Updating...

Life has once again gotten in the way of blogging.  The new job and longer commute are truly cutting into my writing time, and certainly there is less time for various adventures. So, I'll update you on some of what I have been doing.

Reading...One benefit of the commute is having more time to read. Since the beginning of the year I have read five books, including one in Latvian. Gloria Steinem's newest book, "My Life of the Road," was very informative; it includes many interesting stories and anecdotes from her life spent traveling to places around the country to work with various community organizations, civil rights movements, and individuals. The Latvian book I read was a memoir by Krišjānis Barons, and I would recommend it to all of my Latvian friends.

Enjoying...In an effort to stave off the winter doldrums, as well as to spend time with friends and enjoy some of Washington's cultural riches, in recent weeks I attended both a concert and a comedy show. The Gay Men's Chorus of Washington is celebrating its 35th year, and they kicked it off with a performance at the Barns of Wolf Trap. Although I had been to the outdoor amphitheater at Wolf Trap for numerous summer concerts, this was my first event at the Barns - which are two beautiful old barns stitched together to create an intimate concert venue as well as bar area. The atmosphere was cozy, and the concert was very good. Another Washington institution is the Capitol Steps, a musical satire ensemble, which - as their slogan puts it - puts the "mock" in democracy. Interestingly, the Steps are also celebrating their 35th anniversary this year. Particularly in this crazy election cycle the group had much to satirize, though one of my favorite pieces featured Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor waiting for the women's bathroom at the Supreme Court, and breaking out into song to rhapsodize about their crushes on Anthony Scalia. For your viewing pleasure, here are a couple of video clips of skits we saw. The first is Bernie Sanders singing "If There Were No Rich Men."

And "Lirty Dies: A Nunch of Butts..."

The Steps perform every Friday and Saturday night at the Ronald Reagan Building in downtown Washington, and I'd say it's a "must do" for any Washingtonian. It was an entertaining way to finish the workweek.

Socializing...Although football does not interest me in the least, I always look forward to the elaborate Super Bowl party that some friends invite me to every year. And one of the most laughter-filled evenings in recent memory took place at a Tex-Mex restaurant with seven former co-workers. The get-together had been organized by a former colleague visiting from Ecuador; we had not seen in six months, so it was truly great to catch up. How fortunate that our party of eight was essentially given a private room, as our loud chattering and laughter would probably been annoying to anyone sitting nearby! In the coming weeks I'm looking forward to seeing another friend visiting from overseas.

Looking Back to 2015, Looking Forward to 2016

2015 will soon be seen only in the rear view mirror, and recalled in memories and via photographs.

Washington Monument at sunset

Highlights from my year include:

- A fantastic long weekend (way back in January!) in Charleston, South Carolina, which you can read about in this post, as well as in this one.
- I love having visitors! In the spring, my blogging (and real-life!) friend Liene and her family were in the Washington area, so we checked out the enormous Udvar-Hazy Center.
- For Easter, family members visited and much fun was had.
- Spring included an amazing several days in New York City, enjoying a variety of culture - such as the State Choir of Latvia and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as exploring Brooklyn in detail.
- Summer's biggest event was Garezers' 50th anniversary, which was so rich and full of experiences, that several posts were necessary to describe it all: intro and art exhibit, an evening movie and nighttime fireworks display, a daylong music festival called Garezers-Palooza (with a second post about that in Latvian), and the closing event, as well as a bit about the church service and market.
- Other summer activities included a wonderful weekend in Boston, visiting Havre de Grace for the first time, checking out the new Japanese Garden at Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, and celebrating mom's birthday with an outing to Grand Haven.
- A fall visitor for several days meant that there was more time for adventures: a cider brewery, a visit to Mount Vernon, wine, history and autumnal delights in Winchester, as well as a foliage drive and hike in Shenandoah National Park.
- At the beginning of the year I had made the decision to read more, and to make more arts and culture related outings. I did quite well on this resolutions. According to Goodreads, this year I read 39 books, far surpassing my original goal of 21. Honestly, a few them were barely books - more like essays - but given how little the average American (though I certainly never claimed to be an average American, ha!) reads nowadays, 35 or so is still a sizable number. Only one did I write a review about here, and in another post I mentioned a few others I had read. Among books that I enjoyed this fall were Elizabeth Gilbert's "Big Magic" and Moises Velasquez-Manoff's "An Epidemic of Absence: A New Way of Undestanding Allergies and Autoimmune Disorders," as well as Iris Carmon's "Notorious RBG: The Life and Time of Ruth Bader Ginsburg."

Washington Monument after sunset.

While there are many more memories I could mention and blog posts I could link to, I will stop now so that I can devote time to writing new posts, and planning for 2016!

May your New Year be full of love, friendship, successes and many adventures!

Winter...What to Do?

Many people in the Northern Hemisphere often do not look forward to winter. I am one of them -- although my parents are from northern Europe and I grew up in the Midwest, I much prefer warm and sunny seasons to the colder and darker ones. Come November I begin to feel slightly anxious about the approaching winter. With the two last Washington winters having been rather harsh, I have been thinking about how to improve my relationship with winter (seeing as moving south from November through March is not a viable option!). The first step was purchasing a "happy light", which I have already begun trying to use almost every morning as the sun has been rising later and later, and setting earlier.

