conferences.

November is tough month.

"I love 12 hour days!' 

On the homesickness cycle, it's usually a big dip. Somehow it goes from not-so-dark in October to barely-ever-light in November. And it gets cold here in the north north. Cold.

So, to help us through the tough month the school schedules..... conferences!! (because that makes things better) As much as I don't like them, conferences really aren't bad. Especially when you have good students! (They also aren't really planned then to torture us, it's just a logical and fine time for them.)

But, they do require some prep work. This year, all the ES teachers filled in a form with strengths and areas of improvement for each student. We were then able to use that at conferences, which was great.

Not so great, is how long the first day of conferences are. We teach all day, and then have several conferences immediately following school. On Wednesday, I was filling in the forms and realized I was exhausted and should go to bed soon... it was 7:15. On Thursday evening, my last conference was scheduled for 7:40. .... I was awake for it. Alert... that might be debatable.

Classy ladies...

The Marine Ball is coming up again. 

I went last year with a few friends, and while it was a good evening, I can have equal amounts of fun without paying so much for a ticket and dress. And then I don't have to wear heels. It's like a triple bonus. 

I knew I wasn't planning to attend, but my friends were a bit more on the fence about it. That is until the idea of an 'anti-ball' was proposed. Basically, a ladies night out. Naturally, it was proposed it at a ladies night in where we ate a bunch of foods, talked about clothes, and then played Just Dance on the Xbox for a few hours. ... no high heels involved. 

The next morning I joined Bekah and Rorey for some all-you-can-eat waffles at a place we are quickly becoming Saturday regulars. And then we went shopping. The plan was to find cheap dresses and then go to the ball, or the anti-ball. 

We bounced from second-hand shop to second-hand shop and eventually ended up at Kilo-max. It's a second-hand place where they weigh the clothes and you pay by the kilo. Pretty great idea. Unfortunately, there were no evening gowns to be found. But! We still had some amazing finds.... 

Ugly. Christmas. Sweaters. 

and other adorably cheesy festive wear. 

We may not be ready for the ball, or anti-ball, but Christmas time will be fabulous! 

We've got spirit...

It was Spirit Week at ISL in preparation for the MS girls' soccer tournament which ISL hosted, and for Halloween.

Monday was Pajama Day. (Monday is Always Pajama Day during spirit week, and no one complains! hehe)

Tuesday was Multiple Day (twins, triplets, ...). Rorey, Bekah, and I all have the same pants, so we went for it!

Wednesday was Formal Day. I work with small children and trip over air on occasion. I wasn't about to risk my life and wear heels! Also, I don't have any. haha. I did look for a tiara, but had no success. So a simple black dress it was.

Thursday was Sports Day (another favorite). I wore my comfy yoga pants and an MSU sweatshirt! I have a few Americans in my class this year, and two of them have ties to Michigan. It's still weird sometimes to see a student walk in with a Wings or Lions T-shirt on, or he wears his Michigan gear. Just to get me. :)

Friday was Book Character Day. I never knew there were so many stories about werewolves and vampires. ;) I was a black cat. This year, there was a parade in the elementary school and some festive stations where the kids played a game or did a dance. And then there was a real 'dance' where they could dance in the gym. Or run around and scream a lot, which is what I imagine it largely was. There was a 'book corner' in the cafeteria for the kids who didn't want to be in the noisy gym and I was assigned to the book corner... planed that well! It was an extra blessing since I've had a scratchy throat all week, and by Friday afternoon I really didn't have a voice at all! My students thought it was a Halloween trick... if only.

Saturday was Halloween, and in an effort to do something truly terrifying... I went to work on a Saturday!! (Insert screams -- oh wait, I still have no voice!) Rorey is one of the soccer coaches and had to be at the school bright and early on Saturday, so I caught a ride with her and put in almost another full day of work. It actually felt really nice!  I have so much to do!! Even after 6 hours of work, I still felt like I could have, and should have, stayed.

But ISL was playing for 1st place in the tournament! So I braved the bitter chill and went to cheer them on... you know, with my non-voice. hehe! They ended up getting 2nd place but the tournament was a success, and so was my work day. I had planned to go out with friends for a fun night of shenanigans, but decided it was probably best to invest some medicine and try to kick the cold before Monday.

