fulbrightermara’s posterous

The footage is a mix of her daughter’s and archival, so I got a much better sense of the politics of Latvia and the era of the Soviet Union in general.

 For me, the most powerful message is that anyone can speak up and make change. Of course, civilization has stagnated beyond the era depicted so bureaucrats and politicians don’t listen or act as easily as they did in the film, but much of her work easily translates to a world without civilization. Indeed, much of her work on the farm was accomplished without fossil fuels.

 

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The semester is coming to an end and I realized that I haven't written anything for the last two weeks.  So I'm going to try to catch up. On Friday, May 8 I took my first and second year students to Riga to visit the International School of Latvia and the Public Affairs Office of the US Embassy.  The students were VERY impressed with the school, the teachers and the students.  I'm glad they had the opportunity to see another version of education.  The visit to the embassy was also well received.  The students heard about the work of the embassy and the responsiblities of the various people there.  They were given many materials which they will be able to use in their future work. Another Fulbrighter in Riga, Jeff Palis from Georgia, talked to the students about possibilities for study in the US.  http://picasaweb.google.com/mara.mranders/InternationalSchoolOfLatviaAndUSEmbassyPublicAffairsOffice#

The students returned to Rezekne by way of Madona the same day but my colleague Inta and I stayed in Riga.  Inta had to meet with her dissertation advisor and I stayed to await Gerry's arrival on Monday.  Inta's advisor, Dainuvite Blume, is someone I had met when I was here in 1991.  That year I did a lecture for her foreign language methods students.  At that time I did my own translations - sentence by sentence, first English, then German and finally Latvian.  I would not be so foolish to do that again. Dainuvite asked Inta to have me come to her Saturday morning class to talk to the part time students who were there for an intensive weekend of classes.  I took the bus to the other side of the river to the Pedagogijas Fakultate (Education Department).  Inta went back to Rezekne and I spent the next days exploring Riga once again. Gerry arrived on Monday after spending 9 hours getting to know the airport in Stockholm.  The rental car was dropped off at the hotel and we headed to Rezekne with a stop first in Ikskile to visit relatives.  It was a beautiful sunny spring day.  http://picasaweb.google.com/mara.mranders/LaursonFamilyYard# Dzintra and Sandra had a few little jobs for Gerry to do.  After we had Dzintra's piragi and rhubard maiziti, which are just as good as my mother's we continued on to Rezekne. (A few years ago I realized why her piragi are like my mother's - her grandmother was my mother's godmother and she passed on her recipe to both of them.)  Gerry did a great job driving to Rezekne.  It took about 4 hours with a coffee break in Jekapils which has a gas station and snack place that has a great coffee machine with excellent coffee, espresso, latte...

We got to Rezekne in time for me to meet with my class. For Thursday we had scheduled a tour through the area with Inta which we did even though the weather was very bad - too bad because the area is beautiful with many forests and lakes.  Friday morning I had to meet again with the doctoral students with whom I've been meeting once a month - only four out of about nine showed up.  The director of the program, Velta, came in during the 4 hour session to present me with white roses in appreciation for my work.  http://picasaweb.google.com/mara.mranders/DoctoralStudents#

Then it was time to pack up for the trip back to Riga with a quick stop again in Ikskile. Saturday we met Liesma, Fulbrighter who was in Chicago two years ago lecturing about human trafficking. She teaches social work and works for Soros in one of those fantastic Art Niveau buildings on Alberta iela.  Saturday was also the Gay Pride/Human Rights Parade in Riga.  The protestors were disgusting but fortunately no violence broke out this time. The police were good - there were many.  Several ambassadors and representatives of embassy were there.  Many countries represented. Saturday evening was museum night.  Museums all over Latvia were open free of charge.  We went to the Photography Museum and the Occupation Museum.  There were also street musicians and actors around town.  Mike had order a taxi for us for Sunday morning at 5:00 for Gerry's 6:45 flight.  I took the bus back to the hotel, went to the train station to get my ticket and then went back to the hotel for breakfast.  We had met a couple from Australia - he a Latvian from Riga, she a German who has learned Latvian - the day before and I joined them for breakfast. They have been coming to Latvia every year for the past 17 years.  They stay in the same room in the hotel every year and have become part of the hotel family.  After several weeks in Latvia they will go to German for several weeks and then fly back to Australia by way of Bangkok - long trip.  Sundays there is a fast train to Rezekne, only 3 hours.  I usually buy a ticket for car 1 because they show a movie.  This time the TV didn't work.  You have to pay 1 lat more for this car.  We didn't get a lat back.  After the 3 hour train trip and 40 minute walk from the train station I was back and ready tomake plans for the final week of the semester. 

