I was thinking about this post for a while already. For the last 2 months, I was thinking about me leaving, wanting to postpone it, not believing that actually ONE YEAR "flied" so fast!
I was at the point when I did not want to leave as I felt comfortable here, then I decided that I have to move on and to accept reality :) and now I am very excited about going home, spending a great summer with my family, planning my future...
While trying to sum up what Latvia meant for me, I decided to gather pictures...then I had thoughts in my mind...so I made up a nice movie...a THANK YOU movie...but still, it does not say how much this year changed ME!
Some of the things I did here and some learnings I had:
- first time to fly by plane:)
- first time in Baltics :) and Latvia :)
- first time to live alone in a flat
- first time to speak English all day long :)
- first time to live in another country for a longer period than 2 months
- first time away from family for more than 2 months :)
- first time to work in a National Board in AIESEC and in a multicultural team
- first time to roll into the snow in February after staying in a sauna for some 2 hours
- first time to swim in the Baltic Sea
- first time to visit a lot of coutries: Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Poland, Turkey (Istanbul was my favourite!)
- meeting incredible people and making friends from all around the world
- making connections that matter :)
- enjoying each moment, learning how NOT to PLAN everything! Especially free time :)
- incredible parties and weekends spent with volunteers :) and lots of sleeping on the floor, lots of beer, lots of crazy moments, lots of fun!
- enjoying culture shock and learning from it
- enjoying friendship and bonding with Alisa and Danny
- enjoying ups and downs :) and learning how it is to feel alone in a world of unknown people :)
- feeling like home in a totally new country, culture, with new language...
But in the end, I lived my year at great intensity, I enjoyed the people, the moments, the places...and I leave now home a bit more mature, a bit more confident, a bit stronger! I wish you all the challenge of being alone in the world :) it damn helps a lot!
Watch the movie for more insights on my Latvian experience. Also, almost all my pictures are uploaded in my album (http://picasaweb.google.com/anca.silaghi):
I am not saying good bye, but SEE YOU SOON Latvia!!!
Bucas and Ata!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
Be a day starter!
This week’s focus: At home
My wife, Dawn, usually wakes up before I do. Sometimes she wakes up by alarm, and other times by the gentle tugging of one of our two little girls, Eliana (5) and Ariela (4). Then around 6:30a.m., it’s my turn. This is how I wake up: Dawn hugs me and whispers good morning until I wake up. It’s a beautiful way to begin a day; I am loved awake. Dawn starts my day.
And then I continue the cycle. I step out of bed and head upstairs to my little girls’ rooms. I quietly walk into their bedrooms and wake them up with a big hug. It is one of my favorite parts of the day. I start their day.
How do you wake up in the morning? What is your first interaction of the day? What do you do and say when you first see someone in the morning?
Be A Day Starter in Your Family
If you’re not already beginning your day as warmly and positively as you can, be a Day Starter for one week: When you wake up in the morning express your love with your words and your actions.
If you normally complain right after you get up, express your love first. If you have to begin your day with a cup of coffee in the morning, do it after you have hugged and kissed everyone (And if you don’t normally hug and kiss your family, let me know what impact it has on your life when you do.). Suspend your normal wake-up habits for one week. Be a Day Starter at home.
Be A Day Starter with Your Roommates
If you live with roommates, be the first to greet everyone. Be the first to smile. Make the coffee. Offer to make their breakfast when you make yours. Demonstrate your interest in them. Start their day.
Be A Day Starter if You Live Alone
And if you live alone, call someone you care about. Email a kind note to a friend. Exercise with friends, or grab a cup of coffee with them. Start someone’s day.
Invite Your Family and Friends to Join You
And if you want your family or friends to join you on your journey, send this post along to them.
Have a great week, and let me know how it goes.
(taken from David Pollay blog, http://www.davidjpollay.typepad.com/)
Even if I live alone, I will take his advice! Thanks!
My wife, Dawn, usually wakes up before I do. Sometimes she wakes up by alarm, and other times by the gentle tugging of one of our two little girls, Eliana (5) and Ariela (4). Then around 6:30a.m., it’s my turn. This is how I wake up: Dawn hugs me and whispers good morning until I wake up. It’s a beautiful way to begin a day; I am loved awake. Dawn starts my day.
