This is a photo from St Paul, Minnesota. Did you know that June 20 is a World Refugee Day? St Paul has become home to thousands of refugees. One of the ethnic groups settled in MN are Karen people from Burma (Myanmar). There are estimated 10,000 Karen in Minnesota and St. Paul currently has the…Read more Minnesota is a long way from Burma or Latvia
Human rights
These stones make me stumble
I am from a city that still has cobblestone streets. These roads in Riga are not the most comfortable for riding a bicycle or walking with high heel shoes (women in Latvia do it anyway) but they are beautiful. The old stones make you think of previous generations, even centuries and people who walked here.…Read more These stones make me stumble
Inspired by the World’s Most Liberal City
Arriving at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam can be exciting and also overwhelming for it is three-in-one. Airport, shopping mall and train station. Leaving the customs area, you enter a very busy arrival hall. Straight from the airplane to the shopping plaza and straight to the trains located underneath. I speak English and have traveled a…Read more Inspired by the World’s Most Liberal City
“Son of Saul” is hard to watch but so worth it
There are good movies and then there are special movies. There are stories and then there are powerful stories. I love movies that tell a good story and engage my emotions and imagination. A good story draws you in and helps you to relate to the main characters. It helps you to try to imagine…Read more “Son of Saul” is hard to watch but so worth it
Looking at our compass to guide through the EU crisis
For sure I am no expert on the EU but I do know a thing or two. Firstly, most people, including myself, recognize that we are in a serious crisis. You hear it described as 'existential'. The question of 'to be or not to be'. Also, I know that any crisis and pressure - personal…Read more Looking at our compass to guide through the EU crisis
Why is Angelina Jolie causing a traffic jam in Battambang?
It turns out I have a few things in common with Angelina Jolie. She is in Cambodia and I am, too. She was in Battambang and I was there, too. She was shopping at the Night Market in Siem Reap and I was, too. She is researching the Khmer Rouge regime and the genocide of…Read more Why is Angelina Jolie causing a traffic jam in Battambang?
Thinker, believer and one of Latvia’s best kept secrets
Few days ago I heard some sad, bitter and sweet news. Sad because I found out that a very special person has passed away. Bitter because I was hoping to meet him again this year. Sweet because I am happy for him... at 88 years old, he has gone to the Big World as he…Read more Thinker, believer and one of Latvia’s best kept secrets
Don’t talk in maybe’s… Sing it like it should be
There is this one guy I would like to meet. He is very tall, very skinny, very bald and very cool. Well, he is kind of intimidating, too, but in a good way. His name is Peter Garrett and he is an Aussie. He also happens to be the lead singer of my favorite Australian…Read more Don’t talk in maybe’s… Sing it like it should be
The barricades and my experience of nonviolent resistance
It is January and it is another cold one in Latvia I am not in Riga but I do know what a cold winter day or night feels like. And in 1991 it was a cold January. Still, most people in Latvia (including me) remember it with special warmth because it was also a time…Read more The barricades and my experience of nonviolent resistance
Peek into my library…
One of my New Year resolutions is to read even more books. I love reading and through the work and travels I have collected a small library. Unfortunately my library is scattered - most books are in Latvia, many in USA and a few in Thailand. I have a dream that one day I will…Read more Peek into my library…
peaceroads 