Opinion: Expectations rising in Latvia

Andis and I spent two weeks there in early July, and I’ve been hard-pressed to find short ways to describe it.

When I tell people I went to Latvia, their first question is usually, “Where’s Latvia?” Sometimes I hear, “I never heard of it.” Pity them, because this is when I launch into my dialogue and see stolen glances at wristwatches. There is so much to say about this nation rich in history with its eyes on the future and finally free of crushing Soviet occupation.

Andis has two first cousins in Latvia from his mother’s side. Everyone on his father’s side of the family was deported to Siberia (or never seen again) in 1941 by the Stalinist regime. Fortunately, Andis’ dad was not at home when the soldiers came, and eventually, he and my mother-in-law, with 5-year-old Andis, made their way to the United States. Throughout most of the 20th century, thousands of men, women and children from throughout the Baltic countries were loaded into cargo trains and deported to gulags across the Soviet Union. Latvia’s population is now nearly 2 million, with 600,000 in Riga.

When the Soviet system collapsed after 50 years of occupation, Latvia’s economy was reduced to the barter system. The mere 15 years since independence has obviously witnessed remarkable progress. Perhaps part of the success is related to the fact that Latvians have returned home from all parts of the globe, bringing investment and entrepreneurial know-how. In fact, Latvia’s president, Vaira Vike-Freiberga (yes, a woman), was brought up and educated in Canada.

We were fortunate because our relatives took us from one end of the country to the other in a series of daytrips. The size of New Jersey, virtually the whole country is accessible by day – a good thing, because as close as we could figure, gas was about $6 a gallon, and a full tank in the Saab cost close to $100, or approximately 50 Lats.

Latvia features castles and forests, the bustling capitol of Riga, with its wealth of Art Nouveau architecture, and the dune-lined Baltic seashore.

New subdivisions lined with “McMansions” sprout alongside farms where horse-drawn farm implements are still in use.

Abandoned factories and windowless apartment blocks left from the great Soviet social experiments crumble against a backdrop of pristine pine and birch forests rapidly falling to the burgeoning timber industry.

Latvia is a member of the European Union, but it remains its poorest. Optimism for the future is the currency with the greatest circulation. The country’s new malls and “hypermarkets” are stuffed with goods. You can buy anything, we were told, if you can pay the high prices.

SBJ’s Figuratively Speaking column in the Oct. 2 issue mentions Latvia’s No. 1 ranking (6.8 percent) among countries expecting to see the largest salary rises above inflation in 2007. Compare this to an expected 1.3 percent in the United States. These figures bespeak the cultural and economic revolution that has progressed unceasing since Latvia ousted the Russians in 1991.

Andis and I were fortunate during our Latvian sojourn. We stayed in Riga’s historic center city and also on a family farm. We were there during the midsummer festivals, which since pagan times have celebrated the vernal equinox. The days were indeed long; it never got completely dark during our stay.

Latvia is just now opening up to tourism, and we felt completely welcome, if not a little exotic, everywhere we went. Everything was extremely clean, and flowers were growing and for sale in stalls on street corners.

We were told that there was worry during the hard times in the 1990s, that book shops and the greenhouse businesses – which surround the capitol and supply flowers year-round – would fail because nobody had any money. But they flourished and multiplied.

Latvians value education, and they love flowers. Never visit a Latvian home without a bouquet.

We were blessed by beautiful weather during our entire visit, and we did not require air conditioning – another blessing because nobody has it. We did not encounter crowds, as might be expected in other European destinations. I did have some language difficulties, but I learned to ask for ice cream, “salde jums,” before we had to say “sveiks” (hello or goodbye). The food was good (similar to Scandinavian or German cuisine), and we could drink the water. Special note: the coffee and chocolate were great!

If you want to see our pictures, you must allow for at least half a day for the short version. My running commentary takes longer.

Dianne Elizabeth Osis is publisher and president of Springfield Business Journal Inc. She can be reached at delizabeth@sbj.net.