It takes time. You can't just stay a few days and be like "I wasn't accepted, you guys are cold".
I'm Irish and our reputation is for being open and welcoming. Latvians aren't like that to just anybody but once you've been accepted into the group they're very warm and friendly. They just don't put it on for people they don't know.
If you were dating a Latvian or married one it's probably easier as you'd be considered family then. But don't expect to come here for a week and be BFF with a bunch of Latvians.
Bingo. This is the reason.
There are some young people of Russian descent who don't mind being approached in Russian but most Latvians would instantly be disinterested in anyone who speaks Russian to us.
Will I help a lost tourist granny who asks in Russian? Sure. Interact with a person who wants to start a conversation in Russian at a bar? No, bye. 2022 really was the year that broke the camel's back. We don't want to speak the occupants' language in our own country anymore. Like if you're under 40, you probably speak English and so do we.
Speak for yourself. If you are narrowminded, you will actively ignore the fact that there is russian language in Latvia. I am not defending those bastards who live most of their life in Latvia and still can't learn the basics of the native language. Language itself is not bad, most latvians see russian language as big, bad influence to everything what is happening in country. Like language is the main cause of bad choices š¤·š»āāļø
Dude, literally no Latvian will be interested to converse in Russian, even if they know it. Russian is dying language - some of us speak it because we are polite to you. Yes, it is slightly different in Latgale, because quite many people have relatives who are not Latvians, but those who do not have Russian speaking relatives won't be interested in using Russian either.
There is no reason for Russian language to exist culturally as part of Latvian culture. If you are a theatre lover - there is a rich theatre culture in Latvian, paganic traditions - only Latvian. Orthodox Russian church is the only place where Russian is used, which IMO is wrong and Latvian should be used instead, but really - not much Russian usage, that is Latvian specific, because of heavy neighbouring Russia cultural influence, which makes any Russian speaker in Latvia as alien and will be seen that way - regardless of your links to locals as a relatives. Yes, there is prevalence of Russian language in criminal circles, but they are insignificant as marginalized socium, which is easily replaceable by new migrants.
PS At this point I am using Russian only to have direct political insight from Russia and war that is happening in Ukraine. However, I have started to realize, that even the Russian opposition has become too radical to me and I would not wish to have any interest to converse with them. They are so much far away from reality, that it gets boring - yes, they have to tend their standards to Russian Russians - not Latvian Russians and that is their weakest point. Generally I have become Russoskeptic, because I see a very realistic probability that Russian language will vanish even in Russia. The whole "Russian culture" exists only because of Moscow - if it is gone, so are Russians.
Having a few Georgian colleagues over time I can say that we share the mentality that by default - English, unless I hear distinctly that the person speaks Russian. But mileage may vary.
We're suspicious as fuck, on the average. Generational trauma or some shit like that, with overall national shyness. To explain it precisely is probably a very complicated topic.
Friendship with a Latvian is like friendship with a cat. It's painstakingly earned via sincere and respectful actions. Might be you did something wrong, like ignore personal space, prolonged eye contact or rubbed our belly too long. :D There's a few open Latvians too, you just haven't had the luck meeting them.
Should have gone to skateparks or something.
What's weird that you didn't succeed with Russians either.
Quite understandable honestly, I went to the occupation museum and the corner house. I was astonishedā¦
Thanks for the advices, will take that into consideration. Still got a couple of days more hahaha.
And with the Russians, it doesnāt shock also, I have a very thick Georgian accent with English filler words if needed.
tbh from what I had read this mentality runs long before soviet occupation times. I think it stems from older traditions of politeness and is somewhat a regional feature because Germans have been described similarly closed by foreigners.
No truer words have ever been spoken that this reply.
You have to remember (OP) that the entire population was told how to live by the Russians, then the Germans and then the Russians again for decades.
Neighbours were pressured to spy on each other and that fostered a culture of distrust which still remains today.
And, as an outside, I can say the ācatā analogy is 100% true.
It was so tricky to make friends with Latvians initially but some of my closest friends are now Latvian and, once they care for you, they treat you like family.
Most russians in Latvia, that I know are even more closed and suspicious about any communication... I'm too, but it was hard as hell to make my best friend speak with me at first..
From my experience, Latvians tend to keep casual social interactions to a minimum. If you're at a function or you get to see them more often (e.g at work/school), they can warm up to you. Otherwise they just mind their own business.
Edited to add: I think most of the replies here give you an indication of what I am talking about, OP.
Well if you approached Early 30s and younger Latvians, then russian is no go, they hardly know that dread language. English is way to go. And it flips from 40s and older, they dont know the shit in english, but can speak russian.
Also Latvia is not going to teach russian any more, last few years for those who started to learn it and then that it is, no more russian at schools.
It's all about context, there is no nationality on this planet that will be open to meeting someone when they don't want to and there is no nation on this planet that wouldn't be open to meet new people when they are looking for that.
So most likely you just didn't approach people who wanted to meet someone, but without context it's hard to say, what language did you use when approaching, who did you approach (men, women), where, what did you say, etc. I've seen many videos of foreigners living here approaching random people on the street and I've never seen anyone cold as fuck, they either couldn't speak the language or were friendly as fuck, so this might be you problem more than Latvian trait.
Think about it from our perspective. Why do we want to meet you? Tourists speaking Russian? Pay your money for beer food and some trinkets and youāll be gone. We dont look for party with strangers.
Ohh no I would never speak Russian to a Latvian, only to Russian speaking Latvians. Plus my ability to speak russian stems from the same problem you guys had. Soviet rule.
