My Latvian story .........

For much of my life I have dreamed of finding where my ancestors come from.  It was a kind of romantic notion that I would visit the village in Latvia, walk down the streets, and know in my heart more about a family that I know so little about.  There have always been questions that no-one could ever really answer, and that I just never was able to ask for so many reasons.  And I have just spent a week in Latvia and was able to visit the village where my grandmother was born - LUDZA.

Riga is the capital of Latvia and I flew into Riga on 8th July after my week in Croatia, and the day of travelling on Sunday was the most hectic day - with my first plane delayed and then while waiting to check in for flight at Frankfurt airport, the police suddenly evacuated the airport terminal and besides shouting order in German, we didn't know what was going on - its was quite scary and chaotic, resulting in an hour and half delay in that flight and when eventually arriving in Riga, another hour delay in receiving the luggage - wow it felt like Friday the 13th.

Riga is a beautiful city and I stayed in such a lovely hotel in the old city - it was easy to wander the streets and experience the culture and magic and get an idea of Latvia.

On Monday I started exploring and visited the museum of occupation which was a very heart wrenching and emotionally touching experience.  This country has been through so much for hundreds of years from revolutions to the first and second world wars, the Nazis concentration camps and over 70 000 Jews being killed in the forest outside Riga, Rumbula.  I found this museum such a painful experience and couldn't stay there for too long.  After Croatia and seeing where they have come back from and now Latvia, it puts life in Africa into another perspective.  And this became evident when while walking past the main government buildings in Riga, where I was admiring their food garden outside their official building, I saw 4 men with protest placards across the road and went over to talk to them.  One was from Ivory Coast, 2 from Pakistan and the 4th a local Latvian.  They are Political Asylum Seekers in Latvia, protesting about human rights abuses in Pakistan.  There they were sitting with the statements of protest and we had a wonderful conversation, they allowed me to take their photos and talk about them on my blog - which I am doing now - but what became evident to me as I walked away is that the world has changed and we all have far more freedom.  Freedom to protest, freedom to express our views, freedom that 20 years ago was unheard of or just not allowed.  And utilising this freedom to make the changes and be heard is a responsibility that we all carry.  My visit to the museum of occupation had showed what taking away people's freedom creates, and the fact that these 4 men can sit, peacefully, with their feelings expressed on cardboard and apply for asylum each for their own reason, is a reflection of how much things have changed.

Bella

On Tuesday I visited the Jewish Museum and met Bella - the wonderful woman who manages the data and seems to knows everything about the Jewish history of Latvia.  Bella speaks Yiddish, a language my mother and grand-mother would use when they didn't want us to know what they were saying, and language is not my forte' but we were able to communicate and Bella got onto her computer and starting finding information for me like a true professional.

What I discovered is that although Chaitow is the surname my Great-Grandfather was given when landing in South Africa in 1909 but it seems the surname that they had here was in fact Haitow pronounced Ghai - Tov - which means if translated literally - Good Life.

And that is what I feel their life was like here besides the fact that the Jews seemed to have always had a really hard time being who they are and always had to get permission to exist in so much of the history I have been able to find.  But the country is beautiful, its green and lush, with amazing lakes, forests, rivers, and there are vegetables and flowers growing everywhere, and an essence of goodness and gentleness in the people that live here.  And their craft, their music, their art is so authentic and real coming from the heart and everything is done so beautifully with so much love and care.  And I resonate with this land so much, each house and garden, the gentleness, the lushness, it feels so much like home and in a way fills so much of how I have always wanted to live and be.  And much what I have found by living in the Garden Route, away from the hustle and bustle of city life.


