Originally published here on October 28, 2015. “I was born right here, in the middle of this volleyball court, on a Thursday night back in ’85,” says my brother Alberts with a wink, pointing towards a church banquet hall bisected by a volleyball net hung between two hooks in the walls. His joke isn’t too far from the … More Nama Volejs: The World of DC Latvian Volleyball
My first post in Latvian! Earlier this year I was on the planning committee for an annual Latvian sports tournament. Part of my duties included doing anything involving writing, like maintaining the website, sending out advertisements, and afterwards submitting an article to a couple Latvian newspapers about the event. In this case most of the … More ALA Meistarsacīkstes Vašingtonā, DC
Originally published here on October 1, 2014. *************************************** Anne, a blonde teenager played by the actress Lenka Peterson (who bears a remarkable resemblance to modern-day movie star Natalie Portman), takes her homework seriously. Assigned an essay for civics class, she is determined to do a good job. Her research takes her to countless interviews all … More Easy Judgments and Hard Documentation – 1949 American Film Documents Latvian DP Camps
I never found out how many hits this list article actually got, but holy cow, it went mini-viral amongst Latvian-Americans on Facebook. I’ve never felt so popular. I think it got a little mini-surge again this summer after the festival. Last year I checked off a whopping 19 items (golf is for lame-os), but this … More 20 Things To Do at 4-2 Weekend
My second of two articles about the Latvian Song and Dance Festival in Hamilton, Canada was largely based on interviews I conducted with everyone and anyone that I could find on the final evening, and I hit the jackpot when I sat down for an extended conversation with the very patient and enthusiastic music educator … More Latvian Song and Dance Festival Draws Enthusiastic Crowds to Hamilton
This was the first article I wrote for the website Latvians Online. They had received my name from a friend and fellow dancer who had recommended me to be their press rep at the Latvian Song and Dance Festival in Hamilton, Canada. The big bonus (besides the joy of writing, of course) was a press … More North American Song and Dance Festival Feels Influence of Troupes from Latvia
I was honored last November when fellow Latvian blogger Liene of Femme au foyer invited me to be one of roughly 24 contributors to her holiday extravaganza collection, “24 Days of Baltic Christmas.” We were each asked to share a special memory or trait of what a Latvian (or Lithuanian, or Estonian) Christmas means to … More A Baltic Christmas Day 2 – The Not-So-Jolly Fat Man of Latvian Christmas
Helga without the H 