(Topics I've Got You) On My Mind

Everyday during this experience there are plenty of ideas and observations which crowd my mind. Just being in a different environment opens you up to different thoughts about the world, people, cultures and global topics.

While I slowly try and turn them into blog posts, for the time being I thought I would list the topics which are currently facinating me about Latvia

• Absence of advertising and big American fast food resturants. Comparing this to more 'western' countries and if these things need to be the mark of a developed country.
• The difference between ethnicity and nationality. Particularly the relationship between Russians, Latvians and Russo-Latvians.
• The performance of the Latvian government and how they seem incapable of directing the country through the crisis.
• The development of politics in a country and the impact of not having a history of self-determination.
• The hangover of Soviet influences and how that impacts Latvians' behaviours towards preferring group/communal environments.

Hopefully I can write my thoughts in a more detailed way soon.

Warm Day In The Cold

Its amazing how quickly your body changes its perception of the environment around it.

Walking to work in the morning, I get to see the temperature displayed (Thank you Turkish Airlines). In the last weeks, it has been as low as 4 degrees Celsius and as high as 9 degrees. This is around 8:30 - 9am.

Strangely enough, when it is 9 degrees (or even 6 or 7), I say to myself:

"gee, its warm today"

15 months ago, during my last winter in Australia, 9 degrees was cold, very cold, cold enough to dive into the back of your wardrobe and dig out 8 different layers of clothes and turn on every heater you've ever owned.

Now, 9 degrees is warm and feels nice.

Perception is a strange thing.

Paint It White

This morning, as I traveled by bus from Riga to Valmiera, an interesting train of thought floated through my mind.

It started with seeing ice on cars as I walked to the bus stop in the morning. This was the first time since I was in Latvia that I had seen a morning frost. The middle of October and we were experiencing our first temperatures below zero.

As I was travelling by bus from Riga to Valmiera in the morning, I watched the Latvian landscape speed by. At first I thought:

"Wow, there is a lot of ice covering the ground, it must have rained, then frozen."

As I kept travelling, the ice was whiter, thicker and covering more and more of the landscape. I thought to myself:

"Perhaps this is snow?

Surely not, its far too early for snow.

But it looks like snow, it has to be!

I don't really know what snow looks like, so it could just be a lot of ice."

When I finally arrived in Valmiera, I was able to examine it far closer, to discover, that on October 12th, I had seen my first snow covering of the year.

It was a wonderful sight. I will find it hard to believe that I can get sick of the sight of a white blanket covering the landscape, even though people assure me that I will.

For the time being, I will enjoy everything painted white.

City of Glass

With special thanks to AIESEC Vilnius, I have now managed to spend some time in Vilnius, capital of Lithuania. While I was there to chair their Discover09 Conference, I did get a chance to soak up some of the Vilnius scenery.

Vilnius

My walk through the city opened a big question for me.

Is the economic development of a city reflected in its architecture?

The very first thing that stands out at me is the architecture in the city. I've never studied design or really know anything about it (apart from watching too much "How I Met Your Mother"), but walking around Vilnius, it is the buildings that stood out for me.

Vilnius

My first thought was:

I thought Riga was supposed to be the economic centre of the Baltics!

By looking at Vilnius, I found it very hard to believe.

Sure, the centre of Vilnius is similar to Riga, characterized by shorter buildings, which date back many years. If I spent more time visiting other parts of the city, I perhaps would have seen a cityscape very similar to what I encounter in Riga.

However, surrounding the city, I could see the familiar sight of skyscrapers, stretching their way into the sky. These sheer, slender structures cut at different angles and seemingly made entirely out of windows: Giant glass monuments to modernity.

Vilnius

It was this sight that brought the skyline of Riga into stark contrast. By comparison, Riga is deserted.

Riga

Not wanting to make a value judgment on the cities of Vilnius and Riga, I did some brief research to understand the economic realities of both Lithuania and Latvia. Both these countries are characterized by having the majority of their economic activity centred in their capitals.

The following graphs show the GDP, GDP Per Capita and Inflation of the Baltic States over the last 6 years.