An October sunset

It seems my second step might be trying to adjust my mindset. The Atlantic recently published an enlightening article about Tromso, Norway, a city so far north that its dark winters are frighteningly long -- between November and January, the sun does not rise! This, of course, is in direct contrast to the summer, when between May and July the sun never sets. The article's author, Kari Leibowitz, received a Fulbright scholarship to research how people in Norway address winter, and spent ten months in Tromso doing research. I urge you to read the entire article -- it's fascinating. Additionally, during her time in Norway Ms. Leibowitz kept a blog, in which she features stunningly gorgeous photographs of various trips around the country in addition to pictures which show that the winter light there is quite beautiful.

In the vain of Tromso residents who look forward to winter, I figured one method of doing so is by constructing a list of activities to plan and look forward to this winter. Herewith I present....(drumroll, please!)....My Winter Wish & Plan List! This is not a "to do" list, nor is it a bucket list -- it is collection of activities which I would enjoy and that I may do in the coming five months. 

My Winter Wish & Plan List 

- Visit the National Postal Museum for the first time. See the PostSecret exhibit there.

- Catch new movies, especially "Bridge of Spies," "Suffragette," and "Sisters."

- Read! Particularly looking forward to Sherry Turkle's new book, "Reclaiming Conversation" (as I loved her work "Alone Together"). Have also heard lots about Lauren Groff's novel "Fates and Furies." I recently began reading "Notorious R.B.G.: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg," which is quite good.
- Visit the National Cryptological Museum (on the grounds of the National Security Agency, sometimes referred to as "No Such Agency").

- Interview at least one person for a blog post.
- Check out Artomatic 2015, an enormous free art exhibit.

- Bake cookies with my awesome new Latvian cookie cutters.
- Visit the newly re-opened Renwick Gallery.

- Host a literary evening.

- Of course: celebrate Latvia's Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, and Christmas, as well as my birthday.

- Visit at least one Christmas-themed event, such as a light display or Christmas music concert.
- Yay, "The Americans" is due to begin its new season in January! This is THE best show on television.

High water on the Potomac at sunset, March 2015

America's Library - The Library of Congress

One of the most stunning buildings in Washington is the Library of Congress' historic Thomas Jefferson Building. While it can be visited and toured throughout the year, twice annually the Library hosts an open house.  During the open house visitors can also enter the famous Main Reading Room, which otherwise is open only to those with a reader's card. The open houses are held on Columbus Day in October and on Presidents' Day in February. Having first been awed by this amazingly intricate building during a conference last year, I made sure to find time to visit again during the recent fall event.

Built in the 1890s, the Jefferson Building is one of the most ornate public buildings in the U.S., and should be included on most tourists' lists of sights to see in Washington. Free public tours are offered several times a day, and only take an hour. You can also look around on your own in even less time. To celebrate the building's 100th anniversary, an extensive renovation was undertaken in the 1980s and 1990s when the entire structure was restored to its original splendor.

Gold leaf on this hallway ceiling.

During the open house one could wander around several areas, and chat with helpful librarians and volunteers who were happy to answer questions about the building's history, as well as the work of the Library. The members room, for example, is typically off limits to the public, but we could peek into that, which was just as ornate as other areas.

Sorry for poor quality, but I loved this!

The highlight of the day was being able to explore the Main Reading Room, which is impressive in its size and beauty.

An alcove in the Main Reading Room.

This enormous and gorgeous room has many fascinating details. For example, as the Library's website explains: "eight giant marble columns each support 10-foot-high allegorical female figures in plaster representing characteristic features of civilized life and thought: Religion, Commerce, History, Art, Philosophy, Poetry, Law and Science."

Poetry

The rest of the areas open to visitors in the Jefferson Building are also quite photo-worthy and memorable. Because many of the prettiest bits are high up, they are difficult to photograph. The following pictures are of somewhat poor quality, but they were too interesting not too share!

Justice

Such gorgeous colors and patterns!

For my many friends who like to write...

For all of my teacher friends...

And for my artist friends...

After oohing and aahing over the fantastic building, on my way out of the Library I had to stop in the wonderful bookstore and giftshop, which has many fun and educational gifts and souvenirs. My favorite bookcase was this one...

As you can tell, the Library of Congress is well worth a visit!

15th Annual National Book Festival

Occasionally before I go somewhere I think to myself, "This will be a great post for the blog!", but then the place or event or my experiences aren't all that wonderful. That is what happened with the National Book Festival, where I truthfully had hoped to see and hear at least a half-dozen authors, but real life intervened. Thus this post is shorter and less exciting than I had hoped!

From its beginnings on the East Lawn of the Capitol on September 8, 2001, when approximately 30,000 people attended the first National Book Festival hosted by First Lady Laura Bush, the Festival quickly grew and moved to the National Mall, and later begun its close association with the Library of Congress. Since 2014, however, the Festival has relocated to the Washington Convention Center, which - while not as picturesque and iconic as the Mall location - does have some benefits, such as air conditioning and actual restrooms. 

I had attended and enjoyed the festival a number of times when it was located on the Mall, but had not attended in recent years  When I saw the impressive list of 175 authors who would be at this year's festival, I made definitive plans to go.

