Trip to Estonia and Latvia

I really enjoyed reading Elizabeth Snouffer’s article “Eating Abroad with Diabetes–Hong Kong,” Catherine Price’s interview with world traveller Bridget McNulty, and Catherine’s posts  describing her own trips to Tokyo and Hawaii. So I thought I would follow the trend and write about my own first experience traveling with diabetes.

This summer, I went on a two-week trip to Estonia and Latvia to do research about my grandfather’s family. I had originally been given a grant to do this last summer, right after I had graduated from college, but then I was diagnosed with diabetes in early July. At that point, I couldn’t imagine traveling to a foreign country–I panicked even when trying to estimate the amount of carbohydrates in a Cosi sandwich. Luckily, the people at Penn who had provided the grant were understanding, and allowed me to wait a year before taking the trip.

I’m convinced that a major reason why Estonia and Latvia aren’t bigger tourist destinations is because they were behind the Iron Curtain, and so remain unknown to many Americans. They are both beautiful countries. I spent the first week of my trip in Riga, the capital of Latvia. Riga’s medieval old city is surrounded by rings of parks, constructed after the city’s medieval fortifications were razed in the late 19th century. Beyond these parks is Riga’s truly unique feature–a sprawling art nouveau district that UNESCO has declared a world heritage site. You can walk for blocks and blocks and only see incredibly rendered art nouveau facades.

         One of Riga's many parks

      Art nouveau architecture

Before World War II, Riga was home to a large Jewish population that included my great-grandparents and their children. By coincidence, I found out that the hotel where I was staying was in the same neighborhood as the apartment buildings in which my great aunts and uncles lived. I walked to each one and took photos–the building in which my great-uncle Isak lived is now a Ramada Inn!

I also got to see some of Latvia’s countryside. For two days I went to Sloka, a town about an hour away from Riga by train. Here, my great-grandfather’s family once owned a farm and raised horses. Architecturally, Sloka is now an incongruous mix of small wooden houses and looming Soviet-era structures. Although quite a few of the Soviet-era buildings are crumbling and dilapidated, many of the town’s inhabitants have no other option but to continue living in them. As I took the train back into the city, I looked out the window at the fields passing by and caught glimpses of people picking flowers to make into wreathes to wear on St. John’s Eve the next day.

        the Ramada Inn

Sloka

After all my worrying, my diabetes-related challenges in Riga were few. Since I was only going to be traveling for two weeks, I brought all my supplies with me, in addition to prescriptions from my doctor in case I misplaced the supplies I had and needed to buy more. (I’m happy to report I never did.) My parents, who were curious to see the places their ancestors had lived, came with me for the first week of my trip. It was reassuring to know that, in case of an emergency, I would have two people with me who knew what to do. In addition, many people in both Latvia and Estonia are at least reasonably fluent in English.

Unlike some of the other ASweetLife travelers, I didn’t do anything especially physically strenuous. But I was walking all the time. Our hotel was half an hour away from the Riga’s center, we’d inevitably make the trip back and forth more than once a day–retrieving maps, going out to dinner, etc. And once we reached the city center, we would have to walk somewhere else. It felt great to get so much exercise without even trying, but then my blood sugar started to go low more and more frequently. Finally, I decreased my dose of Lantus, and the problem was solved.

Source : here

My impressions about Germany

Without any doubt, one of the happiest day of my life was the day I received an e-mail from ISWI. I had been accepted as a participant at a festival for students in Ilmenau in 2011 – near Frankfurt. It meant a 10 day holiday in the country I had always wanted to visit. My expectations were high and, fortunately, I came back even more excited. And in 2012 I was accepted to another festival – GrIStuF, in the north of Germany. The excitement was even greater.
First of all, visiting Germany was a delight for my eyes, as I am a big fan of its architectural style and paved streets. It’s amazing how Germans managed to reconstruct the old buildings destroyed in  WWII and preserve their cultural values. The Soviet buildings in the north impressed me the most. These buildings, so common in every former-Soviet country, no longer look depressing and ugly. The facades are coloured and have flowers at windows. It’s amazing how they fight for creativity and try to transform everything into something beautiful. Young people are also involved, taking part in different projects. The most visible results are the extraordinary paintings on walls. I’m not talking about amateur vandalism, but artistic graffiti that adds something special to the city’s atmosphere.
Of course, people hold a lot of stereotypes about any country. The most common stereotype about Germans concerns their punctuality. From my experience, I can say that their trains and buses can be late by up to 30 minutes. But this doesn’t happen all the time. As a rule, the transport is always on time and follows the schedule.
Another stereotype is based upon their cold behavior toward foreigners. I didn’t talk much to elder people, but young people are receptive and welcome cultural diversity.
When going to a party in Germany, don’t forget to buy the snacks, as the host isn’t supposed to provide you with food or drinks. Always have some 50 cent or one euro coins to slot into the supermarket trolley. Remember that on Sunday the shops are closed and on Saturday, in general, they are only open till 4.00PM. Expect to buy delicious ice cream on the streets at special machines or kiosks. And be aware that a bottle of water can be more expensive than a beer. Be prepared to recycle and sort the rubbish. Unlike in Moldova, they don’t always have free Wi-Fi in parks or cafés. Transport tickets are very expensive, but it’s worth the money. Also, when travelling, the landscape outside the window will include lots of wind turbines, roofs covered with solar panels and beautiful rolls of hay in the fields. And, unarguably, the bike is one of the most important mean of transport.
Travelling and living for 20 days in Germany, proved to me that Germans are responsible about their life and care about the future. Each small thing in Germany is living proof that this nation has strong values, follows traditions and can serve as a model for other countries. I can't wait to visit Germany again.

By Peregudova Irina  
Chisinau, Moldova