GSPIA Interns’ blogs

Finally, a good time for my first blog entry! Although I arrived in Riga almost two months ago, the cultural adjustment, busy schedule and exploration of the region hasn’t afforded me much of an opportunity for reflection and assessment until now. Like other Canadians living or working abroad, I watched the news the other week with a mixture of shock, anger and sadness. Sitting at the embassy near the end of day I saw the news as it unfolded and stayed glued to my computer screens for the next four hours until I was sure that my family, friends and colleagues were safe. As the dust settled, I witnessed from a distance, Canada becoming united in a way that many of us have not experienced in years. It is hard to describe the feelings of being so far from home when events like this occur. Aside from family in Ottawa and close friends working near Parliament hill, some of the first people I talked to were other interns from GSPIA stationed close to where I am here in Latvia. I knew that they would have experienced the same feelings as me; the shock and sadness watching the events unfold, and the feeling of isolation that comes from being so far removed from home and surrounded by people that are empathetic but not quite able to fully share in your sadness and mourning.
I should mention that I am the only Canadian at the embassy in Riga. Just before my arrival in September, the Canadian Ambassador left to start an early retirement, leaving the Chargé D’affaires based out of Vilnius as the HOM for the embassy in Riga and for our offices in Vilnius and Tallinn. From the start, the embassy staff (all of whom are Latvian nationals) made me feel at home, and I never felt isolated as the only Canadian Based Staff. Our wonderful new Chargé visits every couple of weeks and aside from that, I am greeted every morning by the pictures of our current government leaders and Queen Elisabeth! Outside of work, I have connected with a phenomenal network of interns from the other embassies in Riga-our own little United Nations with over fifteen different nationalities represented. The social gatherings and networking quickly helped me integrate in Riga. There are however some experiences, highlighted by the attacks the other week, that transcend the foreign networks of support we build up, experiences that make you fiercely proud to be Canadian but leave you feeling a little isolated when you are abroad on your own. One positive outcome of these horrible events is the patriotism that has emerged, bringing Canadians closer together. I could not help feeling incredibly patriotic myself, going back into work walking past the Canadian flag at half mast, past the book of condolences from the local community, and past the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It’s startling to remember that this embassy is a part of Canada too. It is our national identity personified in a physical form, working for the betterment of Canadians and this part of the world. I am so grateful for the experience to be working in some capacity for our country particularly in times like these. The attack and its potential long-term effects have spurred me to work harder to ensure that the values I grew up with, and the values most Canadians cherish, continue to guide our government policy into the future. I mentioned that I walk past the Charter of Rights and Freedoms every day. Infact, it is mounted in a frame in the airlock between secure doors, so I am in a position  to look at it every time I come and go. These days I look at it with renewed respect. I recognize that I am a (very small) part of the government system right now, but it’s an important realization that we all have a role in shaping the future Canada we want to see and live in. My role here at the Embassy in Riga is just the start of a journey that I hope will allow me the opportunity to create and enact policy that respects our historic values and freedoms to the benefit of all Canadians, in our connected and evolving world.

Bonjour !

