Javier Garcia

I came to Latvia in 1992, and things were different then. It was a kind of culture shock to leave Mexico, a capitalist country with a very strong US influence, and to move to the former USSR. There was uncertainty in many areas, including the economy and politics, people took risks when setting up businesses, privatised things they needed and did not need in exchange for certificates, not to mention the value of money, “repshiks”, when you needed a suitcase to take the amount you needed. Now everything has changed – people even dress in brighter colours, and society has become more open, understanding, and safe.

Since I came to Latvia with my whole family, including my four children, I had to take classes together with them at the school in Ķeipene in order to learn Latvian. I was helped by Andris Upenieks, the headmaster of the school, who helped me to understand grammar, and I improved my knowledge by talking to neighbours and people in the neighbourhood. There was a choir in Ķeipene, which I joined. At first I did not understand much of what I was singing, but with time the fortune of Latvia described in the songs – nature, people, and love for the land and people around – unravelled. And I had one more aid – Latvijas Radio 1! I learnt both good and bad news from it, listened to interesting broadcasts, and continue to do so. In order to learn a language, you must first have a positive attitude towards the country you live in. I am still learning the language – a new word every day. We must always strive for improvement!

It is not difficult to integrate into Latvian society, but it is more difficult to understand Latvian culture, and help is needed here. I look with some envy at the newcomers of today, who do not have to break this path themselves. For example, they have the One Stop Shop of the Society Integration Foundation, which literally takes them by the hand and brings them where they need to go, helping to understand social processes, to get to know the culture, and to learn the language. The moment a foreigner starts to understand the Latvian language, he or she also starts to get to know Latvian culture, and this is very important in order to have a sense of belonging. It is important to know even a small thing like how to say hello properly, because Latvian people are quite superstitious and you may not do it over the doorstep.

Another challenge faced by newcomers is employment. I have two professions – ceramic artist/sculptor and chef. At first I set up a ceramics workshop, but then I realised the difference – while in Mexico we used ceramic bowls to boil beans, in Latvia they are used to admire and to put, for example, sweets in. Five years later, I realised that something had to change, and I opened the first Mexican restaurant in Rīga, named La Cucaracha. Since then, I have been working in catering so that I can also work as an artist – to create something I want. Yes, it was not easy because in the 1990s there was the mafia and the racketeering, the problems with that, in a word, it felt like the Wild North. It is definitely easier now – you just need willingness to do something, and a lot can happen.

As a chef, if I tried to compare Latvia to a dish, it would definitely include pepper. However, I would rather compare them to a good drink which takes a long time to make and then ends up being a surprise. Older generation Latvian people remind me of watermelons – green on the outside and red on the inside (joke, of course). Latvian people are even-tempered. No wonder they say: “measure seven times, cut once”, they do not like to make mistakes and do things carelessly or “tjap-ljap” – everything has to be accurate and orderly.

Who am I – a Mexican or a Latvian? I would say a Latvian! I have fallen in love with this country, the language, the culture, and the people. This is my home! As an artist, when I came to Latvia, it seemed like paradise, and I still think of it as paradise. So for those foreigners who are coming to Latvia now, I can recommend a few things – make sure you buy warm socks and a scarf, especially if you come from a warm country, and learn Latvian – it will help you get to know and understand Latvian culture, and if you still feel that this is not the right place, better look for another country, because you have to love our country to feel happy in it!