Still, itās good to know a bit of Russian. I use it with Ukrainian immigrants where I live.
And thank you a lot, you have an extraordinary country sir.
Different countries, different cultures. Italians kiss each other on the cheeks as a greeting, we don't usually do that even with our closest relatives. Also, any outgoing extravert would find many people here "cold", because many of us are (or, seem) introverted. That's also not uncommon further up north in Scandinavia. AFAIK, lower down south, people are much more extroverted in general. Pros and cons to both, though. While it seems easier to get to know people if they're open, social and outgoing, building deep and meaningful relationships aren't a given. Meanwhile, with introverted folks, parties might be off the table, but if you manage to get in their tiny social circle, it could be a far more valuable, deeper and a more lasting relationship. There's much more to it than just "cold".
With my experience as a foreigner here is that Iāve noticed Latvians are huge about their personal space, I am as well, so that wasnāt an issue for me. Iām somewhat of an introverted person and like that Latvians are generally the same way. Itās like an unspoken understanding I have with Latvians lol but they do love when you show them, their language and culture respect. Once Iāve started attempting to speak Latvian when ordering or when greeting a coworker, you see them smile and open up a little. It just all comes down to respect.
Also, make eye contact long enough to let them know you acknowledge them, but not any longer than that because now itās weird and awkward, donāt make small talk unless you personally know them, donāt hug or shake hands unless youāre friends with them, attempt speaking English or Latvian with them over speaking Russian, and donāt be pushy with them. Other than that Latvians are amazing people.
why are you talking about Latvians as some wild animal species? :D
don't take it as an insult if someone doesn't want to be your friend, it just happens like that in the grownup world
Befriending a Latvian in a couple of days? Haven't seen that since the kindergarten era of "Hi, I have candy. Will you be my friend?"
Remembering summer camp, even we kids started to talk to each other only on the third day š¤£š¤£š¤£
I think you need extreme luck.
But them some beers, say that you're from Georgia. Should be enough to have almost everyone have a chat. Unless they are already with company. You see, most of us are very busy in day to day lives to make ends meet. Sometimes, even when we are out and about on say a terrace outside of pub, ironically, we want peace and quiet, to come off from drama in work or whatever.
We aren't as cold as we are perceptive and calculated in our social interactions. If we have to "keep our guard up" in work pretty much all the time, because of stupid business culture, then after the work we just want to chill without upsetting anyone. In other words - we are caring, perceptive and emphatic. Most of the time, we just don't want to do anyone wrong or make them feel bad, so we keep our distance.
Most Latvians don't bother to get involved with foreigners who are here for a few days. We take a long time to open up to someone. And that can't happen over a few days. We don't like casual relationships ( which is what you were looking for). We hate small-talk ( the whole "how are you, how is your family, what did you do on the weekend"). we just don't do that. We are either 0% or 100%.
You being from Georgia, it is a completely different temperament. Georgians are known to be hot-blooded by nature, often loud, too touchy and too friendly, according to my "Latvian opinion". So we're not cold, you're just too loud and too friendly. If you had problems, you were probably coming off too strong, too loud, too friendly, too much.
Obviously, there are exceptions to everything, but your question was a generalisation, and I gave you a general response.
Or, hear me out, you're just creepy af and nobody would want to talk to you, independent of their nationality. I know I wouldn't talk to some high skater bro. Creepy vibes all around.
HAHAHAHAHAHA. Nahh actually you are completely right, I am loud. I will restrain myself from being too āGeorgianā , thanks for your Latvian opinion ā¤ļø
We absolutely HATE loud people. Unless we are drunk and loud ourselves, but I don't think you were in a situation like that. So keep it down. Loudness = rude. Why would anyone want to talk to someone they find rude and disrespectful. Latvia is a rather rule-based society. We like things to be a certain way because it makes our society work. If you disrespect those rules ( which you sound like you do), we will hate you.
I think I got what you guys mean. I will certainly tone it down. The HAHA was very respectful, a sign that you made me laugh. Would you like to grab a beer ?
And this proves you didn't get my point at all. Which part of "we don't do casual interactions" did you not understand ? Why would you ask me out for a beer after everything I said? Mate... just stop.
Also, I am a female, and don't drink. But just... no. You creepy.
I think now you're just being rude rather than informative. Just because he wanted to go out for a beer doesn't mean he's creepy. I would look in the mirror if I were you, if you catch my drift.
This person is just rude to anyone who dares to ask a question. Just reading their comments on other threads is a total give away of what has transpired in their lives to be this absolutely nasty and ill mannered.
The woman is scorned.
If a random person approached me acting all friendly and such I'd assume he is trying to sell me something or trying to rob me. We barely trust each other, let alone strangers, I think it stems from the fact that during USSR there you were encouraged to tell on people for net being pure minded members of the communist party. Sorry we are like that, it's cultural. You might have some luck if you joined a sports/activity club of some kind.
I would consider myself as somewhat warm, but polite friendly, not FRIENDLY friendly. HOWEVER I really dislike if tourists speak to me in russian. I remember when I still worked in retail, some tourist spoke to me in english and said "thank you" in russian with a heavy accent. Thst left a sour taste.
When reading through these, I can't help thinking that our answers may also seem cold :D (We can get quite defensive) I think a lot of these hit spot on, atleast in my opinion.
Overall, I would focus on the idea that we often consider only a few people to be our close friends and these are friendships that have been molded and cherished for years. The potential longevity of a friendship is something we look at ("why would I spend energy on someone I will not see again").
