The East and The West? Which one is the best? ;)

As I move back and forth from Vietnam to Finland, to some European countries, and now I am staying in Latvia for 3 months, sometimes a question arose in my mind – “What is the difference between Asian and Europe?!”. Immediately, I was stumped myself for a right answer 😛 To be honest, I did not know a whole lot about Western world, so instead of comparison, I will tell you something I love the most about Europe and what I miss the most about my home country. Living in Europe really turns on my travelling passion. Not only does Schengen Visa allow me to travel easily from one country to another, but also the convenience of transportation facilitates me to take tours around Europe. Indeed, I am so fascinated with the ferries to Tallinn or Stockholm from Finland. Not to mention my university and Erasmus program that support me to easily travel within Europe through internships or study-exchange. As soon as I started my life in Europe, I freakishly felt in love with the freezing weather and frost-coated landscape in the winter. My first snow day really got me gaping: “Aha, snowflakes are like soap bubbles” 🙂 I was super excited since seeing snow used to be my childhood dream. Over the cold season, I also enjoy some winter activities such as sauna, snowman building and adventures on the lake when the degree in Finland is below -20. Those are things I had never experienced in my tropical country.

My first winter

I was even more surprised when the autumn came. In Vietnam we only have 2 seasons: the dry and the rainy. That’s why the colorful and romantic autumn makes me love Europe way more 🙂

me sitting on a carpet of autumn leaves

What else I love about Europe?! Absolutely it is the feeling when Christmas is near. In Vietnam we have neither family-gathering time nor special foods at Christmas since the event is considered as a little exchange of Western culture. When living in Europe, I can fully sense the Christmas spirit everywhere: festive atmosphere, colorful wrapped presents, beautifully decorated trees and the glittering candle lights from every window. My Christmas favorite? Ginger cookies and mulled wine, definitely. Another thing I’d love to do is opening each tiny surprise day by day in the advent calendar, which much heightens my excitement for Christmas 🙂

This is my advent calendar

And now I only have 1 week left in Riga 😦 I should have decided to ask for 5 month-internship from the beginning. 3 months suddenly became too short. Plan for this week must be full of Riga attractions and Lavian foods.

15 great tools for entrepreneurs and startups

15 great tools for entrepreneurs and startups.

Today’s little fun – My first attempt at Latvian Food!

From many first experiences with Finnish and Swedish dishes, I started having a not-so-tasty stereotype for Western foods in general (no offense meant). However, my opinion has been changed slowly after my holiday in Paris and another short trip to Tallinn. And now, surprisingly, the food culture in Riga really turns on my eating passion 😛

2 weeks ago I went to InterNations event (it is a sort of meeting for exchanging business contacts between expats in Riga). I joined a small table with some other guys from different countries: one Romanian who was raised in Italy and works in Riga, one typical Lavian, one Russian couple, an old man from UK and my office friends – David and Egija. We were having really great time together, enjoying some Latvian beer and talking about cultures and politics. Dmitry – the typical Lavian guy ordered one big dish of fried rye bread and invited everyone to try (he’s so sweet ^^~). That bread snack looked simple but its taste was surprisingly delicious. I especially like those crunchy and appealing garlic-flavored pieces.

So, I quickly tried to find the recipe for that tasty snack. Egija helped me find one website with the recipe written in English (she’s always so kind to everyone ^^). And here it comes today – my very 1st attempt at making something very Latvian *yay*

The recipe is quite simple:

– Prepare some pieces of rye bread + some garlic cloves.

– Cut those bread slices.

– Part of the garlic is used to rub over both sides of each bread slice, while the left is cut into small pieces.

– Heat up the pan, pour sun-flower cooking oil, throw garlic pieces and then bread slices. Fry carefully both sides of the bread until they turn dark-brown 🙂

Done?! Turn off the pan, take those bread slices off and enjoy with mayo sauce. You can also put some salt if you like 🙂

Trust me, it does not look so stunning but the taste is absolutely awesome, especially when it’s served with beer 😉

Some fun updates at the office recently!

1. Hugging culture in Vietnam is a big surprise to everyone.
2. All office folks think Asian people look alike except Japanese.
3. Two Chinese guys came by our office for their job interview. They were so surprised when they first saw me. I thought they were guessing my home country. I said I was not Chinese. After the test lesson was over, Valters curiously asked them what they really thought about my nation (based on my voice and appearance) and funnily they said I looked so Turkish. Well, do I? 🙂 🙂 🙂

4. Another important event today is Valters’ birthday. We went altogether to a cozy restaurant which is located opposite to Riga Gallery Shopping mall. The food is pretty nice and tasty though I am not sure if it is Latvian traditional dish. I start loving this office more and more.

And here are some photos of our office life:

  

5 Best places to eat In Central Embassy, Bangkok.

Noted for my next journey to Bangkok

A British Girl Abroad

Whilst I am certainly not the biggest shopper, the opening of Central Embassy just around the corner from where I live, was a happy occurrence as it meant that the number of restaurants within easy walking distance increased dramatically. Here, in no particular order, are my 5 favourite restaurants and cafes inside this shiny, Hi-So shopping mall.

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Riga – very first impressions

I arrived at Riga exactly on the New Year day. It was 10pm and the weather was a little bit chilly. But soon I was delighted by warm-hearted greetings from many Riga people. One Riga guy kindly offered me some help when I was standing outside the apartment and did not know how to contact the landlord since my phone has no internet. My roommates were so kind and we promptly became friends, exchanged contacts and they introduced me tons of interesting places in Riga. And the most cheerful place – Hieroglifs International, where my internship resides. Our company is like a small international family with colleagues from different parts of the planet. We have been having very nice time and memories together.

What is my most impression in Riga? It is doubtlessly ancient architecture. Sometimes after work, I walked along the streets in the city center and fully enjoyed the special Riga vibe and antique beauty of the old buildings. However, I have not visited many places in Riga yet, except the old town. I extremely love those narrow walking paths in the Old Riga, the cozy decoration of many restaurants there. And its antique beauty is inspiring. I felt like I was getting lost in a real medieval town. Unfortunately my phone ran out of battery so I could not take so many photos but the visit was very enjoyable.

Another surprise Riga brings to me is Asian-styled products in the supermarket. They are selling numerous Asian groceries, ingredients and culinary stuffs. Not only cheese and potatoes as I had imagined before 🙂 Riga people seem to be a bit cold and introvert (I did not mean any negative thoughts) but in fact, everyone is very friendly and open-minded. I was very impressed when seeing some old people trying to learn English because they love travelling and they just simply want to enrich their knowledge.

Though I am from other side of the planet, winter cannot freeze my excitement to explore the city. This week I am planning to go to some other famous places and I will absolutely share my experience out here. Hopefully everyone will enjoy this lovely city as I do 🙂

🙂

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