Crisis in Latvia. Crisis Diary. March 2009

Crisis diary by Katya

Spring 2009

2009-03-31

The programmes of National studies are reduced to a minimum, as a professor jokes, closing the cathedra is better than such shortening. Just one university suggests raising the study fees - the University of Latvia.

2009-03-29

The heating is disabled in psychiatric hospital. The air temperature is still around 4 grades per Celsius per day, at night - around 0 grades. The Dentistry Institute has shortened schedule - the staff works 3 days a week, 2 days are free of any duties. Some state institutions have tried to work in two rotations in order to use the same premises twice. However such schedule was not allowed to continue regarding to the Labour Code of the State

2009-03-26

Better safe than sorry

I ought to tell about current happenings at stairway of my apartment-house. On Monday, our neighbour- old lady - met my husband and informed him about a gang’s attempt to crack our door.  Old lady had noticed two men and two women in this gang: men messed with doors - two apartment’s doors, but women seemed to be on guard. One of the men tried to stick some crook in the lock of our door; bunch of keys hanged below his belt.  Thanks God, the brave lady had courage enough to initiate the clutter and call loudly for an imagined man. Burglars became angry, cursed, until they cleared off, female-thief called leaving “Es tev acis izduršu!" (I’ll prick your eyes out”). Neither I nor the husband mentioned anything strange happening, we enjoyed some TV show at that time.  I even think the burglars would be extremely disappointed because nobody keeps considerable cash at home, but the possibility to be hurt terrifies.  And again I ought to realize - it was the first apartment burglary attempt time in 5 years of living here. There was always risky situation with cars in Riga - 4 years ago the CD recorder was stolen from our car while parked overnight at the front of the home. This is a reason why we park our car in a parking-lock. Some months ago we recognized damage of cars door lock - it seemed like someone has tried to open it, although it is not clear when and were the damage was made.
Locks and security are the main issues which have to be studied. Video clips on "Youtube" assure us that almost all of the locks can be opened up. Conclusion - all the usual keys can be opened very easily by a "bump-key" method, only the complicated locks can be useful, as you have to spend a plenty of time to break them.

After this burglary attempt, replacement of the ordinary lock with more complicated one is done and our door locking habits are improved - now all of the locks, not just indoor ones, are bolted up at night. I have to admit - our relationship with neighbours have never been so close as now at the time of crisis. I’m suffering from some kind of paranoia since then - I am suspicious to some people, especially returning from work late at night, I ask guests to be regardful when visiting us, and, of course, my gas balloon always is ready for use in my pocket.  
Luckily, our friend - policeman - gave us some useful information about burglary traditions in our district. At first poor victims are stunned and then cash and mobile phones are taken. Murders are more typically done by alcoholics in some alcohol abuse cases. For example - the famous butcher case. Due to the crisis one butcher was fired from work. After this event the party with severe alcohol abuse took place at a butcher’s apartment, and unfortunately this party resulted in a murder of one of the ”bottle companion”. Butcher killed this man and cut him into correct pieces as he was skilled to do. The pieces were slung and the blood was draw - as correct meat processing must be done. When the pools of blood reached the stairway place, neighbours called the police and so the case became known.

2009-03-22

You can find interesting ads in your post box - respectable restaurants invite you to taste their cosine at reasonable prices, pizzeria promises to deliver pizza at home for acceptable prices. Also you can find there job seekers messages - “all kinds of repair works”, “urgently looking for any type of repair work”, “apartment for rent, urgently” - whatever the advert is it’s always accompanied by the word "urgent."
***
Theatres adjust to shock by offering comedies and entertaining performances, for example producing plays about Hollywood stars. Big commercial success has the political play "The Rat of the Theatre 2009 or Kornelia returns" - a political cabaret genre returns to theatre after 10 years of silence.
***

