On May 1, I woke up and felt like going to the cinema. Latvian cinema. This year we have many new movies - fiction, documentary, animation, TV, etc. - since 2018 celebrates 100 years of national statehood. Since these movies are also a gift to me as a Latvian citizen, I better go and support…Read more Borders check more than our passports: Story about fault lines
USSR
Lustration and flushing out the Soviet poison for good
I belong to two generations. Gen X - Nirvana, grunge, MTV, The Cure, flannel shirts, cynicism... but also a generation between two worlds and two truths. Born in the USSR, I became an adult in free and independent Latvia. The feature photo was taken at a former Soviet military facility in western Latvia which used…Read more Lustration and flushing out the Soviet poison for good
Dipping my feet in Americana waters
"What is the purpose of your visit? And how long are you staying?" are the routine questions I hear from US Customs and Border control upon arrival. I have quite the collection of memories from these annual interviews. Waiting in line for my turn, trying to decide which customs guy looks the friendliest, preparing my…Read more Dipping my feet in Americana waters
More than a Wikipedia fact in postcard from Latvia
Do you have a wish list of influential people you would like to meet? High on my list is Vaclav Havel. I wish I could have met him as his prophetic wisdom is on my mind ... This goes out to everyone flirting with authoritative regimes and ideas where truth does not matter, where freedoms…Read more More than a Wikipedia fact in postcard from Latvia
30 years later I still cringe at the name of Chernobyl
They say it was a beautiful spring day. What did I do on April 26, 1986? Since it was a Saturday, I must have gone to school in the morning (we used to have school on Saturdays) and then had a weekend to enjoy. I was 12 years old and did not worry about too…Read more 30 years later I still cringe at the name of Chernobyl
Growing up in the Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors
Often people ask me what was it like to grow up in Soviet Union? What kind of childhood I had and how did it compare to the way they imagined it. They want to know the story behind the story. Winston Churchill coined the phrase "Iron Wall". Of course, there was a literal wall in…Read more Growing up in the Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors
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
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
Mitsubishi and three little words that make grown men cry
Most of us would be quick to point out that there is lots of media coverage of the brokenness of our world – stories of corruption, pollution, conflict, wars, extremism, human trafficking, injustice, etc. It is because the world is broken… so the media does their job and shines the spotlight on the ugliness. I…Read more Mitsubishi and three little words that make grown men cry
The old man who is still looking for peace
You never know who you may meet while traveling. Last week I spent some long hours on the plane from Riga - Moscow - Bangkok. Sometimes you have an encounter and think, "Interesting timing! Why am I meeting this person here and now?" When boarding the plane in Moscow, I noticed that I would sit…Read more The old man who is still looking for peace
peaceroads 