This holiday season is making me so, soooo tired that I just can’t wait when the normal days will be back. However, I enjoy all the sweet things I can eat. So I found a perfect wallpaper just for me:

I went to doctor today for health check and I’m really sick of the health system in Ireland. I had to wait for 1h 40min though appointment itself took only 5 min And I don’t like doctors in Ireland. If they can they prescribe you antibiotics (for kids also Calpol or Neurofen). When sickness doesn’t allow any of those (e.g. stomach problems), doctors send you home and tell you get better yourself. I don’t even want to know what would happen if I get serious illness.

In Latvia it was complete opposite. Doctors used to write so much drugs that you can get bankrupt buying all of them. At least some helped

I went to Latvia last week. Though it was only 3 days it took a lot of time to prepare for it. I enjoy going back to Latvia twice a year. Lately I’m going alone without family. I get some of my own time and relax without worrying about things.

My reason for visit was my best friends baby 1 year celebration. He is quite adorable.. Also I get handle of situation in Latvia when I talk with friends and family.

Everyone knows that there is economic crisis all over globe. Latvia is no exception. And I think it even worse because there is a lot of really poor people in Latvia. There is a big depression everywhere. People are loosing jobs, don’t have enough money and it is very hard to find new job.

When Latvia stepped in EU 2,5 years ago, prices started to raise. Now groceries prices are the same as in Ireland. However salaries never grown as fast. The minimal wage is still around 170 EUR. The salaries are going down again because of crisis and unemployment. I don’t like companies using people with small salaries just because they know that those people can’t find job elsewhere.

Government institutions are letting go people as well. And I completely disagree with it. There still will be work for government and there will be more work for employees.

People still believe that government should fix everything. I think that is quite old thinking. Especially if government is quite corrupt and there is bureaucracy everywhere. I would expect people to start doing something themselves.

However nobody can take loans, mortgages or credits in Latvia. Banks just don’t give any. Nobody is building houses any more and the prices are still falling. Rent prices are just unbelievable low. A lot of people with big mortgages try to rent apartment at low prices to get at least some money back.

I’m happy to be home again but I’m worried about my family in Latvia. I hope my description about things here isn’t too bad (it’s really hard to explain something in not native language). Though there is a big problems in Latvia now, it is still very beautiful:

I feel a bit lonely today. My mom went back to Latvia yesterday.

She was hoping to find job in Ireland, but unemployment rate is just too high and it was quite impossible. She lived with us for about 2 months and I kinda got used to it. Now house feels empty and I can’t really go and talk with someone whenever I want.

I hope she finds something in Latvia, though unemployment is high there as well… I hope for the best!