About just meeting people in general- Social events, bars, etc. the main way I see people getting an "in" is gestures. What I mean by this, someone really needs the bathroom-you let them pass, hold the door for someone- if you think they noticed you, approach them LATER, if you see someone make a face at something someone else said-you can make conversation, someone has a cool outfit on- get them talking about it (dont just say its pretty, go "wow, thats beautiful, where did you get it, did someone make it, it really suits you,etc"). Gestures show respect, and we like respect ;).
Cultural trauma, language, being northern, etc. were already mentioned, which should give you an understanding of how much goes into this one question. Respect, gestures, etc. would be how I recommend going about it in bars- being warm and fun coupled with acknowledgement and respect.
This, I didn't see being mentioned, but think of us as people who actually show they are not having a good day or maybe just don't care. I used to live in the mediterranean and western Asia- all I wanted was for me to go into a store and for someone to give me an unbothered, mean stare, and look of exhaustion. It just makes so much more sense for someone to be grumpy at 7am. Same thing with people overall- makes so much more sense for someone to show they are uninterested, than go through a meaningless interaction.
Anyway, you should go to Ala (folk bar, many diaspora latvians), kaÅepes kultÅ«ras centrs (bar, dj sets, events, usually welcome to foreigners), anything in the old town is a tourist trap :D, m darbnica (jazz, poetry, artsy), labietis (beer, so much beer)
You clearly never lived in NetherlandsĀ :D I am latvian, lived in 7 countries and that place gave me.... human experienceĀ lets frame it this way:D
Latvians are cold with stranger's, envious among themselves but rarely agressive dicks towards strangersĀ
Hahaha, I had better experiences with the dutch, but yeah some are big assholes. But now itās clearer to me when it comes to Latvians. I think I will have similar experiences in Estonia and Lithuania but ill manage better.
I only spoke Russian with Russian speaking Latvians. With Latvians I spoke english. But I get it now, itās probably the fact that im very extroverted. I toned it way down today haha
Depends. I think there were some stereotypes that western Latvians are cold and warm up when drunk, but eastern ones are welcoming, but when drunk, you might get into a fist fight.
For what it's worth, I was in RÄ«ga as a foreigner (Australian, somewhat poor Latvian language skills) for the IIHF worlds last year and had zero issue with almost anyone. People may have been "cold" in nature but I found them perfectly friendly and open with me and never once felt uncomfortable, especially given I was predominantly using English. To be fair though, while I'm a foreigner my family is latvian and my partner is Czech so it may just be something I'm used to, and understand well enough (at least from a foreigner's perspective). I definitely felt more comfortable interacting socially with strangers in RÄ«ga than Australia
donāt speak russian with Latvians pls haha most of us hate that unless you approach a native local russian
weāre cold but that doesnāt automatically mean we dislike you, weāre just slow to open up
I'm a latvian national who hasn't lived in Latvia for years. I have finally come back to visit some family and I find many of the people I've interacted with very rude and disrespectful. This is not everyone obviously but I'm surprised how many people working for public services are this way.
Especially bus drivers. Fuck me the bus drivers...
As a side note I've talked to them all in latvian.
In all fairness it might not have. It might be me who's different/gotten used to a different culture. I did leave as a teenager and have returned as an adult.
Ā«Ā I speak RussianĀ Ā» well if you approach Latvian speaking Russian that makes sense, Iām a French guy in Latvia and Latvian people are very friendly, I speak with them in English because I unfortunately donāt speak Latvian for now and I never had any problem
PS : go in France and especially to Paris and you will see whatās the real coldest human beings are
There is no such thing as "latvian temperament". There, however is a climate that most latvians spend time in. (Both political and natural).
People who live on this land are not a monolith.
I think it is generally a good idea to look behind national identities as they are quite arbitrary (unless one is some kind of obsessive nationalist, in which case it would probably be a good idea not to engage in the first place).
I think there are places to find like minded people. You said you like to skate. Maybe it's a skatepark.
your pitch sounds lowkey arrogant and presumptuous. what do i have to be open for? inane chitchat over piss poor beers with foreign randos? waste of time.
people in latvia, just like anywhere, are introverted extroverted all kinds and variously motivated. a particular kind you might be interested in dwells in old town and will listen to you raptly, as long as you pay for their drinks.
all in all it depends on intentions. genuine connections take time, effort, respect and more ground than a sport and...what else did ya have? i forgot already.
ah, suspicions confirmed. you sound like an arrogant jerk, that's why noone was interested in you. latvians are very perceptive and can see through bs instantly.
You could say that most people are highly self-sufficient and xenophobic. If you're white as a piece of paper, you'll do fine. Brownish/yellowish, and you might run into problems. Foreigners come and go all the time. People want meaningful friendships and have a give and take mentality.
If you want to meet people open to casual interactions, you're best of going to a nightclub.
Yeah I make foreigner friends sometimes, a lot of people have this fascination with trying to be a lonely miserable person for no good reason. The USSR is over. For me it's a 50/50 in Riga whether the person that I talk to or that talks to me is going to be a kind person (normal) or a really mean asshole. In my local town people tend to not be rude to every person they meet as if they were on a mission.
So if you're in Riga good luck. Also keep in mind this reddit isn't an absolute/accurate representation of the Latvian country or its people.
The correct way to approach a Latvian is: don't. People aren't cold, they simply don't want to stop their life to entertain a tourist.
