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…
Latest Posts
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
About
Welcome to Let the Journey Begin, a little corner of the internet that's sustained by tea, chocolate, and the power of procrastination! Enjoy reading and click here if you want to find out more about me and the blog. Ilze Ieviņa
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Language MattersAll posts
Bamm-Bamm Talks: 2,5 Years
When I last took stock of our son’s language skills at 20 months – almost a year ago – we were expecting a…
Spotlight on LatviaAll posts
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…
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…
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…
Celebrating Name Days in Latvia
Do you celebrate name days? Chances are, your answer is either an enthusiastic ‘yes!’ or a slightly confused ‘err, what?’ In honor of…
Life in GermanyAll posts
What do Kids Need to Know Before Starting School in Germany?
What should a 6-year-old be able to do to before starting school in Germany? This list of 22 skills just might surprise you.
Prenatal Care in Germany Part 3: Preparing for Birth
Welcome to the third and final part of my prenatal care in Germany mini-series! Part one was about visits at the gynaecologist’s office and part two was…
Prenatal Care in Germany Part 2: the Midwife
The first part of the prenatal care in Germany series covered everything related to going to the gynaecologist: appointments, ultrasounds, and tests, trimester…
Prenatal Care in Germany Part 1: at the Doctor’s Office
When I decided that I should write down my experiences and observations about the prenatal care system in Germany I naively thought that…
My Germany Bucket List – 10 Things I Want to Do
At the end of the summer, it will be 11 years since I moved to Germany and, believe it or not, I still…
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…