The snows of December portrayed Liepaja like a fairy tale. Buildings that I passed daily for 4 months took on a fresh new beauty, bathed in light. It was a magical time that I will never forget.

Students in my classes asked why I chose Latvia. I responded that there were two key reasons. First, my father's doctor, whom he liked and admired deeply, had fled his beloved homeland during medical school. He completed his degree in Germany. At the close of WWII he and his wife chose not to return to Latvia where they could not be free. After making a new life for himself in America, he returned to visit Latvia after it regained independence in the early 1990s. So I came to Latvia in memory of Dr. Azeris.

The other reason is more personal and relates to my career. Americans are very blessed, and many of us (particularly the young) feel a sense of entitlement. We "deserve" everything nice, as we wish it.

I wanted to know what inner fire had maintained the Latvian spirit throughout decades of forced occupation and oppression. What preserved their hopes for a life of freedom?

So I asked my students, "Where does that strength come from?"
They replied in the voice of their elders, "We never give up. We never give up."

If you have enjoyed and learned from this blog, please visit again. You can see it's become a retrospective, but it's very important to me to document what I experienced and learned. And I hope you will consider possibilities for foreign service and international travel. It will change your life immeasurably, for the better!

Best wish,
Kay Dennis

As my departure date approached, I frequently took long walks around the city, especially at night so as to savor the snow and the Christmas decorations. Here I am standing on the front lawn of the main building of Liepājas Universitāte


(Liepaja University), with Rozu Laukums (Rose Square) in the background. It was a bittersweet moment! I was eager to see my husband after a 4-month separation; but saying farewell to people and a country I had come to love...that was a different matter.

Christmas comes to Liepaja University. Can we be one world, in peace?

Liepaja's theater on Teatra Iela (Theater Street). I always noticed the Latvian flag! To think that for 50 years of Soviet oppression (following WWII) it was forbidden to fly it or to speak the Latvian language!

Liepaja has a long history of theater. This beautiful building just off the main street contains the playhouse. It's very elegant! The banner on the side advertises the 2-night run of Leonard Bernstein's famous "West Side Story." Linda, one of my students, dates a cast member, and she very kindly gave me a ticket as a birthday present  (I understand they were hard to come by). Soon thereafter I received a call from the U.S. Embassy in Riga: the Ambassador had invited me to be her guest for the performance! It was a thrilling night altogether; the play was presented in Latvian except for the music, which was sung in English. What I loved most was that local high schoolers had been invited to audition for parts - they did all of the dancing, which was very vigorous and exciting. A night to remember...

This is the Russian Embassy in Liepaja. It faces Jurmala (Seaside) Park. It is quite secure; there would be no climbing the fences here. My colleagues at the university watched with great care the national election that took place in Oct. 2010. By a narrow margin the Latvian party won. Latvia is a tiny nation of 2 million residents. Only 57% are ethnic Latvian; at least 33% are ethnic Russian.
My friends are concerned that the Latvian culture is dying because of the media. Moscow's deep pockets have enabled the formation of numerous TV and radio stations; they greatly outnumber Latvian. Impressionable young people are hearing subtle messages of a non-Latvian ideology. My friends are certain that while Russia will never again attack Latvia militarily, they seek to influence Latvia through social means.

Autumn in Liepaja was delightful and mostly dry. The many deciduous trees created a panorama of vivid color along the boulevards and in the parks. Everywhere can be seen evidence of man's handiwork juxtaposed against nature's blessings.