Friday, February 27, 2009
Things I Cannot Do In Latvia
Pronounce the word turps without making it sound like a Glaswegian cough remedy; buy a cucumber for less than two lats; go more than a day without a bar of chocolate or an alcoholic drink; meet an unmarried woman over the age of 22; find a way to turn the heat off in my room short of writhing the radiator off the wall; go to bed before one in the morning; be bothered to get a sim card for my mobile phone (I keep in touch the old fashioned way - by Facebook and Skype); formulate enough language to let the woman at the supermarket checkout know she hasn't given me my change; hear anyone using the phrase excuse me in Latvian (nobody ever says it, apparently - they'd go down a storm with the Japanese); remember the word for good evening: Labvakar, Labvakar, Labvakar.
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4 comments:
Interesting on the 'excuse me' point. This country would definitely not function without these two little words. Are people rude, or is there another way of breaking the ice?
I think slightly rude, Latvians would prefer the word shy.
A case in point: this afternoon a friend and I were waiting at an unmanned railway station in the middle of the woods. I said in England the woman clearing snow off the platform would tell us if there weren't any more trains coming, he thought Latvians would be too timid (or closed) to initiate a conversation.
I asked a Latvian why I never hear anyone saying excuse me. "We just don't say it," she replied.
I am latvian living for past 4 years abroad and it allways shocks me geting back and seeing us not being plite..It's not just "I am sorry" not telling, it's as well not listening to You carefully..When You speak, latvian is wandreing around with eyes...and many more unpolite things. When I first get abroud and worked in Cyprus with british staff, I get SUCH A LESSON not being polite...:) I have foreign friend who have seen a lot of my latvian friend and we get to conclusion: Latvians was allways just a farmers, servants, never had lady and gentelman life. They didn't learn it. It's in blad. What family and social life learns You- that's You...They even don't notice that they are like that unless were not living abroad. And I simply love, when latvian don't understand something and asking:"What?" instead of "sorry?":)) Thanks to my teachers even if sometimes I am geting back to my old habits.
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