http://picasaweb.google.com/mara.mranders/GerryAndMaraInRiga?authkey=Gv1sRgCMSApeH7hY65Cg#

The week of May 18 is the last week of classes.  I met with my first and second year methods students and sat in on the American Studies classes for these two groups to listen to their presentations.  I also invited them to my office and apartment to go through all the materials - books, professional journals, magazine s, newspapers ... that I had brought along and take what they thought they would be able to use.  As I watched them it felt like Christmas.  Next week I will meet with them for the final evaluation - this I cannot explain because it seems very strange to me... courses are pass/fail, pass/fail with a grade or a grade with an exam.  At first I was told that my courses were pass/fail - that would be easy enough - but about a month ago I found out they were pass/fail with a grade (10- the highest, 4 and below failing).  Many things are still very foreign to me about this system.

Yesterday, May 13, I went to the Rezekne Logopedics (Speech Pathology) Boarding School - a wonderful school.  One of the teachers is in the doctoral student group that I have been working with. http://picasaweb.google.com/mara.mranders/RezeknesLogopediskaInternatpamatskola#

Today was my last teaching day at the pre-school.  May 28 is their graduation to which I was given an invitation today.  We will be doing 2 songs - Head and shoulders... and Do you speak English at some point during the program.  As small presents I gave the children pencils with interesting erasers on them.  Last week we had used the erasers to learn new vocabulary - school bus, turtle, bee, ice cream cone...

Many end of the academic year activities during the next weeks.  Today there is a meeting of all the regional school principals at the town hall.  I'll be attending that.  The news last night was that of the 30,000 teachers in Latvia 10,000 will be losing their jobs so that the national budget can be met.  

http://www.delfi.lv/news/national/politics/article.php?id=24666309 (I think this article is only in English)

Today I went with about 35 lower elementary school teachers to visit two schools in the Madona region - about 2 hours from Rezekne.  Both schools were grade 1-9 schools with principals who were optimistic, happy, and truly committed to the students and teachers in their schools.  The small country schools seem to have a spirit that is very uplifting.  I haven't experienced this in the city schools.  The excursion included a visit to a potter who also has a plant nursery.  The pottery in the state of Latgale is very well-known throughout Latvia. Many of the teachers bought plants for their city homes and/or country homes.

 

On May 1 there was a fair at the park on the other side of town but by the time I got there everyone was packing up to leave.  I took the opportunity to take some more pictures around Rezekne.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUKTRE53D29Q20090414 my new favorite spring time drink

 hockey Latvia- France  Tonight, Saturday, May 3 is another big game - Latvia and Russia!!!

 

 

 

 

Long weekend - May 1, 5-years EU, and May 4 - renewal of independence.  Lolita (Inta's office mate) invited me to join her family and friend Zenta at her in-laws' home in the country, about a 20-minute drive from Rezekne.  First we stopped at Lake Adamova a big lake with several islands.  We continued on to her in-laws home, where her husband Valentins and daughters Kristina and Baiba had already arrived. Old and primative buildings - house and several small barns/sheds - only two animals - one chicken and two rabbits.  Last year Inta and her husband helped dig the pond, which was really needed for the "pirts" (sauna).

After having tea we walked through the woods,(as always when in the country, I worried about ticks.) enjoyed the flowers, and saw the work of the beavers.  They are beginning to cause major problems.  We grilled sausages and ate them with radishes, cucumbers and cabbage.  We drank Kvass (fermented rye bread drink) - I like it. Grandmother also served us a porridge she had made.  The best in the world - according to those who know.  Then the pirts (sauna, sweat lodge).http://www.tavagulbuve.lv/eng/black-sauna.html

After a good sweat comes the beating with birch branches which gets the blood flowing and finally a quick run out of the pirts into the pond. A great way to end the day in the country.  More water, kvass and tea to replenish the water lost and then back to Rezekne. 
ttp://www.pixtar.lv/slide?id=ohwearedbbgtsjptrft

 

Yesterday began with a lesson at the pre-school again. The children were wilder than they had been during previous sessions - maybe the sunshine and warm weather has raised their energey level.  Most of our previous sessions had been devoted to comprehension activties - TPR activities but yesterday I decided that I wanted to teach them a very short song "I speak English"  It didn't go as well has I had hoped - I don't think they are ready for that much production even through a song. The other songs based on the TPR vocabulary always go well - Head and Shoulders.. and My Fingers Are Beginning to Wiggle.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mara.mranders/PreSchoolAgain#