The Festival is enormous and very well-attended. With the Convention Center being so immense and spread out, and with getting a later start than planned, I was able to see only a couple of authors in whom I was interested, plus spot two famous writers as they were being interviewed by C-SPAN's Book TV (slogan: "Television for Serious Readers").

William McCullough

Tom Brokaw

I also visited the exhibit part of the festival - the Library of Congress and several other organizations had tables full of information and freebies (all the paper bookmarks one would ever need!), and each state had a booth with varying amounts of information.

Hawaii's booth even had musicians!

The local bookstore Politics & Prose was selling books by the many authors appearing at the festival, and most of the authors had designated times for signing books. Lines for the more popular writers formed early and were lengthy.

The only author whose entire presentation I heard was Stephen L. Carter. Interestingly, somewhat recently I had picked up one of his novels - and had not been able to finish reading it, as the writing did not hold my attention. However, I knew a bit about him, and was interested to hear him speak. He is an excellent public speaker, which is not surprising given that he is a lawyer by training, and his "day job" is professor at Yale Law School. Carter is an incredibly accomplished individual: after earning a bachelor's degree from Stanford and a law degree from Yale, he clerked for Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. He has written numerous non-fiction books, as well as six novels! It's difficult to comprehend how one person manages all of this, but he does, and he even spoke about writing being tedious - that he has even spent two weeks writing just one sentence!

Stephen L. Carter

One of many stands in the festival's exhibit portion was for Free Little Library, which is a wonderful initiative encouraging individuals and organizations to build and set up tiny libraries on their front lawns. People can both leave and take books from these little repositories. A good friend of mine here in the DC area put up a Free Little Library in her yard, and was kind enough to share a photo of the lovely library she has created - complete with Latvian "ausekli" or morning stars. Note also the gnome who lives underneath, complete with tiny picket fence.

A friend's Little Free Library in the DC suburbs.

First Sentences

Inspired by a Latvian blogger, Inga, who in turn was inspired by a Huffington Post blog post, I am joining in the "first sentences challenge." The idea is simple -- select and share the first sentence from five books. Inga suggested that the lines should be from books you have read recently. I mostly chose books that I have read in the last few years, however to increase the diversity, also selected one from a Latvian language book enjoyed long ago. To keep with my literary theme for this year, which involves picking more books by woman authors, four of the chosen selections are by women.

"I still don't know why Sallie and I bothered to go to that party in the forest slope above Aspen." Rebecca Solnit, Men Explain Things to Me

"Saules un vēja izbalināts zirga galvas kauss stāv Madaras Gobas grāmatu skapī - gandrīz vai goda vietā." Ingrīda Vīksniņa, Saules sala

"The day after Lula's lawyer called to tell her she was legal, three Albanian guys showed up in a brand-new black Lexus SUV." Francine Prose, My New American Life

"It was too late to pretend he hadn't seen her." Adelle Waldman, The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P.

"No one is left from the Glenn Valley, Pennsylvania, Bridge Club who can tell us precisely when or why the group broke up, even though its forty-odd members were still playing regularly as recently as 1990, just as they had done for more than a half a century." Robert B. Putnam, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community

You are welcome to join in by sharing a first sentence in the comments, or several on your blog! Paldies, Inga, par jauko ideju!

Bibliophiles Unite!

Having been born into a family of readers, it's not surprising that I am a bookworm. In third and fourth grade I often tried to read a novel while sitting in class when I found the subject to be uninteresting--much to the chagrin of my teachers, of course. Two of my part-time jobs while in high school and college were in bookstores--best employee discount EVER!--, and nowadays one of the few things I enjoy about flying (other than it being an expeditious mode of transit when needing to travel several hundred or more miles) is the general peace and quiet in which I can read uninterrupted.

Nowadays I am a member of Goodreads.com, a site on which a reader can keep track of what she has read, what she would like to read, as well as rate the books and write reviews. The site also incorporates a social networking aspect to it--the reader can befriend or follow other readers to see their lists, ratings, and reviews.

At the end of 2014, Goodreads informed me that I had read 19 books during the year. I was disappointed in this count. Therefore I set a goal to read at least 21 books in 2015. Given the cold weather we had this winter, plus having gotten back into the habit of reading more regularly, I have already surpassed that goal by several books. I also made a conscious decision to read more works by authors who happen to be women or not Caucasian.

The majority of books I read are contemporary novels or recent non-fiction, with an occasional tome thrown in that doesn't fit into either category. This year some of the choices I've enjoyed most were:

Novels

• Me Before You (JoJo Moyes)
• The House at Riverton (Kate Morton)
• Cambridge (Susanna Kaysen)

Non-Fiction 

• 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in my Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works (Dan Harris)
• Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science - and the World (Rachel Swaby)
• We Should All Be Feminists (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)
• The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money (Ron Lieber)
• Men Explain Things to Me (Rebecca Solnit)
• White Field, Black Sheep: A Lithuanian-American Life, about which I wrote about previously.
• Bad Feminist: Essays (Roxane Gay)

Although my Latvian language skills are quite good for someone born outside of Latvia, unfortunately I find it difficult to read anything other than children's books in Latvian nowadays. (Honestly, even some of the kids' books are cringe-inducing, with stereotypes that should no longer be used in this century.) I have found much current Latvian literature to be unnecessarily complex and artsy - I prefer my reading to be simpler.