Le voici, le voilà mon dernier blog. J’ai terminé mon séjour de 15 semaines en ambassade en Lettonie. Je veux profiter de ce dernier blog pour revenir sur les leçons apprises au travail et sur la vie à l’étranger.
Leçon 1 : Écouter et sourire
Everybody always has something to say or contribute but when put in comparison, we practice to a lesser extent active listening. This changed my understanding of interpersonal skills. It does not limit to engage actively with others and show leadership. It also means being ‘’socially smart’’ and find how you can useful to others with another definition. I found it smarter to understand the group dynamic and each members psyche which means that some are more strong-headed and high profile than others. It’s better to let go over some conversations when facing some characters. Certain contexts can be better balanced and the task better served with this in mind. It appeared more useful to listen then try to take a spot ‘’just to feel like you have input’’. Listening is input and it’s also healthy in the sense that it allows you to filter better what is useful criticism from your peers. I have better ears and a thicker skin! Small embassies are good environments to learn this since the staff is small with meaningful and numerous interactions with the same people. Relationships have impact and influence directly your work.  ‘’No man is an island’’ became my moto. To smile, filter and nod saved me a lot of work and got me out of unexpected situations. It allowed me to avoid misunderstandings with my colleagues, especially the strong headed and to practice 3-way communication. Out of an academic context in which team work involves equal input and responsibility, I learned two things as to why letting go is okay and not having it my way is more than okay.
The first is a different hierarchy system. Consequently, I learned to make myself very clear to my peers, to affirm where the line of responsibility is accordingly to who has final decision-making. This is more vertical than what I was accustomed to and I made sure to take responsibility accordingly to what was in my hands. The rest is an odd to nod and smile! In a foreign context, communication can be difficult but a smile always helps and can get you a long way. Latvians are attitude people and they obey to the laws of office politics!
Now, the second thing I learned. At first, I thought that letting go was the equivalent of a lack of perseverance or care on my part but there is a structural explanation to why letting go is healthy and okay. Bureaucracy tends to be like this: it’s a frame and a box into which a lot of your work and your thought process have to fit. Academic context still has a structure but it is way more encouraging and allowing for originality. Nowadays, government work seeks to be concise and precise. It follows the reduce information pattern. Even with all my good intentions, the more elaborate is not necessarily the better in this system. Time is of essence, crucial and MOST OF ALL LIMITED. The more condensed you are, the less time you ask others for. That is the rule. Creativity is hard to cultivate in such a framing process in which being creative is limited to finding ‘’new ways’’ to boil down reports and briefing notes. Adapt to your audiences folks.
Leçon 2: Flexibilité
A quality that I found always most appreciated is remaining flexible to your environment. It means flexible with your time, with your tasks and your coworkers. Some weeks were overloaded with tasks. Time management and flexibility became crucial. I was needed to work over time, short time or out of schedule. Remaining flexible demonstrated my willingness to help and support as part of a team. Along with being flexible, showing initiative is another winner from my summer here. While some weeks were packed, others were dry periods. Summer is vacation time for embassy staffers and with that came dry periods. I found that it is always appreciated as well to offer to help, dry of packed weeks. Initiative was also to push myself to finish my tasks ahead even when the dry periods hit and I had a lot of time on my hands to complete my tasks. Having extra time on my hands, I discovered that I tend to take it all when I could try to finish in advance. Even a day before could have been beneficial because you never know if extra work is not going to come up with the ambassador’s meetings. The day ahead is something I learned to practice.
This personal reflection being closed now, I have to say my goodbyes to Riga and its people. I was impressed by its people for their resilience. Since it is all hypothetical, I am unsure as to how many countries could resist such a system and length of occupation and rise as well afterwards as the Latvians did? Few, I guess. I also know that it wasn’t without suffering or challenges. They faced a divided society due to massive deportations and immigration with several and important national minorities. A lot of their policies that we consider ‘’banal and domestic’’ had to be oriented and focused towards social integration and consolidation, reforms such as education and language for example. These policies were quite noble in accepting rather than rejecting. They are still improved and in development today. One can learn a lot from that them as I (think I) did. Maybe see you another time, Latvia. One thing is sure: you have changed me for the better. For this I say thank you, am grateful and take care!

