Different kind of love story (-ies)

Just wanted to share the great way of saying out loud the injustice: mixedandhappy (.com) project.
Story that more probably could happen in Latvia where marrying or even just dating a foreign partner is still if not something totally extraordinary, then a shame and shock for all the society.

In Latvia only some start to speak about it and say out louder the problems that exist when encountering mixed couples both within laws and people's minds, e.g., this article from politika.lv shows injustice of many couples.

The story about mixedandhappy is even simpler and obviously biased. A judge denied a marriage license to an interracial couple with an argument of well-being of the children in this kind of marriage. The judge now is ex-judge but the couple is collecting pictures from 100 mixed families to send him as a Christmas greeting - a proof how happy and blessed they all are. In their blog you can already see 89 of them, just 11 more to go.

Love comes in all different shapes,sizes and colors. That is what makes the world go round. /Quote from one of the contributors/

Way to loud topic for Latvia and our closed society. As I've discovered in my Bachelor thesis research we are not ready even for foreign employees in our companies, not even talking about couples that are from different countries but I'm positive that these thoughts are changing. And changing only for our own good.

Yes, I am quite subjective because of my own relationship, but we cannot deny that despite the angry protests, hate and discrimination, world is getting smaller and smaller by every day.
And that makes life only more interesting and beneficial, but doesn't makes us to lose our identity, traditions or worldviews.

3 months in Mexico

Balance sheet of 3rd month:

• Things finally are getting less weird. Guess, this should be the sign of end of cultural shock. Crazy buss driving seems normal, I approximately can orientate myself in Guadalajara streets (ok, very approximately, but still it's a progress), it's getting harder and harder to "switch off" Spanish language, so now Im understanding even things I would rather not listen, Im having my own favorite telenovela every working day evening, and Im trying not to get scared of constant yelling around me (= normal locals' conversation at any time of the day). No, with the last one more adaption will be needed.
• One Mexican wedding - hours to prepare and much less to enjoy the event. Hard to admit but still the fancy food and surroundings here cannot be compared to the fun stuff and the amount of traditions that we are having in Latvia. Oh, yes, guess who pays for the wedding - the bride's family, so, please, stop asking me when I'm planning mine (did I say my boyfriend has around 80 cousins - just the cousins?).
  
  
  
• Moving to the sky of Guadalajara and realizing that even despite to the magnificent view which saves the space for TV in living room (window is the TV now), my dream place of home would be in private owned house with not more than 2 floors. Here is super-cool and super-fancy but perhaps still my Latvian modesty is too strong :)
  
• Obsession with coconuts moved to elote (corn, boiled and mixed with lemon, cream and cheese). Still making friends with chili, that also will be a longer process.
• Latvians found here in Jalisco (state where Guadalajara is). Ok, I havent met anyone yet, but anyhow the feeling that here around are people who think, speak and partly experience the same as I, is great. Indeed we are from different continent (quoted: Evas Meksikas dienasgrāmata) and this thought helps to go through the occasional everyday weirdness.
• New hobby - aquarium. Two and half weeks and first lethal mistakes. Let's hope the fish are survivors and won't be too mad about the beginners' activities.
  
• Started Spanish courses - 10 times more relaxed than in Latvia and lots more focus on conversation skills. And useful discovery that's it's possible to talk to foreigners (i.e., my group mates, not Mexicans) in other language than English, even better discovery - it works pretty well and we can understand each other.
  
• Día de Muertos - a great similarity with Latvian Veļu laiks, more colorful and a bit more positive. Celebrating the life of a person, not mourning for it's death. Mariachi in the cemetery, tons of yellow and orange flowers (cempasuchitl or to make it easier in Latvian - samtenes) and altar with tasty gifts for the passed away relatives. Lots of thanks to my Spanish teacher Liliana for sharing these traditions.
  

  From Dia de Muertos

• Still from time to time arguing about cultural differences (e.g., uselessly trying to let know that ignoring mails or making unbelievable excuses is much worse than saying things straight away). Yes, also a conclusion that after all Im not so culturally sensitive as I thought. I can accept many things, but not being put into frame of others.
  
• One rejected job application and one uncertain on the way. I'm seriously considering to quit being intelligent with my Bachelor degree and look for something simple. Looks like selling tacos would be much more beneficial than trying to convince companies that European with average Spanish is as good as someone from Latin America. Tired to make plans as here they simply don't work, but time runs faster than light.
• ¿Qué más? (What else?) Right! The "winter" is here. No rain anymore and in nights it's good to have your coat around. Punishing myself why I needed to leave my scarf home. But got small and warm boots to survive. Of course, everyone around me is telling that this night temperature (by day it's still sunny and up to 26 degrees, so no worries :) ) should be my daily temperature at home and Latvians as from North should handle everything. Sorry - no. Mexicans do have hotter blood and that's why can wear T-shirts 24/7.
  
• Booked tickets back home with weak hope to change them for later.
• Some Mexicans made angry, because I'm not giving up yet to return home so fast, and people should be if not fully responsible, then at least interested in helping for what went wrong. Or simply answering the e-mails and being honest.

Will see what happens next...

Visual highlights

As the big trips with touristic pictures were done in last December and January, now Im getting too lazy to carry my cam around all the time. So now Im capturing things that simply cannot be left uncaptured - Mexican flags all over before Independence day, heart breaking views with palm trees, real iguana, so called parties that in Latvia would have a title of biggest event in Riga, local Octoberfest - Fiestas de Octubre, procession of Zapopan virgin and some more.
Very limited due to the first test of cool video service that I just found :)

More: My Picasa (including some albums from Dec and Jan almost a year ago)

Contrasts & conclusions: first month in Mexico

From a very subjective and personal Latvian perspective.
A month and a half in Mexico. With different time flow and different turn of many other things. Some of my observations and conclusions.