Bella put me in contact with a woman - Rita Bogdanova, from State Archives of Latvia (Latvian State Historical Archives) who seems to have found something about my family and I quote :

Dear Nidhi,
There were some families in Ludza, but in order to identify your family I need to know the date of birth of Haim and Bertha. According to the Census for 1897 a family Haitow where son Haim was born in ca 1886 lived by that time in Ludza, at Doctor Street 28-2. As far as I know now it should be Mayaskovsky Street. But you can ask there. I would suggest you can visit the Ludza library.
Best wishes, Rita

When I was planning my visit to Latvia, I found Ludza on the map, and my cousin, Sasha, confirmed this for me as she has been working on the family history too.  Sasha's grandfather Max was my grandmother Lily's brother.  I booked a hotel to stay in a town called Rezekne which is 30km away from Ludza and where I  stayed for 2 nights.  These towns form part of the Latgale, which is one of the four historical and cultural regions of Latvia. It is the easternmost region north of the Daugava River. My great-grandfather Heim Haitow or Chaim Chaitow arrived in South Africa on 22 Jan 1909 which means he left some time in 1908 and it the information from Rita is correct he was only 22 years old - he had a wife and 3 children, and when exactly that Bertha and her children arrived in South Africa is not information that I have been able to find.

These are Lucy's Latvian cousins - left Vita and right Maria

Litiga

Thursday 12 July I went to Ludza and walked on the land in the town where my grand-mother and her brothers were born, and it was a day filled with so much synchroncity and I met really amazing people.  I decided to take a taxi to Ludza and when I arrived at the town hall and got out of the car, I realised that I didn't really have a plan, so I did what Rita suggested, and went to the Library.  Ligita, who works in the research section, cannot speak English but some how I was able to explain what I was looking for and she called the director of the library,  a woman called Inta Kusnere who speaks English and was so helpful.  She offered to help me after her lunch hour, and we planned to meet at 13h00 - so I had an hour and went walking around Ludza.

28 Reskasova Street

Its hard to explain how I was feeling. Much of this journey has been a fulfillment of my dreams and yet this was completely different.  Inta has told me that the Mayakovsky Street is now called Reskasova Street and after about half an hour of wandering around this very cold and lifeless old town, I found it.  As I walked around trying to feel something of the energy of ancestors, I felt very little and whenever I came across a local person they looked at me like I was an alien.  This was one of the most loneliest moments I have experienced in my life.  And when I found Reskasova Street and looked for 28, I didn't feel that romance or have heart flutters that I had imagined.  And I found an old house with so little energy - no 28.  I took some photos and wished I could have knocked on the door and speak to the people about who I was and what I was looking for, but didn't - instead I sprinkled the water from my bottle and said a little prayer, honouring this as my ancestral roots and connection to times from long ago, and as I walked up the street, a tear rolled down my cheek and I felt the connection to my ancestors and acknowledged where we come from.  

Irena

I met Inta just after 1 and we went to the Social Services department to search the birth records and see if we could find anything about the Haitow family.  Irena works her, a very sweet woman, who pulled out book after book but couldn't find anything except Mushka Hatiow born in 1866.  Who she is still will have to be investigated.  Although Irena can't speak English, I observed that she had gardeners fingers while she was showing me how to search the website, and there was a book next to her computer about medicinal plants.  We start sharing our passion for healing plants and through Inta she explained that this is a new hobby for her and that her grand-mother had worked with medicinal, healing plants.  She loves Hypericum - plants have Latin names which is universal and we could communicate using these - what a blessing. 


As we were about to leave, Inta's boss, the deputy Mayor of Ludza was there, and she asked him to take us to the Jewish Cemetery and we drove out of town, through the most beautiful countryside to get there.  The cemetery is really big, and because it was raining we didn't spend much time there and of course I don't read Hebrew so finding anything about my family was not possible, but just being there overlooking a lake, in a forest of trees seeing so many graves, was haunting and deeply touching.  Another moment of connection to my history.  


Inta then took me to the Synagogue which is completely stripped inside and filled with mess -  she said that its been like that for many years and what was interesting is that some people from Israel were due to visit in a weeks time to assess the situation.  I felt like I wanted to do something too - it was so eerie to see it and feel it stripped and dilapidated.   





The Ludza Tourism department put out a booklet Discover Ludza as a promotion of this beautiful, ancient town written in English and Latvian.  When I read the booklet the English content is not the greatest translation and Inta took me to the tourism office to discuss this with them.  I offered to assist them with a correction and editing of their English copy and they were so happy and accepting of the assistance - I feel that this is a gift that I can give to this town, they so need tourism and people to visit their amazing little town - and as they explained to me, that getting the older inhabitants to change and look positively towards visitors is their challenge.  

