NSLI-Y 2022 Latvia – Week 5
Hello, friends!
Week five for our NSLI-Y students was filled with the usual activities: coffee at a nearby café before class, new topics and grammar structures to practice as a group, and lunch together, followed by time spent doing homework, relaxing with host families, or exploring Riga. Here are some images from this week, both at school and on our field trip to a medieval town on Saturday.
Class Time
Alex, Andrew, Chloe and Zachary review how to order food in Russian.
Ally and Jillian prepare to perform a dialogue in class.
Chloe talks about her favorite breakfast items.
Andrew describes his typical lunch at home.
Helen discusses her typical dinner fare.
Katie presents on her favorite local American desserts.
Chloe and Zoey interview their peer language partners in preparation for their culminating project presentations.
Jillian, Zoey, Laurin, Ally and Helen vie to reach the next level during a game of “Lexical” Chairs.
A visit to Āraiši, Cēsis and Zvārtes Rock
This week’s cultural enhancement activity included visits to Āraiši Church, Cēsis Castle and Zvārtes Rock. Here are photos of Āraiši Church, one of the oldest churches in Latvia, constructed in the year 1225.
The church features an organ, altar, raised pulpit and wooden pews.
An early 20th-century stained glass window in the church.
After visiting the church, we walked to the edge of a nearby lake to learn more about the Āraiši Lake Castle Archeological Park, which we were able to view from the edge of the lake. We learned that this park features the only reconstruction of a 9th – 10th century fortified settlement in Europe.
(Photo credit: Latvia.travel)
The next stop on our trip was a visit to Cēsis Castle, one of the most iconic and best preserved medieval castles in Latvia. The foundations of the castle were laid in the early 13th century by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword. Two decades later, the castle was taken over by the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order, under which it flourished until the late 1500s.
Our guide introduces students to the history of the castle, pointing out a model of what the castle looked like in the year 1550.
Students learn how mail and other armor were made and worn in medieval times.
An artisan demonstrates how wooden dishes were made using medieval techniques.
We are given lanterns before entering the West Tower of the castle in order to navigate the narrow spiral staircase.
A view from the West Tower.
A multimedia story of the history of Cēsis Castle introduces us to the significant events in the castle’s history.
After our visit to the castle, we stopped for lunch in the town of Līgatne at the same restaurant where we enjoyed lunch last weekend: Pie Jančuka. There we were served a meal of salads, potatoes, and chicken.
Katie, Logan, Andrew, Beckett, Gavin and Alex dig into lunch.
David and Jillian enjoy a laugh.
Andrew, Regina and Shelby chat after lunch.
Our tour guide tries out old equipment used to cut hay.
Zvārtes Rock
The final stop on our journey was Zvārtes Rock. Zvārtes Rock is located in Gauja National Park and is one of the most popular and scenic sandstone outcrops in Latvia. We hiked to the top of a cliff on the other side of the river from Zvārtes Rock and snapped a group photo for the blog. Zvārtes Rock can be seen in the background.
The final week of our summer program is about to begin. I have a special treat planned for the final blog post. I’ll be in touch with you in a week!