Sveiks Ms. Zommere and the Oregon Latvian Society,
I would like to start this letter by saying paldies for the scholarship to attend Kursa. I am amazed how much I learned in 4 weeks! In the first few days of Kursa, I was taught the basic phrases such as “Ka Tev iet?” (For which I often responded “labi”), “Cik Tev gadu?” and “Ka Tevi sauc?” I also learned a little bit on how the Latvian alphabet works and what diacritics do to a letter. As time went on, I began writing the words I learned into a dictionary, and I am proud to say that even though I still have a long way to go, my Latvian vocabulary greatly increased during my time at Kursa.
Along with learning how to speak, write and read Latvian, we learned a lot about Latvian culture. One thing that impressed me about our culture is all the festivals that we celebrate, such as those for the winter and summer solstices. I also learned about Latvian dress, Latvian songs and Latvian dancing. My dad says I became a pretty good polka dancer! In my jewelry and sewing classes, I learned all about Latvian symbols and their meaning. Lastly, I learned a lot about the history of Latvia before it got its independence. Because of this, I now know the meaning of what it is to be Latvian. It means that no matter what happens to your country you must still represent it proudly and never give up on it.
So in conclusion, I loved everything about Kursa! The 4 weeks I spent there were some of the best weeks of my life. Because it was so amazing and because I want to learn so much more about my heritage, I hope to return for the next 3 years and eventually graduate. So paldies again for the wonderful opportunity I was given this summer.
Sincerely,
Connor
Age 15 | Calgary, Canada
