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. :)

School of Cool

This is something I wrote about a month ago but I never posted it because I was too shy to whip out my camera at school. Now here it is.

"I feel like I've settled in well at school over the past couple of weeks but there were a few things that I had to get used to.

My very first experience of my school was a scary one. Rūta and I walked to school and started climbing the steps to the front door. Only after my feet start slipping does she caution me that the steps are covered in ice ... thanks. Luckily I didn't slip and now skating to the front door is one of my favourite parts of the day. (NEWS FLASH: since I wrote this they have made the steps safer by putting down non-slip strips. Way to ruin my fun) Although opening the heavy door while your feet are slipping and sliding can be quite hard.

Just beyond the doors is a small front office that is tended by an imposing woman. The first day that i walked to school alone she accosted me in Latvian. I was like 'what?'. I somehow worked out that she thought I wasn't a student at the school and I tried to tell her I was. She settled down when I said (in Latvian) 'I'm from Australia!!'. She liked that. 'Oh! Australia!!!'. Since then we always exchange smiles as I walk in.

And then the other day our relationship reached a new level. We had a conversation!! It was in Latvian!! And I understood most of it!!! We talked about Latvia and how I liked it and where I was staying and yeah. That's as much as the language allowed for. But then she finished by telling me that I was a very pretty girl. I wasn't sure how to take that so I followed by year 8 SOSE teacher's advice, I smiled and nodded. My first friend at school :D.

But my favourite thing at school would have to be this ...

Yes we learn in cabinets. I'm still trying to figure out how they make those cabinets feel so roomy. :)

And this is what I do during class. :)
"