Savādi Gan

I'm in Latvia now. I will stay here only for a month though. I flew in Friday, but just now did I change my facebook current location from Ottawa to Riga. Not for long though. 

Anyway. I was so excited to hear Latvian in public from people that I do not even know. After all, I haven't been in Latvia for eleven months, so don't blame me, blame the time (yeah, the time is always guilty). However, I was very disappointed to hear some of the conversations. The worse one was when I was in Origo with a friend of mine and one cashier was talking to the other. They both were young women, a few years older than me. They both were wearing shirts of the store they worked in, it said that there is a summer sale (or something along those lines). One was blond, while the other had darker hair that was tied in a pony tail. The dark haired one said to the blonde one: "So you really see yourself working and living abroad?" To which the blonde one said that she does not see any other choice. I was saddened, but it was the truth.

The situation in Latvia is really worse than I thought. Everyone sees money as a priority. Businesses are barely functioning. While people look like worn out clothes. I feel like things have gone so low that it is impossible to pull it all up. 

I was sitting with my friends at a fast food place (hahaha, I guess I can not blame the time here, but only myself), and my brother had bought fries along with other saturated fat foods. And I, as a person with hight demands asked if he had brought the sour cream sauce for the fries. He then went to get two packs, one for me and another for one of my friends. And then my friend said, something like, right, there are still some nice people in the world. Yeah, she probably didn't mean it the way I am interpreting it, but still, he bought something, and that is what made him a good person(?). Is that really and indication of a good person? I don't think so. Not only does this show in buying foods. How about cards, or ticket for the trolleybus? Is it the "good" person who buys things, or is it the "generous" one, or is it the one who simply has the money to spare for it. Further more, the city public transportation.. This was a very unpleasant surprise. As most of you know, the prices have raised dramatically for the public transport, and the whole system, has changed as well. What I have observed was that very few people actually pay for their trip, no matter if it is one bus stop, or seventeen. Very few people pay the price/ticket. Why? Too high prices? Maybe. Or is it the control and the effort that is put in to control this? Yeah, I guess it takes money to hire people who go around and check, but isn't it worth it? The fines are ridiculous as well - 5Ls. That is the most hilarious thing ever. One ticket is one tenth of the fine. So, if you don't get caught after cheating ten times you are pretty much saving money. AND since people probably do not get caught often, they are saving money. AND saving money is not only cool, it is also very useful, especially now!

The next thing ties in with the money. While very, very few businesses might be experiencing good times, tons are failing. Today I was riding home and I saw a good store that I liked close. It looked like it had been closed for several months now due to the wood that was nailed to the windows and the sad, grey worn out façade was falling down and creating debris piles. The other day I saw that the kiosk on Avotu and Čaka street intersection has been removed as well. Why? Why? I had known the existence of this kiosk ever since I can remember myself. This whole situation is erasing my childhood memories. How can I prevent this? Huh?

I also noticed that most stores are empty, except for the ones that sell used clothing. At all the stores that are still functioning people are crowded around the "last sale" stands. People are eager to save, to spend less, and to get the best deals in town. This is devastating. It takes up time and effort to find these deals, it takes away from the time people could be thinking of how to spend time with their families, or being happy about a national success in a sport discipline. It is very depressing to walk around when everyone is so determined to save, save, save. Why don't they go ahead and save themselves rather than money? Yeah, money is important and all, but it isn't the most important thing, that's for sure. 

I have been ditching Latvia to the most now, and all I really know is nothing. I am scared to look in deeper. I am seeing an iceberg, where the most is underneath the surface, but before I dive, I have to learn how. So that is why I am studying outside of the country. There I will get to have an education. I will develop my personality and dinf out how people live in another culture. I will then get to compare the one in Canada to Latvia, and to Scotland (not even mentioning the many things I know about other cultures around the world). This is really why I like social psychology, it is not the data, but the actual behaviour of people groups that fascinate me.