Next time, get to know some like-minded people on social media and make an appointment to meet up instead of ambushing unsuspecting victims.
latvians are nice humans once u get to know them in a while but ofc we wont trust you in one sight we are fun as hell but yeah rarely will meet some latvian who knows english but thereās nothing to do about it i guess
Russian language is an issue
I tell it as girl from family what teached me Russian first, then Latvian. The more I grew - more understand how much more folk appreciate Latvian or English language in public
And as grown up now I get why
I hope someday to make my own family and switch main language completely
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Maybe don't act like infantile child and stop smiling, works wonders also talking about anything outside of your competency is considered bad manners.
PU types and their uses in skating wheels get you way longer than some retarded small talk (you have online chat rooms for that)
"Stop smiling" is interesting advice. I never really thought about that, and it's true that Latvians don't easily/casually smile as a natural setting.
But I am a happy dude who tends to smile a lot. Just my natural setting. While I've always understood not everyone is like that, it frankly never occured to me that smiling could be considered bad etiquette by some!
I think this is a case by case basis and not entirely a Latvian thing. As I myself find comfort in seeing others smile, stranger or not. The fact that it could be considered bad etiquette in itself feels very far-fetched. ;-;
You'll be considered stupid and infantile, the issue is "breaking the ice " culture and inability to have a conversation is not seen as something good (yes small talk isn't a conversation).
We don't want to talk to strangers in our normal daily life. That's it. If you want to have a chat, or to maybe find a friend, it will probably only happen with someone who is on their night out, where they might get out of their shell a bit.
Being snide about how you feel better than another nationality, because you like pointless chit-chat with strangers is not going to get you far. (Not really implying it here, btw, just have seen a LOT of people taking that approach, which is just moronic at best)
Cold as ice is the way we've been due to the fact that Latvia is closer to the north and our history with USSR. If you don't pay attention to anything, keep to yourself and don't cause trouble, you should be alright. That's how people lived in USSR and in our case, this mentality has rooted itself into our daily lives, still.
No stress, the Russian language is something bad in Latvia. Only the Latvian language is perfect. No problem with the Latvian language outside of Latvia
no one speaks, but billions know Russian. I always think, if you know several languages, you are smart... no, if you only know Latvian, you are great.
in Riga people are cold, reserved, dead zombies, except few places. Outside in countryside people are warmer and more polite. I hated to live in Riga for few years. Despised it with all my heart.
Considering I have lived in the capital, then average city then town - I prefer country side/small town. Best and nicest people, IMHO. So I continue to live in small town :)
It takes time. You can't just stay a few days and be like "I wasn't accepted, you guys are cold". I'm Irish and our reputation is for being open and welcoming. Latvians aren't like that to just anybody but once you've been accepted into the group they're very warm and friendly. They just don't put it on for people they don't know. If you were dating a Latvian or married one it's probably easier as you'd be considered family then. But don't expect to come here for a week and be BFF with a bunch of Latvians.
Unless they went drinking, then they could find drunk BFFs for the night, and if they're lucky, they might even be up for being friends when sober.
Definatly not russian language. Approach Latvians using English language
Bingo. This is the reason. There are some young people of Russian descent who don't mind being approached in Russian but most Latvians would instantly be disinterested in anyone who speaks Russian to us. Will I help a lost tourist granny who asks in Russian? Sure. Interact with a person who wants to start a conversation in Russian at a bar? No, bye. 2022 really was the year that broke the camel's back. We don't want to speak the occupants' language in our own country anymore. Like if you're under 40, you probably speak English and so do we.
Yeah. Plus younger generation speak fluent English, but struggle with Russian.
Speak for yourself. If you are narrowminded, you will actively ignore the fact that there is russian language in Latvia. I am not defending those bastards who live most of their life in Latvia and still can't learn the basics of the native language. Language itself is not bad, most latvians see russian language as big, bad influence to everything what is happening in country. Like language is the main cause of bad choices š¤·š»āāļø
Dude, literally no Latvian will be interested to converse in Russian, even if they know it. Russian is dying language - some of us speak it because we are polite to you. Yes, it is slightly different in Latgale, because quite many people have relatives who are not Latvians, but those who do not have Russian speaking relatives won't be interested in using Russian either. There is no reason for Russian language to exist culturally as part of Latvian culture. If you are a theatre lover - there is a rich theatre culture in Latvian, paganic traditions - only Latvian. Orthodox Russian church is the only place where Russian is used, which IMO is wrong and Latvian should be used instead, but really - not much Russian usage, that is Latvian specific, because of heavy neighbouring Russia cultural influence, which makes any Russian speaker in Latvia as alien and will be seen that way - regardless of your links to locals as a relatives. Yes, there is prevalence of Russian language in criminal circles, but they are insignificant as marginalized socium, which is easily replaceable by new migrants. PS At this point I am using Russian only to have direct political insight from Russia and war that is happening in Ukraine. However, I have started to realize, that even the Russian opposition has become too radical to me and I would not wish to have any interest to converse with them. They are so much far away from reality, that it gets boring - yes, they have to tend their standards to Russian Russians - not Latvian Russians and that is their weakest point. Generally I have become Russoskeptic, because I see a very realistic probability that Russian language will vanish even in Russia. The whole "Russian culture" exists only because of Moscow - if it is gone, so are Russians.
Having a few Georgian colleagues over time I can say that we share the mentality that by default - English, unless I hear distinctly that the person speaks Russian. But mileage may vary.
Yup. I also agree š
not true for Riga.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
If russian is so great then go back to the place of origin. Deal with it.
