My second day off from work started with the first language class in Riga. And guess what people I met???.... missionaries..... as this is nothing new lately, I did not exactly wonder...... Among the group of 10 students I was the only business person! People from Agape Latvia, the Bridge Builders and individual missionaries met to learn Latvian! All of them very dedicated Christians who helped to build up this country... some of them already for a couple of years.....
After the language class I rushed on to a bible study with Fran, who I keep meeting with since Summer. She also works as a missionary for Agape Latvia..... surprize, surprize :-)) ..... Together we explore the wonders, how God created women..... some toppic I found, I would like to improve my knowledge on!
At 15.00 h I was picked up by Mo & Wes to travel to Tilza! The journey took us 4 hours by car..... No, it is not that far!!! But the streets are no highways here! And trucks are slow on small roads.... besides driving quicker than 70km/h could cost you your car or your life or both..... just considering the bumps in the roads or traintracks to cross!
We arrived and I was immediatly integrated into family life! Wow! We just planned to stop by the latvian teacher to say hello.....BUT instead the evening stretched until 21.30 h. I played cards with the 3 kidds, got some tea and cake to start with..... lots of talking afterwards.....
Then they took us to the yellow house, where we had our seminars and guestrooms. Everything very simple, but clean! Comparable with a youth hostel 20 years ago! There was a community kitchen, serveral meeting rooms and I got a full 6 bed room for myself! So choosing the bed was hard!!!
The first floor of the house is heated with a wooden stove! A radiator system (fed by the wooden stove) provides for the heating system upstairs! This is worth while mentioning, as heat does not come natural living in the country..... either you feed the stove or the house will be cold... and that means really cold! Isolation is just known since 1995.......the traditional system is a solid wooden wall... u-value ~ 10???
My first language morning began early at 9:00 am! All seminar days had the same classes..... First in the morning learning new vocabulary by repeating the words or playing games..... starting light is nice if you are not a morning person..... Grammar started after the first coffee break..... being drugged, learning latvian grammar was easier..... all practicing included games.... kind of children games, but this was also how I felt, not being able to say the easiest sentences without help.... but the games were FUN..... we got to talk about own pictures describing, what we saw......colours, adjectives, objects. Starting next week, I will practice my new learned stuff with an old lady in the afternoons....
Here are some examples, what I learned this week:
Kas tas ir? - What is this?
Tas ir kruze! - This is a cup!
Kada ir kruze? - How does the cup look like?
Kruze ir dzeltena! - The cub is yellow!
Cik? - How many?
Cipari - Numbers
Pulkstenis - Clock & times
Kas mil ko? - Who loves who? (nominative-accusative)
Es esmu/ man ir - To be/ to have
Mani sauc Claudia. - My name is Claudia
Kur tu dzivo? - Where do you live?
Es esmu no Vacijas. - I am German.
Tagad dzivoju Riga. - I live in Riga now.
Cik ilgi tu jau dzivo Latvija? - How long do you already live in Latvia?
Es dzivoju jau divus gadus! - I already live here for 2 years.
Ko tu dari? - What do you do?
Es esmu arhitekte. - I am an architect.
Kur tu strada? - Where do you work?
Es strada Riga! - I work in Riga!
Does not sound much for 3 days??? ....... Well, let me tell you, I was definatly racking my brains off day after day.....
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Tilža
Tilza - This is the place where I will spend half of the coming weeks, practicing my latvian.....
Class will be as follows:
We will talk, talk, talk..... I have to bring some large scale photographs and explain the picture in latvian......to beginn with.... :-(( ...... Just wonder, how I will manage???
We will be 3 students, all beginners.....
Study times form 9-13.00, lunch and then talking with people from the village..... none of them will speak any english..... Uuuuuuuhhhhhh! Scary!......But FUN too...... let's see, how fluent I will be after 10 weeks....
In case you have trouble to find Tilza on the map.... I had as well......I finally found it 15 km from the russian border...... and this is the approximate location... look out for the arrow....
Class will be as follows:
We will talk, talk, talk..... I have to bring some large scale photographs and explain the picture in latvian......to beginn with.... :-(( ...... Just wonder, how I will manage???
