The next few blogs will be about my two missions trips to Liepaja, Latvia and Berlin, Germany, as well as an intro into my time here in Spain. But first, in typical Shanda style… the Latvia top 10.
LATVIA TOP 10
10 Things I learned in Latvia…
1 – In Latvia kids grow up drinking Kefir, a fermented milk drink. While we were in Liepaja, we had the chance to taste a variety of traditional Latvian foods. Some of the braver souls attempted the Kefir. Judging by the responses, I’m pretty sure it’s an acquired taste.
2 – It’s often said that it takes Northern Europeans awhile to open up, however, in Latvia that wasn’t the case at all. From day one we were greeted with smiles and openess. I’ve never met such friendly people with such giving hearts.
3 – In almost every country I visited this past year dogs lined the streets and sidewalks, but in Liepaja it was cats. On every street corner, under every park bench, and even in the middle of the market, cats were sure to be lying around enjoying the afternoon sun.
4 – Scarves are a staple in Latvian fashion. If you want to transform from an obvious American tourist to a local, simply wrap a scarf around your neck and you’re sure to blend in a bit more.
5 – Latvians have heard of baseball, but don’t really know how to play the game. However, after some instructions, the students were ready to give it a go. They had a blast playing “America’s favorite past time”.
6 – The Baltic Sea is breathtaking, both in beauty and in temperature. Some of the more adventurous ones in our group decided we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take a swim. The experience was well worth the chattering teeth that greeted us as we left the water.
7 – Latvians are beautiful people. In one class that we visited, we were able to discuss varies opinions we had made about the Latvian people during our time there (Latvians are generous, open, intelligent, attractive, etc.). Everyone had their own opinion about which ones were true and which ones weren’t, except every single person in the room agreed that Latvians were attractive. Just take a look at the 5 Latvian girls below and I think you’ll agree.
8 – Like many other European cities the streets in Latvia are made of cobblestone and the architecture is old and unique, but there was something extra special about Latvia. Both Liepaja and Riga had a unique charm and quaintness about them.
9 – Latvia, hands down, has the best birthday candles ever! During our time there we celebrated two birthdays. As we were on the hunt for candles we stumbled across these, I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
10 – Latvia is addictive, once you’ve been once you’ll definitely want to go again. Each of the 27 American high school students was able to experience God in a new way, broaden their cultural horizons, and have the time of their lives and each of them can’t wait to return!
