Good evening everyone! Man, I have been posting late recently, but that’s all because during the day I have class and I am preparing for finals! If you want to read about how I ace my final exams and stay on track, here’s my a link to my last post.
This is a topic I get asked about a lot and people find very unusual and interesting, so I thought I would share it with my readers. I hope you find this kind of content interesting!
I spent my first 5-6 years of life in Riga, Latvia. I am so proud of being Latvian/ American, and it is who I am. I was born in 1996, on February 2nd. My first language that my parents tell me I spoke was Latvian, as my mom is Latvian and everyone around me was as well, except my dad, spoke Latvian. Next I heard Russian and English and soon caught on to those too. My parents spoke Russian to each other as my dad never learned Latvian, so I always spoke English with my dad.
I feel so blessed to have that be my story, as I find it inspiring and languages have honestly become a huge part of my soul and personality. The first thing I say to people when they meet me is “Hey! I’m Liz and I speak five languages.” For some reason, that’s the first thing I think of when I think of how to introduce myself.
When people who don’t know me ask, where are you from? I say well…I lived in Latvia for my childhood, in Maine for 16 years, moved to Penn for college, and Florida when my parents moved down there. Where am I from? Well…I’m not sure. I am an international citizen! I also lived in Taiwan for a year of my life, so I think that counts too.
I found learning English real challenging and I didn’t quite get the hang of it until my freshmen year of high school. It got to the point where I needed a tutor to learn basic English grammar. I persevered for YEARS, and worked so hard, and cried so many tears. I remember always feeling so different from my friends and always wishing I could just be “normal”. I ate “not-American” lunches, and just felt like an outsider. A few years later, I only only took AP English language courses, but I also was extremely talented in learning both Chinese, French, and Russian. Back then, I felt different, now, I feel special and lucky. This beautiful gift of language has been given to me, and speaking with people in their native tongue always puts a smile on their face. I am so proud of myself for not giving up, and finally figuring out just how special I am.
I grew up in such a loving home, and now even though my mom is fluent in English, we still speak in Latvian. I just couldn’t imagine it any different. Every time I come home from college, the first things I want are all my wonderful Latvian foods that I miss so dearly when I am at school. She makes everything with such love and kindness.
My dad has always been my biggest inspiration. He is so well-versed in languages, and is honestly just one-of-a-kind. There is no one quite like him. He pushed me in English, helped me learn Russian, paid for tutoring for Chinese, and just was proud of me every step of the way. I love that I can share the passion of travel and languages with him.
The best gift you could give anyone is your undivided attention and love. Tell your family what they mean to you, tell your friends that the small things they do are what matter, and tell your husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend, that life without them simply would have no meaning. Sit with your friends and family this holiday, and remind them what they have done for you. Without this kind of love, I never would have embraced myself and taken challenges that I have taken. Life is hard, but don’t be afraid to shine and be yourself.
I am me. I love languages and I talk about them very often to everyone in my life. I collect pens and do so because it gives me great happiness. I love guinea pigs and would really love to own one. I love my culture, even though I am not sure which one is truly mine. Chinese? Latvian? American? I am a mix of them all. I am not afraid to speak my mind, which is a downfall but also a strength. I am a fighter. I do not give up on people in my life that mean something and I do not give up on any challenges that face me. I am sensitive. I am afraid. I am anxious. I am graduating next year. I am a senior. I am a girlfriend to the best boyfriend in the world. I am insecure. Will people like me if I do this? Does it matter, really? I am passionate. I am full of life. I am young. I am strong. I am proud of myself and my abilities. I am my past, present and future. I am ME.
You are a gift. You don’t need medals, perfect grades, and perfect body to be loved. You ARE loved just the way you are. You are special and there is no one in the the world quite like you. You are not alone in this world. I am here to tell all my readers to embrace yourself, as I do, and stop worrying what others may think.
Go travel, study, fall deeply love, be a little crazy, stay up all night with your friends, learn a new language, and just be YOU!
I hope you guys enjoyed this little late night thoughts post! Come back tomorrow for more fun content!
p.s. How many languages do you speak?
