Latvia vs Italy

I wake up. I go for a swim in a sea, in the beginning of November. Then, I put on my mini dress and a light jacket and a few seconds later I receive messages from my friends in Latvia. All of these pictures consist of snowdrifts and faces of people half wrapped in scarves and hats. They are beautiful, but while I am watching them poorly dressed they seem like something very far, far away in the North Pole. However, a bigger difference is the fact that Italians do not agree with me. With +15 degrees outside they are dressed as if it is just as cold here as in Latvia. In fact, one guy even offers me his jacket asking if I am really not cold. But that is the point. Italians say what they think and what they want and they have absolutely no problem throwing all of their thoughts and emotions outside. While in Latvia usually you cannot talk with the bus driver here they drive the crazy meandering roads with an amazing professionalism while at the same time they try to get your mobile phone number or invite for a coffee. Even if it means that they have to use Google translate because the only common word between Italian and Latvian is “Ciao”. Speaking about language, there is absolutely nothing common between Italian and Latvian. If my dear Spanish volunteer Nuria can get away with guessing some words that often are similar to Italian then I have absolutely no chance to get away with it. Here are some examples:What about the differences in the environment. The first time I did snorkeling I saw the cliffs under the water with such an intense clarity that I thought, it cannot be real, and someone is playing a joke on me, putting a photo or a painting under my mask. But that is the point; there are no cliffs in Latvia.All I have ever seen is sand. A lot of sand. A never ending amount of soft, white sand and then twenty minutes of going into the sea until it finally rise on the level of your chest.

Everything is flat. The only mountains that I pass in my city are the stairs that lead to my apartment. So it is a challenge. Living here, with mountains all around and going up the steep roads just to buy some food. Because of this I also have learned how to restrict myself and not eat all of the food in one day because in Italy it is not like in Latvia, that from 8:30 until 22:00 without any break you can buy any food you like. Italians like their time of resting and they do it for a very long time. So do I like to experience these cultural differences? Not when I get all the way up to the center for chocolate and then I see that all shops are closed for the very long lunch break. However, for sure it is very nice to show off my brown skin and blue skies in the middle of dozens of snow pictures!