So that was my visit to Ludza, and when I left I felt a sadness and a connection and had invitations from Inta and the tourism office to come back, bring my daughter, and stay longer next time.  It feels such an honour to write and edit their copy and I know that I was able to share my rhythm and my light with them.  I am extremely grateful and thankful for this experience and am so happy that I fulfilled this dream.  



















Latvia is a wonderful ancestral country, and I will hold my week there deep within my heart for ever.  And its off to Russia, and that is another story which you will read in due course.

Until next time, be blessed and thank you for your constant support and encouragement, I feel extremely blessed and inspired as I write each post.

Om Shanti Om xxx

Croatia–land of ancient mysteries

After leaving Bali a week ago and spending an amazing 24 hours in Singapore, which is very organised, clean and has every modern luxury that is needed to make life very pleasant, I have been cruising the Adriatic sea and exploring Croatia. This is amazing and if every you need a holiday, time to relax and really get away from the world, cruising on a small boat from Island to Island in beautiful turquoise water where you can swim, sleep, read, eat and rest is a wonderful experience.  Its been absolutely amazing and also spending time with people from South Africa, Denmark, England, USA and Australia and of course Croatia, each with their own story and itinerary has been so amazing for me.  And this country is so beautiful and has so much to offer as far as old, ancient towns and cities with such a rich ancient history going back to the year 600 BC and the ocean and rich natural beauty that is breath-taking.
                          And during this time I have been off line – unable to connect to the internet, so its been time where I am not constantly checking in and communicating – and I have realised how much of a distraction the internet is in my life, and how dependant I have become to this connection which I am travelling – I suppose its because I am travelling alone and there are so many moments where because I don’t have someone to instantly share my experience or feelings with, that I share via skype, facebook, email or my blog, keeping me connected and in tune with my loved ones and family.  Letting that all go this week, as I have had no choice, has been a refreshing shift and another step into me connecting with myself completely.

Before sharing more about what I am about to undertake on my journey, I will share a little about Croatia – its a mystical place with so much beauty and so many stories, both ancient and modern, and as a country and a people they have maintained their dignity and are working so hard on reaching their full potential.  There is a sadness about their recent war and hardship and yet there is a pride and self respect that is evident wherever you go – and they are beautiful people.

The cruise is on a vintage motor-sailing boat and the route goes along the Dalmatian coastline and islands.   We started in Split on Saturday 30 June and my cabin was on the first floor - with aircon and when the door is open looked onto the ocean.  It was so amazing to meet a South African couple from Melville in Jozi who were on the cruise - a good dose of home for me and I was so happy.  We set sail at 13h00 with a lovely lunch and sailed to Makarska Riviera where we spend the first night.


Now what I didn't know and was soon to find out is that these boats stay in various ports at night and are docked all together, which means a "suburb" is formed and there is very little privacy and certainly not much silence - and the ports offer much in the way of night life so there is pulsating music pumping well into the early hours of the morning, and then the revelers coming back to the boats at all different hours each night - perfect for partying and wild drinkers, not for me.

On Sunday we sailed to the island of Mljet,  with the first stop on the Peljesac peninsula for a refreshing swim. The whole afternoon was free to explore the salt lakes in Mljet National Park and enjoy the sun and sea on this peaceful island. In the middle of the large lake, inside the National park, there is an old abbey and church. This was lovely and swimming in the water was such a great relief as it was extremely hot - temperature in the mid 30's.

After breakfast on Monday we departed for Dubrovnik and the beautiful sights of nature along the way were towards “the heaven on earth" according to George Bernard Shaw. We arrived in Dubrovnik in the early afternoon where we had the whole afternoon, night and the next morning to explore and I joined a guided tour of Dubrovnik with an English speaking guide,  and here the damage from their war 1991 to 1995 was evident, seeing the places where mortar and bombs hit the city in various places.  There is deep courage in Croatia and there is a huge discrepancy in the numbers of women compared with men - so many men died in the war and this has affected a whole generation.
After a dinner at the oldest pizzeria in Dubrovnik, my Danish friend Signer and I returned to the boat, and I started drumming with the crew and a few guests, who all participated with clapping, and it was so great and much fun - they got a taste of drumming and they really loved it.  As usual it created joy and much laughter.

