Update...

So recently, I was assigned the task of giving a presentation about the USA. It went well and was highly informal. I basically said stuff about the government, food, Superbowl, football, California, Poway, and oher stuff you would expect to be in a presentation about your home country. But then I decided to throw in the word "Dude". I basically said it was how we address one another, usually between friends. But my English teacher looked at me with a surprised look...A look that looked like she was about to send me out of class....I wasn't sent out, but she told Artūrs and then he told me that in British English, its a verrryyy bad word...new thing learned? So yeah...that went well. XD

I think AFS requires me and the other exchange students to have an after school activity. So today after school I went to choir class. The Audition went well and they speak ENGLISH!!!!!! :D I was happy about that. But the lessons during practices are in Latvian, naturally. There are four girls from my class in choir and two or three boys from my class in it as well. Arnolds, who is in my class, was happy that there is one more boy cause there are apparently 8 boys to about 25-35 girls...they were not heard really well at some concerts as you can imagine... So yeah this will be fun! But I will most likely do a sport after school as well. I don't know which yet; I have to go to the Olympic center for sports cause my school doesn't even have a team...and the pool is 12 Meters long, compared to Poway's 25 meter pool. And same with the gym. MUCH smaller than Poway's...there are no bleachers.

Other stuff...I found Mormons!!!!! There is a small branch in old Rīga. The first time I was there, two people were being blessed because the day before, they were baptized. And they just sustained a 1st and 2nd counselor to the branch leadership.


The Saturday before going to church, I met up with Allie in Rīga. That day we just walked around Old Rīga and we eventually got lost. We noticed that we were lost near the Mormons, which, that the next day, I discovered where it was. Just got to remember big Catholic church with a road that circles around the building and then I know that I'm near the Mormons. But we did not see any Mormon church because its in a building  and the only way to know what your looking for is to look for this sign that they put out on a plaque. It's small... But I didn't recognize the BIG Catholic church and that's when we realized that we were lost. So we tried to avoid using the map as much as we could....ok, I didn't want to use it. She did. But we eventually did and it was useful. Who would've thought that a map could be useful?? It was fun. Old Rīga is a fun place to walk around.

Last Friday, Artūrs (my contact-person), and I went to where Aija works. At the Medical University. That meant skipping my last lesson, Ķimija (Chemistry), which worked out because I had a test. Don't worry, I don't get marks the First Semester in that class. But on the way, we saw the Polish President (he was in his car). When we got to the university, our neighbor, Julija, joined us. She was looking for new ideas for designs for her Porcelain-making business. We had to wear lab coats and play the role of the student, cause apparently they don't allow non-students in the area that we went. But Aija basically showed us all these different cells, from Bone and bone marrow cells, to the cells in the cerebellum. It was cool. And she showed us the part of the university that taught about conjoined twins. The specimens in the jars were nasty...Why were we there, in the university? Cause Artūrs is going to be studying medicine and I came along cause I have an interest in biology. It was fun but as you can imagine, some of the stuff was nasty.

So yeah, if there is anything specific about Latvia you want to know, comment. If anything else comes to mind, I'll post it. :)