International Dinner (yr2)

One of the biggest, most loved events at the school is the International Dinner. There were 500 chairs, and around 250 bleacher seats in the gym. Plus Many Many other people standing. We were told the prediction before the night was 600 people, but the predicted count after was closer to 800.

The evening begins with performances by all the grades and language classes. The songs come from all over the world! My 'talented' fourth-graders showed off their amazing ukulele skills. They played a Hawaiian tune and Hakuna Matata. Some sang, while the others took turns on the ukuleles.

As interesting and impressive as the performances are, the real treat comes after the show. Dinner! There are table with food made from our parents/school community. Real, homemade goodies from around the world all in the small cafeteria and lobby. Emphasis on the small! It didn't feel overly crowded in the gym, but the cafeteria was crazy! The teachers have to dismiss students before we can go for food. This of course means we stand there for a long time while at least one kid has been left behind by parents more interested in deliciousness. Can't really blame them though.

Eventually, I found my way to the cafeteria and created a worldly platter or wonderfulness! Soup from Canada, Plov from Uzbekistan, potato salad from Germany, fried cheese from the Netherlands, Indian curry and little bits of so much more! Last year, I borrowed a page from Grandma Ree's cookbook and took a peanut butter/chocolate dish. This year, I discovered buffalo sauce here in Riga, and so I took Buffalo Chicken Dip.

Spending several hours at the school on Saturday evening may not be ideal. But fun performances and food certainly make it better!

One time in Copenhagen...

I've been traveling quite often for a few years now. And while I have gone from point A to point B on my own several times, I've never actually traveled alone. Gone somewhere new and stayed with out any friends and family or specific group of people. Never. 

Many of the people I've encountered on my travels have been solo adventurers and almost all of them loved traveling alone and have encouraged me to try. I am not sure what my biggest reservation was, but I decided it was time to kick it. Fall break was coming up and I didn't have plans, so I decided it was time to make some! 

Because I've never traveled alone, I've also never fully created the plans. I've helped of course, but there has always been at least one other person with opinions and wishes for the trip. But this time, it would be all me. What I wanted, when I wanted, and if I didn't want, that's okay too! Good thing I'm not indecisive at all (sarcasm. So much sarcasm!) 

I decided to visit Copenhagen, Denmark. It's a quieter city that you don't often hear about, but when you do, it's good things... except, maybe that time the zoo threw a giraffe in the lion's den... 

Anyways. I didn't really believe I could handle a full week alone in a new city-- I am a true introvert, but I also have my limits. I decided a few days was good enough. The flight was a wonderful $150 and a super fast hour and half hop. 

My first day there the weather was great! Blue skies, perfect temps... it was great! The next day was gray. And the following rainy. And then gray again. Not the ideal conditions for exploring a new place, but I have an amazing rain jacket and love an excuse to wear it!  

The hostel I stayed in was just down from Tivoli Gardens. It's the second-oldest amusement park in the world, and was decorated for fall/Halloween. After visiting Disney Paris in October and now Tivoli in October also, I am beginning to think it's the best time to go to theme parks!! I wandered around and took in all the sights. Then decided to relax on a bench in the park and read... because I could! :) And so began my solo adventure! 

The (seriously)
Little Mermaid

I spent the morning exploring the streets-- cobblestone, but not nearly as hazardous as Riga. I also went on a walking-tour with a humorous guide and fellow travelers. I ventured out to see Copenhagen's top tourist site-- The Little Mermaid. Why that is the 'top' feature in Copenhagen is a bit beyond me, but I guess any claim to fame is good...? I disappeared in the National History Museum for a bit which was great! They had some exhibits dedicated to other parts of the world... nothing like reading about your history from the perspective of someone else. I also found a place to play pool for a bit and some quiet cafes for more reading and work (yes, I brought work.). 

In the end, I was ready to get back to Riga. Copenhagen was great, but I just love Riga. And if I am going to have alone time, it might as well be in my own apartment or city. I would definitely travel alone again, and probably will. Do I love it and hope to never travel with others again? No. :)  But it's good to know that I can travel alone and it's yet another thing to cross of that bucket list.

 

A new home for Betsy

She's not dead!
Although, I wouldn't have been surprised to see that.

Betsy's tank was a little messy. And by 'a little' I mean her tank hadn't been cleaned in over a month. And one of the 'not so detailed oriented' boys cleaned it that time.