We will be 3 students, all beginners.....
Study times form 9-13.00, lunch and then talking with people from the village..... none of them will speak any english..... Uuuuuuuhhhhhh! Scary!......But FUN too...... let's see, how fluent I will be after 10 weeks....
In case you have trouble to find Tilza on the map.... I had as well......I finally found it 15 km from the russian border...... and this is the approximate location... look out for the arrow....
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Time for changes
The next 10 weeks will be time for changes....
What changes??? Well, some....
Here is the list officially, so that you can hold me accountable, for what I did or did not do...
Every day devotional time
Writing my journal
Bible school
Learning latvian with regular homework
Starting counceling again
Regular sport (swimming or gymnastic)
Information about internet wire connection at my flat
Excursions by car :-))
Cooking and baking
Some shopping, I keep postponing since months
Organizing my paperwork
Accounting, organizing my little finances
What changes??? Well, some....
Here is the list officially, so that you can hold me accountable, for what I did or did not do...
Every day devotional time
Writing my journal
Bible school
Learning latvian with regular homework
Starting counceling again
Regular sport (swimming or gymnastic)
Information about internet wire connection at my flat
Excursions by car :-))
Cooking and baking
Some shopping, I keep postponing since months
Organizing my paperwork
Accounting, organizing my little finances
Driving taxi
My last taxi drive was a hugh success! I was so proud of me!
Wanna know why? I understood the driver!!! :-))
I was on my way back from an appointment in the city, lots of heavy stuff to carry and it was my first day in new shoes..... yap and my feet wanted a car :-))
First thing, I got into the taxi at a hotel here in Riga.....The driver tried to arrange a fare prize in english, which was much to high.... and by that move, I already knew, he was about to cheat me..... BUT here comes the latvian language into play..... I answered in Latvian, that it would be much less to take me home. AND this guy was quite surprized....
Wow I thought to myself, works somehow.....
Next move, I asked to turn on the taxi meter..... He reluctantly turned it on.... and probapbly hated me for it......BUT not on normal day fare, but higher night fare! As if I would not notice.....
So I told him to change...... AND we reached my flat without me being cheated at!
WHY?.....cause I tried not only to understand but also to speak Latvian!
You probably cannot imagine how much these 3 sentences meant for me!
It made my day... I’ll tell you!
Wanna know why? I understood the driver!!! :-))
I was on my way back from an appointment in the city, lots of heavy stuff to carry and it was my first day in new shoes..... yap and my feet wanted a car :-))
First thing, I got into the taxi at a hotel here in Riga.....The driver tried to arrange a fare prize in english, which was much to high.... and by that move, I already knew, he was about to cheat me..... BUT here comes the latvian language into play..... I answered in Latvian, that it would be much less to take me home. AND this guy was quite surprized....
Wow I thought to myself, works somehow.....
Next move, I asked to turn on the taxi meter..... He reluctantly turned it on.... and probapbly hated me for it......BUT not on normal day fare, but higher night fare! As if I would not notice.....
So I told him to change...... AND we reached my flat without me being cheated at!
WHY?.....cause I tried not only to understand but also to speak Latvian!
You probably cannot imagine how much these 3 sentences meant for me!
It made my day... I’ll tell you!
Sabbatical leave
Yupeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
I am off work...... for now!
I took a sabbatical leave until end of march to learn latvian language and to intense my scribture study again! Both is essential for my life right now!
So this is the schedule for comming weeks
MON – probably work
TUE – language class in Riga
WED-FRI – Language classes in Tilza (15 km from russian border)
SAT/SUN – in Riga
Well, we will see, what this time will bring!
New experiences, new people to meet, seeing countryside of Latvian...
AND the best is.... I was allowed to take the company car, which makes me flexible and I can drive where ever I want.... Isn’t this great! Wow!
I could even go to Tallinn again or drive down to Lithuania.... I guess, now I am getting to exited here.... Probably there won’t be time for that, but on the other hand, if not now, when ever? I will consider this the next weeks......
I am off work...... for now!
I took a sabbatical leave until end of march to learn latvian language and to intense my scribture study again! Both is essential for my life right now!
