So far

Hey there, everybody :). It is me :) - the girl you never hear from :D. I do realise you don’t get to hear from me as often as from Tanja, that in fact you barely ever get to hear anything from me :). But the truth is that I am here as well and I do stuff too :). I’m not that open about my personal opinions or when it comes to publicly exposing my thoughts and views, and as silly as it might sound, it is sort of a challenging moment for me to write a blog post that I would consider to be readable and interesting, rather than just a mash up of empty words.

It’s been a while since I came to Latvia and a lot of things had happened during those months. I’ve met tons of new, amazing people… I got to know a lot of new things, learnt a lot of new things, got used to plenty of new things, had ups and downs during that time, but mainly was smiling and trying to be as present as I can be.

You know, when you decide to do something like an EVS or generally something new, when you suddenly find yourself in a situation you’ve never been in before, there is no ‘best’ way how to get things done… people can advise you and tell you what they think and you can try to prepare yourself as much as you can  - make a huge research on what you can expect, but in the end the reality might be completely different... And whatever the case is – whether you like the situation or not – it is only up to you how you deal with it and how you let it to affect you.

However, what I can say and what I would like to advise to everybody who is about to do something new, something challenging, exciting - I think the best advice I can give is what I've been trying to do since I arrived to Latvia - and that is to be as present as you can be. Because to properly experience things, to properly feel them and live them, you have to be right there at the place where you are. Not worry about what’s going to be or what was, just try to enjoy what is right at that moment. Because time flies fast and within a blink something amazing can be gone :).

My project is all about working with people. I work with children, I work with people with certain disabilities. And as much as I can study what is right to do and what isn't, when it comes to people and especially kids in particular, in reality you usually learn by trial and error. And that’s how it goes with me, too. And even if I cannot make any major differences to happen in the lives of those people I work with, I try to give them the best of me I have. I offer my friendship, loyalty or support… because what makes me feel good in the end of the day is knowing that I did or tried to make people around me feel good as well. That I gave them something from myself.

In all EVS projects the participants get to learn plenty of new stuff… new culture… new people, new traditions, new nature…I’ve learnt lots of that by now as well. To name just a few :) - I learnt that sour cream is life here :D, I learnt that name days are a thing, that “Nu” is a really catchy word :D and that Latvian people are not as cold as it’s usually presented. Taking time to get to know someone or not cheekily greeting everybody in the street is not a bad thing. To me it all feels more like that to earn someone’s  trust is something really valuable here…

Yet what I know by now is that the learning aspect doesn’t really apply just on learning things around me. I know that I learn a lot more about myself while I’m here. And to learn things about yourself, your abilities you might have never known about, your weaknesses, your strength, and a lot more, I feel like learning all this is just as equal as learning about your surroundings. And no one can ever take that gained knowledge away from you.

From the geographical point, I haven’t visited many places in Latvia yet. I’m in love with the sea and the nature, but my time is yet to come in spring and summer, when I would like to travel a bit more. For now I’m really looking forward to Riga Christmas markets and hoping for more snow to come because that makes my days happier and brighter :). I hope that everyone who hasn’t got fully caught into the Christmas spirit yet will do so soon and enjoy this precious and magical time of the year :).

And even though it’s a bit too early for new year's resolutions yet, I will give myself one and that will be to become more regular with my blog posts :).

‘Seeing is believing but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see‘ – The Conductor (Polar Express)

Sincerely,

Your Rose :).