It's been building for a while. The leftover food, fishy poo, and whatever the equivalent to dust in a fish's tank might be. I wish I had a good reason for the growing slime and grime, but really I don't. I also wish I had pictures, but I am afraid that might have resulted in an animal cruelty case... whoops.

But today, after weeks of Kristine and I saying, 'Betsy's tank is really bad. We should clean that,' it was cleaned! I asked the food service director for some rubber gloves, it was that bad, and I carefully carried our little science experiment to the sink.

As soon I slipped the net down into the tank, Betsy rushed into it. I think I even heard her cheering and thanking God for the deliverance. Usually we put her into a different tub with some water from her tank, this time it was all fresh water... she needed a bath.

Kristine came into the room at this point to giggle and tease that I had caved first and was stuck with the job. I can be lazy, but making her clean the tank just seemed cruel. She did help by pouring some soap into the tank and entertaining Betsy... I had forgotten her bath toys.

20 minutes, Lots of soap, several paper towels, more soap, and some unfortunate holes in the tips of the gloves, Betsy's tank was clean. I won't say shiny because classroom soap doesn't work miracles like that, but there was no longer green stuff in the corner or brown gunk covering the shell.

I carefully arranged everything back in dear Betsy's tank and filled it up with all clean water. Naturally, she was reluctant to go back in the tank, but I think she was pleased to see things looking good again. I even redecorated the wall...

The school photos arrived today. Along with coffee mugs, pillows, and teddy bears wearing t-shirts with faces on them (because hanging a photo above the mantle is no longer enough?). I asked the front desk if there was a class photo I could have and instead I was given six. I like my students, but one copy was good enough.

Since I had the extra glam shots, I decided to share with Betsy and slipped the picture in along the back. I hope the many smiling faces (and one very aggressively angry one) are a comfort to her. I know it makes me giggle when I glance at back at the (finally clean) tank.

Other

Although it often feels that my entire life here is nothing but work, there are times and parts of life that are not work related. I really should celebrate and consider these parts of life more....sometimes school becomes a bit too consuming. Here's a brief look at some "other" stuff in my life here.... 

Rorey, Lynx, Cody

Run, run, run..... I participated in another 5k. My friend has been a great encourager/enforcer of running habits. This 5k was in a different part of Riga, and I think I learned I would far rather run in the city than forest or countryside. But it was a nice run nonetheless. We even passed the ISL Lynx (the principal in mascot costume). We signed up for another 5k the following weekend, but it was rainy and the track was all sand, so we opted for our normal path through Riga's parks. I like that run more anyway. 

Ladies night.... With all the stress of school it's nice to have a chance to blow off some steam! We have our favorite places to visit like Ala for traditional Latvian fun, Stargorod for always interesting entertainment, Paglams because it's local, Burga- also local and always good, and Zoste fro sweet potato fries (Oh So Good!). But we-- Bekah, Rorey, and I-- decided to try out a new place. The Yolo Bar (yes, it's called yolo) had a pretty kickin happy hour deal and some tasty dinner options. Then, as is typical for a night in Riga, we went to a different bar to practice our few and usually mispronounced Latvian words. Then ended at a third bar for some dancing. The following Friday, we expanded our group to include some others and went for Korean food and great conversation! It's nice to debrief the week, and even better once the conversations turn away from work-stuff! 

Lynx and I post-run

Fall Festival... There is a big festival here that is essential a harvest fest. It includes a lot of local trade and crafts, and some amazing food vendors also. We strolled through the booths and I picked up some adorable gifts for my future niece/nephew coming in February! Normally we would have stayed out longer, but winter is fighting to come early this year, and its was windy and cold. So a quick stroll was good enough for us. 

It's important I remember and think about these times. School really has felt all consuming this year. I'll be at the school for 10 hours and still feel guilty for leaving 'too early.' I wake up in the mornings with a never ending to-do list and recently, I've even had a few dreams (nightmares) related to school things. Yeah. It's important to remember these 'other' times exist!  

1/4 of 4th

The end of the first marking period is a week or so away, which means I am nearly 1/4 of the way through my 1st year in 4th grade. 

It started off quite similar to Grade 3... with A LOT of flowers! I am not sure the reason, I keep telling myself it's good, but I feel like many of the parents/students like to give Big flowers. Not flowers actually-- stalks. Lovely flowers that come on giant, heavy, long stalks. They are lovely, although it's quite challenging to hold 12+ bouquets and give hugs all at the same time. Once the flowers were safely settled, the real fun began!