So this is the schedule for comming weeks
MON – probably work
TUE – language class in Riga
WED-FRI – Language classes in Tilza (15 km from russian border)
SAT/SUN – in Riga
Well, we will see, what this time will bring!
New experiences, new people to meet, seeing countryside of Latvian...
AND the best is.... I was allowed to take the company car, which makes me flexible and I can drive where ever I want.... Isn’t this great! Wow!
I could even go to Tallinn again or drive down to Lithuania.... I guess, now I am getting to exited here.... Probably there won’t be time for that, but on the other hand, if not now, when ever? I will consider this the next weeks......
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Cleaning my flat!
Saturdays are usually my cleaning days..... after a long week, my room definately has the need for tidyness.
So routine is: Kitchen first, then bathroom, tidying everything else, hoovering and then ironing..... the full programm! After that taking the washing to cleaners and shopping for groceries on the way back! By that time it is already late afternoon..... Time for leisure activities......
Since I do not have a washing maschine, washing my clothes is a bit complicated..... Riga unfortunately, does not provide common wash rooms....... A new buisiness idea, in case architecture will not work out ;-))
A friend from church is helping me with my normal stuff..... I am taking the clothes with the trolley to her flat, doing the washing there and taking the wet clothes home for drying..... Sometimes I also get them delivered via bus stop transfer.... Thats Fun! Ruth tells me, what bus she is at and I am waiting at the busstop until she arrives..... quick exchange of bags and thats it.... I am very happy for this support!
Blankets and towles I usually bring to an expensive cleaning service. They tumble dry all clothes together! My first experience with that service was a bit devastating, cause I never tumble-dried my normal clothes before and some of my stuff, I could not waer afterwards...... simply to small! So my conclusion was, just to take the stuff there, that can be dried without problems.....
The prove.....before and after pics....
So routine is: Kitchen first, then bathroom, tidying everything else, hoovering and then ironing..... the full programm! After that taking the washing to cleaners and shopping for groceries on the way back! By that time it is already late afternoon..... Time for leisure activities......
Since I do not have a washing maschine, washing my clothes is a bit complicated..... Riga unfortunately, does not provide common wash rooms....... A new buisiness idea, in case architecture will not work out ;-))
A friend from church is helping me with my normal stuff..... I am taking the clothes with the trolley to her flat, doing the washing there and taking the wet clothes home for drying..... Sometimes I also get them delivered via bus stop transfer.... Thats Fun! Ruth tells me, what bus she is at and I am waiting at the busstop until she arrives..... quick exchange of bags and thats it.... I am very happy for this support!
Blankets and towles I usually bring to an expensive cleaning service. They tumble dry all clothes together! My first experience with that service was a bit devastating, cause I never tumble-dried my normal clothes before and some of my stuff, I could not waer afterwards...... simply to small! So my conclusion was, just to take the stuff there, that can be dried without problems.....
The prove.....before and after pics....
Winter impressions on a work day
On a coooooooold Friday 3 people from our office drove to a compitition site in one of Rigas subburbs to take pictures and get familiar with the site. It was sunny but –15 degrees Celcuis and we were dedicated to be quickly back in our warm office. Thanks God we took our bosses jeep, cause it turned out to be frozen and very slippery.
Our idea was to drive up to a high-rise building and to take top-view pictures..... Every residential building has a door code. But actually I do not know, why a system like this gets installed at all! The trick to get in is.... to look carefully at the number buttons and then press the glossy buttons instead of the matte...... this is not only how we got in, but also how bums get into heated buildings, sleeping right in front of your flat door during the nights......
Well, an elevator from 1969......fitting exactly 3 people...... providing an handwritten emergency number to call!!!....... took us all the way up to the 12 floor.... 2 scary and noisy minutes until we savely arrived..... Being nervous and cold made us speak louder and a bit silly too..... Obviously this was to loud for a bum sleeping in the warm corridor next to the elevator we took. So we just quickly took pictures and entered back into the scary vehicle......
Walking the site was quickly done.... for nice walks it was simply to cold! The landscape is so beautiful at a sunny and snowy day like this. But the cold makes you move speedy and without the fun to relax about the wonderful set around you!
