When I was pregnant with both of my sons I chose not to know  the gender of either of them.  I was old enough to have had amniocentesis and could have known for sure. Ultrasounds in those days were not as definitive as they are now.  It looked like a fuzzy blob with no genitals showing. I decided then that there are so few surprises left in the world that I would just wait and find out at their births. 

Since those days I have thought a lot about surprises and how  much we now know with the use of the internet.  I Google everything!  When Steve and I travel, we do research and learn as much as we can about where we’re going and what to expect.  There are still surprises but the internet has a way of setting our expectations about food, lodgings, sights, culture, the people and just about anything else.

In just a few hours I’ll take an early morning ferry, hop on a bus to Boston, take three flights, land in Riga, Latvia and take a 3.5 hour ride to Daugavpils, Latvia where I’ll be living for 10 months.  The journey there is long but the adventure that awaits me is full of opportunity.  I’m heading into this journey with an open heart and a true sense of wonderment.  I know very little about Latvia or the city we will be living in.  I thought about reading everything I could about my new “home” and  instead decided to enter this adventure and let it all unfold. My grandparents were originally from Lithuania, the bordering country, so I suspect that some things will seem familiar.  The food, the look of the people and who knows what else.
Daugavpils is not a large city.  It’s not the cosmopolitan capital, Riga, and I imagine I will need to adjust to some small town living.  We have a lovely one bedroom apartment that I have seen in pictures and  I do know that it sits on a river with lots of windows and light.  The rest is up for grabs.  Through all of our adventures I have been willing to take a risk and jump into a new place, a new culture and a new life.  This is no different. 

I hope to blog lots and to stay in touch as I peel away the layers of what lies before me. 

In the words of Helen Keller, “Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing”

I will make these next ten months a daring adventure.

With love and gratitude,

Marsha