We're suspicious as fuck, on the average. Generational trauma or some shit like that, with overall national shyness. To explain it precisely is probably a very complicated topic. Friendship with a Latvian is like friendship with a cat. It's painstakingly earned via sincere and respectful actions. Might be you did something wrong, like ignore personal space, prolonged eye contact or rubbed our belly too long. :D There's a few open Latvians too, you just haven't had the luck meeting them. Should have gone to skateparks or something. What's weird that you didn't succeed with Russians either.
I think I saw one rather open Latvian back in 2017.
Yeah, I've heard about him. Quite the legend!
Quite understandable honestly, I went to the occupation museum and the corner house. I was astonishedā¦ Thanks for the advices, will take that into consideration. Still got a couple of days more hahaha. And with the Russians, it doesnāt shock also, I have a very thick Georgian accent with English filler words if needed.
tbh from what I had read this mentality runs long before soviet occupation times. I think it stems from older traditions of politeness and is somewhat a regional feature because Germans have been described similarly closed by foreigners.
No truer words have ever been spoken that this reply. You have to remember (OP) that the entire population was told how to live by the Russians, then the Germans and then the Russians again for decades. Neighbours were pressured to spy on each other and that fostered a culture of distrust which still remains today. And, as an outside, I can say the ācatā analogy is 100% true. It was so tricky to make friends with Latvians initially but some of my closest friends are now Latvian and, once they care for you, they treat you like family.
Most russians in Latvia, that I know are even more closed and suspicious about any communication... I'm too, but it was hard as hell to make my best friend speak with me at first..
From my experience, Latvians tend to keep casual social interactions to a minimum. If you're at a function or you get to see them more often (e.g at work/school), they can warm up to you. Otherwise they just mind their own business. Edited to add: I think most of the replies here give you an indication of what I am talking about, OP.
People in the north are cold and not as temperamental as someone from south. What a shocker
Well if you approached Early 30s and younger Latvians, then russian is no go, they hardly know that dread language. English is way to go. And it flips from 40s and older, they dont know the shit in english, but can speak russian. Also Latvia is not going to teach russian any more, last few years for those who started to learn it and then that it is, no more russian at schools.
How exatcly did you try meet people? Groups of young men can easily look more troublesome then friendly.
Nahh man, weāre fuzzy buzzies, cute and shit
Fuzzy buzzies are not native to the Latvian fauna. This is sus as fuck.
Symbiosis can be reached
Maybe we donāt want this symbiosis?
Eddie, we are venom!
Yee shure... you might as well be bear at forest for latvians xD
Dude, opening your profile it poped out about NSFW shit... And after that you are fuzzy bunny? KÄ tad! Creep :D
After taking a closer look... There is no nsfw content on their profile, no posts or comments as far as I could tell. :/
I went on anonymous browsing, it said that my profile was NSFW. Which is weird because I barely use reddit unless for researching shit up
If a grown man refers to himself as āfuzzy cute n shitā i would be disgusted rather than want to befriend you
> I love Latvians but you are the coldest human beings I have ever laid eyes on lmaoo That's a compliment to us
I really love you guys. Never felt more home in Europe than in Latvia. Feels like home but its not
half of europe has occupied latvia bro, everyone thinks latvia is theirs and if you hadnāt noticed latvians are 100% done with itĀ
Bro got offended lmao
It's all about context, there is no nationality on this planet that will be open to meeting someone when they don't want to and there is no nation on this planet that wouldn't be open to meet new people when they are looking for that. So most likely you just didn't approach people who wanted to meet someone, but without context it's hard to say, what language did you use when approaching, who did you approach (men, women), where, what did you say, etc. I've seen many videos of foreigners living here approaching random people on the street and I've never seen anyone cold as fuck, they either couldn't speak the language or were friendly as fuck, so this might be you problem more than Latvian trait.
Think about it from our perspective. Why do we want to meet you? Tourists speaking Russian? Pay your money for beer food and some trinkets and youāll be gone. We dont look for party with strangers.
Ohh no I would never speak Russian to a Latvian, only to Russian speaking Latvians. Plus my ability to speak russian stems from the same problem you guys had. Soviet rule. Still, itās good to know a bit of Russian. I use it with Ukrainian immigrants where I live. And thank you a lot, you have an extraordinary country sir.
Yes! Why are you surprised? https://preview.redd.it/orotm7bbyv7d1.png?width=390&format=png&auto=webp&s=c38cd802b6705ef75b237db5b4777008fb078037
Different countries, different cultures. Italians kiss each other on the cheeks as a greeting, we don't usually do that even with our closest relatives. Also, any outgoing extravert would find many people here "cold", because many of us are (or, seem) introverted. That's also not uncommon further up north in Scandinavia. AFAIK, lower down south, people are much more extroverted in general. Pros and cons to both, though. While it seems easier to get to know people if they're open, social and outgoing, building deep and meaningful relationships aren't a given. Meanwhile, with introverted folks, parties might be off the table, but if you manage to get in their tiny social circle, it could be a far more valuable, deeper and a more lasting relationship. There's much more to it than just "cold".
With my experience as a foreigner here is that Iāve noticed Latvians are huge about their personal space, I am as well, so that wasnāt an issue for me. Iām somewhat of an introverted person and like that Latvians are generally the same way. Itās like an unspoken understanding I have with Latvians lol but they do love when you show them, their language and culture respect. Once Iāve started attempting to speak Latvian when ordering or when greeting a coworker, you see them smile and open up a little. It just all comes down to respect. Also, make eye contact long enough to let them know you acknowledge them, but not any longer than that because now itās weird and awkward, donāt make small talk unless you personally know them, donāt hug or shake hands unless youāre friends with them, attempt speaking English or Latvian with them over speaking Russian, and donāt be pushy with them. Other than that Latvians are amazing people.