When looking at the picture of Reinis (in a warm big jacket) and Dace (in a mini skirt and a short jacket), I am still wondering about female latvian beauty attitudes....... I myself was packed into long trousers..... very unsexy BUT warm..... a big warm jacket, boots, gloves and a scarf wrapping everything else exept my eyes......
Last stop was the daugava river..... beautifully frozen! If the weather will last for a couple of weeks, people will actually cross the river from shore to shore for shortcuts..... some also use the river for sport activities as skiing or skating...... a lot of fun!
Our idea was to drive up to a high-rise building and to take top-view pictures..... Every residential building has a door code. But actually I do not know, why a system like this gets installed at all! The trick to get in is.... to look carefully at the number buttons and then press the glossy buttons instead of the matte...... this is not only how we got in, but also how bums get into heated buildings, sleeping right in front of your flat door during the nights......
Well, an elevator from 1969......fitting exactly 3 people...... providing an handwritten emergency number to call!!!....... took us all the way up to the 12 floor.... 2 scary and noisy minutes until we savely arrived..... Being nervous and cold made us speak louder and a bit silly too..... Obviously this was to loud for a bum sleeping in the warm corridor next to the elevator we took. So we just quickly took pictures and entered back into the scary vehicle......
Walking the site was quickly done.... for nice walks it was simply to cold! The landscape is so beautiful at a sunny and snowy day like this. But the cold makes you move speedy and without the fun to relax about the wonderful set around you!
When looking at the picture of Reinis (in a warm big jacket) and Dace (in a mini skirt and a short jacket), I am still wondering about female latvian beauty attitudes....... I myself was packed into long trousers..... very unsexy BUT warm..... a big warm jacket, boots, gloves and a scarf wrapping everything else exept my eyes......
Last stop was the daugava river..... beautifully frozen! If the weather will last for a couple of weeks, people will actually cross the river from shore to shore for shortcuts..... some also use the river for sport activities as skiing or skating...... a lot of fun!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Feuerzangenbowle
German traditions in Riga.... RDS met for a movie night at our office.... with a big projector we watched „Little Miss Sunshine”..... GREAT idea!
Before that we equipped us with fluids ..... I prepared a recipe for „Feuerzangenbowle”, which is a kind of hot wine with lots of caramelized rum.
Test yourself, this is the recipe for 10 thursty people:
3 l - dry red wine
1 l - 100% orange juice
2 oranges, sliced
½ lemon, sliced
Vanilla, cinnamon sticks, cloves - put in a teabag, soak in liquid for min. 1hr
½ sugarcane, soaked in rum
100ml 50-80 % Rum to flambé
Special metal plate
And it should look like this.....
Before that we equipped us with fluids ..... I prepared a recipe for „Feuerzangenbowle”, which is a kind of hot wine with lots of caramelized rum.
Test yourself, this is the recipe for 10 thursty people:
3 l - dry red wine
1 l - 100% orange juice
2 oranges, sliced
½ lemon, sliced
Vanilla, cinnamon sticks, cloves - put in a teabag, soak in liquid for min. 1hr
½ sugarcane, soaked in rum
100ml 50-80 % Rum to flambé
Special metal plate
And it should look like this.....
HOME SWEET HOME
The ultimate dream of every Architect is – to build his own house!!!
Niki did it!!!!! Her first own design is realized in Dortmund...... After a very stressful time & tremendous work..... her single family house is successfully completed!!!!!!
What an amazing woman! She did it ALL by herself!
I am very proud of her! :-))
Her first own home, first own office, first own kitchen, first own everything..... Maybe the dog and husband are still missing, but I am sure she is already working out her next action plan..... :-))
My pleasure was it to share this milestone with her! On New Years Eve we celebrated her MOVING-IN PARTY.... just the two of us:
Cooking good food, talking, watching "Dinner for one" with champagne, lighting her fireplace, watching fireworks at midnight, going for a walk AND cleaning & organizing her office, designing together the landscaping – like in old times.....
Here are some pic.....
