What line is being said any way

well I start this blog with a big congratulations to My mentor Maris and his wife Ilena as two days ago they had a baby girl named Nora, I did originally spell it wrong but thanks to edit mode its all perfect now.

So I have to let you all know that I can not understand the Latvian Language what so ever, I'm trying but its just not happening, its just too difficult and Im slipping in to bad habits.
I have two Latvian lessons each week, but Ive only been to about five, (the teacher was poorly, or Ive been busy with work and training programmes) and it really is like a lesson. I was never a bad student at school academically, but I was a bit of a day dreamer and the truth is I still am, and its something that wont change. I remember as soon as i walked into French class in school my mind would already begin to drift and then i would cover at least half a page of my work book in nonsensical nonsense and doodles. It wasn't just French but History and Art too, At parents evening My history teacher said "Sonny has the unique ability to look like hes working but not do any thing productive"and my Art teacher "If sonny worked at his very best and only concentrated at Art .......well the mos the will get is a D"which I thought was particularly harsh, as he always was. He once shouted at me because I wanted to use cotton wool on one of my paintings as a cloud he looked furious and shouted "what do you think this is Nursery" well I showed him three years later and I was working in a nursery for a living.......all the cotton wool for clouds a young man could hope for.
Even in Later eduction My mind would drift and I would do doodles, I tried at the start of every year to keep my books clean and to resist the urge to draw but these attempts would always be a waste of time as I have the attention span of a baby chimp.
However Ive also learned during my time here that if I don't learn the language then Latvia will just become stranger and more surreal, and its strange and surreal enough.

Its my second Saturday night and I haven't got any plans to drive around in the evening and drink alco pops but instead I'm off to the theater to watch some Latvian Improv.
The show was being held at the local pub and the actors were an Improv group from Riga, there was about 4 guys and 4 girls and then the audience (mostly young people around 18, some from the center and some were colleagues of mine). The premise was pretty much Who's line is it any way, the host would ask the audience for situations and different styles and the actors would then continue with "hilarious"results.
Well I could tell one thing even though I didn't understand the language, and this was the fact that the actors were rubbish, every person held something in their hand and Ive never seen so many people pretend to sweep in my life. The weirdness probably wasn't helped by the double whiskey i was drinking ( with no coke may I add), This went on for two hours and By the end I was extremely confused. But not as confused when for no reason in particular the actors started gyrating on their pretend brooms and started to lick the walls.

So I carried on with my lessons on the Monday after the weekend, and as usual I continued with my doodles. I have a stock of doodles that I usually do, these are
Trees
The Aliens from Futurama and the Simpsons
Lines
Shapes
Water
Clouds with far away Birds
Cartoon Rabbits
The Rolling Stones Mouth Logo
and Cartoon eyes, none of them of any high Quality. I was once drawing at the flat and my room mates mentor commented on my pictures and said that I had a soul of an artist ( She may of been using the famous Latvian sarcasm I ve learnt about) and as I looked at the pictures she didnt see, one of me and Uncle Ben sharing a jar of KoK, Im sure I have more the soul of a Man/Child than artist.

But My attitude has to change and on the Thursday coming I knew that I would have an opportunity to see how other volunteers from other countries were doing with the Language at On arrival Training.
This was being held for four days just outside Riga in the Latvian Country Side. There were Seven/Eight Volunteers there and about 5 Latvian Mentors and Two Latvian Trainers.
The volunteers were a mixed bunch, we had for the boys Two Spanish, 1 Austrian, 1 Turkish1 British (yours Truly) for the Ladies there were 1 French, 1 German and 1 Italian don't think I forgot any one I shouldn't of as it was two days ago I came back and most of them are now friends on Facebook so they will be able to see this.
The training was focused on the EVS programme and the reason I'm here, it was interesting at times but it was more interesting to get to know the other volunteers and it was worth it because all the food was free with as much tea as an Englishman can drink. In the evenings we got to know one another, without any alcohol we still had a laugh. I wasn't alone with problems of mastering the Latvian Language as most of the people here have been in Latvia for around a month everyone was at the same level. But for some the problem was English, the Italian girl struggled at times but could still communicate, sometimes through purrs or during a game outside you could hear her shout one English Phrase she knew"Ī Kill You". I learned in these four days that not only could I speak Latvian but I also need to master Continental English as it would be easier for people from other countries need to understand me too.

The Turkish guy knew the least amount of English and found it hard to communicate with the rest of us. He would sometimes say something completely out of context which could be funny at times or beweildering. The next day his mentor turned up and was able to communicate for him and these translations showed me that you really cant get a grasp of somebody if you cant speak their language, and that here is an intelligent and thoughtful young man with valued ideas,...........or maybe his mentor just did a very good job of translating his thoughts. Later on that evening me and the Turkish guy were talking in continental English and I mentioned that young people in Latvia looked older than they were and his reply with a straight face and extend hand over his head and said "17 18...... big bitches" ...you can make up your own minds.

the food at the retreat was good but they were a few problems 1, no biscuits for the tea. One day we had tea and cake and next to the cake was some sort of diced meat sausage roll ( these Latvians love the meat), and 2 the veg they had would be next to slabs of meat and the veggies
in the group would have to make sure we got the veg on the edge of the tray. The concept of veggie is really not known here and one Latvian girl even gave me the nick name "British Bunny". Now I don't know why but Ive never had very Impressive nick names, and they mostly end up being animal related and always close to the rodent family. This girl was also took back my doodles who didn't think I was drawing eyes but actually nipples.

On the last day we were all sharing our experiences and thanking each other for a great time. Then when it was my turn I satrted with a little bit about how I usually dislike these sorts of things and that i can be quite cynical about these training methods but i was going to carry on and mention what a great time I had but I didn't have that opportunity as I could see opposite me the Latvian girl was doing something with her hands so I stopped my speech and finished off with "I'm sorry but I cant carry on that girl seems to be Playing with my nipples"
Even though it wasn't profound, or maybe not even true (it could of been my imagination) i thought it was funny, which Ive learned most of all, no matter what language you speak, Funny is funny, you can still have a good time not knowing the language you just neet to find other methods whether that is Purring, Making jokes or lot of noise because the language will come in time.
Later on the bus home I was contemplating my time away and then the nipple playing Latvian girl said "British Bunny I have a Present for you"and pulled out of her bag three carrots!
Latvia may be strange and surreal at times but its also very, very funny!

Next week I will be tackling the concept of competition in "Game Over man, Game Over"