Hello/bonjour de Riga,
Je suis arrivée dans la capitale lettonne en espérant ne pas tomber sur un été de canicule et j’ai été servie ! Dès mon arrivée et de l’avion, on pouvait voir une terre pluvieuse et plane. La météo est presqu’automnale (0-10 degrés) et les journées sont plus longues au nord. Il a fallu que je m’adapte aux heures de lumière prolongée afin de dormir suffisamment. Je suis aussi dépaysée par la langue, qui ne ressemble à rien de ce que je connaissais, l’architecture et la disposition des rues en étoile, les modes de transport (comme le tramway) et surtout par les interactions sociales. Les Lettons sont sociables, mais ils sont aussi très francs tout en étant peu communicatif en public. Il faut un brise-glace social, mais une fois l’étape franchie, ils sont chaleureux.
Sur la vie en ambassade, j’ai fait mon entrée alors que la stagiaire sortante, Katie, y travaillait encore (la salle des visiteurs a des coussins imprimés d’ours polaires). Nos horaires se sont chevauchés deux semaines durant lesquelles j’ai eu la chance d’avoir une transition tranquille. La chargée des politiques publiques m’avait envoyé une tâche à distance : préparer une présentation orale sur ma province natale du Québec ainsi que sur des enjeux actuels et persistants de la politique canadienne. Le tout s’est déroulé en deux rencontres avec des étudiants universitaires lettons de programmes linguistiques et culturels au cours de lesquelles on faisait la promotion de l’éducation canadienne. À titre de premier aveu, ce fût très gratifiant de pouvoir partager ma propre culture et de découvrir que j’en suis aussi fière en contexte étranger.
Je ne vous le cacherai également pas, jusqu’ici mon français est à la fois un atout et un défi. En excellente posture pour réviser des articles de mes collègues et faire de la traduction pour mes propres projets, la précision du jargon diplomatique en anglais m’est cependant moins intuitive que dans ma langue maternelle. Outre la politique publique, je travaille récemment davantage pour la section des affaires politiques de l’ambassade sur la rédaction de rapports d’événements. Mon projet favori jusqu’à présent ? Aller sur le terrain et visiter la base militaire d’Adazi où j’ai pu discuter avec des parachutistes des Forces armées canadiennes en exercice pour l’OTAN. Ma tâche était de photographier l’Ambassadeur Morrison et de prendre des notes sur l’événement pour écrire un article d’information bilingue destiné au site Web de l’ambassade. Alors photographes amateurs, soyez-prêt, car la diversité des tâches ne manque pas en ambassade de petite taille ! L’équipe permanente est principalement composée de personnel de la Lettonie (huit en tout, dont sept femmes) et de l’Ambassadeur du Canada. Ils sont tous accueillants, mais un des principaux défis que vous rencontrez en ambassade est d’évaluer si vous pouvez travailler avec une culture professionnelle étrangère. Pour vous faire une confession, on rencontre parfois certaines tensions avec des personnalités fortes dans un milieu de travail, mais j’en apprends énormément sur moi-même et ma capacité de les naviguer, de les gérer et de les solutionner. Les milieux d’ambassade demandent voire exigent créativité, persévérance et tolérance sociale. Les deux mois suivants me diront si je peux me débrouiller ou si je devrai accepter avec humilité que l’on ne peut remédier à certains aspects du travail. Il faut trouver le sain équilibre entre ‘’lâcher-prise’’ et quand persévérer. Tout cela est très positif et on s’enrichit dans le défi, mais aussi dans le fait de réaliser les résultats concrets qu’apporte l’expérience de ce stage.

This will be my last post as I only have three weeks left in my internship. After I finish working, and before returning to Canada, I will travel around Eastern Europe a little bit and am counting the days until that adventure starts, so it is with mixed feelings that I leave Latvia.

I have had a busy month wrapping up tasks at work and desperately trying to check off all the things I want to do, and places I want to visit in Latvia before my time is up! My internship lasted five months, which sounded like a long time at the beginning, but time has flown by so quickly that it feels like I have only just arrived. Since I will be here for five months, my time will overlap with the next GSPIA intern for three weeks and I am looking forward to having some Canadian company at the office.

On the touristy side, I have recently been taking day trips around Latvia and the Baltics, and last weekend I went to Siauliai, Lithuania to see the Hill of Crosses. I don’t think its known why people starting bringing crosses to this hill sometime in the 14th century, but in Soviet times the hill grew substantially and became a symbol of protest to the regime, and a means of remembering deported Lithuanians. I read that someone tried to count the crosses and gave up at 50,000 after not making much headway- it was an amazing site to see! The drive was about two hours long and gave me a chance to see some of the Latvian countryside, which I discovered looks just like the Canadian countryside.

Another interesting site I visited is the old KGB prison, which has opened its doors for tours as part of the Riga Capital of Culture program. The tour is a bit creepy as you are led through cells, interrogation rooms, and the execution chamber while a guide recounts the personal stories of accused citizens, most of which do not end well.

On the professional side, my tasks in May have been related to the public diplomacy field of educational outreach. Next week the new intern and I will deliver a series of presentations to Latvian university students where we will provide information about Canada and promote Canadian education possibilities available to Latvian students.

Having the chance to intern in a small mission has its advantages and disadvantages; a positive element for me was not being dedicated to a specific department, issue, or supervisor. Interns here are asked to work on a variety of tasks in different fields whenever an officer gets busy. Advantages of this system are an ever-changing workload that kept me engaged, stimulated, and constantly learning new things, as well as the opportunity to work closely with different co-workers instead of with one team all the time. A disadvantage of this system was that because I worked on numerous files and different types of tasks, I never felt that I developed expertise, or a skill-set in a specific area. This made it difficult at times for me to contribute to projects that had progressed further than the initial stages and, as a result, I was mainly assigned to tasks in the early stages.