And then I continue the cycle. I step out of bed and head upstairs to my little girls’ rooms. I quietly walk into their bedrooms and wake them up with a big hug. It is one of my favorite parts of the day. I start their day.
How do you wake up in the morning? What is your first interaction of the day? What do you do and say when you first see someone in the morning?
Be A Day Starter in Your Family
If you’re not already beginning your day as warmly and positively as you can, be a Day Starter for one week: When you wake up in the morning express your love with your words and your actions.
If you normally complain right after you get up, express your love first. If you have to begin your day with a cup of coffee in the morning, do it after you have hugged and kissed everyone (And if you don’t normally hug and kiss your family, let me know what impact it has on your life when you do.). Suspend your normal wake-up habits for one week. Be a Day Starter at home.
Be A Day Starter with Your Roommates
If you live with roommates, be the first to greet everyone. Be the first to smile. Make the coffee. Offer to make their breakfast when you make yours. Demonstrate your interest in them. Start their day.
Be A Day Starter if You Live Alone
And if you live alone, call someone you care about. Email a kind note to a friend. Exercise with friends, or grab a cup of coffee with them. Start someone’s day.
Invite Your Family and Friends to Join You
And if you want your family or friends to join you on your journey, send this post along to them.
Have a great week, and let me know how it goes.
(taken from David Pollay blog, http://www.davidjpollay.typepad.com/)
Even if I live alone, I will take his advice! Thanks!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Enjoying the sun and the seaside :)
I had a pretty nice and relaxing weekend in Saulkrasti (North East from Riga, very nice small city with a very very nice and lonely beach). We were saying good bye again for someone, this time Ahmet from Turkey. We enjoyed Turkish Kebab, foggy weather in the first day, football and frisby on the sand, nice talks, warm fire until 5:30 in the morning and really nice sun and warm water the next day!
I realised once more how much I enjoy sun and water! and how much I missed them!
Some pictures with the girls swimming :)
All in all, I said good bye to the Baltic Sea...until I come back!
I had a great time and I feel now totally relaxed and ready to work...even if tired :) and a bit ill :)
Now I am enjoying my time saying good bye to people, places, memories, AIESEC...and preparing for real life!
I realised once more how much I enjoy sun and water! and how much I missed them!
Some pictures with the girls swimming :)
All in all, I said good bye to the Baltic Sea...until I come back!
I had a great time and I feel now totally relaxed and ready to work...even if tired :) and a bit ill :)
Now I am enjoying my time saying good bye to people, places, memories, AIESEC...and preparing for real life!
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Spending Easter in Latvia with my sister and Ivan
Easter, the most important celebration of Christians and so also for Orthodoxs due to its important religious significance, has always been for me and my family an important moment of the year and we usually spent it together. This year, I had no other choice but to spend it away from home, from Romania, but not alone. My sister and Ivan (her boyfriend) came to visit me in Riga. We had a wonderful time while visiting Riga and Latvia and cooking traditional Romanian food.
They arrived on Friday and were quite tired after a long trip by train and bus (they came all the way from Bratislava). We decided still to visit the city and Aurelien and Adrien joined us. We even had a tea in the famous Tea House that I enjoy a lot (btw, we plan to make our own in Romania). We had then night adventures through the forest next to my place (remember how scared I am about it...), we had to ask people in the street to give us their phone to make a phone call (the first guy was rude, but the second gave us the phone - my sister was also better in negotiating than Ivan :)....
On Saturday it was the day for cooking. We prepared mostly what we prepare at home also for Easter: we coloured eggs, we baked cozonac, we prepared chiftea, we made salata de beouf and mamaliga cu branza si smantana (sorry, don t have translations :)... All turned out pretty well, we discovered we are not bad cooks eventually :)..
In the evening, we went to the seaside. It was a very nice weather and we enjoyed the sunset. We also met all the other volunteers who were celebrating Evelyn's and Judith's birthday...(Happy birthday once more!
In the night, we went as usual to the church to receive the light for Easter. We chose the Katedrale (Russian Orthodox Church in the center of Riga). Many people, kind of the same rituals and religious service...I enjoyed diversity and the possibility to actually practice my religion in another country!
