One of my first posts in this blog was named "jag ska inte flytta till Stockholm", now one year has passed and I am still going to Sweden. Not exactly Stockholm, but neither far from there.
It is hard to tell what has changed during this year in my life, what new things I have learned during my EVS. Now I need to write a report, so I need to think about it. It is really hard to keep a track of ones progress, yes, I progressed in Macedonian and also Albanian, I learned more about the Youth in Action program and different other opportunities and organizations... but it is much harder to tell if I have progressed as a personality, am I really better dealing with different people, am I really more open-minded and tolerant or did I even acquire more prejudices and strengthened certain stereotypes? I am also aware that I have digressed in certain ways. I had too much freedom and too little feeling of responsibility. I am a bit afraid how I will deal with really serious assignments and, especially, managing my budget.
Wednesday, August 27
Monday, August 11
Support Georgia
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As we know a stupid, unfair etc. war has broken out in Georgia. Well, no war is smart or fair. ACTUALLY NO WAR MAKES ANY SENSE AT ALL. There is no right, no wrong, no winner, only losers. Break the weapons, talk to your neighbors, fuck the state, FUCK THE SYSTEM!!! Why once in time, Russia could not forget its ambitions about being a superpower, being the most feared, the strongest, the biggest, the greatest and start thinking of bringing peace, not despair and new scars. But I guess that's wished a bit too much.
We here in Latvia know how it is to live next to Russia. That's why I admit I am subjective and I try to listen more to different views. Last weekend I was near the lake, with my mom's ex-coursemates, geographers. And of course we started to talk about Georgia. They have all been there during the study times and some also later. They know the ethnic cocktail, tensions and hot blood there. One lady's husband is Russian and he started to give a complete different perspective on what is going on in Georgia right now. About the poor Osets, who are being discriminated and mistreated by Georgian state all the time.
And that brings us to the third - how much we are being manipulated by what wind blows in the international politics at the moment and where we live, what we listen to... Of course, nowadays with the high-tech and the Internet it is harder and harder to hide the truth. But we never know the real story and facts are being picked out of the context and fed with an appropriate sauce. That's the story about my mom's colleague's husband who is probably watching the Russian news and is being fed a completely different menu. The media is very powerful. And we know very well how Russia uses their controlled media in their dirty politics. But one must be stupid or insane to believe a wolf dressed up as a lamb. Russia as a peace-keeper...still bombing Georgian territory after it announced the one-sided truce.
And that brings me to the fourth point. How the society of Latvia is now being split up on this issue. Mostly Latvians support Georgia and Russians back Russia. There is a nasty war going on on the news websites and the special website: Latvia for Georgia It is rather worrying... Russians, please open your eyes! It's not about backing whatever the government does in Russia, you may be Russian and denounce their actions.
Your brother may be thief and alcoholic, it sucks but you cannot close your eyes on it. You don't need to be like him!
As we know a stupid, unfair etc. war has broken out in Georgia. Well, no war is smart or fair. ACTUALLY NO WAR MAKES ANY SENSE AT ALL. There is no right, no wrong, no winner, only losers. Break the weapons, talk to your neighbors, fuck the state, FUCK THE SYSTEM!!! Why once in time, Russia could not forget its ambitions about being a superpower, being the most feared, the strongest, the biggest, the greatest and start thinking of bringing peace, not despair and new scars. But I guess that's wished a bit too much.
We here in Latvia know how it is to live next to Russia. That's why I admit I am subjective and I try to listen more to different views. Last weekend I was near the lake, with my mom's ex-coursemates, geographers. And of course we started to talk about Georgia. They have all been there during the study times and some also later. They know the ethnic cocktail, tensions and hot blood there. One lady's husband is Russian and he started to give a complete different perspective on what is going on in Georgia right now. About the poor Osets, who are being discriminated and mistreated by Georgian state all the time.
And that brings us to the third - how much we are being manipulated by what wind blows in the international politics at the moment and where we live, what we listen to... Of course, nowadays with the high-tech and the Internet it is harder and harder to hide the truth. But we never know the real story and facts are being picked out of the context and fed with an appropriate sauce. That's the story about my mom's colleague's husband who is probably watching the Russian news and is being fed a completely different menu. The media is very powerful. And we know very well how Russia uses their controlled media in their dirty politics. But one must be stupid or insane to believe a wolf dressed up as a lamb. Russia as a peace-keeper...still bombing Georgian territory after it announced the one-sided truce.
And that brings me to the fourth point. How the society of Latvia is now being split up on this issue. Mostly Latvians support Georgia and Russians back Russia. There is a nasty war going on on the news websites and the special website: Latvia for Georgia It is rather worrying... Russians, please open your eyes! It's not about backing whatever the government does in Russia, you may be Russian and denounce their actions.
Your brother may be thief and alcoholic, it sucks but you cannot close your eyes on it. You don't need to be like him!
