My (dorm)room

Below you can see a picture I took of my room, as also the view when I look out the window.
Frankly, this is the best thing to see in my dormitory, since the rest is not so pretty to be honest.

As far as the surroundings, these are also not the best. Also shown on the map below, I live in district Maskavas forštate. This is a district where apparently many Russian people live, which more  or less makes sense if you look at the name.

On a monopoly game here in Riga this district is actually the first stop after prison! I don't know if I should be so happy about that, luckily me and others could laugh about it, that is, for now atleast. On day 1, my taxidriver said ''you will get mugged here''. Indeed, one of my fellow EILC students already had her walkman stolen. Luckily for her the thief identified it as invaluable and dropped it to the ground. Other then that, current residents of the dormitory advise you to always lock the room of your door (else your laptop may go ''missing'') when you leave and to never go clubbing alone. Actually, food getting stolen inside the hotel also happens, which I did not expect before coming here. Luckily the atmosphere amongst the other students is great, so not all is bad.

In one of my future blog posts I would like you to show some  pictures of the immediate surroundings of my current accommodation as to show you how poor this area really is.

Riga Black Balsam Mix, a cure for cold?

When I am writing this it is the third day in a row that I am suffering from a cold.
In an attempt to solve this I tried to eat some more fruit and drink some tea, but without any definite results.
Hence, today I tried a recommended mix of Riga Black Balsam with (hot) milk and honey. Riga Black Balsam is a very famous drink here in Riga which is used in various forms (in coffee, in tea, in cocktails and probably a lot more). Time will tell if it also works for me. I didn't add to much of Balsam to the mix since I didn't want to put myself on an overdose of this 45% liquor, also not knowing what are the right proportions with regard to Balsam, milk and honey in a glass I used. I believe normally you would get about 40ml, being one shot in a bar.
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''Black Balsam is also used in traditional medicine. It is considered to be a good cold remedy and is used to treat digestive problems.  It has been made in Riga since the middle of the 18th century. According to legend, EmpressCatherine the Great of Russia, became ill during a visit to Latvia, but was cured after drinking Riga Black Balsam.''

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riga_Black_Balsam

Vai jūs runājat angliski?

Vai jūs runājat angliski? Translated: do you speak English? Indeed, unfortunately my  Latvian is not that great yet. The same holds true for my Russian, which I did not practice at all yet. However, I have been told that trying to learn both these languages simultaneously might lead to great confusion - something I do not wish.
For now it thus will be Latvian only, which by some locals and international students is experienced as more difficult than Russian (!). When in shops I try to use the words I already have mastered, which often leads to the person behind the cash register putting up a big smile. Atleast nice to know that my efforts are being appreciated! Although most youngsters speak English, some (older) adults and elderly people do not. Of course you would like to be able to talk to everyone! My EILC (Erasmus Intensive Language Course) teacher is of great help in boosting my Latvian performance, but in the end it is always up to the individual to make it happen. Some things in life do not come easy, and Latvian is clearly one of them. However, that shouldn't stop me from being motivated, as it is more the long-term rather than short-term goals that really count. Currently, I am pleased to be able to say ''es runāju mazliet latviski''.

Virtual tour to the Faculty of Economics and Management of University of Latvia.

In contrast what I posted before, I will probably be visiting the building of the Faculty of Economics and Management more often than the Main building of the University of Latvia.
Here is a very cool virtual tour to the Faculty of Economics and
Management: http://skatskat.lv/virtuala-ture/evf/eng/1st/tour_1st.html

My first LVL (Latvian Lat)!