Sunday was the day of staying at home :) we had my MC team invited to lunch! They all enjoyed the food and changed their mind about me cooking (wow, Anca can cook :)...
Monday was again visiting Riga, going to Mezaparks (a nice and huge park at the end of Riga)...we made crazy pictures and had nice picnic...Tuesday we decided to go somewhere out of Riga and we chose Sigulda and Turaida castle.
All in all, they had a great time and enjoyed Riga and Latvia (I hope, I was too much trying to make it cool). But we for sure enjoyed having Easter together and respecting the traditions and cooking together. I realised once more how much I enjoy Ioana in my life and how much I need her close to me. I know for the next year we will again not be together as she is going to Ecuador for an internship and I am going...somewhere for an internship :P...but we know we will live together somewhere in the future!
As far as it concerns this weekend (a long one as Latvians are free since Thursday), I went to Auce finally to see if it really is countryside (and I decided it is not)...met lots of volunteers...enjoyed the party...and then took the bus to Dobele. Evita welcomed me in her grandmother house, showed me family spirit in Latvia, good cooking skills of her grandmother, great time in the evening with her and Gatis playing the guitar! Guys, you are my favorite Latvians :) and I enjoyed the visit to Tervete with crossing the river through the water, climbing on children wooden "toys" and getting lost in the Labirints. Muchos muchos PALDIES!!!
Enjoy more pictures in my album on picassa...I am off enjoying my last month in Latvia!!!
They arrived on Friday and were quite tired after a long trip by train and bus (they came all the way from Bratislava). We decided still to visit the city and Aurelien and Adrien joined us. We even had a tea in the famous Tea House that I enjoy a lot (btw, we plan to make our own in Romania). We had then night adventures through the forest next to my place (remember how scared I am about it...), we had to ask people in the street to give us their phone to make a phone call (the first guy was rude, but the second gave us the phone - my sister was also better in negotiating than Ivan :)....
On Saturday it was the day for cooking. We prepared mostly what we prepare at home also for Easter: we coloured eggs, we baked cozonac, we prepared chiftea, we made salata de beouf and mamaliga cu branza si smantana (sorry, don t have translations :)... All turned out pretty well, we discovered we are not bad cooks eventually :)..
In the evening, we went to the seaside. It was a very nice weather and we enjoyed the sunset. We also met all the other volunteers who were celebrating Evelyn's and Judith's birthday...(Happy birthday once more!
In the night, we went as usual to the church to receive the light for Easter. We chose the Katedrale (Russian Orthodox Church in the center of Riga). Many people, kind of the same rituals and religious service...I enjoyed diversity and the possibility to actually practice my religion in another country!
Sunday was the day of staying at home :) we had my MC team invited to lunch! They all enjoyed the food and changed their mind about me cooking (wow, Anca can cook :)...
Monday was again visiting Riga, going to Mezaparks (a nice and huge park at the end of Riga)...we made crazy pictures and had nice picnic...Tuesday we decided to go somewhere out of Riga and we chose Sigulda and Turaida castle.
All in all, they had a great time and enjoyed Riga and Latvia (I hope, I was too much trying to make it cool). But we for sure enjoyed having Easter together and respecting the traditions and cooking together. I realised once more how much I enjoy Ioana in my life and how much I need her close to me. I know for the next year we will again not be together as she is going to Ecuador for an internship and I am going...somewhere for an internship :P...but we know we will live together somewhere in the future!
As far as it concerns this weekend (a long one as Latvians are free since Thursday), I went to Auce finally to see if it really is countryside (and I decided it is not)...met lots of volunteers...enjoyed the party...and then took the bus to Dobele. Evita welcomed me in her grandmother house, showed me family spirit in Latvia, good cooking skills of her grandmother, great time in the evening with her and Gatis playing the guitar! Guys, you are my favorite Latvians :) and I enjoyed the visit to Tervete with crossing the river through the water, climbing on children wooden "toys" and getting lost in the Labirints. Muchos muchos PALDIES!!!
Enjoy more pictures in my album on picassa...I am off enjoying my last month in Latvia!!!
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