Ukrainians are learning Latvian in the summer school

The war in Ukraine, which started this year, has brought drastic changes to everyone’s lives, especially the everyday lives of the residents of Ukraine. The University of Latvia (UL) has taken action in order to support the students from Ukraine who are studying in Latvia. A charity campaign “For free Ukraine” was started this spring to aid UL students from Ukraine by applying tuition fee discounts, as well as to make it possible for the students to live in UL dormitories for free and receive psychological help. The donations are administered by the UL Foundation.

The director of UL Pre-studies Training Centre Sarmīte Miltiņa has stated the following about the opportunity to support the students: “We, the University of Latvia and the Summer School of Latvian Language and Culture, are honored to be able to assist Ukrainians in learning Latvian and discovering our history and culture during these times of obscurity. We hope that the gained knowledge will not only be of assistance in the job market and daily life, but could also help distract the mind and wind down for a moment.

The participants of the summer school were intensively studying Latvian for two weeks, for many of them learning the Latvian language was a fresh experience, for others it was an opportunity to improve their knowledge and learn our language deeper to be able to continue their studies in the UL. Among the participants, several youngsters have shown interest in study opportunities at the UL, which brought joy and satisfaction to the teacher and the summer school organizers.

Latvian language teacher, Dr. philol. Inga Laizāne, has expressed appreciation for the diligence and persistence with which the participants learned the language.

We had an opportunity to give a brief insight into Latvian culture, history, politics, art and folklore, which seemed very engaging to the participants.

The history and politics were explained by associate professor Ivars Ijabs, mg. hist. Ginta Ieva Bikše, art and culture – by the curator of Latvia’s Cultural Canon of National Library of Latvia Anita Smeltere, whereas folklore and Latvian traditions – by Ilga Vālodze Ābele.

The participants also went on online Krišjānis Barons Memorial Museum excursions, which were carried out by Rūta Kārkliņa and Andris Ērglis, took a virtual tour of the streets of Riga, visited the Rainis and Aspazija House in Riga, Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation and Latvian National Museum of Art. The lecture organized by the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia was especially emotional for Ukrainians. The participants went on the Riga excursion with the guide Kaspars Zaltāns both remotely and in person.

The students themselves are highly grateful for the given opportunity. Jelizaveta Rubļova expresses her gratitude: “I have always been quite curious. I knew for sure that I would learn the language when I arrived in Latvia. Speaking the same language is what makes really getting to know a country a better experience. Therefore, I could not miss the opportunity and not participate in the summer school.

I have tested my knowledge in just two weeks. There is a really friendly atmosphere in the group, a large number of people from different parts of the world who are on the same wavelength with you, and an excellent university teacher, Kristīne Ante, who made the lessons very interesting. Before school, I rarely used the Latvian language in everyday life, because I was afraid that I would not understand what I was being said. However, I now think that I am not afraid of mistakes anymore since I have realized that the main point is to practise more.

The lectures concerning the topic of culture were fascinating. We were taught about various holidays and traditions at the school. We got acquainted with the history of the country. I especially liked the excursion to the Rainis and Aspazija House, which turned into a tour into the lives of the most gifted people.

I would like to learn more about Latvia after the summer school. Thank you for the opportunity to participate.” On the other hand, Valērijs Mališevs says the following: “The summer school was perfect! There was such a pleasant atmosphere during the studies. I have gained a lot of knowledge. I have really enjoyed the fact that it wasn’t only about the language studies, as we were also learning about the culture, the history, the politics and other topics, we also had various excursions around the center of Riga, which were interesting.”

Thank you to everyone who donated to support the Ukrainian people and still continues to do so!