SNOW!!!!

I woke up this morning (I really, really didn't want to) and sleepily walked downstairs. My eyes, half closed, quickly opened in excitement when I looked out the window. The world was WHITE!!! This is the view from my bedroom window.

And this is the view from the bathroom. :)

It's not as if snow is a new thing for me, I did spend 4 months living in it, it just all happened so quickly! Yesterday it simply rained; the ground was green where it hadn't been churned to mud; and the trees were straining to keep their golden leaves. And then today the world was completely turned upside down! All the dirt and filth has been covered up and everything looks magical. The trees may not have leaves but at least now they are daintily dressed in snow. I also love how every now and then you catch glimpses of green grass beneath the pure white blanket of SNOW. Did I mention the snow?

I was late for school (and that is hard to do because I live 100m from it) because I couldn't stop taking photos.

I also had my very first snow fight!! :) Everyone seems to find it quite amusing that a 12th grader would stoop to such immature levels as to throw snow at people. But I didn't quite get to the throwing snow at people level. My snow balls all fell apart and by that time the little 7th graders had surrounded me and my friend and covered us in snow :) We're meeting again next week but this time I'll be prepared. I've already started planning tactics :)

And you know what else is cool?!?! How now when I come home at about 4 o'clock, instead of it being pitch black, the sky has a glow to it because of all the white snow! MAGICAL!!!

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A little too quickly

I've been feeling recently that things have been happening a little too quickly for my liking. While most of you are enjoying the joys of spring and the promise of summer I am currently experiencing 'Autumn', although to me it seems more like Winter. For those of you who don't understand Latvians, sniegs (the circled word below) means snow...

First of September

The first of September here in Latvia is a pretty big deal. Everyone dresses up and goes to school for the official opening. It's even more special for the 12th and 1st grades. The 12th graders accompany the youngsters into the school to start the first of many 'wonderful' years to come.

My new class! :)

Autumn!

My Latvian Television Debut

Pity they didn't get my shoes in the shot :(

In Edinburgh I met a poet.
We talked,
About life,
And how little of it,
I share with my blog.
She wrote this

[If you can't read it then you simply miss out on some awesomeness :P]

Jauna Dzive

I have arrived in Koknese and have started living with my new family.

Took the dog for a walk in the forest last night and had the most magical experience. It was a grey afternoon and the trees had this calm intensity to them. I could see the river Perse glistening ahead of me. As I neared strains of singing drifted through the trees. I walked on to find a concert taking place in the Koknese castle ruins. Magical.

This morning I had another simple and yet beautiful experience, potato harvesting. 20 people all working together. Then gathering around the table for hearty food and heartier laughs before setting off again. There is something so beautiful about living simply and really connecting with the people around you. It's nice to see that in normal, modern lives these traditions remain. (Although I wonder how long it takes for the beauty to wear off and the back pain to set in).

I hope you all survived the winter :) The summer here has been wonderful but now Autumn has arrived and with it a lot of rain. I should repair the holes in my gumboots as they will probably come in handy.
Love Zaiga

Spring!

Hey everyone. Hope all is well in aus and you're all ready for winter. :) Winter is a distant memory, Latvia has transformed and we are well and truly into the summer months. I recently went on a bike ride with my cousin's fifth grade class. It was amazing!! Latvia is so beautiful at the moment. So green!!!

Where am I?

Our thermometer (admittedly in the sun) is showing 34 degrees!!!! Where am I? I thought this place was meant to be cold :) It's soo amazingly pretty at the moment however, I have no pictures to share because I am sick. Which means I am sitting inside staring through the windows at the beautiful weather outside. Hopefully I'll be better tomorrow but ironically the forecast is for rain :(

On another note the Australian posties seem to be having a hard time delivering the letters to me. I have received quite a few very late and a few of them have overseas written on them with an arrow towards Latvia. One suggestion made was perhaps to write Europe on the envelope :)

Hope life is strolling along whistling despite the fact that Winter is approaching on your side of the earth :) Although the Latvians would probably call our winter a grey summer :) Speaking of summer, I only just realised the other day that the summer here is actually quite short. It starts getting cold again in September! I don't know what I was thinking but for some reason I assumed it would stay warmish (around 20) till about end of November and then the snow would fall and I would leave. Not the case my host mother assures me :( I'm going to have to buy another jacket.

Love to all

WE WON!!

I swear I tried posting something the other day but the session timed out. Anyway, in lieu of a thorough update on my life since my last post I'm going to share some awesome news.

