our professor and program director, Dr. Brown, visited us this week! He came to our Russian class on Monday, and then visited our internships that evening and the next day. I realize I haven't described before what our Russian class is like. We have a textbook that goes through 6 debate topics, and each one makes up a unit in our class. We started with the topic of intervention in foreign affairs, and this week we finished up debating immigration. Next week we'll be getting into freedom vs. security. It was awesome to have Dr. Brown participate in our immigration debates, and while I'm painfully aware of the gaps in my knowledge of both the Russian language and immigration, I'm learning to be grateful for where I'm at. I started off thinking that my teacher would be disappointed with my level of understanding, but I'm realizing that she's willing to help no matter where I'm at.
Dr. Brown also took us out to eat at an old wine cellar-turned-restaurant called Rozengrals. The restaurant itself is in a basement and the waiters are all dressed in medieval attire. Every dish on the menu comes with a description of who would eat this dish and/or on what occasion it was eaten. For example, my dish of oven-baked duck with cherry onion sauce came with this description: "This is one of the favorite dishes of Rene of Anjou who conducted the range of famous tournaments. Including the tournament in Nantes in 1445 in honour of the marriage of his two daughters Margaret and Yolande." The restaurant was lit only by candles, but the restrooms did have running water (thankfully). I also tried kvass for the first time there at Rozengrals, and I'm ashamed I didn't try it earlier. After all, everyone in Russia drinks it, and I lived there for 18 months. But now I've tried it, and I think I'll try to make it a little more regular in my Eastern European diet.
Yesterday, our history teacher, Uldis, picked us all up in his jeep (it was a little squishy), and took us on a field trip! Or should I say road trip? We went to a couple neighboring cities - Segulda and Cēsis. We stopped and walked around the woods in Segulda, saw a few historical buildings, walked on a frozen lake (and made snow angels, of course!) and in Cēsis, we got to walk around a real castle! We carried lanterns around as we explored the many levels and hidden corners, including the prison cell. It was... absolutely freezing. Our toes nearly fell off. But it was very worth it, especially because it was a step out of our ordinary weekly museum trips. We were pretty pooped by the time we got home, but very happy.
As far as things at home, Shannon keeps making delicious food, including no-bake cookies today, and I'm just giddy about it! I promised that I'd wash the dishes after every meal, and you better believe I carry through on that promise! Washing dishes is my favorite chore. Tiffany has gotten me hooked to Gilmore Girls, and we mourned together at all of their bad decisions. I'm loving both of these girls more with each passing day.
All in all, I'm content. I've got a lot to work on while I'm here, and I'm excited to see it play out. I'm glad that I am here, finding new adventures with each passing day. And I just want to say - for anybody waiting for the next big adventure: it's right in front of you! It's in the little moments of every day. The best adventure is the one you're on right now, no matter where you are or what you're doing.
I started the week off still recovering from the sickness I seem to have picked up from Berlin. Honestly, I'm still not quite better. I would've forgotten I was sick altogether this week, but as you know I'm working in a dental clinic, and since I'm not supposed to cough there, it became all the more obvious when I had to cough. At home it was easier to ignore. Luckily, the cough was a minor nuisance and I didn't have to take any days off of work.
Although the cold weather is tough, one great thing I've noticed about Latvia is that cold temperatures typically mean clear skies. So while the streets have been frigid, we've had the sun shining in our apartment all week, which actually means that inside it's been warmer than usual. Needless to say, I've been extremely grateful for those rays of sunshine.
Our professor and program director, Dr. Brown, visited us this week! He came to our Russian class on Monday, and then visited our internships that evening and the next day. I realize I haven't described before what our Russian class is like. We have a textbook that goes through 6 debate topics, and each one makes up a unit in our class. We started with the topic of intervention in foreign affairs, and this week we finished up debating immigration. Next week we'll be getting into freedom vs. security. It was awesome to have Dr. Brown participate in our immigration debates, and while I'm painfully aware of the gaps in my knowledge of both the Russian language and immigration, I'm learning to be grateful for where I'm at. I started off thinking that my teacher would be disappointed with my level of understanding, but I'm realizing that she's willing to help no matter where I'm at.
Dr. Brown also took us out to eat at an old wine cellar-turned-restaurant called Rozengrals. The restaurant itself is in a basement and the waiters are all dressed in medieval attire. Every dish on the menu comes with a description of who would eat this dish and/or on what occasion it was eaten. For example, my dish of oven-baked duck with cherry onion sauce came with this description: "This is one of the favorite dishes of Rene of Anjou who conducted the range of famous tournaments. Including the tournament in Nantes in 1445 in honour of the marriage of his two daughters Margaret and Yolande." The restaurant was lit only by candles, but the restrooms did have running water (thankfully). I also tried kvass for the first time there at Rozengrals, and I'm ashamed I didn't try it earlier. After all, everyone in Russia drinks it, and I lived there for 18 months. But now I've tried it, and I think I'll try to make it a little more regular in my Eastern European diet.
Yesterday, our history teacher, Uldis, picked us all up in his jeep (it was a little squishy), and took us on a field trip! Or should I say road trip? We went to a couple neighboring cities - Segulda and Cēsis. We stopped and walked around the woods in Segulda, saw a few historical buildings, walked on a frozen lake (and made snow angels, of course!) and in Cēsis, we got to walk around a real castle! We carried lanterns around as we explored the many levels and hidden corners, including the prison cell. It was... absolutely freezing. Our toes nearly fell off. But it was very worth it, especially because it was a step out of our ordinary weekly museum trips. We were pretty pooped by the time we got home, but very happy.As far as things at home, Shannon keeps making delicious food, including no-bake cookies today, and I'm just giddy about it! I promised that I'd wash the dishes after every meal, and you better believe I carry through on that promise! Washing dishes is my favorite chore. Tiffany has gotten me hooked to Gilmore Girls, and we mourned together at all of their bad decisions. I'm loving both of these girls more with each passing day.
All in all, I'm content. I've got a lot to work on while I'm here, and I'm excited to see it play out. I'm glad that I am here, finding new adventures with each passing day. And I just want to say - for anybody waiting for the next big adventure: it's right in front of you! It's in the little moments of every day. The best adventure is the one you're on right now, no matter where you are or what you're doing.
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