I will be sad to say goodbye to the local staff and will miss our daily conversations. They have taught me more than I ever thought I would know about the Baltics and the history of Eastern Europe, as well as provided much appreciated guidance throughout the internship.

In the past five months I have learned a lot about Latvia, and the Baltics, as well as about how the government’s/department’s strategic goals are put into action, how to cultivate professional relationships, how to work with difficult people, and how to apply my academic knowledge in the workplace. Above all else, I have learned a lot about myself.

As GSPIA students we are very fortunate to have the opportunity to get our feet wet in international affairs at an embassy- if you are reading these blogs because you are considering going on an internship, I say without hesitation that you should go for it!

Hello again from Riga!
March and April were very busy months for me, both at the Embassy and in my spare time. On the work side, March was almost exclusively dominated by the events in Ukraine, and to a lesser degree the celebration of La Francophonie, while April saw the Embassy and its office in Tallinn plan for a Ministerial visit. In my own time I was able to travel to Vilnius and Tallinn, as well as to some other Latvian cities including the famous Jurmala beach.
Since the Baltic countries have a history of interacting with Russia, Head Quarters was very interested in the Latvian government’s point of view on the crisis in Ukraine. The Embassy would draft daily reports detailing how the events of the day were perceived by the governments in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, and also provide recaps of the statements and actions the Baltic countries made regarding Russia, the Ukraine, and NATO. These reports often included an indication of how to approach Russian officials since the Baltic countries have extensive experience working with Russia. It was a very interesting time to be in Riga, and the effects of the crisis and annexation of Crimea are still being felt in the city. The most obvious effect so far is the growing animosity between the ethnic Russian and ethnic Latvian populations. The Latvian government recently took a Russian radio channel off the air because the government said it was spewing propaganda, which caused anger in some Russian communities.
Aside from the Ukrainian crisis, the rest of March was devoted to celebrating La Francophonie and promoting Canada’s role in the organization; in this capacity, I served as the Canadian representative at a handful of events, including judging a French poetry competition, and two French song competitions along with representatives from other embassies. These events were a nice change of pace from daily tasks at the office, and a great opportunity to form both working and personal relationships with representatives of the other French speaking embassies in Riga.
In mid April, the Embassy was told that there was a possibility that our Minister, the Honourable John Baird, could stop in Riga for a working visit on his way to speak at a conference in Tallinn. This meant that the Embassy went into over drive preparing a busy schedule of events and meet-and-greets for the Minister in both Riga and Tallinn. This required all hands on deck and lots of overtime for everyone. The day would begin with a conference call placed to the other two offices in order to get a status update and a distribution of tasks. I cannot believe the amount of work that goes into planning a Ministerial visit. For my part, I was responsible for drafting biographies of all the Latvian officials the Minister was likely to meet in Riga, as well as drafting a series of cue cards, talking points, and scenario notes for his meetings and events. Although the preparations were a very busy time at the Embassy, I enjoyed being part of the effort because of the excitement it caused in the Embassy -the last Ministerial visit was many years ago- and because it gave me a unique opportunity to see how these events are put together. I hope the Minister’s visit will occur as planned, I guess we will know soon enough whether or not he will attend!
I have really enjoyed my time in Riga so far, but I am looking forward to venturing further afield and experiencing some other parts of Latvia. I have a week’s holiday coming up and plan to use it to see some other Latvian cities, and go to the countryside.

