Independence Day

Independence Day, 4th May
After an early breakfast we attended a special tree planting ceremony to mark the So Far but So Close Comenius Partnership.

The sky was overcast and there was a hint of rain in the air. The Principal, Sarmite Cunska, and others from the school lined up by the holes where the trees were going to be planted. After the singing of the Latvian National Anthem Sarmite gave a powerful, impassioned speech about Latvian Independence and what it meant in these times of economic hardship.

She also spoke about that fateful day 20 years ago when the vote was cast in the Legislature regarding regaining Latvia's independence. She spoke of the thousands that had come from all over Latvia to Riga, the capital, to witness the occasion. She spoke of the doors of the Legislature being opened and the Deputies came streaming out with their arms held up in the Victory gesture. She spoke of the tears of joy and the cheers when there was a roll call of each Deputy and how they had voted. Latvia had regained its independence it had so violently lost in 1940!

Two trees were planted, a Lime and an Oak. We all helped plant the trees into the soil of Latvia.

Ash

We had been on the coach heading towards Riga for about half an hour with another three and a half hours to go when I got a text from Helen Newton, the girls Class Guardian. She informed us that there were problems with the Icelandic volcanic ash again and that some of Scottish airspace had been closed. The text traffic increased as we got closer to Riga. I was getting information from various sources. However, we did not get a definitive answer as to whether we would be able to get a flight back to Scotland or not. Our plane was coming from Prestwick to Riga and then returning back to Prestwick. At the airport, nobody could tell us what the situation was. I then received another text. The plane from Prestwick had departed on time!

Home

We arrived back in Edinburgh exactly 12 hours after leaving Balvi. We had a really successful trip, better than we could have ever hoped for. The girls were wonderful; they worked hard and produced high quality dresses and wooden toys. I'd like to say on behalf of Foppe, Leonie and myself a big thank you to the girls for making it such an unforgettable experience.

The spirit of Comenius is truly alive.

Monday, Our Final Full Day in Balvi

Today is both an exciting day and also a sad day. Exciting because we will get to finish off things and then present them. Sad because it is our last full day here.

Those not finishing of dresses etc. where able to learn how to make spinning tops in wood work.

The spinning tops were a great success!

Mid morning was the time when the presentation was to take place. There was to be a fashion show. After one rehearsal everyone was ready, eager for the show to begin! We were not disappointed.

After an early lunch we were taken about 8km from the Russian border to a beautiful church were the school choir performed for us wonderfully!

On the way back to Balvi we spent about an hour at a bread making museum. We were again welcomed with traditional singing and dancing.

Making the Sign of The Cross.

As part of Class 12's Main Lesson on astronomy they recite a poem by Rudolf Steiner:

The Stars spake once to men,

It is world destiny that they are silent now

To be aware of the silence,

Can become pain for earthly man.

But in the deepening silence,

There grows and ripens,

What men speaks to the Stars,

To be aware of the speaking,

Can become strength for Spirit Man.

i was reminded of this poem when we visited a museum today about life here in this region about a 100 years ago. There was an elderly woman, dressed in traditional costume, making bread for us in a bread oven. When she had put the hot embers to the side, ready to put 4 loaves inside the oven she made the sign of the cross over the loaves, asking for a blessing.

An hour later when we had seen other parts of the museum, clothes, tools and utensils, we returned to the kitchen. After taking the freshly baked bread out of the oven, she once more made the sign of the cross!

We tend to forget this attitude of reverence that people, in particular in the countryside, had when doing their daily tasks.

Büșra

This recall of our adventures is about meeting young people from Europe. It would not be complete without mentioning Büșra , a young 13 year old Turkish girl. Her bright eyes radiating happiness and eagerness to learn about all of us. Her English was good but she struggled often in her excitement to express what she knew.

Büșra stayed in a hotel with her teachers but would have happily stayed in our basic hostel. She got the shy Polish girls to show her, and us, Polish dances.

When she sat next me on the bus she asked me to speak to her in English. So I told her about Harry Potter and Grayfriars Bobby. Each time she thanked me for taking the time to talk to her .

Meeting Büșra, is meeting hope! Hope, that amongst nationalistic impulses, there are little flames that shine bright.