Years ago, however, I read a great many novels by Latvian-American writers; a friend reminded me of this recently when she recalled seeing me - a 10 year old - at camp reading a novel, Homo Novus, by Anšlavs Eglītis. Maybe returning to a book I last read a couple of decades ago would be a simple way of reconnecting with Latvian literature.

However, between books borrowed from the library or friends, and books purchased new or used, I always have stacks of items "To Be Read" -- and that does not even include anything I have purchased on my e-reader and have not gotten around to reading! 

While reading itself is a pleasurable activity, meeting authors and hearing them speak can be fascinating. With that in mind, I plan to attend the National Book Festival at the Washington Convention Center on September 5. This year's theme, courtesy of Thomas Jefferson himself, is "I cannot live without books." Could there be a more appropriate slogan for a festival featuring more than 100 authors in one day and attracting up to 200,000 attendees?

I love this poster!

European Month of Culture

May is the European Month of Culture in DC, when the European country embassies organize a variety of cultural events. May 9 was European Union Open House Day, during which all of the EU embassies are open to the public for six hours. I spent most of the day at the Embassy of Latvia, first singing with my folk music ensemble, then helping answer visitors' questions about the historic building and about Latvia itself. Wearing my folk costume means that I also had my photo taken many, many times.

The Embassy of Latvia also hosted two well-known writers one evening. Poet Liāna Langa and novelist Nora Ikstena read some of their work in Latvian, and translator Margita Gailītis read the same pieces in English. Between that evening, and the after-party following the open house (in which they also participated), I had the pleasure of getting to know all three women a bit. It was interesting to hear that the London Book Fair will be featuring the three Baltic countries in 2018, which means there is currently a special effort underway to translate more Latvian literature into other languages, particularly English because that is a gateway to other languages.

Liana Langa on the left, Nora Ikstena on the right

My signed copy of Ikstena's "Life Stories"

To attend this year's Eurovision-viewing party, a friend and I made our way to an embassy-lined cul de sac and the Embassy of Austria. While the party itself was not quite as comfortable (sitting on a hardwood floor!) or well-organized as last year's, we had a lot of fun enjoying the contest itself and cheering for Latvia's entry, the singer Aminata with her song "Love Injected." While Sweden won the contest, Latvia finished in a very respectable sixth place out of a total of 27 countries who made it through to the final. 

Cheering on Latvia with our mini Latvian flags

Although we were not gifted with handy Eurovision post-it notes this time around, we did each receive a nifty Vienna pen. If this type of Eurovision-viewing party continues, then next year's party would be slated to take place at the Embassy of Sweden, which is housed in a beautiful modern building on the Potomac River in Georgetown - I hope I will be able to attend!

Happy Friday, People!

Earlier this week I attended the Maris Briezkalns Quintet's performance on the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage as they presented the world premiere of "Rothko in Jazz." The recording of the hour-long concert can be found here on the Kennedy Center's website.

Tomorrow is Independent Bookstore Day, a rather new phenomenon, but a great one! There seems to be no comprehensive website of all events around the country, but if you search for "independent bookstore day" and your area, or just look up your favorite bookstore's website, you might find the store has special events planned. I will be stopping by Washington's best bookstore, Politics & Prose, where the wise and amusing folks there have scheduled a full day of fun. Of particular note is the fact that all of the participating stores will be selling limited edition items such as this incredibly adorable baby onesie.

(Source: Politics-Prose.com)

Enjoy your weekend!!!

Book Recommendation: "White Field, Black Sheep"

Being Latvian is a funny thing sometimes. Earlier this month I was reading a book titled "Bad Feminist: Essays" by Roxane Gay, who spent time on the faculty of Eastern Illinois University. In one essay she mentions her colleague and friend Daiva. Naturally, I know Daiva to be a Lithuanian name, so I immediately wonder who this person could be and search for "Daiva Eastern Illinois University" online. Quickly discovering that the woman's last name is Markelis and that she is also on faculty at the college, I also find out that she is the author of a memoir called "White Field, Black Sheep: A Lithuanian-American Life." The title seems vaguely familiar - maybe I'd heard of it somewhere previously. Regardless, I add it to my "must read" list. While looking for books to take on a trip, I remembered this one, and bought it for my e-reader. From the moment I began reading it, the memoir resonated with me and my experiences of growing up in the Latvian-American community.

(Source: Amazon.com)

Markelis' parents fled Lithuania at the end of World War II, spent time in Displaced Persons camps in Germany, and eventually ended up in Chicago, a city with the largest number of Lithuanians outside of Lithuania. Her parents spoke only Lithuanian to Daiva and her younger sister Rita, and tried to instill in them pride in their heritage. She grew up in a Lithuanian neighborhood, was friends with many other Lithuanian-American children, attended a Lithuanian Saturday school, and so on.

This memoir of growing up in the Chicago Lithuanian community is a must-read for any Baltic American! However, the book is also a worthwhile choice for anyone who grew up in the U.S. in the 60s and 70s or in the Chicago area, or who has experienced misunderstanding their parents' actions and motivations, as well as readers interested in immigrant experiences in the U.S. 

Being the child of Latvian immigrants who also arrived after WWII, I was familiar with many of the themes the author addressed and explored including: a patriotic upbringing, pride in one's language/culture/history, the vast yet often silent disappointment and frustration of dreams and futures deferred or stolen, longing for home and familiarity, a deep love of all things cultural, the misunderstandings and confusion brought on by a new culture and country, the ubiquity of alcohol as a social lubricant and drowner of sorrows, lack of understanding about mental health, and the fear of disappointing one's family. 