Sveiki,
I have been in Riga for two and a half months now and feel mostly at home here.
I chose not to live in the center of Riga and am renting a room in a house from a Latvian family instead. The house is located in the park district -Mežaparks- and is a 15 minute tram ride to the Embassy, and 25 minutes to Old Riga. Living with a Latvian family has been a wonderful opportunity to get acquainted with Latvian family life and cuisine, and to pick up a few words in Latvian, which is about as many as I think I will learn! During the Olympic celebrations the family hosted some friends to watch the Canada vs. Latvia hockey game, and that was quite a spirited evening!
On January 1st Latvia became the 18th member of the Eurozone; I arrived in Riga on January 3rd so I got to experience the economy’s transition to the Euro, which was pretty interesting! I only brought Euros with me and did not manage to get any Lats – the old Latvian currency- to keep since it was removed from circulation within two weeks of accession to the Eurozone. In the first week it was common to see long lines of police cars escorting vans carrying Euros to local banks.
My first weeks in Riga went by very quickly as I was busy settling in and starting work at the Embassy. My first task at work was to familiarize myself with the political systems and histories of the three Baltic countries, since the Embassy in Riga is also responsible for Lithuania and Estonia. I hope I will have the opportunity to travel to Vilnius and/or Tallinn while I am here. I was also busy meeting the interns from other embassies and checking out some sights/restaurants/bars with them.
During my first week at work I attended a meeting with the representatives of French speaking embassies in Riga in order to plan this year’s Francophonie events. The Canadian Embassy’s main contribution will be to sponsor a performance by storyteller Stéphane Guertin for the francophone community in Riga, and I have been busy creating the publicity for his show. I also got to attend a press release at the French Embassy announcing a performance by French singer Mireille Mathieu in support of both Francophonie and International Women’s Day- she even sang a few lines at the press release!
In my short time at the Embassy, I have had the opportunity to try my hand at various tasks including speech writing, drafting briefing notes, and promoting Canadian educational opportunities at a Baltic fair. I have also attended numerous lectures and events where I learned a lot about the Latvian perspective on the European Economic Crisis, the way forward, and Latvian/Baltic history. The mixed and ever evolving work load is a definite perk of interning at a small embassy!
The Embassy in Riga only has ten employees, including the Ambassador, the driver, and myself. All of the employees are local Latvians, which presents its own set of challenges and rewards. I have enjoyed the opportunity to get to know some local people, and benefit from their extensive knowledge about Latvia and the Baltics, although it can be isolating at times since the dominant language in the office is Latvian.
In my spare time I have been to the opera and numerous ballets, a few KHL hockey games, and many museums. I also went to the bobsled track where Latvian Olympians train and got to take a “baby” bobsled (because it only went 80 km/h), which was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. Already in my short time here I have learned a lot about Latvia, a country I knew practically nothing about four months ago, and I can’t wait to see what my last two months will bring!

December 19, 2013

Sveiki visiem!

Well, that’s it; my internship has come to a conclusion. It has been an experience that I will never forget. To be repetitive, my time here went by very quickly. Of course, that is no surprise to me, because I was extremely busy. During this internship, my schedule filled up rapidly week after week, making my days here blur together, when I think back on them. It will take me some time to recount everything that I’ve done here in any detail. The end of this internship is bitter-sweet. I will get to be home with my family and friends for Christmas and New Year’s, but four months in Riga was definitely too short.

The time that I’ve been in Riga has been a unique period for the Baltic and Eastern Europe region. Unfortunately, tragedy struck while I was in Riga. On November 21, the roof of a Maxima supermarket collapsed killing 54 people; it was the worst disaster to strike Latvia in over fifty years. Anyone that heard about the accident felt sorrow for the victims and those affected. However, no one felt how the Latvians did. The reaction to the roof-collapse showed me a side of Latvian national spirit that I would otherwise not have seen; the experience displayed their strong national kinship. In a symbolic move, Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis resigned from office, displaying to Latvians that something was being done, even though he likely has no personal responsibility for what happened. Some Latvians expressed to me that this was an action that perhaps helped the country come to terms with the incident and to at least start looking forward.

One of my final tasks as an intern was a working visit to Vilnius, Lithuania. The trip coincided with the 3rd Eastern Partnership Summit, which the city hosted. While spending the week in Vilnius, I was working out of the Office of the Canadian Embassy that is attached to the Embassy in Riga, but I spent only a short time there. I attended a number of conferences, all of which were focused on issues regarding the Eastern Partner countries of the European Union (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine). The largest of these events was a Civil Society conference being held simultaneously with the Summit of leaders. The conference was appropriately designed to analyze the status of civil society in Eastern Partnership countries, and to have a ‘reality check’ on the purpose of the Eastern Partnership Initiative and how it should proceed. Unsurprisingly, attention was predominantly focused on Ukraine. After Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovich made a u-turn and backed out of the signing of an Association Agreement with the EU, discussion at the conference was full of concern and disappointment. In a special session, Ukrainian opposition leaders (including former world heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko) made emotional statements expressing solidarity and the hope that their country can still reach its full potential as a European country, if only Ukrainians can unite behind that idea. I think that those moments were a significant part of a history that is only starting to unfold in Ukraine right now. I will never forget it. Beyond the work-related events that I attended, I also enjoyed the city. Vilnius was the final capital city in the Baltic States that I had yet to visit. It is vibrant, attractive and a historically significant city.

