I hope you enjoyed the pictures from yesterday I'm hoping to get ten or so more pictures posted tonight. (cross your fingers)
Alot had happened since the last time I wrote, and I'm sorry that it's been so long.
My school classes have officially started, and it's much different than at home.
I have eight 45 min. Classes everyday, except for Tuesdays where I lucked out getting put in the first English group and don't have to report to school until almost 10am! (though if my latvian teacher doesn't have a class those two periods I might find myself coming in for some extra latvian classes Tuesday mornings) Our breaks between classes vary from 5 to 20 mins, with our lunch break from 12:05-12:55. Breaks grow as we get closer to lunch and are much shorter after lunch. I get out of school at 3:15 everyday, and then hurry on to whatever I have in the afternoon. My easiest classes right now, besides English, are physics, Math, and of course sports class. And my hardest class is Russian, I don't get a whole lot right now in Cultures and economics, but that will change as the year goes on. (one boy told me that even the kids who know latvian don't get alot from those two classes)
My training has now started at the sports school here in Cesis, and at the training center(ski track) in Prekulle. I've changed coaches so I'm no longer practicing with little boys, and it's going very well. My new coach is Angela Brice, she is a former Latvian Olympic biathelte, and her husband competed in Torino this past winter on the Latvian Olympic Biathalon team.
Because I'm training with biatheltes we do alot of running as well as roller skiing, so it's been great. The training center, roller ski track, and trails at Prekulle are beautiful and challenging. The other day I ran/imitation skied some killer 4K repeats...I thought our home cross country course had some nice hills, this trail kicks even its bum. It's like running up and down the hill at telemark over and over again with some hair-pin curves...skiing could get pretty interesting this winter, and I'll even get to try my hand and aim at some biatholon!
The Prekulle trails are around 7K from the sports school, so after school I'll walk into the center of town and catch a bus to Prekulle (the town/village) and then from there I will hike through the woods for about 10 mins or so. We don't really drive a whole lot here, just because everything is in walking distance.
Last weekend my host families family friend from Norway came to visit. He is there daughter Liga's host father from when she was an exchange student in Norway years ago. He is a very smart and funny man, who loves to ski, so we got along just fine. (he actually invited me to over easter go mountain skiing at there cabin!) The entire weekend he wouldn't let me forget about Norway or skiing or the fact that there is a high school about 1.5 hrs from his house just for skiers and biatholon. (the teasing was hard) Well on Sunday we ventured to Sidgulda to WildCat where for a little over three hours had a blast on a high ropes course...it was so much fun. I've been wanting to do a high ropes course for a long time and so when my host mom asked if I was interested in going I jumped for joy!
On thursday of this last week my class went on it's first excursion, which was alot of fun. And where did we go? To Sidgulda to the high ropes course and then bowling in the center of the town. (I bowled a 134!) But besides it being alot of fun, it was really a good thing for my class to do. You see half my class is new to the school and the other half has gone to this school for the last three years, so there has been this akward rift between the two groups. One half was very loud and talkative and the other very shy and have kept mostly to their selves...Until this trip. It allowed my class to really mix, and make us more of a "class". So what I'm thinking is that we should go on more excursions...If you get what I mean.
Last week at school one of the boys at lunch asked me if I would like to go the folk dancing thing on Friday, and I said yes, because I can always be up for some good ole latvian folk dancing. I was actually really looking forward to it...Until I was over taken by a cold, and a cold is a very serious thing here in Latvia?...Actually any remote sign of sickness is...So I spent my Friday evening and a good portion of my Saturday wrapped up in my blanket drinking tea on the couch.
My host mom is very funny, she doesn't like chemical medicines so instead I've been taking my vitamins and loading up on some good old fashion vitamin C. Along with some good hot foot soaking, and I mean hot. And afterwards you proceed to wear big wool socks (very itchy and slippery) and roll up in a blanket for a bit more.
It is now Monday morning around 11:45 am here and I'm sitting in my computer class, but the teacher has given me some other work to do at home so I sit here freely rambling away to cyber space. (which is okay with me, and probaly you as well.)
I awoke with a mighty fine cough this morning, so Inese's insists I go and see the family doctor at 1pm with her, and I will, maybe I've caught some rare Latvian potato cough...I don't know.
When I get back from the doctor I will have mathematics and Russian, and after that I will hurry home grab a snack and go to practice. Today my training will include a little over one hour of circuit weight training and then aerobics, so I'll make sure to grab some bright colored tights and a sweatband before I hit the gym...Okay maybe not.
Well I believe that is all I have to tell you for now.
I love you and miss you
until next time
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