The 1960s and 70s were a vibrant period in the Baltic American communities, and we can be grateful that at least one person has crafted a well-written memoir which does an excellent job of describing that period.

Trying to Settle into 2015

Winter has always been my least favorite season - the dark and the cold make it difficult to get motivated to wake up in the mornings or to do much in the evenings, plus after the excitement of the holidays, January and February can seem long and dull. We have also had lower than average temperatures in the DC area this month, and many days after work all I've wanted to do is curl up on the couch with a book. On the positive side of that coin - I have made good progress on my reading goal for this year! However, to break up the monotony of winter there are one or two little trips and projects in the works. More on that later. In the meantime - enjoy your weekend!

Waiting for spring to explore more waterfalls!

Things to Think about in 2015

The website LatviansOnline recently published an excellent article by journalist Kārlis Streips. He wrote about what Latvians can expect for this year. Much of the article focuses on geopolitical issues, but the last several paragraphs have wonderful suggestions for Latvians living outside of Latvia. These recommendations are so good that I'm taking the liberty to re-post the three paragraphs and add some of my thoughts below that.

What can you do if you live in Chicago or London or Perth or Walla Walla? If you are religious, pray for Latvia. If you have the wherewithal, you can help financially. The Vītols Foundation, for instance (www.vitolufonds.lv), administers hundreds of scholarships to help needy students pursue a higher education. You can set up one of your own if you wish.

But above all, come visit! Not right now. It’s sloppy and messy outside with snow and especially slush. But think about it during the summer. I know that the American Latvian Association will once again be running its “Hi, Latvia” programme for American Latvian teenagers. I know this because one of my nephews will be one of those to take part. Why not come along with your kid? If you’ve never been here, I recommend it. Architecture fans will be agog at the variety of architectural styles, particularly Art Nouveau, that can be seen in Rīga. Countryside types can visit hundreds of guesthouses and inns all across the country (see www.laukucelotajs.lv for a list). It is a sad fact that during the summer, most of Latvia’s cultural institutions are shut down, but if you come in the spring or the autumn, there will be hardly an evening when you will not be able to attend a world-class theatrical or musical performance of one type or another. Come. You won’t regret it.

And keep on reading “Latvians Online.” Keep on reading Latvian news portals. Be up on what’s going on here, particularly if you are a citizen of the Republic of Latvia and plan to or have been taking part in elections. All of us have only these 64,569 square kilometres (almost precisely the same size as West Virginia in the United States) of cherished motherland. For all intents and purposes, the fact that ours is the independent Republic of Latvia is something of a miracle. It could all have gone differently both in the early 1920s and in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union. We can all work to make it a better place. Of course, that is easier done if one actually lives here (in September it will be 25 years since I fetched up on these shores – where does the time go?), but, as noted, there are things that you can do, too. You can polish up your Latvian language skills, for instance. Yes, it’s not the easiest language in the world what with all of the cases and declinations and diacritical markings and what not, but knowing Latvian will allow you and your friends to talk about Americans or Canadians or Australians without them knowing what you’re saying. That’s something. And definitely make sure that your kids learn the language. Three hours on Saturday at the local Latvian school and six weeks at a summer camp won’t do the trick if you don’t lay the foundation at home. Perhaps one day your children will want to live and work in Latvia. That won’t work without the language. Don’t deny them the opportunity.

Happy New Year, everyone! It is wonderful that our country is free. (Karlis Streips, from LatviansOnline.com)

I completely agree with Streips on all of these points. Last year's trip to Latvia was the best way imaginable to reconnect with my Latvian roots. While many people travel to Latvia in the summer, I second Streips' recommendation to do so in the spring or fall - May and September in particular are excellent months from both cultural and weather standpoints. Just taking a look at the Latvian National Opera's website one sees that April features 22 performances, May contains twenty, while June has only thirteen.

Park in front of Latvian National Opera

He also mentions trips organized by the American Latvian Association (ALA), and I can sincerely endorse those. ALA organizes three types of trips every summer: "Sveika, Latvija!" is for Latvian-American teens who have just graduated from a Latvian weekend school in the U.S. and speak Latvian; "Heritage Latvia" is for an English-language trip for teenagers of Latvian heritage; "Hello, Latvia!" is an excellent choice for adults interested in visiting Latvia on an in-depth guided tour. Having served as a chaperone for a "Sveika, Latvija!" trip a number of years ago, I can attest to the fact that these are incredibly well-developed tours that show the participants almost all corners of Latvia, and teach the participants a great deal about the country's history and culture.

National Theater in Riga

Streips' statement "Don't deny them the opportunity" is apt, as sadly I know too many Latvian-Americans whose families did not teach them the language -- and often those individuals grow up to question their parents' choices.

Meanwhile, if you live in the New York area, do check out some of the many Latvian artists who will be performing on your city's stages this year! The Wall Street Journal had an article about the talented Latvian performers who are singing at the Metropolitan Opera.

Another person looking forward to this year is the new European Union Ambassador to the United States, David O'Sullivan. He held a Twitter chat in which many people asked politically or economically oriented questions, while I asked about cultural and informational events. The entire chat can be seen here on Storify. My question and his responses are at the very end.