I am thankful that I was able to visit this region and work in Riga—I will definitely return someday. I recommend Riga and the Baltic States for any future interns, as well as for anyone looking to do some travelling. Most people would probably want to come in the summer, but there is a special feeling here that comes with the holiday season. That being said, it wouldn’t be the same to spend this time of year without family, so I’m glad to be heading home just in time, two days before Christmas. I’m happy to have worked with and met the people that I did throughout my internship, and to have had this opportunity.

Merry Christmas, happy holidays and Happy New Year everyone!

Konrad Roberts

Greetings from Latvia,

I have now been in Riga for almost three months and time is flying by.  The weather has changed significantly since my last posting.  It is clear that winter is on its way.  The weather is unpredictable and cold winds are frequent.  The leaves are all gone from the trees and it gets dark early, between around 4-5 pm.  That means that it’s dark before and after my working hours at the embassy; I’ve realized that I take daylight for granted.  The early darkness makes you feel like the day is almost over, when really half of the day remains.  That being said, the Latvians have creative ways of lighting their buildings and monuments, making them even more spectacular at night.  A Christmas market has just opened down the street in the Old Town, where you can go and browse the neatly decorated booths for gifts or trinkets, while enjoying some hot mulled wine.  I have settled into the daily routine, passing the same people every day, to and from work, as well as taking advantage of my free time.  Thanks to the central location of Riga in this region, it is also easy to travel to neighbouring countries for short trips.  I popped into Warsaw (Poland) a couple of weeks back, and have just returned from a quick weekend trip to Tallinn (Estonia) and Helsinki (Finland).

In many ways, Riga is quite similar to Ottawa.  Both are national capital cities, both are on major rivers and the sight of diplomatic licence plates and foreign missions is commonplace.  Some of the architecture is also comparable: oxidized copper roofs, impressive stone monuments, and the ornate nature of building designs.  Riga, not unlike Ottawa, is also a completely bilingual city, with almost everyone speaking both Latvian and Russian.  On top of that, most people (the younger generations) speak English, lucky for me.  While here, I have taken the opportunity to study some Russian and practice it when I get the chance; I have also been picking up on some basic Latvian, but with greater difficulty.  Latvian is a tough language and is only related to Lithuanian; they are apparently not mutually intelligible.  Latvians are a proud people and value their own distinct language and culture, and Latvians and Russians coexist here in Latvia—a legacy of the Soviet Union.  Though there are indeed problems at the political level as a result, I’ve noticed that Latvians and Russians readily interchange between their languages, to ease the provision of services and the flow of conversations.  So beyond the politics, people seem more than willing to cope with differences and coexist, just like back home.

In this past month, I have been fortunate enough to take part in a number of new tasks; these tasks vary widely due to the small nature of the mission.  Firstly, I have been learning increasingly more about providing consular assistance to people requiring the related services (e.g. applying for visas, determining rules on working and travelling in Canada, temporary/permanent residency, etc.).  This is something that I did not at all expect to be involved in here, which has shown me the value of doing my internship at a smaller Canadian mission.  Another interesting project that I was involved in was a photography exhibition of Canada’s Arctic region, which the Embassy of Canada organized at the Natural History Museum of Latvia.  The photographs were taken personally by Ambassador John Morrison while working on various expeditions in the Arctic during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.  The photos were used to raise awareness of Arctic issues and to promote Canada’s priorities of safeguarding the region and its people.  I was able to assist with the needed preparations, as well as with the opening of the exhibition.  I was also lucky enough to participate in the Mission’s regional visit to the City of Jelgava, which is just under an hour away to the southwest of Riga, where I gave a presentation about Canada and the opportunities to study or work there, and also provided assistance as needed, mainly as a paparazzi.  The visit was both to learn more about opportunities in Jelgava for greater cooperation with Canadian businesses, and to experience what the city has to offer.  Jelgava is known as a centre of ‘green’ innovation.

Although I would not quite say that any homesickness has set in, I am keen on winter finally getting here.  I was pretty excited by the thought that we would get snow sooner (because it’s farther north), but that turned out to be wrong!  I have heard rumours of snow back home and am jealous.  With just under a month to go, I’m sure that my schedule will make it fly by, just like the previous two and half months.  Cheers.

