Sveiki LigitaR,

Well in a lot of ways you do sound like me, no brother or husband though!

It was so good to hear of your brother has no regrets after all this time.  It must be so helpful for you if you are thinking of a move, to already have your brother living in Riga as you have access to all that wonderful local knowledge.  I hope it all works out for you and you can find a solution to your husband’s asthma.  Do you know how much income you would need to live a reasonably comfortable but somewhat modest lifestyle?  I am not rich by any means and must really consider the practical aspects.
Shop keepers do seem to a very variable group of people.  I met some that there really very nice in Latvia but also some that were less so.  Still, this also happens in Australia. 
Yes, I am a Latvian citizen which I hope will be of some help.  At the moment I am thinking about living in the countryside.  The idea was that it might be easier to become a bit more of the community there than in Riga.  Being totally isolated would not be good for me but a small town/city that has shops, transport, etc.  As Riga is so beautiful and has so much happening being somewhere that I could travel there for the day but still have the country would be ideal.  I have visited Sigulda and it truly is lovely. 

All the posts, have made me realize that this is not a totally impossible dream and something that I must truly explore.  Hopefully in some form or other one day it will be a reality.  How wonderful!!

Thank you so much for your reply and I hope things work out for you as well.

Aija

Sveiki Lauris,

Thank you, I am realizing more and more what my heart is really feeling.  I also realize that I do need to be practical as after all even though I feel a deep emotional attachment to Latvia, it is a different country. 

The need to have income is certainly something that my daughter and son-in-law recognize.  However, I thought them learning Latvian would be sufficient for most things.  Is Russian really essential for everything?  Would it be necessary for me to learn Russian?  They do have some plans but we all realize that a lot of research, visits and thought would need to happen before any final decision was made. 

Sadly no friends or relatives to rely on if the move does happen but I suppose when my parents came to Australia, they had no one at all and had to manage.  Yes, it would be much easier if there was some local support but maybe I can establish a few links with people who live in Latvia who could help a bit, if and when a move takes place. 

As I mentioned in my reply to LigitaR, at the moment I am drawn to living in the countryside.  Beyond the obvious differences, is there any further information you can give me. 

You are very lucky to have so many friends and relatives in Latvia and are able to visit frequently.  Originally my thought was to visit often as I also could not leave my daughter and grandchildren permanently.  This may still be the best option for me but then when they spoke of moving it all became different.  Even going this far down the track, it seems that the whole idea of me moving is not total madness and is actually something that in my heart of hearts I would really love to do.  As you and others have pointed out you can’t just have a romantic vision and hope it all works out.  There is a lot of research, information, thought, etc required before any steps can be taken actually start the moving process.  One thing that I do constantly remind myself is that life in Latvia will not always be sunshine and lilacs, there will be times when I feel very out of place and alone.  People may not always be that nice to me and just the general informal rules of society will need adjustment.  On the other hand there are so many positives as well.

I really hope that it all works out but it is still early days and we will just have to wait and see.

Many thanks,
Aija

a few thoughts from someone who has made a similar move

- overall, I strongly recommend it - the opportunity to spend a longer period of time in a foreign country has many benefits.

That being said…

- Income/jobs - not easy to find a job in Latvia, particularly one that pays a decent wage. Average salaries here I think are still in the 400 - 500 LVL a month range. Some expats come here to translate and teach English, which is certainly possible (I did it briefly), but it is not a stable source of income, since it will be almost entirely freelance. Riga is full of translation offices and ‘certified’ translators, so there is certainly competition. Also, the language teaching offices usually expect you to have some sort of certificate in teaching English (the fact that you might be a native speaker sadly doesn’t really carry much weight)

- with income in mind… a decent (and you really can’t settle for less, I think, if you are used to a ‘western lifestyle’) apartment in Riga is about 300 LVL a month. There are plenty of cheaper apartments, but… well you might have to heat the place yourself, there might be a shared toilet, etc. It may be quite the culture shock. Additionally, utilities may run you an additional 100 LVL a month. So that’s 400 LVL a month just for living expenses. If you will want to eat out often, go to cultural events, have a car (not really necessary if you live in Riga), etc etc plan on spending a lot of money.

- as noted, the winters here are rough. Dark from 4 PM to 10 AM. Cold. Bitter cold (-30 C sometimes). Gray and dreary. But - lots of concerts and cultural events during the winter. And the treat of drinking mulled wine or hot Balzams.