My choir won it's division in the finals!!! We are going to dziesmas svētki!!!! For those of you who don't know dziesmas svētki is this massive festival that happens every four years. ( it's really every two because there is the real one and a school and youth one) So basically hundreds of singers come together and sing in one massive event and it is amazing. And we're going (admittedly to the school one but still!)!!!! Check it out! http://www.dziedundejo.lv/

Teach a woman to fish

Long time no see. So much has happened in that time that I could probably write for days and days. But I have decided that the little things are more interesting than trips abroad to Hungary or Estonia and so I am going to show you what I did today.

First I translated and memorised two verses of a latvian song (maybe memorised is a bit strong since I have to stop to think after every word). For the amusement of those Latvian speakers out there I will try to write it correctly.

Skaistā teva zeme
Ai, skaistā teva zeme
Tavu lielu jaukumiņu!
Smildziņa noziedēja
Sudrabiņa ziediņiem.

Kam šie kalni? Kam šīs lejas?
Kam lielie rudzu lauki?
Dievam kalni, Laimai lejas,
Arājam rudzu lauki.


And after that I went fishing!


Got one!!!!And I'm not letting it get away (I think I alsmost strangled the fish, if that's even possible)
Then for some reason I decided I wanted to learn how to clean it. But it was worth the effort because it was so yummy!

Then later that evening I taught my family how to eat tim tams (thanks Karen for sending them). This is my big bro giving it a go.

Love to all and if you wait around long enough one day I might tell you about Hungary :)

Es esmu slinka

Wow. It's been such a long time, I didn't realise.

But today the weather made me think of all of you in Australia, especially the gumboot doubters. This morning it was 4 degrees!! And yes I mean +4. What better time to wear gumboots than when 3 months worth of snow is melting and forming massive puddles on the street. And there will be photos of my first latvian puddle jump. Infact my gumboots are probably more useful here than they ever were in Australia, what with the drought and all. So to all you doubters, those who scoffed at my choice of footwear, "Hi!". :)

Since the last post so much has happened. I spose one of the biggest events was my b'day. It was a really nice, relaxed day (if you call being thrown up into the air on a chair 18 times relaxing :) ). And my first legal drink couldn't have been in a better place, at the top of the Hotel Latvia (pretty much the only skyscraper in Rīga). Although later I saw a sign saying you could only drink there if you were 21 so maybe it wasn't quite so legal :) Anyway, thanyou all so much for you cards. The post here is magical as they all seemed to arrive on my b'day and none on the days surrounding.This is a pie another exchange student made me. I didn't realise till after I cut it that it said Zaiga 18 on the top. How sweet is that!!!

The weekend was the other massive event. I went ice skating, birthday pie eating, vintage shopping, hockey watching, contact person meeting (more like awesome contact person meeting), rock concerting, metal concerting (now I have a better appreciation of the art that is metal), dice playing (seriously THE best game ever. I'll teach you some time, just remind me), brownie baking (legally I assure you), rellie meeting (it's weird/amazingly comforting how people you've only seen a couple of times before can feel so close), movie watching (Alice in Wonderland is magical), and ofcourse a lot of time spent on public transport. At the end of the weekend I was tired but amazingly happy. :)

In other news I've started a photography course. I hope it's worth the two hour return trip. But I've been enjoying photography so much since I've been here that I'm sure it will be. Speaking of photos here are some.

Sunset over the Daugava!


The Sea!!!! I walked on the sea (until it started cracking under me).
Snow ball fight!!!!
Sunset with friends.

Things I've Seen

I forgot to show you my amazing trophy making skills. Tin foil is such a versatile material.
My friend broke the first oath of hamster ownage ... keep the male away from the female.

Without cheeze and funk chips will never be the same again.I went and watched some dog-ski racing (not sure what to call it). Not sure I would want to strap myself to one of these beasts, they seemed more interested in anything other than their owner. On a side note there was a dog from Australia. Not sure how it went but we'll just say it won.
This is the Daugava, the largest river in Latvia. And yes I did walk on it. :)

Hmm ... yes, I think a little jet skiing is in order.Putting the finishing touches to my first snowwomen!!


In the back yard with da gurls.Riča likes them young.
Going in for the smooch (or maybe just a bite of that nose).
OMG IT'S A PLAYGROUND!!! (on a side note it's also kinda cool that it's covered in snow)
And now begins my obsession with the sky. I feel happiest when I'm walking home from Mākslas Skola and the sun is setting. The colours are so gorgeous. This is a little before the sunset but I still love the delicacy of the sky and the mix of colours. Also gives you a little look at my town.



And this was completely by accident but I like it :)

And that is my life in pictures because I was getting sick of reading myself write. :)