Couple Learning Programme

Last month I signed up for Couple Learning Programme (CLP). In essence, this programme is about you learning a Latvian student your language & culture and vice versa. This is accomplished with hometasks, informal conversation and playing games. Other then that, you get the opportunity to go to gathered events, both having Latvian and foreign participants. During the first CLP meeting (held on the 3rd of October at Rīga Stradiņš University ) we performed some ice-breaking games in order to release some natural tension between the large hurd of both Latvian and foreign students. According to the CLP organisation and their website (http://clp.lv) there were 119 participants from 27 countries who took part in this ''grand opening of Couple Learning Programme''. Whilst the games we played could be considered to be either lame, childish or stupid, they helped to reduce distance between each other. For me they were still quite fun to do, but yes, originality was lacking. After the group games had ended it was time to find whom of all the persons in the room was actually your budy/partner. This was accomplished by finding the person who was holding the other part of the puzzle.

After having found your buddy -in my case a Latvian girl- it was time to socialise and to get to know each other. As a part of this, we had to draw each other and ask each other the following 3 questions: 1) what would you do with 1 million EUR?, 2) what is the most crazy thing you did in your life? and 3) what do you want to learn from me? After having answered these three questions the first meeting found its end.
Whilst almost all of the students returned back to their homes, others joined in for the afterparty at ,,Folkklubs Ala Pagrabs'' (http://www.fokklubs.lv). I was already familiar with this traditional Latvian tavern, as it was the first place my ERASMUS buddy took me. When visiting Riga, I can heartly recommend going here. However, when we were there the afterparty was not so much of a party. Nontheless, we still enjoyed a drink (great beers at 'Ala', as it is more commonly referred to) and a chat with those that stayed with us. When midnight was approaching, me and a large majority of my tablemates headed to the bus stop to catch the last bus back to our dormitory.