While I have much to think about over the coming months (as I do every year!), I have not made any specific resolutions, knowing that those are too easy to break. I have, however, set a goal of reading 21 books; at the end of 2014 Goodreads notified me that I had read (or more correctly: reviewed on their site) nineteen books, and that number seemed too low to me. Just an explanation as to how big a bookworm I've been known to be: when I was in upper elementary school, it was not unusual for me to hide a novel in my lap while sitting at my desk in school! Thus far I'm on book three, although in all fairness books one and two I'd begun in the previous year!

Roberts' Books in Riga

By the way, if you are ever in Riga and find yourself in need on an English language book, Robert's Books is the place to find. It is clearly the place where many bibliophiles shop, as a bulletin board in the shop displayed postcards loyal customers had sent from far-flung vacation locales, as well as a note penned on a napkin that a disappointed shopper had left on the door: "It's mean to be closed when people want books. You know what? I'll...I'll come again next week. That'll show you!"

Looking Back at 2014, Ringing in 2015

My apologies for the longer silence! The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of busy. Without further ado, I present a quick review of 2014.

Best Family Event

• Christmas in Michgan: A total of 17 people, two cats and one dog at its busiest, this extended family Christmas celebration was a wonderful opportunity to get together. A big thanks goes to my sister and brother-in-law for hosting this large and sometimes rowdy gang!

\

Almost everyone!

Best Non-Family Event

• Garezers Summer High School 50th anniversary celebration in July was So. Much. Fun.

Best Trips

• The two weeks I spent in Latvia and Lithuania in May were just fantastic: seeing lovely nature, visiting new and already beloved places, meeting family and friends, experiencing culture, and commemorating history. I was particularly happy to visit Riga while it was European Capital of Culture. The time was so full of wonderful experiences that it took me weeks and many posts to write about it.
• A long weekend on the Outer Banks, North Carolina in October was a welcome respite from daily life, and an excellent opportunity to finally visit that state, my 35th.

Biggest Purchase

• In the closing days of 2014, after much researching, hunting, and test driving, I finally bought a new set of wheels! Now I have plenty of room to ferry tall (or short) family and friends, plus I'm ready to start planning some road trips in the new year. Any suggestions?

Best Book Read

Best Restaurant Meals Enjoyed

• High Cotton BBQ on the Outer Banks 
• Terra in Grand Rapids

Best Wine Enjoyed 

• Chardonnay Sur Lie from Zephaniah Farm Vineyard

While 2014 had many ups, it certainly had its share of downs. I'm looking forward to 2015 and what it brings, hoping it will be a more peaceful and happy year for our world. May your new year be filled with health, happiness, and fun adventures!

Books That Have Affected My Life

Recently there have been a spate of lists on social media consisting of individuals listing books that have changed or impacted their lives. While "change" is a strong word, I'm joining in the fun by listing some books and authors who have had some type of impact on me. They are listed in no particular order.

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
I remember asking for this book as a gift from my parents for some occasion (Christmas? name's day?), and being quite excited to receive it. I may have been in 8th or 9th grade, and I read it quickly. It had enticed me initially because it was about Lithuanian immigrants in Chicago, but the book is best known for its impact on public policy, as it exposed various unsavory and unhealthy practices in American slaughterhouses at the beginning of the 20th century. It's not a particularly uplifting tale, yet it does an excellent job in describing the difficult life many immigrants experience in this country.

Homo Novus by Anšlavs Eglītis (in Latvian)
In 1982 a large Latvian song festival took place in Milwaukee, and one of the events was a play called "Homo Novus." Many parents would not take their young kids to theater meant for adults, but my mom and dad were not just any parents (and I was not just any kid)! The play, which is about artistic types in Riga in the interwar period, left an impact on me - it was funny and interesting - and when I discovered it was based on a book, I insisted I needed to read it. That was likely a couple of years later, yet I was still on the young side to be reading such a long novel. The story captivated me with its descriptions of bohemians and their vibrant lives in Rīga in the 1930s, and was motivation for reading quite a few more Latvian novels.

Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
Not only were these my first ever poetry books, but they are also the first books I remember needing to read. They were so popular in my elementary school that a waiting list was created in our library--only once you reached the top of that important list could you check out one book. I was overjoyed when I eventually received them as gifts, and those 25+ year old books still have a place of honor in my bookcase. Silverstein introduced me to the notion that literature can be really fun. I suspect non-American reader might not be familiar with his poetry, so I will share one of his poems from the collection A Light in the Attic.

Shaking 
Geraldine now, stop shaking that cow

For heaven’s sake, for your sake and the cow’s sake.
That’s the dumbest way I’ve seen
To make a milk shake.

Other poems are more than just silly.

Memorizin' Mo

Mo memorized the dictionary

But just can’t seem to find a job

Or anyone who wants to marry

Someone who memorized the dictionary.

Shel Silverstein's books (including the newer Falling Up) in my bookcase.

As luck would have it, my love of poetry was further developed by a high school English teacher, a college German professor, and - wait for it! - a PBS special by Bill Moyers. The special had a companion book called The Language of Life. It features 34 American poets, a couple of works from each, as well as interviews. Some of them have since passed away, but several years ago I managed to get four of the poets' signatures by shlepping the book with me to various readings and events. 