Notorious former finance minister Slakteris, which gained his notorious popularity for unprofessional commentaries about Latvia’s economy speaking in poor English language on news channel “Bloomberg” has entered in the history. His expressions: "Nothing special", "My answer will be ... but I will not say" have extreme popularity, they have undergone also different transformations in national folklore. Some companies offer to order online T-shirts with a picture of a penguin and the words "Someone special." (http://www.uzvelckreklu.lv/lv/catalogue/?cid=2910)

***
Former cafe "Feathers on the air" (“Spalvas pa gaisu”), pre-popular among young people in Riga, went bankruptcy in autumn ’08. In the same place the new restaurant - KID - will be opened. KID is favourite among foreigners, and it will be already the third branch of KID in Riga.
***
On 27th of March a premiere of Latvian kid-movie “Small robbers” (Mazie laupītāji) will take place. The film tells the story of a family where the  father  loses a job and as a result, the family is unable to pay the bank loan and is dislodged from the flat. The script was written 4 years before. Director had no idea how accurately this movie will reflect the situation in Latvia in 2009.

2009-03-17

I was talking with my acquaintances about the new term "national bankruptcy." Nobody knows properly what does this mean; nobody is even aware of any precedent, when something like this would have happened. My well-educated acquaintance speculated that it might be if something in the country would cease to function and some type of services would no longer be available. As long as electricity, gas and water is available, as long as a post service is working, meanwhile, we can not speak of a national bankruptcy.  However it seems that it`s already happening. Overnight, there is a shut off of central heating in psychiatric illness sanatorium. Patients have received extra blankets. The air temperature on that time falls below 0 degrees Celsius at night in Latvia.
***
This is a second week when there is a new government in Latvia. Some of my friends expect productive reforms from the new government. TV has showed the faces of both premier candidates after  President named one of them to form the new government. The looser couldn’t hide the joyful emotions. There are two versions why Zalāns smiled after the defeat: first one – Latvia saving is too difficult mission, if not impossible, so he felt relieved; the second one: Zalāns has graduated brainstorming school called “The Leaders Academy” so he has learned to smile at any situation. After his triumph, the new premier minister Dombrovskis looked very bothered and said That one of the first duties he has to fulfil is to  reduce salaries at the public sector for 20%.
***
My neighbours have set up new iron doors.
Also in the nearest store you can see new iron bars to put at the front of windows.  
TV suggests citizens to be aware using ATMs due to increased number of fraudulence.
***
The patient payments in hospitals have increased twice - now a stay in a hospital for1 day costs 12 lats. TV teaches ancestral methods for treating diseases - headband of pickled cabbage wrapt up in a gauze helps for migraine attacks while the oat flakes are universal medicine for almost every disease.
***
Youth considers going abroad at the worst case. Different countries are weighted out. Some of them have found Canada, Australia and New Zealand as the less crisis-prone countries.
***
Citizens of Valka border town prefer shopping in Estonia - the costs of groceries are 30% cheaper than the same ones in Latvia. My acquaintance from a small Latvian town has returned from fishing tour in Estonia. He was wondered that in Latvia a small town street is illuminated only till 11.00 pm , but in a tiny Estonian village streets are illuminated all night long. My acquaintance had never seen luxury like this.

2009-03-01

There are plenty of people in the Water Relaxation Center.
Tickets for the Baryshnikov’s dance show has been sold out 4 months before. 
People goes skiing aboard.
Ladies can enjoy the pleasure of artificial eyelashes and nails for about 2 times cheaper fees.
The fast appears unexpectedly popular topic. In any journal You can find information how healthy fasting is - both for flesh and spirit. Fast recipes are available in printed media and on TV , too.
Already 4 days we know a new term - "the national bankruptcy."
People, who have never thought about their own business feel instable in their field now and is considering their own business start-up. Moving abroad is the second top topic. 
Nice - by the help of charity share “devote radio” - my favourite radio show has returned on air. Up to now radio has translated old broadcasts repetitions.
My neighbour, a woman, put out her husband. Poor man, at first he sat at the door, ate there, afterwards he drunk vodka and pissed in stairways, until police took him away. The man has been drinking for a long time already, but I hadn’t have seen scene like this before in 5 years of my residence here.