Having half of my same students again this year, we didn't need to start with the name games. Some of us all too familiar! Once I reflected on the first day, I did feel a bit bad for the new kid.... he's doing fine now! :p 

Fourth grade has been incredible so far! Overwhelming also, but I have a great teaching partner who is really showing me the ropes and encouraging me along the way. She's heavily hinted at leaving after this year and is carefully passing loads of resources to me! 

I was talking to a parent at the beginning of the year and they mentioned that "a recorder" was no longer on the supply list, but usually the kids learned to play the recorder in grade 4. I was not informed of that and it would have probably weighed into my choice... oh, the recorder issues... Thankfully! We have an Amazing music teacher and she scraped the recorder unit in place of the ukulele!! The music room is a little overbooked this year, so one day the lesson was in the classroom. Even when the ukulele isn't played well, it's still awesome! 

Our first Grade 4 unit was about Human Migration. We talked about migrants and refugees, from the first migrations out of Africa at the beginning of time to today's hot topic issue. We invited several parents to come in and share about migrations they or their family had made. One mom brought in several local/traditional hats she's collected over the years. I can remember back to elementary school when we all created family trees and shared how 50 or more years ago some relative we weren't really sure of came to Michigan from somewhere. And there were one or two students in the class who had moved from another state... same idea, except in my classroom, the ones who haven't moved are the odd ones out. They got to present these 'family migration records' to peers and family and it was a fun celebration! 

They've also all published their first work in grade 4. We've been talking about how to write a realistic fiction story... Mine could be about a teacher who hates to teach writing to her students..... oh wait, I can save that autobiographies, our next unit. :p 

Fall break came at a wonderful time. It's a little more than half over now, I am feeling relaxed and catching a much needed breath. Few more days... and my desk will 'normal' again. 

"Normal"

Summer 2015

Last spring as I prepared for the upcoming  school year I was excited about many things!! One of which was having the same students. And I am still excited about that, even a month(ish) into school! It's wonderful to know your students and it really got the year up and going quickly. Of course, last year, my fear in having the same students again was that it would feel as though there was no summer break. To some degree, I was correct in believing that.

Again, the year got off quite smoothly and for that I am of course grateful. But now that things are in more of a routine, and I find myself with a moment here or there to breathe (which is immediately followed by the terrifying fear I am forgetting something) I finally looked at a calendar and realized it's October! 

My fear that the summer would be squished between two (exciting) school years, was pretty accurate. So now I need to go back and remember my summer. Because I miss those summer people. I am also sad that I just called them 'summer people' and even more sad that I see them in the summer only. 

Anyways... Summer of 2015..... Things I don't want to forget... 

-- Celebrated my first Jani here in Latvia! It's a holiday with more hype than black Friday in America. People stay up all night, partying, and celebrating life. There are several traditions connected to the holiday. And apparently one of those traditions is terrible weather for the outdoor holiday/celebrations. Thanks, Latvia ;) It was still a good time though. And an excuse to wear my rain jacket! I also met a new friend around Jani. He and I spent the next few days playing tourist here in Riga-- which he in fact was, and I, for the first time in almost a year, had a chance to be. 

-- Home! No exciting upgrades on the flight. Sadly. Although my trip back to Riga was .... refreshing? The girl next to me decided to throw some orange juice AT my lap and her father, seated in front of me, tossed some water over his shoulder. Don't worry, my lap caught the water too. 

-- One of the first conversations I had back at home was with Bryan. He asked if I had a boyfriend... I asked if he and Amanda were pregnant.... one of us lied (it was him). But the next day I learned the truth, and then saw evidence of my sister's second pregnancy in the form of her morning/noon/night sickness. I saw the evidence after (and sometimes during) nearly every meal we had. So much "evidence".... I guess the baby didn't want those Cheetos as much as Amanda did. 

-- A FULL WEEK with my dearest college roomie!! I am forever thankful for Kim's friendship and loved spending time reminiscing, chatting, seeing her life, chatting, watching Friends, and chatting. A full week of chatter and I think we could have kept going!! This summer was an extra blessing... I got to spend a night with Sabrina, and Nicole and Ange were in NY too! And Ange's sweet little guy! Welcome to the Quad, Gabo! 

