RISEBA Riga, Latvia

If you imagine the Baltic States, especially in winter, you probably have images of endless snow-covered landscapes in your head. Now - at the end of November - this is gradually becoming a reality. So welcome to digital postcard no. 5 from Riga!

As I'm writing this, I'm snuggled up in bed, as it's currently the warmest place in our apartment. Yesterday morning I woke up to the Riga winter wonderland for the first time, as overnight it snowed about 20 cm. So, I put on my boots and thick winter jacket and about 15 minutes later the first snowball flowed!

Apart from the snowfall, November is also a special month for Latvia in terms of history. From November 1st at the latest, the streets in Riga are paved in Latvian flags and if you look around, you will notice that many people wear small patches in the Latvian colors on their jackets and even the trams appear in Latvian design. November is the month in which the Latvians celebrate their independence, and they are particularly proud of this. Lāčplēsis Day, which commemorates the Latvian soldiers who defended their country, is celebrated on 11 November. A week later, on November 18, Independence Day is celebrated.

If you still have some history to catch up on, I would definitely recommend visiting the Occupation and KGB Museum before the holidays. Latvia has a long history of occupation behind it, both by the Soviet Union and by Germany during the Nazi regime. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Baltic states have once again acted as independent and democratic countries. In Latvia, however, independence has not actually been celebrated since the collapse of the Soviet Union, but since the country first proclaimed its independence in 1918, which is why the 105th Independence Day is being celebrated this year.

Among other things, November 18 is celebrated here with a big military parade, which includes everything from the classic police guard to various military groups, including all those stationed in Latvia, such as Canada, to tanks, jets and helicopters, which are probably part of the defense of a country. As we watched, our feelings varied between childlike excitement at being able to see such vehicles from close and a sense of strangeness and discomfort, because we are not familiar with this in Germany and have a more distanced relationship with the military or the Bundeswehr than the Latvians.

On the evening of November 18, however, it became a little less awkward when the city center was transformed into a huge light show.

To present all the ceremonies to the international students, our host university RISEBA also organized a Latvian Evening for us. There, we had to prove our three-month knowledge of the country in a quiz and were allowed to try Latvian beer and traditional food. The absolute highlight, however, was a show by a Latvian folk dance group, who really got the event rocking. At the end, we were also allowed to shake our own dancing leg, which looked more bad than good but was definitely fun!

All in all, November in Latvia, especially in Riga, is an absolute experience that you should take with you! Even though it's getting quite icy here, at least the celebrations in November keep you warm.

See you next time, Čau!