In the afternoon I went with Zenta to the Art School and Academy to a fashion show and a small arts and crafts fair in the square between the Lutheran Church and the Art School.  Zenta's son is a student at the school so I had a tour of some of the studios and met some of the instructors/artist. One of the most well-known artists is also known for his fish soup which he always prepares outdoors during this event.  The event ended with a art auction.  I had picked out two works that I absolutely had to have.  This was the first auction that I had every participated in and it was great fun, especially because I got what I wanted .  There was another painting by the same artist who did the poppies of mushrooms but I was outbid on that by an artist from the academy.  http://picasaweb.google.com/mara.mranders/ArtWorks#  In the evening there was a concert at the Culture Hall by one of Rezeknes best choirs.  A children's choir joined them for a fantastic musical event.  http://picasaweb.google.com/mara.mranders/ArtAndMusicInRezekne#

The most important news of the day...

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2009-04-27-3648063082_x.htm 

I usually watch the games... well, at least the TV is tuned to that channel.  Go Team Latvia!!!

 

I think spring has finally reached Rezekne!   The days are much longer and the sun is much warmer. There are buds on tulips and daffodils, bushes and trees so soon the winter snow and ice will be a distant memory.  Today I went to a christening in the catholic cathedral in town. 

http://picasaweb.google.com/mara.mranders/KristibasChristening#

On the Thursday before Easter Inta, her brother and mother were driving to a funeral in Jumprava which is only several train stops from Ikskile so I went along with them and then took the train to Ikskile.  Dzintra and two of the triplets met me at the station. later in the day Dzintra made piragi and I took pictures.(see pictures) Jancits host family in Texas tried to make them for him. Dzintra makes about 36 on a pan but they made 9 big ones on a pan so we wanted to send them pictures. I went to Riga on Friday and stayed at my favorite hotel, the Metropole.  I walked around the city and took some more pictures. (see pictures)  I shopped for some Easter candy at Stockmanns for the triplets and twins.  On Saturday Sandra and Dzintra's godson, Maris, took the kids to the water park in Jurmala and on the way back to Ikskile they picked my up at the hotel.  Saturday was the triplets 8th birthday so after lunch more guests arrived and there was more food and cake.  Sandra has been made a teddy bear cake for each birthday and this was no exception.  Peteris asked me several times during the day to play Monopoly - the Latvian version, so he was very surprised and happy when I gave them the world Monopoly as their joint birthday present.(see pictures)  Since there was no spring shipment from Lancaster this year, I also gave each one 20 lats to be used for school or clothes but NOT for sweet treats.  The triplets and twins went back to Talsi Saturday night because the twins haven't adjusted to sleeping away from home yet.  Easter Sunday was a quiet day.  Dzintra and I went to the cemetery to put flowers on Janis' grave and then we walked around looking for traditional Latvian Easter activities - swinging (so mosquitos won't bite in the summer )and egg rolling down a wooden board. I saw the swinging but no egg rolling.  we had the egg bash in the morning and Sandra won.  We went to Dzintra's brother's house in the evening for more food and talk.  Dzintra as well as Alda had made paska, a traditional cream cheese - like dessert, which is very very rich.  After a quiet evening and morning in Ikskile I left for Rezekne.  On weekends and holidays there is a fast train from Riga to Rezekne which also stops in Ogre.  It only took a little over two hours to get home.  Finally the snow is gone - even in Rezekne. 

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/mara.mranders/Piragi#

http://picasaweb.google.com/mara.mranders/Triplets8thBirthday#

http://picasaweb.google.com/mara.mranders/LieldienasEaster#

http://picasaweb.google.com/mara.mranders/Ikskile#

 

Last week I spent a few days in Riga again.  I'm adding a few more pictures of Riga, particularly of the Art Nouveau buildings in the Albert St.section of the city.  There are also some Art Nouveau buildings in Old Town Riga.  I love these buildings.  A former Fulbrighter from Latvia, Liesma Ose, works for Soros Fund and her office is in one of the buildings. Liesma teaches social work in addition to her work at Soros. She was a Fulbrighter in Chicago working with women from Eastern Europe who had been caught in the trap of human trafficking.  I met her when she did a presentation at the women's center at F&M.  I also spent some time with Sarme Klavina who is a Latvian language/Baltic languages professor in Riga.  She was a presenter at 3x3 several years ago.  Her husband died in November and I went to the cemetery, Raina Kapi, with her to help her do a spring clean up his grave site.  Since it was the day before Palm Sunday (Pussywillow Sunday in Latvian) there were pussy willows in many interesting arrangments being sold at the flower market outside the cemetery gates.  I spent the afternoon with the daughters of my cousin.  On  Sunday I returned to Rezekne on the slow train which takes about 4 hours.  I don't know why the fast train wasn't in service that day.  How some things work or don't work - still a puzzle to me.