Tag Archives: Latvian people

And people say my area is dodgy…

Posted on August 13, 2014 by BerLinda

Another weekend, another “district” challenge. On Saturday afternoon, I walked to the back of Central Station, which is where the crème de la crème of Riga society is known to hang out. I think the pecking order is decided by … Continue reading →

Posted in Beer, Expat, Fashion, Food, Humor, Humour, Moving to Riga, Riga, Travel | Tagged districts of Riga, dodgy bars, Drunks, Hangovers, homeless, Kundzinsala, Latvian people, Milgravis, Sarkandaugava, Trams, trolley buses, where not to live | 96 Comments

The master becomes the student

Posted on July 8, 2014 by BerLinda

When the wonderful “Lady of the Cakes” published her post on “How to be a hater with German food phrases”, I immediately did what any sane person would do and started insulting one of the (three) people I know in Germany. … Continue reading →

Posted in Expat, Humor, Humour, Language, TEFL | Tagged Distractions, German articles, German insults, Lady of the Cakes, Latvian people, Learning German, Making mistakes, Motivation, moving to Germany, Teacher as student, Teaching English, TEFL | 113 Comments

New balls, please.

Posted on June 9, 2014 by BerLinda

Hey Leppy! Any chance you can do a piece on Latvian tennis star Ernests Gulbis?? This was a request I received from a former colleague of mine in New Zealand. ‘Leppy’ is short for ‘leprechaun’, in case you were wondering. He’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Humour, Latvian people | Tagged Balls, beer, Djokovic, Ernests Gulbis, Family and babies, Latvian people, Leffe, Men's tennis, Prostitutes, Roland Garros, Sexism, Sport, Tennis, Women's tennis | 122 Comments

In Latvia, you can’t win

Posted on March 23, 2014 by BerLinda

I try to chat to my mother once a week on the phone and, over the course of our conversations, the blog usually comes up. Me: So, what did you think of such and such a post? Mammy O’Grady: Well, … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture and Traditions, Expat, Humor, Humour, Language, Latvia, Latvian people, Travel | Tagged Berries, Conversation, Dace Melbarde, expat, Foreigners in Latvia, forests, humor, Humour, language, Latvia, Latvian people, Leopard print, Marmite, Mushrooms, Riga, Small talk, Smiling, weather | 228 Comments

Goodbye Mr ‘Why Not?’

Posted on March 2, 2014 by BerLinda

A couple of weeks ago, I had yet another eye-opening conversation with my Latvian homies. I was in a lesson and we’d just finished a rather difficult reading about a man who had left his high-powered career in finance behind … Continue reading →

Posted in Expat, Humor, Humour, TEFL | Tagged Bagels, Chocolates, humor, Humour, Last lessons, Latvian people, Muffins, Muffins and More, Prosecco, Scrabble, Teaching English | 85 Comments

A little jaunt to Germany (Part 2)

Posted on February 27, 2014 by BerLinda

I got up at the crack of dawn the next morning (or 10am, Linda-time). After a shower and breakfast, I threw on my coat – only to discover, to my dismay, that it looked as if I’d rolled around in … Continue reading →

Posted in Expat, Humor, Humour, Latvian people, Love and Relationships, Old age, Travel | Tagged beer, Bremen, Bulmers, cake, Cork, Dublin, Gay marriage, Germany, humor, Humour, Irish pubs, Latvian people, Latvian women, Lock-ins, Moving, Sausage, Tourist, Wine | 111 Comments

Something is rotten in the state of Latvia

Posted on February 18, 2014 by BerLinda

If you’ve heard about Latvia in the news recently (apart from the Winter Olympics – three medals and counting), you’ve more than likely heard about how Latvia has one of the highest GDP growth rates in Europe, or how Latvia … Continue reading →

Posted in Expat, Latvia, Latvian people, Old age, Riga, Social Issues | Tagged Brain Drain, Economy, Education, GDP, Growing old in Latvia, Healthcare, Latvia, Latvia National Library, Latvian people, Latvian winter, Palace of Light, Riga, Social issues | 209 Comments

The Latvians take over! (Part 2)

Posted on January 22, 2014 by BerLinda

The second guest post comes from one of my favourite Latvians. If we were guys, she’d be my brother from another mother. However, as there’s no female equivalent (that I’m aware of), I tend to think of her as my … Continue reading →

Posted in Latvia, Latvian people, Riga, Rudeness, Travel | Tagged Christmas in Riga, Creepy old men, Dog shit, Glaring, Guest post, humor, Humour, Latvia, Latvian people, LIDO, manners, Pensioners, Rude people, Russians in Riga, Smiling | 159 Comments

Mobile Mania

Posted on January 18, 2014 by BerLinda

Latvians are not the most verbose of people. In response to my ‘So, did you have a nice Christmas/New Year?’, I received, ‘Yes’. OK, OK, so it was a closed question – I should have known better. I quickly realised … Continue reading →

Posted in Expat, Humor, Humour, Latvia, Latvian people | Tagged Communication, davai, Driving in Latvia, expat, humor, Humour, labi, Latvia, Latvian drivers, Latvian people, Mobile phones, Talking on the phone, čau | 102 Comments

The Latvians take over! (Part 1)

Posted on December 25, 2013 by BerLinda

As I’ve said before, I’m taking a little break over the Christmas holidays. Rejoice/Bemoan as you will. In my absence, I’m running a few guest posts from Latvians – none of whom are called Jānis, oddly enough. The first post … Continue reading →