Settling into Daugavpils!

Здравствуйте из Латвии! I find it hard to believe that three weeks have already passed since I arrived in Latvia. I find myself already adjusting to life here, from the language, to the food, and even the public transport.

I flew into Riga, the capital city of Latvia, on January 10th, before driving 3 hours southeast to a small city called Daugavpils. Russian is the everyday language of communication in Daugavpils. In fact, some of the only places you won’t find Russian in Daugavpils is on official street signs, since Latvian is the official language of Latvia. While adjusting to the linguistic immersion has certainly been difficult, the weather here is nothing like I have experienced in the U.S. The temperature this past weekend reached lows of -25°C (-13°F)!

A photo of a church I took on a walk with a friend

My first two weeks here were spent in a pre-semester Russian intensive consisting of 3 hours of classes everyday, plus 45 minutes with a communication partner. Communication partners are individuals who reside in Daugavpuls and volunteer their time to speak with us in Russian. It’s proved an effective way to meet locals while improving my Russian conversational abilities! The intensive was a great way to prepare for the start of my semester at Daugavpuls University, since most of my classes are conducted in Russian. I have classes everyday, and sometimes on the weekends my program plans excursions. Last weekend, for example, we visited the Daugavpils Fortress and the Mark Rothko Museum.

I attend classes at Daugavpils University, which used to be a school for teachers.

Outside of class, I live with a host family. Typically, we eat kasha (oatmeal/porridge), cyrniki (similar to cheese pancakes), or blinchiki (similar to crepes) for breakfast. Lunch and dinner is usually soup and a main dish of meat with vegetables and buckwheat or rice. On almost all dishes here, you can find sour cream, which I have found a love for. Sour cream in soup or sour cream mixed with jam on top of blinchiki are some of my personal favorites! I have also tried bread soup (хлебный суп). This is a classic Latvian dessert made using black rye bread and fruit, and topped with whipped cream.

A photo of Nikolaevsky Gate at Daugavpils Fortress. Daugavpils fortress was built in the 19th century.

Daugavpils, overall, is comparable to small cities in the U.S. or Western Europe. The excellent tram and bus systems make it easy to get around, and everyone has been helpful. A common stereotype is that people here do not smile often and they are very serious, however I have found Daugavpils to be very welcoming. I’m excited to get to know Latvia more!

Borscht (beet soup) I had one day for lunch.