Baltic GDP

Baltic GDP Per Captia

Baltic Inflation

(For all graphs, EE=Blue, LV=Pink, LT=Yellow)

When you bear in mind that Latvia’s population is 2/3s that of Lithuania, it is clear that Latvia is slightly ahead in economic development. (However, the population of Riga is ~800,000, compared to Vilnius at ~540,000).

Why then, does Vilnius boast a skyline of a major economic centre, while Riga, more closely resembles a city at the turn of the century: The last century?

Riga

This is a strange question, one which could require a deeper understanding of the economy of both countries and cities. I would also be interested to see how the environment affects the mood of the people in these cities. I know which one conveys a vision of progress and modernity, and its not necessarily what the economic figures say.

Pictures in the Riga

My Arrival in Latvia

(L-R: Jana, Agnese, Karina, Jake, Liza)

View from the Skyline Bar, Reval Hotal Latvija

Old Town of Riga

The Esplanade

Freedom Monument

(Brivivas Piemineklis)

Nativity Orthadox Cathedral

Riga's Park

Fountain in Riga's Park

The Scence for my Autumn Photo Project

Sandcastles at Jurmala

Flower Shops near my Apartment

Cafe Rooms and Coffeespoons

Since I was about 10, I have developed an increasingly sophisticated taste for coffee. I remember starting to have a cup at the morning tea after church on a Sunday. Some Blend 43 and a few spoonfuls of sugar. Over the next 12 years, I progressed to enjoying the cafe coffee culture and decided to restrict myself to quality espresso coffee.

This is something that has been seriously challenged as I have moved to Latvia. Now, while I haven't succumbed to the "mass produced, caffeine infused, brown coloured water" which is served up at commercial, franchised cafe chains, I have changed my standards to some degree.

In my first few months, I developed my "coffee face", or a look of disappointment when I had the first sip of a coffee. However, I am discovering, that some of the problem is the difference in the taste of milk, possibly caused by the cows having different diets and drinking different water,(Thanks to Kate for pointing this out to me). So I've adjusted my perception of the taste of coffee, so as not to be disappointed by European milk. This is quite a life saver, because I can now find coffee shops to enjoy.

But aside from the taste, I am also missing the cafe culture that I loved in Sydney (and in Melbourne). The small little shop, privately owned, with a few tables, a small menu and some peace and quiet to enjoy a Saturday morning. There are a few cafes in Riga, but I need to go to specific places to get the cafe environment. Unlike Sydney or Melbourne, where you can almost turn around and point to find a place.

It is an interesting insight into cultural differences when you look at environments are creates for socialising and leisure. It also reflects differences in business culture. In Australia, at any coffee shop in a business district, you can see business meetings taking place. Meetings with clients, bosses meeting with employees, co-workers meeting to review plans and discuss ideas. This is not a phenomenon I have seen in Latvia, which has lead me to see how much I loved that aspect of Australian culture.

I can't write a post on my changing attitudes to coffee and thoughts on coffee culture, without mentioning the lovely gift I carted home from Malaysia. It is definitely changing the way I consume coffee in the office.

Thankyou Electrolux.

I'm sure I will enjoy the next 9 months further indulging in my favourite aspects of the coffee culture.

The Song Of This City

I have never really understood exactly what it meant to sense the feelings and emotions of a city, or a people. The time I have previously spent abroad has never been long enough to allow me to develop anything more than a superficial impression of a place.

But now, after 3 months in Latvia, and returning from 3 weeks in Malaysia, I have a real sense of what that means. Life feels comfortable, I feel in my place at home or in the office. I am also starting to pick up on some subtler elements of culture.

There is a certain rhythm or melody to Riga which I can't quite express. It is something of a slow, melancholy tune, which I can begin to grasp only when I glimpse attitudes of entrepreneurship, optimism or hope.

I would love to compare this feeling I have to the Riga of 12 months ago, before the crisis began to bite. To know if this feeling is the effect of a global economy shaking the foundations of a young country, or if it is a deeper, more culturally ingrained attitude.

Perhaps in another 12 months fortunes will have swung back the other way and I will be able to find that answer. But for now I will have to be content with trying to hear the song of this city.