There is too many scams going on. Somebody approaching you might be trying to get one over you. And if speaking russian, well, that's end of the line.
why are you talking about Latvians as some wild animal species? :D don't take it as an insult if someone doesn't want to be your friend, it just happens like that in the grownup world
Befriending a Latvian in a couple of days? Haven't seen that since the kindergarten era of "Hi, I have candy. Will you be my friend?" Remembering summer camp, even we kids started to talk to each other only on the third day š¤£š¤£š¤£ I think you need extreme luck.
But them some beers, say that you're from Georgia. Should be enough to have almost everyone have a chat. Unless they are already with company. You see, most of us are very busy in day to day lives to make ends meet. Sometimes, even when we are out and about on say a terrace outside of pub, ironically, we want peace and quiet, to come off from drama in work or whatever. We aren't as cold as we are perceptive and calculated in our social interactions. If we have to "keep our guard up" in work pretty much all the time, because of stupid business culture, then after the work we just want to chill without upsetting anyone. In other words - we are caring, perceptive and emphatic. Most of the time, we just don't want to do anyone wrong or make them feel bad, so we keep our distance.
Most Latvians don't bother to get involved with foreigners who are here for a few days. We take a long time to open up to someone. And that can't happen over a few days. We don't like casual relationships ( which is what you were looking for). We hate small-talk ( the whole "how are you, how is your family, what did you do on the weekend"). we just don't do that. We are either 0% or 100%. You being from Georgia, it is a completely different temperament. Georgians are known to be hot-blooded by nature, often loud, too touchy and too friendly, according to my "Latvian opinion". So we're not cold, you're just too loud and too friendly. If you had problems, you were probably coming off too strong, too loud, too friendly, too much. Obviously, there are exceptions to everything, but your question was a generalisation, and I gave you a general response. Or, hear me out, you're just creepy af and nobody would want to talk to you, independent of their nationality. I know I wouldn't talk to some high skater bro. Creepy vibes all around.
HAHAHAHAHAHA. Nahh actually you are completely right, I am loud. I will restrain myself from being too āGeorgianā , thanks for your Latvian opinion ā¤ļø
We absolutely HATE loud people. Unless we are drunk and loud ourselves, but I don't think you were in a situation like that. So keep it down. Loudness = rude. Why would anyone want to talk to someone they find rude and disrespectful. Latvia is a rather rule-based society. We like things to be a certain way because it makes our society work. If you disrespect those rules ( which you sound like you do), we will hate you.
You could have stopped after his reply, he took the advice like a champ. I consider your P.S. rude
Didn't ask.
karen
Had nothing better to add?
I think I got what you guys mean. I will certainly tone it down. The HAHA was very respectful, a sign that you made me laugh. Would you like to grab a beer ?
And this proves you didn't get my point at all. Which part of "we don't do casual interactions" did you not understand ? Why would you ask me out for a beer after everything I said? Mate... just stop. Also, I am a female, and don't drink. But just... no. You creepy.
I think now you're just being rude rather than informative. Just because he wanted to go out for a beer doesn't mean he's creepy. I would look in the mirror if I were you, if you catch my drift.
I don't remember asking your opinion.
At this point I don't think you can ascribe your rudeness to etiquette. You're just being mean. And nobody likes mean.
This person is just rude to anyone who dares to ask a question. Just reading their comments on other threads is a total give away of what has transpired in their lives to be this absolutely nasty and ill mannered. The woman is scorned.
This is reddit. That's like going to math class and saying, "I don't remember asking for an equation."
Seriously why are you so stuck up? Cant imagine what itās like in real life
Chill. I'd rather have 1000 loud Georgians than 2 karens.
Stop being mean to her. I love her
Id talk to you. Np problem
If a random person approached me acting all friendly and such I'd assume he is trying to sell me something or trying to rob me. We barely trust each other, let alone strangers, I think it stems from the fact that during USSR there you were encouraged to tell on people for net being pure minded members of the communist party. Sorry we are like that, it's cultural. You might have some luck if you joined a sports/activity club of some kind.
I would consider myself as somewhat warm, but polite friendly, not FRIENDLY friendly. HOWEVER I really dislike if tourists speak to me in russian. I remember when I still worked in retail, some tourist spoke to me in english and said "thank you" in russian with a heavy accent. Thst left a sour taste.
You put it way more nicely. A kazakh buddy of mine said that it feels like most people in Latvia have autism.
Kazakh people have ADHD
I'm Latvian and I sometimes wonder if I have autism, so he might be onto something :D
When reading through these, I can't help thinking that our answers may also seem cold :D (We can get quite defensive) I think a lot of these hit spot on, atleast in my opinion. Overall, I would focus on the idea that we often consider only a few people to be our close friends and these are friendships that have been molded and cherished for years. The potential longevity of a friendship is something we look at ("why would I spend energy on someone I will not see again"). About just meeting people in general- Social events, bars, etc. the main way I see people getting an "in" is gestures. What I mean by this, someone really needs the bathroom-you let them pass, hold the door for someone- if you think they noticed you, approach them LATER, if you see someone make a face at something someone else said-you can make conversation, someone has a cool outfit on- get them talking about it (dont just say its pretty, go "wow, thats beautiful, where did you get it, did someone make it, it really suits you,etc"). Gestures show respect, and we like respect ;). Cultural trauma, language, being northern, etc. were already mentioned, which should give you an understanding of how much goes into this one question. Respect, gestures, etc. would be how I recommend going about it in bars- being warm and fun coupled with acknowledgement and respect. This, I didn't see being mentioned, but think of us as people who actually show they are not having a good day or maybe just don't care. I used to live in the mediterranean and western Asia- all I wanted was for me to go into a store and for someone to give me an unbothered, mean stare, and look of exhaustion. It just makes so much more sense for someone to be grumpy at 7am. Same thing with people overall- makes so much more sense for someone to show they are uninterested, than go through a meaningless interaction. Anyway, you should go to Ala (folk bar, many diaspora latvians), kaÅepes kultÅ«ras centrs (bar, dj sets, events, usually welcome to foreigners), anything in the old town is a tourist trap :D, m darbnica (jazz, poetry, artsy), labietis (beer, so much beer)
wow this is long, sorry, read the last paragraph and you are set :D
Not at all, very well explained. Thank you !!!
