Спасибо Рига, увидимся!

As my stay in Riga ends today, I could not be more grateful to the Liden & Denz school and teachers. I feel I have achieved my goals, and even went beyond! I have nothing to say but: thank you Riga!

Riga – even better than in my memory

Latvia was a great surprise to discover when I first arrived at the Liden & Denz school in Riga in March 2022. I was very excited to return to Riga for summer, and all my expectations were met during my stay. Latvia is a very fun country to visit in summer, with tons of festivals and cultural events. For instance, yesterday I went to a nighttime fire-show that was organized to commemorate Riga’s birthday! That was for sure an unforgettable last evening.

I really encourage everyone coming to Latvia to extensively travel within the country. Latvia has so much to offer, from peaceful countryside to baroque palaces, not to mention sunny beaches and historical cities. Staying in Riga is also a good opportunity to travel in the other Baltic states, as well as in Scandinavia. I was lucky enough to visit Stockholm while I was studying here, which was a wonderful experience.

And what about the Russian language?

Even though Russian doesn’t have an official status in Latvia, it is widely spoken and you can easily practice your Russian in the streets. But your biggest progress will of course be made in the classroom. I am very thankful to all my teachers – Jouliana, Natalia and Oleg – who really made me improve my Russian.

I remember when I came here in June, I was confident enough to read a magazine or a newspaper in Russian. I could listen to TV shows and radio programmes in Russian. But I never imagined I could read books in Russian. Yet, after these two months, I can proudly say that I made it! I read my first books in Russian. Discussing literature in class and reading classics in their original version, such as Chekhov’s plays and short stories, truly was a big achievement in my Russian-learning journey. Thus, I leave Latvia with great memories, new friends… And a bunch of books!

This article was brought to you by Theo, currently studying Russian at Liden & Denz Riga.