Final Dinner

We had a most happy and lovely dinner. Lots of good food and chat. There were presentations and speeches. Perhaps the best part was chatting to our friends from Latvia, Poland and Turkey.

After the formal dinner the pupils from all countries threw a spontaneous party with singing and dancing!

All too soon it was time to leave.

Sunday

Another sunny morning, the wispy cloud just seems to hang in the sky. Breakfast was again rather large, three mega pancakes crammed full of various cheeses! Cereals and other goodies.

The girls went to work to finish off their dress and crafts.

In the afternoon we were taken a clearing in the woods for a picnic. As we got off the bus the Latvia's started sing a welcome to us. Around the picnic fire our Balvi guide was carving whistles out of wood and bark. There were also a number of carved animals scattered about. The Latvian students started to show us some traditional dancing. Soon the whole of the clearing was moving in interesting geometric patterns!

We taught the Latvians, the Poles and the Turks "Strip the Willow" unfortunately we had no music! the experience just exemplified the words on the banner about the stage for Saturdays show.

Do not walk behind me, I may not lead.
Do not walk in front of me, I may not follow.
Just walk beside me and be my friend!

Agriculture has (fortunately) not been over mechanized in Latvia. There are hardly any fences separating a clearing from the woods. Goats and cows are chained when they graze outside in June, July august and sometimes in September. Perhaps because of these harmonious methods bees find a haven here. The Latvians had not heard of the problems affecting bee keepers in the UK and elsewhere!

In the evening the scheduled event had been cancelled. So we arranged to make a bonfire. The fire was wonderful especially when the fading sunlight was leaving dusky pink clouds in the sky. We all smell a bit of bonfires now! Between 9 and 10 our various parties drifted off towards their beds. After all tomorrow is another working day!

Saturday, 1st May

Wow!!

Sometimes it is good not to be prepared for what is to come! That experience can be bound up with difficult , and often negative moments. Not today! We ere treated by the Latvians to an unforgettable, totally unexpected, exceptionally high standard fashion show! The show was interspersed with singing and dance routines. We were just amazed for a whole hour.

The clothes were displayed mostly by senior female students, however there were boys too! The clothes were totally inspirational, dazzling transforming the surroundings into a jewel of unparalleled beauty. Costume after costume, each made by the students themselves. Pride and confidence radiated from the creators and designers entire being! It is a sight I will always treasure.

Our girls just thought the show was "so good", in fact it was "flawless" and "fun to watch". The dresses were "beautiful" - "really liked them all". There were "pretty models ... moved well" and the boys were a "bit awkward" though their shirts were "well made" and "the mirror ties were cool!"

The "choreography was amazing", the "music well thought out" and the "music matched with the dresses".

In fact the whole show was "inspirational"!

Class 9 Comenius Partner Schools visit to Latvia

Tuesday 27th April 2010

It was a big relief that after all the chaos with air transport of the previous week; our journey to Riga went really smoothly. Well, except for that Clara set the security alarm off and she had to repack her suitcase. The seven girls were in good heart and were, in a positive sense, louder than the rest of the 200 passengers, 90% Latvian, whilst we were boarding.

Coming in to land one cannot help noticing the endless forests in the country, mainly birch and conifers, in the delta of the Daugava

Riga is a ‘Hansa Stadt’, part of the Hansiatic League. The architecture of the buildings covers many periods. The old wooden, ornate buildings, often in disrepair have a majestic quality about them. There are beautiful orthodox churches, communist style flats, and every now and again modern style concrete new developments (some strangely anthroposophical in appearance) standing next to each other creating chaotic character. The streets are very clean. They even brush the grass areas between roads and pavement.

The people here, in spite of, or just because of the poverty take a pride in their City. However, it struck all the teachers on this trip how melancholy ordinary people look. Self-esteem is low in a country with more than 20% unemployment. To give an example of this mood. After settling in the hotel we went for a short walk and stopped for a snack. I noticed a pancake restaurant. Nothing in English on the menu (nothing strange in that). We asked if they understood English. We have 4 vegetarians with us in a meat loving country! They answered in Latvian, No!! But like all true Britons abroad we carried on in English when specific words such as cheese, potatoes were mentioned they knew perfectly well what was meant/wanted. This was not about the arrogant native English speaker in foreign countries but more about the Latvian’s not having confidence in themselves. This we have seen time and time again. By the way, we have learned Latvian words and use them! We were also surprised to get 5 pancakes for £2!

