Day 30: "Oh my god, a black man!"

What do most people do on a Saturday morning? I spent mine cleaning my bedroom and bathroom. When I start cleaning it is fatal because I can't stop until it's all done. Get it over and done with, that's what I say.

I find that staying busy is a good way of keeping homesickness at bay. I started to develop my new presentation project given to me yesterday and I was making good progress. I looked at the clock and it said 1pm. After adding a bit of colour here and there, I checked the time again and it said 7pm! I really don't know where all my time went. That either shows I worked hard or that my time management skills aren't really up to scratch when it comes to the weekend.

My clock whilst my eyes were glued to my laptop screen.

My stomach, on the other hand, was well aware that the day was passing by quickly; I hadn't eaten since breakfast. What's the one thing you can easily cook and fast? Omelettes are definitely becoming my new staple food out here in Latvia but they will never be ahead of me' biscuits. I have just read that there is such a thing called a biscuit omelette. Whatever it is and however it tastes, I must try this. It's the best of both worlds in my books. My next cooking challenge - accepted.

Now you're probably wanting to know why I gave this post such a distinct title. I have been wondering whether to share the story with you, and just now thought why the hell not. It happened and it was funny. Not many overseas tourists visit the town I am living in so when some people see me they tend to look twice as if to confirm the first one.

The fire alarm has just gone off in my dorms. Someone left some sunflower oil frying in a pan. Clever.


Anyway, back to the story. As my Estonian friend and I were walking back to his car, I looked over at a restaurant terrace, making a mental note to eat there some day. As I tried to see what kind of food people were eating, I saw a black man sitting at a table. I really thought my eyes were deceiving me. That's when I said to my friend, "Oh my god, a black man!" And I think I must have said this quite loud because when I looked back to see if he was still there, he was staring at me. Oops!

It's all about broadening horizons...

Nevertheless, I now understand the looks I get sometimes. Just as the saying goes, I have put myself in their shoes. They aren't being rude, just simply curious. And I feel proud to be the one to spark that curiosity here in Valmiera, Latvia!