Not Latvian, but I'm very glad that the Baltics managed to seize the window of opportunity after the fall of USSR and join EU/NATO. Had you waited more, maybe it wouldn't have been so easy (see Ukraine). That was a good move. We're happy to have you here!
our first president didnt do shit, to develop this country. 90's were bad for us. everyone was pulling apart everything here, just to gain money. ruzzian gangs were still a thing here. crime rates were terrible. when next president, Vaira Vīķe Freiberga came in, everything changed 180 degrees.
It's not on the president though. We're a parliamentary government country, not a presidential one. Early 90s would be chaos either way because of the transition but blame the prime ministers if you want to blame someone. That said, VVF did a lot to promote Western-oriented development here, and promote us in international institutions.
Also true. But it’s obvious in retrospect now, back then they just made shit up as they went along.
It’s also why Estonians got ahead faster, I think - they basically already had a shadow government ready, supported by the Finns, even before the collapse of the USSR while we were spinning our wheels, trying to figure a lot of shit out.
nu mums jau tā nenormālā orku populācija visu sapisa. igauņiem un leišiem krietni mazāks procents uz to diasporu bija. mūsu pierobeža un daudzi holhoza ciemati no vieniem orkiem tika veidoti, tā ar veljoprojām palicis. tādi repšes, krištopāni, šleseri, godmaņi 90-tajos nenormāli uz to iedzīvojās. čekisti, vai uz to pusi.
Igauņiem īpaši neatšķiras krievu skaits, viņiem ir tā pati nepilsoņu problēma, kas mums. Viņiem 23.7, mums 24.4%. Leišiem bija vieglāk, ap 7% varēja atļauties visiem arī pilsoņu pases iedot, tur tagad mazāk iespējas naidu kurināt.
Varbūt tas, ka mums lielāka valsts, vairāk uzspieda uz pārvaldes rusifikāciju, un visu no tā izrietošo kultūru.
vai tad nebij viņiem populācija lielāka? platība jau toč, bet pie mums vairāk tos orkus savilka un ģerevņas ar viņiem taisīja. igauņiem toč paveicās, tik Narvas pusē skumjāk esot.
she did. her family emigrated at ww2. and western democracy turned around Latvia at her presidency at that time. for that im really thankfull to her for that. for how our country ended up. how it was before, ugh.
Tbh most of us are happy that you guys are here ready to help, if needed and that is truly appreciated. I personally have no issues. If anything I can rest easy knowing we have someone here on our side. 😌
It’s cool, I dated one of them (even though I think he said something about not being allowed to date girls here just in case they’re Russian spies or something, it was more than a year ago so I don’t remember exactly lol), overall he made me think that they’re just really cool friendly people
Reminds me of time when there was that one girl who mentioned on Twitter that she is going out on a date with the 7ft tall Canadian and there were 3 more girls who had dates planned with the same guy 😂
Not all of them are actually Canadians, my date was Asian who moved to Canada as a child. Well, this is not a good example because Asians are also not the tallest people.. but yeah hahah
Jeez, there are tons of them on Tinder and other comparable sites :). They are not always upfront with it, but once they admit being either American or Canadian and "living" in Ādaži, it is a no-brainer :). But yeah, easy to scare, if you show them your deduction skills :D. Once, I just joked that I am tasked by the NATO to find out NATO soldiers on Tinder and evaluate if they are behaving nicely and are nto telling military secrets, and the bugger instantly unmatched me.
Extremely grateful. And feeling lucky that we got the Canadian contingent as I view Canada as the most honorable and trustworthy in these matters (probably because of your track record of participating in UN peace missions)
I've met one two days ago in rimi (grocery stores chain). He spoke Latvian with a very strong French Canadian accent. Right after him, there was a woman who probably lived her whole life in Latvia and she spoke russian. Different worlds, different attitudes. He respects the country where he is located more than local vatniks. It feels good to know that people like him will help us defend Latvia against ruzzians when they attack.
I have seen them. I know they're doing their thing. As silently as possible. It's better to rely on our friends, mate. USA is too unpredictable. But Canada knows what's up and where things could go further. To me personally yes seeing a military guy is a reminder that things are serious. Hope for the best and be prepared for the worst.
Happy and grateful. For helping our troops integrate with NATO for being here as deterrent and for making here a bit better place, as the famous Canadian politeness really does exist.
Can we have more?
English guy here. Spent alot of time in latvia (been 40+ times) it's great that the Canadian military have a presence there, makes me feel better that the envelope of nato is there. Canada is a wonderful country to visit the wilderness of latvia gives of many similar vibes. With that tyrant on the doorstep we hope and prey latvia will be fine
Yeah that is more in line with what I meant- have the Canadians been assholes around Riga or have we been more or less respectful. I've done two tours the EFP and I've seen both -Canadians learning Latvian to converse with the locals better(even though you all seem to speak perfect English) and other Canadians getting too drunk and starting rights and being nuisances, so I'm curious what the over all vibe is.