Wednesday, August 6
Latvia
I am home again. It is a bit strange feeling... actually all kinds of feelings. And I am tired, so I should go to sleep soon and don't write too much of tiredness bullshit.
The travel went quite perfect. Yesterday morning I still woke up in the new apartment in Skopje, had my coffees with Aurelie and Rajah (uuh, miss you guys...). Took the 9 o'clock bus to Prishtina. Packed my bags, some nostalgic shivers on my lonely heart, could not find some bags but already had too much stuff...so who cares about the stuff. I went to pick up a taxi because I did not have any credits to call, but it was not a long walk. I left my luggage in the apartment and came back there with the taxi guy, loaded the trunk and the back seat and off I go... through Fushe Kosove, with Albanian music, a conversation in my clumsy Albanian, mountains in the distance...huh, Latvia is as flat as a pancake.
The flight went fine. In Istanbul I left my big suitcase in the Left Luggage and went to check out the Big Apple hostel in Sultanahmet. Unfortunately, it was full but I used their wireless Internet and saw that one girl had agreed to host me. We exchange some sms and was on my way... but I was late and tired of carrying 3 heavy bags so what's the hell, I took a taxi. I got in in a nasty mood, but the taxi driver was not giving up and in the middle of the ride managed to change my mood and make me laugh.
I had met the girl before, but when I met her I was not so sure I would have recognized her just on the street... Yes, hair changes girls. We took the train, which looked more Turkey than the modern Istanbul metro/tram. I had a delicious meal by her mom and some girls' talk in the new shiny apartment. And I slept like a baby.
In the morning had a long breakfast and her dad's work colleague took us to the airport. Somehow I did not pay for my overweight luggage though the lady first said I will have to pay. But I used the doggy eyes and 'I don't have money. I am a poor volunteer returning home after a year in Macedonia...Please' And she did not say anything more, just gave me the boarding pass. And this time surprisingly there were much less queue at the passport control, so I had a time to walk in the Duty Free and read my book.
It was a full plane but just a few Latvians on it, or people whose final destination is Riga. The small Riga airport is really pushing the number of transit passangers up. There was even one monk in orange.
And now I am at home. We had a nice meal of auksta zupa and torte with mom, brother and bro's girlfriend. And Made. And the granny somewhere around. And the mint tea from our garden...mmm. But there are some problems to be solved about the land around our house. And it sucks. I hope it is possible to solve them.
And here I am. Should go to bed. Feeling a bit like Rajah, desoriented after all this traveling, changing of places, waking up each day in a different country and visiting yet another country during the day... And my Northern nostalgia is back stronger than ever.
The travel went quite perfect. Yesterday morning I still woke up in the new apartment in Skopje, had my coffees with Aurelie and Rajah (uuh, miss you guys...). Took the 9 o'clock bus to Prishtina. Packed my bags, some nostalgic shivers on my lonely heart, could not find some bags but already had too much stuff...so who cares about the stuff. I went to pick up a taxi because I did not have any credits to call, but it was not a long walk. I left my luggage in the apartment and came back there with the taxi guy, loaded the trunk and the back seat and off I go... through Fushe Kosove, with Albanian music, a conversation in my clumsy Albanian, mountains in the distance...huh, Latvia is as flat as a pancake.
The flight went fine. In Istanbul I left my big suitcase in the Left Luggage and went to check out the Big Apple hostel in Sultanahmet. Unfortunately, it was full but I used their wireless Internet and saw that one girl had agreed to host me. We exchange some sms and was on my way... but I was late and tired of carrying 3 heavy bags so what's the hell, I took a taxi. I got in in a nasty mood, but the taxi driver was not giving up and in the middle of the ride managed to change my mood and make me laugh.
I had met the girl before, but when I met her I was not so sure I would have recognized her just on the street... Yes, hair changes girls. We took the train, which looked more Turkey than the modern Istanbul metro/tram. I had a delicious meal by her mom and some girls' talk in the new shiny apartment. And I slept like a baby.
In the morning had a long breakfast and her dad's work colleague took us to the airport. Somehow I did not pay for my overweight luggage though the lady first said I will have to pay. But I used the doggy eyes and 'I don't have money. I am a poor volunteer returning home after a year in Macedonia...Please' And she did not say anything more, just gave me the boarding pass. And this time surprisingly there were much less queue at the passport control, so I had a time to walk in the Duty Free and read my book.
It was a full plane but just a few Latvians on it, or people whose final destination is Riga. The small Riga airport is really pushing the number of transit passangers up. There was even one monk in orange.
And now I am at home. We had a nice meal of auksta zupa and torte with mom, brother and bro's girlfriend. And Made. And the granny somewhere around. And the mint tea from our garden...mmm. But there are some problems to be solved about the land around our house. And it sucks. I hope it is possible to solve them.
And here I am. Should go to bed. Feeling a bit like Rajah, desoriented after all this traveling, changing of places, waking up each day in a different country and visiting yet another country during the day... And my Northern nostalgia is back stronger than ever.
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