It was from this TV show and book that I was introduced to my one of my favorite poets: Naomi 

Shihab Nye. She is what one can call an "accessible" poet, as her poems are typically easily understood, and have led me to further appreciate language as such.

I adore Nye's collection Fuel. While I was living in Kalamazoo for a short while after having graduated from college, my love for her poetry compelled me to drive for 90 minutes in the dark and the rain to hear her read and speak at a college in Grand Rapids. (This was pre-internet, but I had read a small announcement in the Kazoo paper about the event.) Below is one of Nye's poems that I love best.

Hidden
If you place a fern
under a stone
the next day it will be
nearly invisible
as if the stone has
swallowed it.

If you tuck the name of a loved one
under your tongue too long
without speaking it
it becomes blood
sigh
the little sucked-in breath of air
hiding everywhere
beneath your words.

No one sees
the fuel that feeds you.

A few of my poetry books.

Latviešu tautas dziesmas by the Latvian people (in Latvian)
It is impossible to imagine the Latvian culture without singing, and - in particular - its folk songs. Thanks mostly to the work of Krišjānis Barons in the late 1800s, we are fortunate to have written texts of many songs. Between 1894 and 1915, eight books containing a total of  217,996 four-line songs were published under the title "Latvju dainas." After World War II, the work was reprinted in Western Europe, and those are the books that I own - having inherited them from my grandparents (paldies, vectev, mati un mamma!). Having now sung with an a cappella Latvian folk music ensemble for over a decade, I have a sincere appreciation of our rich culture, and these volumes on my bookshelf are a reminder of the bountiful beautiful songs that Latvians are blessed to have.

My full set of volumes: Latviešu tautas dziesmas.

Which books have left an impact on you?

Cool Conference on (Slightly Geeky) Latvian Stuff

How does a community preserve its history? That was the basic question posed at the Second Latvian Archive, Library, and Material Culture Conference. While the title of this event is enough to put many people to sleep, the conference was fascinating and incredibly relevant for most Latvian- Americans. Because - really - when your grandmother, who had been active on the boards of two different organizations and a member of many more, and an avid reader, passes away, do you have any idea what to do with all of her old papers, books and Latvian knick-knacks? Yeah - I didn't think so! Although the conference touched on many more in-depth (and - for many of us - not-as-relevant) topics, the issues raised and various resources mentioned were generally very interesting.

The first day was most interesting, as that took place at the Library of Congress in downtown Washington. I rode Metro to Union Station, then walked several blocks to the Library's Madison building, which is just one of three building the Library occupies near the Capitol. It was September 11, and it was sobering to see all flags at half-staff. I was working in DC, just a few blocks from the White House, on that day, and I - like all Washingtonians and New Yorkers - remember the events all too well.

Union Station with flags at half-staff

Lovely fountain at Jefferson building

The Jefferson Building is the original and best-known LOC structure; the Madison building is modern and not as lovely, although the sixth floor room in which we met had large windows and some great views of DC. The conference was kicked off with opening remarks by a whole slew of dignitaries and VIPs. I was most excited to hear the Librarian of Congress, Dr. James Billington, speak. His area of expertise is Russia, and it turns out that he was one of the first Americans to visit Soviet-occupied Latvia in 1958. We were further welcomed by Ambassador Razāns, Rep. John Shimkus of the Baltic Caucus, John Medveckis who is both Honorary Consul for Latvia in Pennsylvania and a trustee of the LOC, Jānis Kukainis of the World Federation of Free Latvians, and American Latvian Association Chair Anita Bataraga.

Dr. Billington, Librarian of Congress

Rep. Shimkus

The meat of the conference began with the keynote speaker, Grant Harris, Head of the Library's European Division. He spoke a bit about the Library's history, its collection policies (the idea that they might have everything ever published is a myth!), and items in its collection related to Latvia. The basic take-away was that if you are doing any research on Latvia, the Library is a wonderful place to find materials. Just by searching "Latvian" in the Library's catalog, I came up with over 6,000 items, and that does not include periodicals!

Grant Harris

The rest of the day included lunch (the LOC cafeteria was surprisingly good, and not too expensive), and a couple of sessions on various collections and archives both here and in Latvia. For example, the University of Washington, home to a Baltic Studies program, has a collection of 1,200 pieces of Baltic music, including 730 choral scores. The presenter, Heather Garbes, said "the Baltics are hot right now." As examples she mentioned the fact that last year thirty students had studied Lithuanian at UW, and that works by Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds is incredibly popular among choirs around the world. (My personal favorite Ešenvalds piece is Dvēseles dziesma, i.e. The Soul's Song.) Latvians might be interested to hear that later when I asked Heather what her favorite Latvian choral piece is, she instantly answered: Saule, Pērkons, Daugava.

Being as erudite as they are, Cory & Linda discuss Latvian art.

I was glad to have lunch with my old friend Liga.

Another speaker, Elga Zālīte of Stanford, spoke about the personal archives of Rev. Zariņš, who was minister in the New York City Latvian Lutheran congregation for fifty years. He was instrumental in helping many Latvians as they arrived in the U.S. from displaced persons camps in Germany in the late 1940s and early 1950s. For example, the notes he kept in his calendars indicate that he personally met many incoming ships in NY harbor - sometimes even twice in one day. Apparently, Rev. Zariņš' many letters and other papers offer a rather detailed glimpse into the lives of Latvians as they sought to take refuge and build new lives in America.

