Day 53: Keep calm and eat pizza

I have now paid the deposit on my lavish French villa overlooking the Mediterranean sea, the final step in my house hunt, and I have to admit that it wasn't easy. I hesitate when it comes to buying penny sweets in a shop let alone spending a four-digit number - and paying it electronically! It went much smoother than the last bank transfer. Only one error message this time! I really don't like spending my money, but needs must when you don't want to be living on a park bench for 4 months.

Besides my usual organised and controlled self, I am becoming more accustomed to waking up in the morning with a fully planned day and having at least one of the arrangements postponed or cancelled. Ah, the life of a film-maker. Consequently, this also means that I am slightly more efficient at being spontaneous with my time. It's a difficult transition to make but very interesting to experiment with. This is a learning experience after all!

Wise words.

I had arranged to meet my new Latvian friend for an early lunch but then as the hours went by and the day became busier, lunch naturally progressed into dinner. Before I was about to leave the dorms, my friend called me and asked if I had a bike. I could sense a bike ride looming... As I was riding along the bridge, I peered down at my wrist and noticed an insect bite from yesterday's forest adventure. My eyes became so fixated on how swollen it looked that I nearly rode into my friend riding towards me. Food is always key to take my mind off insects, especially pizza.

We went to a local pizzeria, a very popular chain in Latvia. I have been to one of them in Riga but not in Valmiera... where I live. There is always a first time for everything I suppose. We decided on a pizza called "Studente" and ordered a large one to share. I wasn't sure how large it was going to be, but when it arrived at our table, I was very sure that it was the biggest pizza I have ever seen!

What the pizza looked like to me.

My friend has just come back from studying in America for one semester so it was really great talking to him about his personal experiences of studying abroad. We spent most of the evening comparing Latvian and British culture with a little bit of American culture thrown in. His attempt at an English accent is one of the funniest things I have ever heard...

Come to think of it, I hope he wasn't imitating me! Funnily enough, I came across this "how to do a British accent" video earlier on:

I don't think anyone actually speaks like this.

"The key to dialogue is respect for the other person, a willingness to listen, and a readiness to learn from them" - Daisaku Ikeda