News from Latvia, Riga

Hello everybody,

Well, I arrived here in Riga on the 2nd of February. Both my host family and my mentor came to pick me up at the airport. They first invited me to eat something in my host family's café. We went to the school. I was introduced to all the teachers. (Every Monday they have a meeting in the school that's why I was introduced to all of them at the same time).

When I arrived there I wasn't stressed nor anxious but when I saw the school, the place where I was going to live I was a bit surprised and became stressed. The place where I live in not really in the centre of the city but in the suburbs. About half an hour by bus from the city centre. All people in this suburb live in large grey buildings. So this is where I live. My host family lives in one of those buildings on the 7th floor. The lift is a bit old, so I don't use it often. I am not too confident and I don't want to be stuck in it.

My host family is Russian, the school is Russian too, and the place where I live is only with Russian people. I thought that when I chose Latvia I would be in a Latvian family and a Latvian school ...

When I saw the school I thought it is an awful old school, but inside everything is modern. In almost all of the classrooms there is a TV or a computer. The teachers are all very nice to me. I have two mentors, two French teachers. One of them has difficulties to speak French; she prefers speaking English to me ... It is easier whith the other teacher who is more fluent in French. I also met the third French teacher and for her French is definitely not an easy language.

But even if some teachers aren't very good in French I think they teach very well because the students have a really good level. Some of the 18 years old students are almost perfect in French.

My first week here was very difficult because everything is different from what I am accustomed to in Belgium. People warned me not to take a bag when I'm going outside, and not to show that I don't understand Russian of Latvian. There is always a policeman in the school, etc.

At school I teach French 12 hours a week and I have to attend the English debate club (2 hours). I give also a lot of private lessons and today I participated to a discussion between teachers and students about St Valentine. On Friday I will go on excursion outside Riga whith some of my students.

Something surprised me here. St Valentine's Day is a big celebration here. The school organised a party at school. During two hours the students could make some presentations, plays, and sing songs about Love. The students wrote a lot of letters to each others and even gave presents to each other. I also received a present from one of my students. I received chocolates in a box in the shape of a heart.

A German student arrived a week after me in Riga. We are in the same school. He is studying to become a math and history teacher. In the school he teaches German. We will maybe visit Riga together if he has time because he is only staying 6 weeks.

I think I've written enough for today so ... more information about my stay here later.

Bye,

Stephanie