--Zoo trips with mom, Amanda, and Dylan

--Spending time with Dana and Kelsy


--Mini golf with mom and dad

--Catching up and trying to sew with Grandma Ree

--Wading in Lake Ontario

--Haircuts with Sierra, followed by a surprise high school reunion!

--Driving, shopping, laughing with my family, catching up with Beth and others.... I love my summers!

As much as I wish I could do things year round, I think having to squish it all into a month makes me appreciate it all so much more. 

The busy week

Once the daylight hours started lasting longer than the school day, it seemed like there was much more going on! It was nice after the long winter, but sometimes the weeks just felt too crazy!

Like the week of my birthday! 

There was something going on after school and in the evening every night! The last volleyball practice, workout class, checking out apartments, checking in on a friend who had surgery, reports and end of the year work. And of course, the internet went out in my apartment. I like to do fun things, but I am also a person who needs quiet time at home every once in a while. (okay, more frequently than that :p ) I hadn't really planned anything for that reason, but my friends insisted we celebrate on the day of. 

The day of my birthday was a half day at school! The room moms came in with flowers and chocolates and a gift for me. Also a cake, which the students were very excited about. At noon, the students left and the teachers went to various PD activities. I used to be part of the PE committee. Now I am joining the science committee instead. I truly don't know which one is better. haha

After work, Rorey and I ran (literally) through the local park and to the grocery store. We picked up some snacks and another cake-- technically it more of a cheesecake, but it was frozen so I am counting it as an ice cream cake! The plan was to all meet in the park for picnic and play some games. Which you can do on a Wednesday night here because it is never dark. However, it does get windy, rainy, and cold. So the party moved inside. 

We ate all the snacks, played a hilarious round of Cards against Humanities, toasted with a shot of fireball, and ate cake! It was a great way to get older! 

Latvia LOVES Potatoes

Thursday, the day after my birthday, was the beginning of Riga's Beerfest. The fest lasted all weekend and so did the cold and windy weather, but there was still a big crowd. I am not a beer lover, but my friends here very much are! I was able to find a raspberry beer, cranberry beer, honey beer, and a hemp-ginger beer that are pretty great though. And obviously, taste very little like actual beer. 

On Saturday was graduation at the school. It was a graduating class of 15 students. The ceremony was a bit different than when I graduated with 350 others! The students each gave a brief speech after receiving their diploma, several of them even spoke in multiple languages to communicate with all their loved ones. I wasn't excited to be going at first, and I was still ready to leave as soon as it ended, but I am also really glad I went. 

By Sunday, I was event and peopled out. But it was a great, busy week.

Run, Riga, Run!

This City Is Beautiful

Spring weather wasn't really a thing that happened here. We had a few nice days, but I feel like it went from freezing cold and dark, to cold and rainy, to warm and rainy, and then summer! Which is really more like spring, but I love it!

Back in mid-May a few friends and I decided to go for brunch and do some shopping at the different second-hand stores here. They found some nice things. I found some pretty awesome things as well! There was also a craft market in one of the parks, so we went through there as well. We decided it was time to find our inner-Latvian and get some flower crowns. Now we're official ;)

Skye, Rorey, Bekah, Me! 

The same weekend, and maybe even the reason for the market, was the Riga marathon. To make it a bigger event it was a marathon, half-marathon, 10k and 5k all on the same day! I hate running. But I know it's a thing many people love and enjoy. Good for those people. My friend, Bekah, decided it would be a fun activity for us to participate in and registered all of us for the 5k. We figured the flower crowns would be fun for that too.

Just before the finish line

Saturday was beautiful. Sunday, the day of the marathon, was rainy and cold. But there was still a big turnout for the event. The path for the 5k went along the river, up near my street, down the main street in town, and then right through old town.

Skye, Rorey, Bekah, Me, Done! 

Flags from all participating nations

The four of us started together. We decided against the crowns and went for hats supporting the school instead. I dropped back to stay with Skye and sent Bekah and Rorey ahead. Skye and I were quickly separated and so I continued ahead. Actually running.  I was surprised myself. I think it was mob mentality though. I kept looking for the others but never spotted them. Skye made a little shortcut and caught up with me half-way through, but we got separated again. The wet cobblestones for the last km were a fun challenge, too. I ended up finishing just before Bekah and Rorey... I have no idea how to pace myself, so I spent the 5k Running, and then fast walking, and Running again. I think they took the slow and steady idea. In the end, we all finished, found each other, and met up for celebratory drinks and snacks.