One of the Library of Congress research center's is The American Folklife Center, and Ann Hoog showed us some interesting things from their collection. Imagine my surprise when up on the screen popped up photographs from my Latvian Saturday school back in 1982, when I was already a student there! It had been a part of a larger project funded by the Center, and she mentioned that the collection contained quite a few photographs, with names listed. The few she showed did not picture me (or my mom, who was a teacher at the school, nor my younger sister who was also a student at the time), but I recognized at least a couple of my former teachers, and Ann said there are many more and that I'm welcome to stop by and look at them sometime.

Ginta Zalcmane of the National Library of Latvia informed us of several current and a couple of potential new projects. One interesting website hosted by the Library is called Zudusī Latvija, or In Search of Lost Latvia. Anyone can upload an old photograph and description, and others using the site can further enhance the description if they happen to know more. The site already contains many lovely old photos which let us learn more about life in Latvia in earlier times. I, too, have decided to add some of my family's old photographs to the site this fall. She also mentioned the website Periodika.lv (praised by several researchers over the course of the conference), which contains over 100 newspaper and magazine titles. For anyone wishing to find information about past events either in Latvia or in Latvian communities around the world, this is an incredibly useful resource. A quick search turned up a number of articles in Latvian-American publications written by my father or by me, as well as articles which mentioned numerous members of my family.

Later in the afternoon we were treated to a visit to the Map and Geography Division where we were able to examine a number of rare historical maps of Latvia. The funniest thing was the LOC employee who scurried around excitedly snapping photos of us looking at the maps -- apparently it is rare for them to have such a large group of people who are so interested to see a part of their collection. We were also given a short tour of the public part of the Jefferson building, which is absolutely stunning. If you are ever in DC, I highly recommend visiting!

Just one map of Latvia we were able to scrutinize.

Conference attendees examine historical maps of Latvia in Map & Geography Division

The top part of a patriotic map of Latvia created in Western Europe after WWII.

Overlooking the Jefferson Reading Room.

Thomas Jefferson's library: some are the original books he owned!

After our tour, some friends and I took Metro to Dupont Circle, where they were staying, then ate dinner at Zorba's Cafe, which I also highly recommend. Fully satiated with Greek food, we headed to the Embassy of Latvia for an art exhibit opening and reception. Art on exhibit were prints by Latvian-American artist Janis Šternbergs, who came to the U.S. and made Kentucky his home. He is not well known in the Latvian-American community, but Sarma Liepiņš is a fan, and collects his art, so the exhibit was curated by her. Then I dragged my tired self home, as I had another full conference day to look forward to.

Prints by Janis Sternbergs

Old and new friends

On Friday we were hosted by the Embassy, and we heard a number of additional interesting talks. Cory McLeod works at the advertising agency Olson in the Twin Cities. The agency did a pro bono project for the Riga Ghetto Museum in which they created a map of the ghetto so that one can take a virtual tour of the ghetto using modern-day Google street view, while hearing memories from survivors. The map is chilling, but unfortunately it is a painful part of Latvian history, and it is interesting to see modern technology used to make history more understandable.

The most practical session in some respects was presented by Dace Ķezbers of Chicago and Sarma Liepiņš of Boston. Both often get called upon to help sort through belongings of Latvians who've passed away, and they had some rather useful tips. Sarma said that one should keep an eye out for small containers, such as little boxes and tins. She said those sometimes contain surprising or meaningful items: sand or small amber pieces from Latvia, ashes of a deceased relative, or even gold teeth. Sarma estimated that a gold tooth can be worth around $600 nowadays. Dace also mentioned leafing through books, as occasionally those contain items of note - either the author's or someone else's signature(s), old event programs, photographs, or even money.

Representing the Latvian National Archives, Inese Kalniņa, informed us about resources available from their website, such as the genealogical research site Raduraksti, which one of my cousins in Latvia has used to find quite a bit about my maternal grandfather's side of the family. (However, I will mention that my efforts to find information about my father's side of the family were quickly thwarted when I realized how difficult it was: information is handwritten, often in German and using strange abbreviations, etc.) The archives also possess an enormous card catalog about Latvian displaced persons in post-war Germany that was organized by the Red Cross, but my understanding was that this wealth of information is currently being digitized, and it will be a while before it is available for research use.

Dinner involved a group of twelve conference attendees and presenters returning to Zorba's where we quickly commandeered an entire corner of the second floor dining room for a filling Greek dinner.

Saturday was a short day, with only a couple of hours of discussions and workshops at the Latvian church hall in Rockville. Cory showed us how we could - if we had the time and resources (seeing as the software has to be purchased at $50/month) - create an app, which was interesting, but not something I plan to do anytime soon! Additionally, I participated in a small work group in which we discussed recommendations to be made to the American Latvian Association on further actions. This was already the second such conference, and we all agreed that another conference in two years - preferably on the West coast (seeing as the first one was held in the Twin Cities, in the Midwest) - would be a good idea. Various other suggestions were discussed, but - as always - the limiting factors of time and money are an issue.

Overall the conference was very interesting, and I am incredibly glad I was able to attend.