Chance can be done! :)

Now, yeah, people are very much money motored now. It is simply the way people have learned to adapt to the current situation. However, I have noticed some positive change, the TV has some positive shows and commercial. There are many events and concerts around the country, many of which are free or inexpensive. I have also learned that there is a huge growth in tourists since last summer, which means that the Latvian currency has some buyers. It also means that there are some businesses that are not failing. I also love that there are nice people, who remember to be polite and nice. There are pros and cons to everything, but it takes some effort to not only see the pros, but also bring them out more than the cons. 

I'm off to bed now, so take care. Meanwhile, I will try to wrap my head around everything once again. 

personality & career

Izrādās, ka esmu ideāliste.

Idealists, as a temperament, are passionately concerned with personal growth and development. Idealists strive to discover who they are and how they can become their best possible self -- always this quest for self-knowledge and self-improvement drives their imagination. And they want to help others make the journey. Idealists are naturally drawn to working with people, and whether in education or counseling, in social services or personnel work, in journalism or the ministry, they are gifted at helping others find their way in life, often inspiring them to grow as individuals and to fulfill their potentials. Idealists are sure that friendly cooperation is the best way for people to achieve their goals. Conflict and confrontation upset them because they seem to put up angry barriers between people. Idealists dream of creating harmonious, even caring personal relations, and they have a unique talent for helping people get along with each other and work together for the good of all. Such interpersonal harmony might be a romantic ideal, but then Idealists are incurable romantics who prefer to focus on what might be, rather than what is. The real, practical world is only a starting place for Idealists; they believe that life is filled with possibilities waiting to be realized, rich with meanings calling out to be understood. This idea of a mystical or spiritual dimension to life, the "not visible" or the "not yet" that can only be known through intuition or by a leap of faith, is far more important to Idealists than the world of material things. Highly ethical in their actions, Idealists hold themselves to a strict standard of personal integrity. They must be true to themselves and to others, and they can be quite hard on themselves when they are dishonest, or when they are false or insincere. More often, however, Idealists are the very soul of kindness. Particularly in their personal relationships, Idealists are without question filled with love and good will. They believe in giving of themselves to help others; they cherish a few warm, sensitive friendships; they strive for a special rapport with their children; and in marriage they wish to find a "soulmate," someone with whom they can bond emotionally and spiritually, sharing their deepest feelings and their complex inner worlds. Idealists are relatively rare, making up no more than 15 to 20 percent of the population. But their ability to inspire people with their enthusiasm and their idealism has given them influence far beyond their numbers. Idealists at Work Idealists, as a temperament, are passionately concerned with personal growth and development. They are naturally drawn to working with people and are gifted with helping others find their way in life, often inspiring them to grow as individuals and to fulfill their potential both on, and off, the job. Conscience looms large for you; in almost any situation, you feel compelled to measure yourself, other people, and the conditions of the environment against your personal morality. You have a tendency to perceive questions of meaning in even trivial matters and to worry about far-flung consequences of your actions. In your ideal job, you are free to pursue depth rather than breadth and quality rather than quantity. You feel rewarded when your projects and daily tasks allow you to immerse yourself in your process as deeply as you "need to" in order to satisfy your inner standards of quality. You are uncomfortable with the notion of authority per se and may avoid leading, as well as being led, either consciously or unconsciously. As you experience them, adhering to fixed roles and rules amounts to an abdication of your responsibility to exercise your conscience.

Savukārt cits personības tests sacīja, ka man vajadzētu strādāt darbā, kur cilvēkiem nākas uz mani paļauties un, kur spēju būt izpalīdzīga, jo tas ir laikam, tas, kas man patīk. No apmēram desmit izmestajām profesijām, visvairāk mani piesaistīja assistant director un stage manegment. Jo teātris viennozīmīgi ir man mīļa lieta.

