Day 54: Ah, we meet again!

I made it my mission to stay in bed as long as I could this morning to gain enough energy for the filming planned in the evening. It was going really well until I heard a knock on my bedroom door. At first I thought I was dreaming, but the repetition assured me that it was really happening. I dragged myself out of bed, eyes still closed and unlocked the door. It was the lady in charge of the dorms. Although in broken English, I managed to comprehend that they - the team of people standing behind her - wanted to paint the door sill. I approved (it's not like I had a choice), jumped back into bed and tried to fall asleep. But they were talking so loudly that it sounded like they were in the room! After 2 hours, there was eventually peace and quiet again.

When you gotta sleep, you gotta sleep!

I was going to stay indoors until the evening, but the weather outside was just too tempting to ignore. I'd been waiting too long for days of rain to stop! I met up with my Latvian friend from yesterday and the first thing we did was buy ice cream - without the nuts this time. We went for a walk along the river, trying to think of places in Valmiera that I haven't visited yet. The town isn't that big so it's possible I've already seen everything there is to see. I've even been to a place that my friend has never visited and he actually grew up in Valmiera! There is one restaurant, which he highly recommended, that I haven't been to yet; it is actually the one I saw the black man sitting outside of. Just to tick all the boxes, I might treat myself to a meal there before I leave to go home.

With the sun being out and all, it was the perfect chance to wear one of my summer dresses: the ones I spent ridiculous amounts of money on before I left England. I thought it was such a good idea until I was outside and could feel the wind. The wind speed seemed to increase when walking across the bridge. This was the result:

What I thought I looked like.

What I really looked like.

Later on, the film intern and I were going to film at the local beer brewery to showcase another leisure time activity for prospective students. Before we left, I made a clever move and changed my whole outfit. A flying skirt on a bridge I can handle, but not on a bike. We managed to get some great shots of the brewery itself and people enjoying its beer, all while the sun was setting so beautifully.

Don't you just love those moments when you look up to the sky and feel at peace with everything around you? I wonder if I'll get this feeling standing 43 metres over Gauja River about to launch myself from a cable car... There's only one way to find out.

"There is no true joy in a life lived closed up in the little shell of the self. When you take one step to reach out to people, when you meet with others and share their thoughts and sufferings, infinite compassion and wisdom well up within your heart. Your life is transformed" - Daisaku Ikeda