Konrad

Sveiki!

I had never imagined that I would be travelling to Latvia at any point in my life.  Getting this internship has been a blessing though, it really is beautiful.  I have now been in Riga for almost four weeks, time that has flown by in retrospect.

After centuries of being dominated by foreign powers, Latvia is an independent country in transition, which is occurring quickly, though not such that the ‘old’ is disappearing.  There is old-new fusion everywhere you look.  I am fortunate enough to be living in Vecrīga, the ‘Old Town’ of Riga, just steps away from an embassy, a ministry and from a town square that is dwarfed by the giant Dome Cathedral.  Lined with cobblestone streets and building façades that are all uniquely designed with statues, myriad textures and all colours, Vecrīga really is outstanding.  There are restaurants featuring foods from everywhere, numerous monuments, a modern shopping mall and McDonalds, obviously.  It is not in this part of the city that I have been working though; work takes me out of the Old Town and into a downtown Riga that is still quite old.

Working daily at the embassy affords me the opportunity to walk through two different parks on my way.  The fact that all of the embassy staff have been so warm and welcoming has truly helped me, as I was immediately plunged into the workings of the mission.  Canada’s mission here is relatively small, even though it serves as a centre for all three Baltic States.  As a result, I have had a greater opportunity to get involved with a variety of tasks in different issue areas.  On my second day, I was sent to the Riga Food 2013 tradeshow to help set up and run the ‘Canada Stand’, where we worked to promote the Canadian Agriculture and Agri-food industry while also showing young Latvians the opportunities they have for studying or working in Canada.  As a bonus, I was also able to check out the many different stands at the show and try all kinds of delicious foods, from Moldovan forest meats, to flavour-infused cream cheeses from Estonia.  In the office, I was tasked with familiarizing myself with the Baltic States, have worked on a number of documents and presentations, and have also developed a strong working relationship with embassy coworkers.

There is a lot of great fun to be had here as well.  Thankfully, there is a network for all of the interns working at different embassies in town to get a hold of each other and I have been able to make some great new friends, checking out new restaurants and the nightlife in the process.  I also went to a David Cup tennis match (Latvia vs. Finland) and my first KHL game (Dinamo Riga vs. Dynamo Moscow), where Riga won spectacularly.  Going to a hockey game is much more affordable out here and I will definitely be capitalizing on that!  I am looking forward to whatever new challenges, experiences and fun this place will bring me next.

Čau!

August 31st, 2013

The Canadian Embassy in Riga covers all three Baltic States: Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. This summer, I was given a unique opportunity to divide my internship between the Embassy of Canada in Riga, Latvia (where I spent May and June) and the Office of the Embassy of Canada in Tallinn, Estonia (where I spent July and August). I had already experienced culture shock when I arrived in Riga back in May, but what I did not expect was the culture shock of moving from Riga to Tallinn! On the one hand, there exist major differences between the cultures of Canada and the Baltic States. But on the other hand, there also exist such differences among the Baltic States themselves.
At the moment, the above observation seems rather obvious to me. But when I first arrived in Latvia, I knew too little about the region to be able to make such distinctions. We sometimes have a tendency to group foreign countries together based on their geographic region, allowing their similarities to blur the real distinctions that these countries have from one another. This seems to be a universal human trait, as early in the summer I met a European man who told me rather bluntly that he did not perceive any difference at all between Canadians and Americans. I have to admit that at the time, the same was true for me regarding Latvians and Estonians. In both our cases, our lack of perception came from a lack of direct personal experience with the regions in question and their people.
Before moving to Estonia, I attended a special guest lecture at the University of Latvia at which a former American state department official explained the tendency of America and other Western countries to treat the Baltic States synonymously, or even as a single entity altogether. The justification for this, he explained, arises from the uncanny similarities in the recent history of each of the three countries. However, he lamented this approach on the grounds that it undermines the very real cultural differences that these countries have that distinguish them from one another. After having been on the inside looking out in both Latvia and Estonia, I couldn’t agree more. Latvia and Estonia each see the world through very different lenses, from very different perspectives. Despite their shared recent past, these countries are heading towards different futures. After just over 20 years of independence, both countries have started down very different roads, and are evolving in different directions at different paces.
Despite my extensive research, none of it prepared me for this lesson. Wikipedia, Lonely Planet and the CIA World Factbook can only tell you so much about a country; the rest you have to live through to understand.