Tad kāda citā mājaslapas career test rezultāti vēstīja, ka "Career choice often are: Editor, Journalist, Teacher, Strategic Planner, Consultant, Performing Arts, Marketing, Communications, Research and Development." Un skaitos, ka cilvēks plānotājs.

Vēl career planner apgalvo, ka esmu INTP. Nezinu īsti, kas tas ir, bet ieliku aprakstu. (Kā piemēri tika minēti Einšteins un Ņūtons. /chuckle/)

INTP's are described as:
Introverted and reserved.
Enjoys spending time alone more than meeting new people.
Prefers to have a few close friends rather than a large number of friends.
In a room full of strangers will tend to be more quiet.
Typically avoids being the center of attention.
Hard to know what they are thinking. You will have to ask them what they are thinking.
Intuitive and imaginative.
Big picture oriented, does not enjoy details.
Prefers dealing with theory, concepts and the abstract.
Tends to focus on the future and what is in their minds rather than what is happening around them in the present.
Typically does not pay much attention to what their five senses are telling them i.e. hearing, seeing etc.
Likes to see patterns and the underlying meaning of things.
Enjoys mental and cerebrial activities over physical activites.
Good memory for concepts and theories but not good at remembering details and numbers.
Thrives on ambiguity and the unknown.
Objective, logical and analytical.
Can be impersonal at times, can appear cold and uncaring.
Thick-skinned, not very sensitive.
May be hard to get to know.
More concerned that things make logical, objective sense than what other people think.
More concerned with logic and what makes sense than what people say is right or wrong.
Being organized is not all that important.
Experiencing as many things a possible is extremely important.
Plans, schedules and goals are sometimes useful but not critical for enjoying life.
Being flexible and adaptable is critical to enjoying life.
With so many things to do, projects usually don't get finished until the last minute.
Life is a continuos, flowing process.
Description of INTP's:
INTP's are known as the "Engineers" or the "Architects" of the 16 personality types
They live in the world of theoretical possibilities. They see everything in terms of how it could be improved, or what it could be turned into.
They live primarily inside their own minds, having the ability to analyze difficult problems, identify patterns, and come up with logical explanations.
They are easy going, flexible and adaptable.
INTP's usually prefer not to have to lead or manage people.
INTP's thrive when there are few rules, guidelines and restrictions. They need freedom.
Their internal world is highly structured and logical and does not need structure imposed by the external world.
Being introverted, reserved, objective, and logical, they may appear cold and hard to get to know.
INTP's prefer careers where:
* Management allows people to be self directed.
* There are several opportunities to demonstrate competence.
* The culture appreciates fair but tough decision making.
* The work offers the opportunity to rapidly change direction and to respond to problems as they arise.
* The work is fun and allows for some spontaneity.
* You can apply your natural ability to focus and concentrate, rather than multitasking.
* The environment allows for freedom and flexibility and is loosely structured without too many rules.
* The environment, culture and pace allow you to consider things fully before having to respond.
* The work allows you to work at a careful steady pace.
* The work involves theory and speculation.
* The work allows you adequate private time to work alone and to concentrate.
* The work involves creativity, imagination and a creative approach to problem solving.
* The work involves looking beyond the present i.e. future possibilities, future products, future actions.
* The work is not limited to what exists today but involves "what may be" and "what could be".
* The work allows you to utilize your natural ability to analyze and make objective, logical decisions.
* The work allows you to utilize your natural ability to provide others with direction and supervision.
* The environment is more structured and disciplined, being on time and following procedure is considered important.

Vēl Bez visa tā pēc viena testa viena no ieteicamajām profesijām bija izmeklētājs. (Kad es biju, laikam, piektajā klasē, biju iespiedusi paurī, ka gribu būt izmeklētājs. Tā domāju apēram divus gadus, bet neatminos kāpēc, šī doma tika nolikta maliņā.

Bet, runājot PAVISAM arklāti mana sapņu profesija ir būt spiegam, bet tas laikam nesanāks.

P.S. Liels paldies 'manam mīļajam googlam'