Signer, Maryanne (from England) and I decided to go swimming at the beach the next morning and we had to be back at the boat by 12 - we caught a water taxi and like idiots (and I say that because we were) paid upfront for the taxi to come collect us at 11 - well he didn't come back and we had to find a taxi in the heat and go through the stress of being late - I was so angry and when reflecting on this later I realised I was really angry with myself for falling for the best tourist trick in the book.

At 12 on Tuesday we sailed to the little town of Trstenik on the Peljesac peninsula.    Such a lovely town with a population of 100 of which 20 are children.  They make their own delicious wine, and most of the inhabitants are professionals opting for a more laid back life.  It was full moon on Tuesday night and watching the moon rise over the sea and seeing the moon reflected for much of the night was so beautiful.  It did create a bit of madness for everyone that night and lots of tequila and laughing took place.

After breakfast on Wednesday, we departed for Korcula, the suspected birthplace of MARCO POLO. Lunch on the board in front of Lumbarda (part of Korcula) and we arrived in Korčula late afternoon. This was my favorite town and although the parties were there noisiest that night and one of the girls from the party boat docked next to us,  fell into the water, and I was woken up around 2 and didn't get much sleep (which makes me extremely cranky).  This town is so beautiful and we had dinner overlooking the ocean, eating the most delicious fish and enjoying local wines.  And there are more legends, tales and monuments than anywhere else and full of stories and if you close your eyes and listen to the stone walls, which were being built over two centuries ago, you can feel and hear so much mystery.

Early in Thursday morning we departed for the Pakleni Islands for lunch and swimming and then set off  for Hvar after lunch.  Hvar is the longest island in the Adriatic with a renaissance cathedral with its original tower and the oldest community theatre in Europe founded here in 1612.  The town of Hvar offers abundant entertainment full of restaurants, bars and cafes that are open long into the night.  Celebrities like Beyonce, China's richest millionaire, Sheiks and Oil Barons, etc. seem to love this Island, which is understandable as its so beautiful and here we had a wonderful dinner with a live Jazz trio and I expected a night of major noise and it was much quieter and although many of the boats passengers from our and other boats did dance the night away it was still quiet and I had a good night's sleep. 

And on Friday we made a very early start to the the island of Brac to swim in one of the most famous beaches in Dalmatia – Zlatni Rat near Bol (the Golden cape - its gravel promontory shifts from side to side as the wind and waves constantly change in shape). Bol is a typical fisherman’s town turned into a popular tourist destination. After lunch we started our journey back to Split and on our way had our last swim-break in one of the many bays on island of Brac.  We arrived at Split in early afternoon. Split is a monumental city under UNESCO protection that belongs not only to Croatians, but also to you, as it is a part of the world heritage. It was very busy and very noisy and the town was alive  with so much going on it was like carnival time, with street performers and vendors, wonderful restaurants and architecture.  And thats it - next morning up early, saying goodbye to new friends, and packing and then I was on a bus to Zagreb where I was leaving early on Sunday morning for Riga, Latvia.

The cruise was wonderful and Croatia is a place that I would love to explore again with more time and in my own time finding peace and tranquility.  I keep accepting the parts of myself that I have resisted and tried to change and its a refreshing and wonderful to be me.  And now I am undertaking one of the most sacred parts of my journey, visiting the land of my ancestors.  I am emotional and a bit overwhelmed about visiting Latvia and yet as I research my hotels and look at what is on offer, the excitement grows as its such a beautiful country with abundant nature and so much to offer.


I know many of you have missed reading my blog and I am getting messages from far and wide wondering where I am - well I am here - and I will have much to share about Latvia soon.  

And the mysteries continue, I have reached the half way mark of my journey, and time is moving quickly - be blessed and be peaceful always, until next time ..........

Om Shanti Om