The food in the restaurant of the hotel was excellent, beautifully presented and healthy.

Streets outside our hotel are noisy at night especially for these on our party who do not live in city centre.

Wednesday 28th April 2010

Learning about Riga and Latvia

We met up with an acquaintance of Miss LeMaistre, Christina, at the Freedom Monument in the centre of town. The monument is a 20 metre high pillar. On the top of the pillar is a statue of a woman, Milda. She is a representation of Latvia and in her raised hands she holds three stars symbols of the 3 regions of Latvia. The statue has an honour guard of two soldiers. As we walked through the park we stopped on a bridge which was covered in padlocks. Some of the padlocks were inscribed with people’s names. It is the custom that on the day of a marriage the Bride and Groom goes to a bridge with a padlock and fastens it to the railings of a bridge and then throws the key into the water below!

In the ‘Silent City Centre’ there are many ‘Art Nouveau’ or ‘Jugend’ style buildings. The examples of this style of architecture are some of the best in the world. Riga is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Before we could have lunch we were taken, by lift, to the 27 floor of a new hotel to have a panoramic view of Riga from the ‘Sky Point’. The view was wonderful looking across the City, the river Daugava and the five bridges.

When we had said good bye to our excellent guide, Christina we had some time to do unguided exploring. Some free time for the girls to explore the impressive ‘old town’. Miss LeMaistre and I discovered some 400 year old warehouses. Most in need of some repair! These buildings were a clear link the Hansiatc League days. Riga was very much a trading port were East meets West.

One of the most moving points of the day was the Museum of the Occupation. The very moving accounts and pictures depicting the suffering of the Latvian people starting in 1939. As a result of the Ribbontrop – Molotov pact, Latvia (and the other Baltic States and Finland) were came under the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union. First the Russians, then the Germans and then the Russians again occupied Latvia. There were mass deportations and many people were executed. One out of every three citizens was murdered. Every family has lost loved ones. I felt that for the Latvian students visiting the museum were in a kind of mourning. It seemed like they were visiting the grave of a loved one. Only when Latvia regained its independence in the early 1990’s did the Second World War end for Latvia! This experience is echoed in all of the Baltic States.

You cannot understand the people, culture, economics and psyche of Latvia without a deep recognition of this period in the history of the Baltic States.

In the evening we went to a wonderful mega food complex, I do not think we have a word for it! A huge log building with three floors dedicated to food. They boast over 500 different main courses! And it’s all self service. To help with the digestion you can listen to the band or get up and dance.

To round off our day we went to see the ‘old town’ at night.

can give you flavour of the scenes we saw and experienced.

The moon hung in the sky round and opaque framed by witchy twigs silhouetted like gnarled fingers twisting in all directions.


The dusky glow pulsing of the buildings turned the dark sky to a musky gray.

The arc of the bridges stood opposite each other. Reflecting their neon light into liquid mercury. The tunnels of light changing from colour to colour. Green – Blue – Purple – Red and back again. The midnight water, motionless. The beat from the bars far off; leaving everything still and silent. Just for the moment....


Riga is a lovely city with many interesting places to see and visit. However, the night time experience was the most surprising! You were never quite sure what would be around the next corner to delight the senses!

Thursday, 29th April

Trip to Balvi

We left our hotel in plenty of time however we ended up making a mad dash for the bus which would take us on our 4 hour journey to Balvi, near the Russian border! We had been directed to the wrong bus station. Still panting from our determination to catch the bus we were settling in to our seats as the bus departed. The bus was uncharacteristically packed, there is a public holiday to mark Independence Day (4th May) , with many people going back from Riga to meet up with their families.

The change from Winter to Spring in Latvia is a little behind Edinburgh. Nature was rapidly waking up after 4 months of snow. The road from Riga is bounded by mile after mile of endless forests. As we got closer to Balvi the gray of the clouds got darker and darker. Then the rain started, it lashed off the road and into the still thaw sodden fields that had taken the place of our constant companion, the forest.

