LATVIA - RIGA

Latvia's history is still very present in the streets of Riga today. From 1941 to 1945, Latvia was occupied by the German Wehrmacht, but after the end of World War II, all three  Baltic states became part of the Soviet Union. Although the Soviet Union was a multilingual state, most Soviets spoke Russian - precisely because of its geographical proximity to Russia, it was Russain that aslo became the everyday language in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, schools and institutions then focused more on Latvian again, but Russian has remained in families. Although Russian is not seen as a mandatory part of the Latvian school curriculum today, many children speak Russian. With their parents, with their grandparents, even with their friends. On the street I hear about an eqpual number of people speaking Russian and Latvian. But today Latvian is the official language of the country and everything is written in Latvian. Nevertheless, the Russian language is still part of everyday life in Latvia.

My mother emigrated from Russia to Switzerland in 1999. I grew up in Switzerland, but I have always spoken Russian with my mother and sisters. In Switzerland, I often had the feeling that some people had prejudices towards us Russian speakers, especially regarding the Russian political situation. But since I've been here in Riga, I see very clearly that "Russian" and "Russian-speaking" must be clearly separated. This is also the attitude of the people of Riga, and it is important to them. Once I was walking through the Old Town and past the Russian Theatre in Riga and noticed a note  on the window: "Although we are the Russian Theatre in Riga, we do not support Russia's political actions." It is clear: it`s important to Latvians to separate language from politics while remaining true to their own history and culture.

I am glad that the Russian language has not been banned from the Baltic States due to the political tensions in Russia. On the contrary - I have the impression that it is even increasingly spoken: Many Ukrainian families have come and feel comfortable here because they can communicate in Russian. A language most Ukranian still speak as well. 

And so do I. During my semester abroad in Riga, I speak Russian with most people. I can explain what I need in the store, I can ask for directions, I can express myself so that the other person understands me. And that gives me a big advantage, because now I am no longer perceived as a foreigner, but as one of them. I notice that people like to talk to me, and even when they hear a slight accent in my Russian, they ask with interest what my background is. So I have already had some interesting conversations and since I explained to the woman in the cafeteria serving food that I am actually from Switzerland, she always asks me how my weekend was. I am glad that I can expand my Russian vocabulary in this way and improve my flow of speech, and that I am perceived as a Russian speaker and not as a Russian.

Latvian I don't understand at all except for a few individual words. The letters are Latin, but the Latvian language belongs to the Baltic branch of the Indo-Germanic language family. It is very different from German and the few words I understand I derive from Russian. Although the spelling of the words is quite different, the sound of Latvian words is similar to the sound of Russian .

I used to resist  my mothers attempt to teach me Russian. I didn't understand then why I should learn these foreign letters groing up and living in Switzerland. But my mother prevailed, even if only with difficulty. Today I am infinitely grateful to her, because a language is one of the greatest gifts you can give to your child. And today I appreciate it even more: I have learned that language has nothing to do with the political problems of the country where this language is most spoken. It is rather the culture, the understanding among each other and the mutual exchange, that make a language come alive.