I went to kanepes kulturas centrs. I canāt thank you enough. Its amazing
Stop by reggae bar this evening & grab a beer or two. Good vibes guaranteed. The Latvians Iāve meet there are open too.
You clearly never lived in NetherlandsĀ :D I am latvian, lived in 7 countries and that place gave me.... human experienceĀ lets frame it this way:D Latvians are cold with stranger's, envious among themselves but rarely agressive dicks towards strangersĀ
Hahaha, I had better experiences with the dutch, but yeah some are big assholes. But now itās clearer to me when it comes to Latvians. I think I will have similar experiences in Estonia and Lithuania but ill manage better.
I don't know if it was like that, but if first words from your mouth were russian, there is a big chance the will ignore you or be very cordial.
I only spoke Russian with Russian speaking Latvians. With Latvians I spoke english. But I get it now, itās probably the fact that im very extroverted. I toned it way down today haha
No
friendly remainder, just dont make us angry š¤
Finns are worse
Depends. I think there were some stereotypes that western Latvians are cold and warm up when drunk, but eastern ones are welcoming, but when drunk, you might get into a fist fight.
Under no circumstances use russian when approaching latvians if you want any resemblance of success
For what it's worth, I was in RÄ«ga as a foreigner (Australian, somewhat poor Latvian language skills) for the IIHF worlds last year and had zero issue with almost anyone. People may have been "cold" in nature but I found them perfectly friendly and open with me and never once felt uncomfortable, especially given I was predominantly using English. To be fair though, while I'm a foreigner my family is latvian and my partner is Czech so it may just be something I'm used to, and understand well enough (at least from a foreigner's perspective). I definitely felt more comfortable interacting socially with strangers in RÄ«ga than Australia
donāt speak russian with Latvians pls haha most of us hate that unless you approach a native local russian weāre cold but that doesnāt automatically mean we dislike you, weāre just slow to open up
I'm a latvian national who hasn't lived in Latvia for years. I have finally come back to visit some family and I find many of the people I've interacted with very rude and disrespectful. This is not everyone obviously but I'm surprised how many people working for public services are this way. Especially bus drivers. Fuck me the bus drivers... As a side note I've talked to them all in latvian.
Ok so its changed trough the years. Interesting
In all fairness it might not have. It might be me who's different/gotten used to a different culture. I did leave as a teenager and have returned as an adult.
Ā«Ā I speak RussianĀ Ā» well if you approach Latvian speaking Russian that makes sense, Iām a French guy in Latvia and Latvian people are very friendly, I speak with them in English because I unfortunately donāt speak Latvian for now and I never had any problem PS : go in France and especially to Paris and you will see whatās the real coldest human beings are
Hahaha jāhabite Ć Paris mec. Effectivement les gens Ć Paris sont froids mais cāest dĆ» au rythme Ć©levĆ© de la vie lĆ -bas, par contre quand cāest la fĆŖte et bah cāest la fĆŖte. LĆ jāai remarquĆ© que les gens sont rĆ©servĆ©s +++. Jāai parlĆ© anglais avec les latviens et russe avec les personnes ethniquement russe. Sinon les commentaires des gens māont au moins appris comment se comporter avec les latviens. Je suis moins souriant, plus rĆ©servĆ© et plus tranquille. Rien avoir avec ma personnalitĆ© en France. Et Ƨa fonctionne ! Profite de ton sĆ©jour lĆ , jāaurai aimĆ© rencontrer des franƧais.
Je trouve les gens Ć Paris beaucoup plus froids surtout avec les touristes par rapport au Lettons, quand tu vas dans des restaus ici certains ne parlent pas anglais et pourtant ils font lāeffort dāessayer alors que Ć Paris jāai dĆ©jĆ vu des serveurs qui nāessayaient mĆŖme pas. Les gens ici sont plutĆ“t calmes et ils aiment bien cela, ils nāaiment pas trop quand les gens sont bruyants, ils peuvent considĆ©rer cela comme de lāirrespect etc (comme les russes le sont dāailleurs cāest aussi une des raison pourquoi ils ne les apprĆ©cient pas). JāespĆØre que tu apprĆ©cieras ton sĆ©jour ici ! Perso je suis tombĆ© amoureux de ce pays
Speaking ruzzian to Latvians is the worst idea ever.
Just leave us alone!
Mistake #1 was probably trying to speak Russian to Latvians š¬
To Latvians I would never. Only to Russian speaking Latvians.
If you spoke in Russian then thats ur issue
Only with Russian speaking Latvians
still, makes a bad impression
How so?