• There are places not mentioned in tour guide books, that you almost cannot find in Google, that no one really talks about it but that also is Mexico. Next to perfect beaches, greenest mountains, the most expensive houses and highest office buildings with small airports on them there are also simply poor neighborhoods with a very real life there. Even if there is only one little sentence in Wikipedia that says - among the most criminal places in Mexico, please, trust the information of this un-academic resource.
  

• Blond hair is a luxury, nature gift and obstacle simultaneously, as well as blue (ok, actually grayish blue) eyes. All that makes you different, strange or special. Everything depends on the situation but you can never become local. Perhaps it's not even necessary to become one but a day without weird looks to you would be nice.
  

• On the other hand, simply beauty very often is not a successful combination of the correct genes but a result of carefully planned operations (starting from adolescence, why to wait until your body is completely mature...), tons of make-up (for going out but none in the next morning) and other things you can get with certain amounts of money.
  

• Just a Bachelor degree gives you a magical abbreviation before your name - Lic. (Licenciado). If you become exceedingly successful (as a result from status in society or position at work, i.e., being born in the right family, years of hard work or simply luck), it serves as second name and address. Quite similar to what we would say for a director, manager, boss. Something higher for others to know their place in hierarchy which here is stronger than anywhere. Master or Doctor degree is meant for academic careers.
  

• Tropical climate in the beach cities brings sun and paradise worth views - that is totally true, but also tons of animals and things you never know existed. In the ocean live little fleas that bite invisibly but terribly and itch for a week, normal mosquitoes do not buzz like in Latvia but bite harder than in Līgo Midsummer eve, in the room iguanas are often guests, ants are the owners of sidewalks and in the bathroom in the middle of the night you can encounter huge cockroach saying hi to you.
  

• But if you complain about Latvia's changing weather, spend some time in Mexico city summer - one moment hottest sun, next ice cold rain, then all into smog. Stars and romantic sky can be found in other cities. The metropolitan side effects.
  

• Do you think that it's very normal and even recommendable to start your own life after high school or university? No way! Why to live in a cheap apartment and save money for food and going out and take care of your own life if you can live with your parents until getting married...
  

• Modesty is not a virtue here. Strong self confidence and loud voice - that could be the first means to conquer Mexico. If you are quiet, it's a bit weird. Yes, I'm not really fitting here :P
  

• Also cooking and other housekeeping skills are desired, but definitely not required, here a woman doesn't need to combine all possible roles - perfect career, perfect housewife, mother, lover, etc. Not good or bad, but simply as it is. Here getting a maid and a gardener to do everything seems much easier than breaking oneself apart with all the responsibilities.
  

• Silence here can be found only in deep forests, high mountains or far deserts. But even then if there will be at least 2 Mexicans, peace is gone. As well here it is not common to respect one's personal space or privacy, or sleep in early mornings. Collective culture with all the strong family links and deep traditions brings some side effects as well.
  

• Chili, salt and lime (as here there are no yellow lemons as we have, lime in Spanish gets name of lemon - limón) is a classical combination in many dishes here and surprisingly I'm starting to love it more and more each day, though at home tried to avoid spicy food as much as possible.
  

• Time here is very relative - "I'll call you in one hour" might also mean calling the next day or just a polite way of saying "no" and not being able to say sorry. But on the other hand time here flies faster than in Europe.
  

What else?
Hmmm... Yes, it is sunny and each day more and more the weather is getting different from home, but rain and thunder is much stronger than in Latvia and Mexicans themselves don't appreciate the sun as we do, ocean is quite far and seeing truly white sand is not my every day view as many are thinking, no one knows about a place called Latvia but then also no one knows anything about our economical situation and I can make the first impression...
Many things here are different and as I've discovered everything has at least two sides to look at. To be happy about some things and to get angry and not being able to accept that. But that's what I wanted to prove to myself.

Hopefully will be continued.

almost leaving

Do I love Latvia?
Im leaving my country tomorrow. At least for a year. As many others are doing now. Yet somehow I want to believe it's different. I feel that for me it's a must to get out and see that there is something different outside. Maybe just to understand that there is no better place than home. Or maybe to gain one more place of home. I dont know how it will go but after already living abroad for a while I've understood that going away doesnt mean disappearing forever or leaving your patriotic feelings away. I'll always be Latvian, in love with 4 seasons and quiet lifestyle. Enjoying every sunny day we get and happy about first flowers in spring. Even if abroad my nationality has other name or no one has ever known about our existence.

But in order not to become too Latvian with all the negativity that has become too current now...its a must to see that there are bigger cities, different people, things that are done the other way and it doesnt mean its worse. To break my own values and see if I can put them back together in a better way. To challenge myself. To learn language. To check if the love of life is real.

Im not going for better life, its everywhere good if you look for it. People in Mexico might be happier than us by Happy Planet Index or just taking life easier but it doesnt mean they dont have problems and their way of doing is the ideal that we should take over here.

Maybe we should just smile a bit more often here and appreciate what we have and not the other way. Even if government is not perfect, we have the country. Whenever we are.

Kind of back

As Im planning to change a little my life, Im starting with my blog :)
Originally I made it because of Online Journalism course in my 3rd year of studies in ViA. It had to be professional and with at least some gadgets, so I made it. Actually I always wanted to write but still kept my notes to myself. I cannot promise I will continue this but I'll try. Just to post from places where I am and events that I'm going through, no regularity, no topics. Even if it's only me who is reading.

See ya!