LATVIA - RIGA
My "Riga" adventure started just over a month ago. Today, a month later, a month older, but with new experiences in my head that could fill a year.
After my trip started a little late due to strikes and flight cancellations, I could hardly wait for the plane to land here. As a newcomer to Latvia, one of the first cultural nuances I noticed was the apparent coolness of first contact with Latvians. I noticed this during encounters in the supermarket or in the dormitory. This initial feeling was confirmed to me by other Erasmus students who had similar experiences. In my home country, I am used to people often being friendly and open at first contact, but I quickly noticed that interactions in Latvia seemed more reserved at first.
However, the apparent coolness on first contact with Latvians is not a sign of rudeness or disinterest. On the contrary, it often reflects a cultural norm that values restraint and reserve in new social situations. During my time here, I have learned that Latvians need time to build trust and feel comfortable before revealing their personal thoughts and feelings. This cultural value of privacy and restraint in first contact was unusual for me at first, but I have learned to respect and acknowledge it.
Once the ice has been broken and trust has been established, Latvians are often sincere, generous and hospitable. This experience has shown me that initial reticence at first contact should not be interpreted as disinterest or rejection, but as a cultural norm that requires respect and understanding.
A good example of this hospitality came after a good five days, it was a Friday evening and I was in a room in the dormitory with 10 local Latvians. I had previously met them at an event in Riga. We played drinking games, listened to music and had a good time. The later the evening got, the more the Latvian party songs and old traditional songs from their culture came on. We started dancing and singing. To be honest, I only danced because I didn't understand the lyrics. At that moment I realized that it doesn't matter where you are in the world, all people are the same. My Friday nights back home looked pretty similar.
It was interesting that the locals confirmed this when asked about it. During the conversations, I had the feeling that they are not proud of it, but that it is anchored in their culture. Another example happened to me during an encounter in the city when I was asked if I was a tourist. Quite surprised, I said yes and asked how they had recognized that. The answer was that I grin too much and look too friendly. After this encounter, I paid much more attention to the other people and had to agree with them. Now that I think about the last few weeks while writing, I think I have adapted to it. Not consciously but unconsciously, I now stay more focused on myself on the bus or when shopping and no longer try to interact with other people. Another possibility is that I may have sought more contact with others in the first few days and weeks because I didn't have any contacts. Now, after a good month, I'm no longer so keen to interact with people all the time. I can't answer the question of whether this is positive or not at the moment. I actually think it's a great quality to walk through life cheerfully and outwardly in a good mood and not just be introverted. I'm curious to see how it develops and how it will affect me when I return.
It is important to emphasize that the initial coolness in the first contact with Latvians should by no means be equated with unfriendliness. Rather, it is a cultural nuance that indicates that trust and relationship building take time. Would you rather have a quick and superficial relationship or one that takes time but can be deeper? It is therefore crucial to understand the motivation behind this behavior and to respect cultural differences. Through this perspective, we can not only better understand Latvian culture, but also expand and enrich our own cultural ideas about social interactions.