Not how I typically spend a rainy Sunday. but not too bad either.

Volleyball

Cathedral Saint
Alexandar Nevski

We are required to lead an after school activity for at least one term at the school. I put it off as long as possible, but knew I would have to lead something. It's not that I am against after school activities, but after teaching all day staying for another hour to plan, prep, manage, and teach again isn't ideal.

I was placed on the PE department team this year, because of my expertise in that field (or maybe it was because that was the only vacancy. whatever). The Athletic Director at the school was also on this team and mentioned his need for volleyball coaches. I very clearly explained I had never coached volleyball and stopped playing early on in high school. Like I said, expert in the PE department. He seemed okay with my sorry qualifications and I agreed to be an assistant coach for the middle school girls team. The one who shows up at the practice but doesn't do much... that was the role I was going for! :p

Internationally known

Team sports at International schools are pretty interesting. We aren't part of a district and there aren't many other teams in the area for us to play. But we are part of the CEESA conference, which includes most international schools in the Eastern European area. So instead of several little matches or a tournament featuring local schools, we went to Bulgaria. The high school girls went to Serbia. The MS boys went to Helsinki.

I knew there would be international tournament involved, which is completely normal for all of the students- they acted as if it was another Friday night football game. I realized pretty soon into the practices that the 'assistant' part of my title would be dropped since the boys were headed north and the girls south.

Fancy view with my fancy breakfast

So, the first ever volleyball match I coached was for a team of middle school girls from Riga, Latvia at a tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria. ..... sometimes, I still don't believe my life.

In the end, the tournament and experience was good. We only saw a bit of the city before heading to the school. But I did get to stay in a super fancy resort/hotel. The first day of the tournament, the girls lost every game. Some by a lot, some only by a little. One they lost, but only because they had terrible attitudes and didn't work as a team.

Watching the boys' team dominate
in Helsinki via live-streaming

On the second day of the tournament, they came back with better attitudes and a more can-do spirit. They were able to beat the first team we played, only to get beaten up by the second. But we knew that would likely be the outcome and they put up a decent fight. We played the first team again to figure out who would be final place team and who would play again for 5th place.

It went into a third game, but the girls won. That meant competing against the Helsinki team, whom we should have beat on day 1. Outside of the games, all the girls have been building friendships, mostly with the Helsinki team. They were super nervous for the game and being friends with the girls on the other side of the net wasn't help them. But they were able to put on their game faces, and after winning the first set and losing the second, they were able to win the third. Meaning they took 5th out of 7 teams.

The Sportsmanship trophy was
the biggest of them all

They also got the sportsmanship award, which I may not be in full support of them receiving because I heard a lot not-so-nice things from them about the other teams. But, I know I wasn't exactly a reasonable little angel at that age either so....
 
Congrats, lady Lynx! 

Language matters

We were doing an activity in class where students were given a scenario like this one and had to write down two responsible actions and an irresponsible action. I peeked over the group to read their response and it was something along the lines of: 

I would check inside the bag next time to make sure the dog wasn't there. 

Also, the bag would have been heavy and probably moving a lot.

But I would definitely check for the dog before tying the bag. 

I quickly realized that they read 'got into it' as the dog literally climbed into the trash bag. I giggled a bit and had them reread the card and explained the phrase, which they really should have already known. My class is all about the speed reading, but the idea of reading carefully hasn't quite caught up yet. 

Hockey

No surprisingly, hockey is a big sport here. I went to a Riga Dinamo game earlier in the year, but more recently (or late April) I went to game featuring Latvia's national team. While the NHL playoffs are a big deal in the US, here it was all about the IHF World Championships.

National teams from several countries, even the US, compete to be the world champions! Here in Riga they set up a tent dedicated to showing the action- at least the Latvian games. Of course, the US and Latvia usually played their games at the same time, so we had to go to the sports bar to see both games.

Latvia didn't do so well, but the US won several of their games. The US made into the finals and played Russia for the championship game but lost. So in the end, Canada took first, followed by Russia, US, and the Czech Rep.

The games were fun to watch, but watching hockey while listening to commentary in Latvian is certainly a new experience! There was also one point when US played Russia and Latvia played Sweden that Sweden and the US scored At the Same Time. Naturally, I cheered! Only to glance over and see what happened while also hearing the rest of the bar moan and groan. I caught a few dirty looks until they realized what screen I had been looking at!