Well, I don't know how, but I've already swung into the other half of my EVS. This is evidenced by the fact that I was at Mid-Term training a week ago.
It was an exhausting 3 days full of talking, complaining, getting to know each other... I have to say that I enjoyed it and I found that even though my project is not all pink, there are also worse projects, but mainly that EVS is about me and it's up to me how I make it.
I spent the first half of EVS traveling around Latvia, learning not only Cyrillic, but also Georgian alphabet and of course Latvian. I also learned how to knit socks and caps, an activity that fits very well into the cold Baltic climate. This year, the weather has been mild, but for my circumstances -15 degrees with the wind is still cold. February is over and the streets still covered a fine blanket of snow and on the beach you usually feel like the wind will blow you away.
EVS is not just about learning a language, but also about some duties. My project takes place in a unique school in Jurmala. Why Unique? It is a school with an inclusive type of education. Every day I spend one lesson in mathematics, where I repeat the fourth multiplication and division with Jánis, who has some problems with mathematics. On the other hand, his English is beautiful, sometimes too fast for my understanding. After English I spend the afternoon in the retinue. There we play chess, draw, make origamis, or just run around the forest, which is next to the school.
Last week I experienced my first volunteer party where I learned new card games. I also came to the fact that Latvia is really one big straight pancake. On the hill above Ogre, a beautiful sign awaits you but you are just 32 meter above the sea level. On the other hand, Latvia is also one of the few countries where the sandy beach passes directly into the forest. And I really enjoy it. Jurmala, the city that is currently my residence, is the longest city in Latvia and is all lined with beach. And the beach is really long. By bus it takes one hour from the other side to the other.
At Mid-Term we were told that the other half of EVS always runs faster than the first one. Two weeks later I’m going to see my sister, so I believe that those 2 weeks will run like water. I look forward to spring to see Lithuania and Estonia and the day the sun comes out in the morning. If you have good resources of Vitamin D, don’t hesitate to visit not only Riga, but also other Latvian cities and be charmed not only by Art Nouveau buildings, but also by beautiful nature.
Although the sky is usually gray, sometimes it is pink, and then the camera needs to be taken quickly.
With other volunteers on the hill in Ogre.
The school where I spend most of my time.
Written by: Alžbeta Fekiačová