Our welcome at Balvi was in total contrast to the weather. It was very warm bright and sunny.

We are staying in the schools hostel. Once we had got settled we went for a snack and were met by the Latvian girls who are part of the Comenius project. Tour girls were shown around by the Latvian girls and the our teachers were shown around by the Latvian teachers.

One of the things we noticed most was the size of plants that were inside the school, they are about 3 to 4 times the size of those back home in our school!

First impressions (Balvi)

I find it interesting how different our cultures are, I think the difference between our schools is quite interesting but the atmosphere is so bleak. I liked meeting the (Latvian) girls and found them so friendly.

I found the atmosphere of the area not very welcoming (Weather) but the girls were very confident and interested in us.

The girls’ can speak better English than we can speak a foreign language in our school. I could never speak French or German like that.

I think it’s interesting how different our cultures are and also the set up of the towns. I thought the girls were very welcoming.

30th April

A Day of Work in Balvi

Going to another country whose culture is similar yet different can lead to some interesting situations! Our host asked before the trip if there were any vegetarians in our group. In fact four of us are vegetarians. So that was one little obstacle resolved! However, in Latvia vegetarians will as a norm eat fish. This caused a wee problem with our vegetarians because they do not eat fish. Our pupils were did not have an issue with informing politely our hosts of the problem. This problem saw soon solved.

The standard of woodwork in this school is exceptionally high. The pupils who have chosen to take woodwork make all of the doors, benches, shelves, frames, tables and cupboards for the school! At present some are busy making panelled wooden ceiling for the entrance hall. Pupils take great pride in the fabric of the school buildings. There is no mess, no graffiti, and no litter. I am making a wooden jigsaw. Nine different shaped blocks have to fit exactly into a box. This is something for Class 6 to make in our school. A good exercise in measurement and precision!

Dressmaking

The dressmaking teacher with her tall gait and heels to match introduced us to her helpers were 4 girls of around 17/18 and then talked about the dress they were going to make. This caused some disappointment as our girls had expected to make their own dress each, however after much ‘pigeon’ discussion and sign language. Three got to make their own designs. It was a challenge for all as the Latvians use different patterns as well as having different tastes in fashion.

As the day moved on, language and sewing barriers were broken down, the girls relaxed and friendships were formed. At one point a boy popped in to make a beanbag with some embroidery on it; done on an embroidery machine! This impressed the girls; not only the fact a boy willingly coming into the sewing room but also that they had such a good range of equipment. As the day came to an end Ra-Ra skirts were tried on and the girls went away knowing they had learnt something new, both practically and emotionally!

Marking Brooches

Another activity was making brooches. This was introduced by round but elegant teacher who was helped by her son. The girls really enjoyed making the brooches, some even made two!

Paper flowers

Some very beautiful paper flowers were made by by the girls. The simple and elegant process will be put to much use in the weeks to come , I am sure!

Unfortunately, because of the shape and size of the potted flowers means that we will not be able to bring them home.

Tour of Balvi

After work we all went on a guided walking tour of Balvi. It was an excellent tour because not only was our guide the woodwork teacher he had been the Mayor of Balvi in the mid 1990's, he had helped to build the building that the school occupies and had been the man in charge of re-organising the Balvi region immediately upon independence in the early 1900's! When he retired he studied to be a teacher and then last year he took a diploma in photography. Oh yes he is a wonderful craftsman!

The small lake in the park is said to have been built by bears working with some of the locals! !

The bear is a much loved symbol of Balvi, but not as much loved as the local shop by the girls!

TOP

At the end of tour the girls of all nations could not wait to rush off to the local shop, TOP and the 1 Lat shop!

The polish girls were buying monkey nuts, the Turks were looking for slippers!

Our girls were very happy with cereal and crisps. On the 20 minute walk back to the school there was a lot on positive about their impressions of the last few days.

Foppe and I went, with our tour guide, to a cafe were a statue of Lenin had found his last resting place, he was looking wistfully towards the Russian border only 35km to the East!