NSLI-Y 2024 Latvia – Week 1
Privet and Sveiki from Riga!
Our names are Madeline and Rachel, and we are the Resident Directors this summer for the ACES NSLI-Y Riga program. Each week, we will share a few of our favorite moments and feature some student perspectives on our robust schedule of activities. We are so excited to share details of the first week with you.
After many months of applications and preparations for the summer, our sixteen students gathered in-person for Pre-Departure Orientation. We did icebreaker activities, discussed expectations for culminating projects, and ate a few delicious meals. Sooner than we could say “Zdravstvuyte,” we were off to the airport.
To capture details from the week’s events, we would like to present some comments by Joaquin and Katherine, two students who stepped up to share their perspective on the first week:
The sunny Chicago weather set a positive mood for our travels. Our flight to Frankfurt—although nine hours—went smoothly, and was as planned. The flight to Riga was even more of a breeze as we were all trying to get in our last minutes of sleep to fight jet lag.
Students spent the remainder of that first weekend with their host families exploring Riga, eating new foods, and sleeping. After all, it had been a long trip!
On Monday, we saw our school for the first time. We study at the Baltic Center. The campus of RISEBA is the summertime location for the Baltic Center courses. Right down the street, there is the Holy Trinity Church, as well as a restaurant where we eat our daily lunch.
After an hour of orientation, classes began on Monday morning. Our cohort was separated into two classes based on our previous knowledge of Russian. The teachers, Ludmila and Ekaterina, are so eager to expand our language knowledge. By the end of the first week, all students have already learned the alphabet, the genitive case, and more vocabulary than we can count.
We have also been learning outside of class. During Tuesday’s RD Meeting, Madeline and Rachel presented on media literacy. Then, on Wednesday, Oleg gave a lecture on Russian history from the 19th century to the present day.
On Thursday, we had free time. To celebrate the Fourth of July, our cohort had an optional excursion to McDonald’s and a downtown park. The McDonald’s in Riga had an extensive menu that was much more impressive than the ones we are used to in the United States. Once we got the different foods we were trying—from macarons to cake slices to sandwiches—we went to a nearby park to relax.
On Friday, both Russian language classes had tests to track student progress. Afterwards, we met our peer partners for the first time. We did an activity where students rotated partners. The second half of the activity block was spent with our assigned peer partners, so we could discover shared interests with the students who we will be working with for the rest of the summer. Many of us learned useful vocabulary, like how to order coffee at the nearby café!
With that, the first week in Riga came to an end. We all parted ways for the weekend. There is plenty of homework to do, as well as sightseeing with our host families to enjoy.
Thank you for reading our weekly update. Until next week!
Madhav, Omer and Rose play a get-to-know-you bingo game during PDO in Chicago.
A group passport photo in our hotel lobby the morning of our flight.
Our cohort at the Chicago O’Hare Airport—We could hardly wait for our departure to Riga.
Katherine and Savyon at a local kiosk during the first weekend. At the kiosks in Riga, you can buy everything from snacks to prepared meals to local transit tickets. They are everywhere! It is so convenient.
Pictured here are Dalton, Will, Rose, Lena, Sav, and Robert at the Daugava River in central Riga on Saturday, shortly after arriving in the city from the airport.
Sophie stands by a friendly cat outside of a café near the Baltic Center. There are lots of cats in Riga, both in commercial areas and residential streets. They are all incredibly polite.
Students eating one of their first lunches of the summer. On the first day, the restaurant offered us a buffet option, so students explored different combinations to learn more about the local cuisine and get a feel for what they like the best.
Students sit in a circle while Madeline leads them in a cultural discussion. We talked about the media, especially local Latvian media.
Oleg stands in front of the classroom, lecturing the students about Russian history and culture.
Students in Ekaterina’s class are learning the genitive case. It’s a real challenge! Russian has six cases, which can be really grammatically challenging for English speakers to learn.
The group at McDonald’s.
Robert, Lena, Carissa, and Yuxuan admire the wide range of options at the Latvian McDonald’s.
Yuxuan chats with her peer partner. Students are already putting their Russian to great use.
Will and Dalton practice a dialogue in Ludmila’s class. Currently, the students are learning how to introduce themselves by sharing information about their nationalities, ages, professions, and other interests.
Rose and Dominic do an exercise in Ludmila’s class.
Church near to language classes.