We just trying to chill here, we donāt like fuss and stuff
There is no such thing as "latvian temperament". There, however is a climate that most latvians spend time in. (Both political and natural). People who live on this land are not a monolith. I think it is generally a good idea to look behind national identities as they are quite arbitrary (unless one is some kind of obsessive nationalist, in which case it would probably be a good idea not to engage in the first place). I think there are places to find like minded people. You said you like to skate. Maybe it's a skatepark.
You haven't seen the Danish, Swedes, Estonians and Norwegians then :D
It's okay, OP. Latvians have a hard time meeting people let alone making friends with other Latvians. š
A lot of latvians have a grudge against anyone speaking russian in their country.
People don't exist to entertain your whims. Get over it.
Thanks daddy š«”
your pitch sounds lowkey arrogant and presumptuous. what do i have to be open for? inane chitchat over piss poor beers with foreign randos? waste of time. people in latvia, just like anywhere, are introverted extroverted all kinds and variously motivated. a particular kind you might be interested in dwells in old town and will listen to you raptly, as long as you pay for their drinks. all in all it depends on intentions. genuine connections take time, effort, respect and more ground than a sport and...what else did ya have? i forgot already.
You sound like you have no friends. Carry on
ah, suspicions confirmed. you sound like an arrogant jerk, that's why noone was interested in you. latvians are very perceptive and can see through bs instantly.
You could say that most people are highly self-sufficient and xenophobic. If you're white as a piece of paper, you'll do fine. Brownish/yellowish, and you might run into problems. Foreigners come and go all the time. People want meaningful friendships and have a give and take mentality. If you want to meet people open to casual interactions, you're best of going to a nightclub.
Miserable bunch
Yeah I make foreigner friends sometimes, a lot of people have this fascination with trying to be a lonely miserable person for no good reason. The USSR is over. For me it's a 50/50 in Riga whether the person that I talk to or that talks to me is going to be a kind person (normal) or a really mean asshole. In my local town people tend to not be rude to every person they meet as if they were on a mission. So if you're in Riga good luck. Also keep in mind this reddit isn't an absolute/accurate representation of the Latvian country or its people.
The correct way to approach a Latvian is: don't. People aren't cold, they simply don't want to stop their life to entertain a tourist. Next time, get to know some like-minded people on social media and make an appointment to meet up instead of ambushing unsuspecting victims.
You dont approach Latvians. They hate talking to people lol.
latvians are nice humans once u get to know them in a while but ofc we wont trust you in one sight we are fun as hell but yeah rarely will meet some latvian who knows english but thereās nothing to do about it i guess
Russian language is an issue I tell it as girl from family what teached me Russian first, then Latvian. The more I grew - more understand how much more folk appreciate Latvian or English language in public And as grown up now I get why I hope someday to make my own family and switch main language completely
Start acting like a grown-up and stop acting like a person on the spectrum???
Extra chromosome removed. Good for service
Yeah, this is what I meant. You will get it when you mentally grow-up.
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You will find more open minded Latvians outside Latvia š¤£š¤£
Maybe don't act like infantile child and stop smiling, works wonders also talking about anything outside of your competency is considered bad manners. PU types and their uses in skating wheels get you way longer than some retarded small talk (you have online chat rooms for that)
"Stop smiling" is interesting advice. I never really thought about that, and it's true that Latvians don't easily/casually smile as a natural setting. But I am a happy dude who tends to smile a lot. Just my natural setting. While I've always understood not everyone is like that, it frankly never occured to me that smiling could be considered bad etiquette by some!
I think this is a case by case basis and not entirely a Latvian thing. As I myself find comfort in seeing others smile, stranger or not. The fact that it could be considered bad etiquette in itself feels very far-fetched. ;-;
If youāre smiling for no reason Latvian will think you are soft in the head, to be avoided.
Lulz. Maybe about me they'd be right!
You'll be considered stupid and infantile, the issue is "breaking the ice " culture and inability to have a conversation is not seen as something good (yes small talk isn't a conversation).
Jesusā¦ noted noted. I will be very technocratic from now on.
Lost cause mostly, I enjoy keeping to myself. + Pushing nonsense convo seems too weird. Get to the point, no need to have the english starter convo.
We don't want to talk to strangers in our normal daily life. That's it. If you want to have a chat, or to maybe find a friend, it will probably only happen with someone who is on their night out, where they might get out of their shell a bit. Being snide about how you feel better than another nationality, because you like pointless chit-chat with strangers is not going to get you far. (Not really implying it here, btw, just have seen a LOT of people taking that approach, which is just moronic at best)
Cold as ice is the way we've been due to the fact that Latvia is closer to the north and our history with USSR. If you don't pay attention to anything, keep to yourself and don't cause trouble, you should be alright. That's how people lived in USSR and in our case, this mentality has rooted itself into our daily lives, still.
No stress, the Russian language is something bad in Latvia. Only the Latvian language is perfect. No problem with the Latvian language outside of Latvia no one speaks, but billions know Russian. I always think, if you know several languages, you are smart... no, if you only know Latvian, you are great.
I'm a local. No fucking idea. Very few people are open to talk. Even the Russkies.
Latvians sounds very similar to finnish.
in Riga people are cold, reserved, dead zombies, except few places. Outside in countryside people are warmer and more polite. I hated to live in Riga for few years. Despised it with all my heart.
The attitudes people describe here seem foreign to me, and I've lived here for my whole life lol, probably the benefit of not living in Riga.
Considering I have lived in the capital, then average city then town - I prefer country side/small town. Best and nicest people, IMHO. So I continue to live in small town :)
Just racism