Niki did it!!!!! Her first own design is realized in Dortmund...... After a very stressful time & tremendous work..... her single family house is successfully completed!!!!!!
What an amazing woman! She did it ALL by herself!
I am very proud of her! :-))
Her first own home, first own office, first own kitchen, first own everything..... Maybe the dog and husband are still missing, but I am sure she is already working out her next action plan..... :-))
My pleasure was it to share this milestone with her! On New Years Eve we celebrated her MOVING-IN PARTY.... just the two of us:
Cooking good food, talking, watching "Dinner for one" with champagne, lighting her fireplace, watching fireworks at midnight, going for a walk AND cleaning & organizing her office, designing together the landscaping – like in old times.....
Here are some pic.....
Balcony wild-life
There was a strange noise on my balcony this morning. And when I finally found a weapon and my camera, stalked to my window…… I found a cat sitting neatly at my railing, observing my and her neighbourhood from her lookout….
I am living at the second floor, which means 10 meter above ground and next to my balcony is just this very weak looking branch of bush…. Wondering how she got there……. I assumed, she must have climbed this bush to find a nice resting place outside my flat…..
I am living at the second floor, which means 10 meter above ground and next to my balcony is just this very weak looking branch of bush…. Wondering how she got there……. I assumed, she must have climbed this bush to find a nice resting place outside my flat…..
We have many cats living in the streets. They get fed by some old ladies, as well as lots of pigeons and other birds….. Since people here do not have pets in their houses, the street animals are some kind of compensation.Myself, I met a little black cat this summer on my way to work…. Each morning and evening I started looking out for her and she finally always showed up somewhere…. Completely black, deep green eyes and very skinny… I named her BLACKY…. Very creative name, I know….. but realizing I gave her a place in my heart, I also decided to feed her like a traditional old Latvian lady. :-)) She was sitting on my lab, eating kitekat and enjoying the strokes I gave her. Each evening I fought with myself leaving her behind on the street… But what life could I provide for a wild cat, when I am never home ….. One day, after a couple of months, she stopped showing up…. Haven’t seen her since….. I just hope, someone took her in and treats her well!
Since we have snow outside, I get a lot of visitors on my balcony….. Besides the cat this morning, I do have this weird tree branches I earlier talked about …… they still have many berries. So each weekend morning …. Actually not just the weekends, but these are the only times when I realize…… I have the pleasure to observe wildlife right in front of my window….. I host titmice, robins, merles and some others I do not recognize…… regular dating times are breakfast, lunch and dinner…. And besides I get the nice gift of happy bird talk…..
SUNSET
It is three o’clock and I am sitting at my table with a nice cub of coffee.... looking out of the window…… The sun is turning red above the trees – sunset time! This natural spectacle is still, after 2 years now, weird but also fascinating for me….
The last days we had a lot of snow and it was around – 10 degree Celsius….
I do not know what happened with our weather, but since 3 days all snow melted and now all neighbourhood looks as grey and brown as it looked in November….. No colours at all…. Nature is sleeping and houses and streets are not painted in colours anyway.
BUT the sun makes the difference and I am thankful that daylight increases each day now for 5 more minutes….. I can feel the difference. It is noticeable from week to week! The change is very speedy…..
Spending my time in Germany for Christmas, I noticed there was a full hour difference in daylight….Wow! On my first day in Duesseldorf I spend this extra hour at the river shore, walking and enjoying the landscape……
Nature is such a gift…. And I tend to forget how beautiful God designed this world!
The last days we had a lot of snow and it was around – 10 degree Celsius….
I do not know what happened with our weather, but since 3 days all snow melted and now all neighbourhood looks as grey and brown as it looked in November….. No colours at all…. Nature is sleeping and houses and streets are not painted in colours anyway.
BUT the sun makes the difference and I am thankful that daylight increases each day now for 5 more minutes….. I can feel the difference. It is noticeable from week to week! The change is very speedy…..
Spending my time in Germany for Christmas, I noticed there was a full hour difference in daylight….Wow! On my first day in Duesseldorf I spend this extra hour at the river shore, walking and enjoying the landscape……
Nature is such a gift…. And I tend to forget how beautiful God designed this world!
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