At the end of the summer, it will be 11 years since I moved to Germany and, believe it or not, I still have a long list of things that I haven’t done! Here are 10 things that I still want to see, do or experience in the country that I currently call home. My Germany Bucket […]
Parenting German Style: the Beach Edition
As a child, I spent many glorious summers on the Latvian Baltic Sea coast, swimming, building sand castles, and fighting a losing battle against turning lobster-red. Bringing my own kids to the seaside in Germany, I couldn’t help but notice that Germans do a few things differently. For one, I cannot believe how much stuff […]
Celebrating Midsummer in Latvia
Have you ever experienced the magic of the shortest night of the year? Some of my warmest memories are of celebrating midsummer in Latvia: lighting a bonfire on the beach, spending the short hours of darkness singing and dancing, and watching the sun rise over the sea. Just like the winter solstice, the summer solstice […]
How I Finally Hacked Spelling my Name in German
When I lived in Latvia, I never needed to spell my name. While not very common as a last name, “Ieviņa” is the sweet form of the name “Ieva” – the Latvian version of “Eve”. A Latvian will never get it wrong. Ever since I moved abroad a decade ago, spelling my name has become […]
Birch Sap: the Springtime Superdrink
In Latvia, where I come from, foraging is a national sport. In summer we flock to meadows and forests to pick blueberries and wild strawberries. In autumn our woods provide us with a bounty of delicious mushrooms. But the real foraging season begins much earlier in the year. Soon after the snow melts and the […]
Birthday Party at Kids at Work, Hamburg
This week, let me tell you a little about Birdy’s 4th birthday party and the fun location where we celebrated it: Kids at Work. Turning four in Germany Here in Germany, the (unwritten) rules for the fourth birthday are in somewhat of a grey area. For the third birthday, kids are invited to the party together with their parents. For […]
Why do the Germans Give Easter Gifts?
Do you give Easter gifts to your loved ones? We Latvians usually don’t. But, as it turns out, even after a decade of living in Germany the country and its customs can surprise me. As I wrote about German Easter traditions last year: While in my childhood Easter egg hunting meant scouring our garden for actual eggs, […]
My 5 Commandments for Staying Consistent as the Minority Language Parent
“Are you a drop-dead-OPOL-mom?” an acquaintance inquired when I published my last update of Birdy’s language progress. I laughed out loud and then started wondering: am I? In our family, we follow the OPOL – one parent one language – strategy (you can read all about our approach here). In this constellation, I’m the minority language […]
Brilliant Latvian Women You’ve Probably Never Heard About
Do you know any famous Latvians? Are any of them female? Chances are that, unless you come from Latvia or have ties to the country, the answer is no. Let me change that and tell you about five amazing Latvian women who have made their names in the world of arts, sports, and politics. But, […]
Feed the Baby Hummus: a Book Review & Giveaway
If there is one thing that I have learned from parenting outside of the country where I was born and raised myself, it is that cultural differences exist with regards to EVERY SINGLE THING about raising a child. What’s the best sleeping position for your baby? Should you give her a pacifier and if yes […]