- I don’t think Russian is essential in Latvia. But Latvian certainly is (the spoken English in Latvia is not at all comparable to that in Scandinavia). not too surprisingly, younger people speak much better English, older people barely if at all.

- join a choir! or a dance group. that’s what many do here. Is a good way to meet people. There are also expat groups and gatherings.

That being said, Latvians are not particularly friendly. It will take some work to become friendly with locals.

but May and June here make it all worthwhile. Mild weather, light all day and most of the night, the blooming chestnuts and linden trees…

so go for it! Just plan on arriving in Latvia in April or so so you don’t immediately have to deal with the winter. Be sure to save up quite a bit of money before arriving though, just in case…

Thank you so much NiknsKrupis, this information is just great.  Rental costs and utilities are a bit higher than I expected and it does seem that I would need to be careful about the type of apartment.  Getting excited about it all I have been looking at a website called Dzvikolis, and saw a very cheap apartment for sale in Plavinas,  Aizkraukle raj.  It actually looked quite nice and was only 6000 LVL.  Probably not the fanciest place though.  When looking at rentals, are there particular areas in Riga that would be best?  Just reasonably safe, pleasant areas.
How much of the year is it dark and gray?  Luckily I do like mulled wine and also Balzams.  A small amount of this definitely seems to keep away the cold. 

It is good to hear that Russian is not essential and your advice about joining groups to get to know people. 

Overall, it was so good to hear from someone who has done this, positives, potential negatives but also encouragement.  Thank you again.

Aija

My advice would be to, at least initially, start in Riga, mainly because that’s where most everything is. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever been to Pļaviņas, but it is more than an hour away from Riga, and you would definitely need a car if you lived there. Also not really sure what there even might be to do there.

I’d be a bit wary of an apartment that is that cheap, you may very well have shared toilets, and have to heat the place yourself, and might have to invest even more money in renovation.

As for nice areas of Riga, the quiet center ‘Klusais Centrs’ is usually a good bet, but will be far and away the most expensive area in the center.

the truly dreary weather starts in December and usually lasts until end of March/early April.

The trains still run…..................or did Ohlshtein screw up that one too?

http://sirius.ldz.lv/sari/?lngg=en

Once you know two homes, neither is really home. Still, for the most part, two less-than-a-whole’s do add up to more than a whole. My mother returned to live in Latvia for some years until she wasn’t capable of looking after herself. It wasn’t the Latvia she left, but it was Latvia.

One thing, if you stay in Rīga, you don’t want to be too far from the center, and commuting from the Pārdaugava side is just one big log jam.

Oh, and don’t worry about the writing/grammar, just pick up and read the newspaper. Whatever you do, remember you will be speaking Latvian with an accent (although my Aussie cousin and I speak identical Vidzemnieku Latvian from before the war). :-) The best of luck however you decide!

Thank you Peteris, 

That is something that I thought about that, that nowhere would really be “home”.  I hadn’t thought abuot the two lesses adding up to more than whole and yes, it would still be Latvia.  Not the one my parents left but still.

Funny, even though when I was there when I think about it the traffic was pretty thick so thank you for the tip about staying central.

I have started to read a lot more of the information that is available on the internet in Latvian and it is getting easier, not easy, but improving, so will continue with this.  Sadly, yes I will have an accent so everyone will pick that I am not “local”.  This may not be a bad thing so I may be forgiven for the mistakes I make.  Funny about the “before the war” Latvian, the older Latvians I met I had no trouble understanding but some of the younger ones, especially in Riga, it took a bit to get hold of the rythm.  So, yes my Latvian will be “quaint”, it also doesn’t help that my Father was from Zemgale and my Mother from Latgale, so it may be a bit mixed up anyway.

Thank you for the good wishes.  So much of me would love it all to come true.

Aija

Aija,

I just saw this article in “Latvijas avīze” about the knowledge of the Russian language while living and working in Latvia that may be of interest to you.

http://la.lv/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=334972:latvijas-krieviskoana-apette-aug-dot&catid=93:la-komentri&Itemid=295

Aija,

Actually this is the article that I intended to post about an hour ago:

http://la.lv/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=334974:prieknieki-runjiet-latviski&catid=177:sabiedrba&Itemid=257

Thank you very much Lauris.  I am currently having troubles with the link but some servers maybe down. I am looking forward to reading the article so thank you again for thinking of this.  All the best, Aija