The second ones are mostly the Italians, Spanish and others. I haven't heard of any Canadians misbehaving badly. And I know a few of them myself, kinda dated one back in 2020.
Latvians like Canada because you took in a lot of Latvian refugees during the war, like our former president.
I like it a lot, but we need to significantly increase the amount of NATO military troop presence here to be safe.
The biggest problem is that if russia will attack NATO it won't be by conventional means but rather nuclear and most likely that will not be done to bordering countries.
Feels alright, would feel nicer if the Canadian government starting taking their own military more seriously though as they are not getting the necessary minimum share they should.
Canadians are cool, we should have more interaction as nations, on a military level also
I think we have a lot in common – we love nature, ice hockey, and beer ))
Also I never heard that Canadians are misbehaving, which I can’t say about some other countries troops stationed here
glad to be on the west side of iron curtain, this time. if you want a cold one, its on me. welcome!
Not Latvian, but I'm very glad that the Baltics managed to seize the window of opportunity after the fall of USSR and join EU/NATO. Had you waited more, maybe it wouldn't have been so easy (see Ukraine). That was a good move. We're happy to have you here!
our first president didnt do shit, to develop this country. 90's were bad for us. everyone was pulling apart everything here, just to gain money. ruzzian gangs were still a thing here. crime rates were terrible. when next president, Vaira Vīķe Freiberga came in, everything changed 180 degrees.
It's not on the president though. We're a parliamentary government country, not a presidential one. Early 90s would be chaos either way because of the transition but blame the prime ministers if you want to blame someone. That said, VVF did a lot to promote Western-oriented development here, and promote us in international institutions.
true. but Ulmanis didnt do much to show, how we should live.
Also true. But it’s obvious in retrospect now, back then they just made shit up as they went along. It’s also why Estonians got ahead faster, I think - they basically already had a shadow government ready, supported by the Finns, even before the collapse of the USSR while we were spinning our wheels, trying to figure a lot of shit out.
nu mums jau tā nenormālā orku populācija visu sapisa. igauņiem un leišiem krietni mazāks procents uz to diasporu bija. mūsu pierobeža un daudzi holhoza ciemati no vieniem orkiem tika veidoti, tā ar veljoprojām palicis. tādi repšes, krištopāni, šleseri, godmaņi 90-tajos nenormāli uz to iedzīvojās. čekisti, vai uz to pusi.
Igauņiem īpaši neatšķiras krievu skaits, viņiem ir tā pati nepilsoņu problēma, kas mums. Viņiem 23.7, mums 24.4%. Leišiem bija vieglāk, ap 7% varēja atļauties visiem arī pilsoņu pases iedot, tur tagad mazāk iespējas naidu kurināt. Varbūt tas, ka mums lielāka valsts, vairāk uzspieda uz pārvaldes rusifikāciju, un visu no tā izrietošo kultūru.
vai tad nebij viņiem populācija lielāka? platība jau toč, bet pie mums vairāk tos orkus savilka un ģerevņas ar viņiem taisīja. igauņiem toč paveicās, tik Narvas pusē skumjāk esot.
Interesting bridge to the Canadian soldier. Freiberga grew up in Canada, right?
she did. her family emigrated at ww2. and western democracy turned around Latvia at her presidency at that time. for that im really thankfull to her for that. for how our country ended up. how it was before, ugh.
We left Abrene behind to apply for NATO as a country with no disputes about borders. I think it was the right choice.
Good. Canada is a good ally
Glad to hear it
Ran into one of yours (Canadian military) tonight. Good crew. Alliances exist for a reason, and glad to have em.
Glad to have them here. I sincerely hope they and others will stay with us in the hour of greatest need
Let's hope it doesn't come to that
I hope so too but it has always been “when” not “if”
Well, there's first time for everything. Maybe this will be it 🤞🏻
Lets hope 4 pixels dont cause the "when" to come sooner
What do you mean by 4 pixels?
Oh its just a refrence to the 096 short movie
Tbh most of us are happy that you guys are here ready to help, if needed and that is truly appreciated. I personally have no issues. If anything I can rest easy knowing we have someone here on our side. 😌
Grateful for any help we can get. Sincerest thanks to all of our allies!
Grateful you are here.
super happy about that! Have seen Canadian military guys here
I have had no actual interactions, but it is really good that you are here. Canadians are overall nice people, as far as I have noticed.
I wouldn't mind even bigger Canadian Military presence.
It’s cool, I dated one of them (even though I think he said something about not being allowed to date girls here just in case they’re Russian spies or something, it was more than a year ago so I don’t remember exactly lol), overall he made me think that they’re just really cool friendly people
If anyone tells you their last name is Gustav or Blogging steer clear of them, they are interested in one thing only.
Reminds me of time when there was that one girl who mentioned on Twitter that she is going out on a date with the 7ft tall Canadian and there were 3 more girls who had dates planned with the same guy 😂
How is that physiologically possible, Canadians are tiny
Not all of them are actually Canadians, my date was Asian who moved to Canada as a child. Well, this is not a good example because Asians are also not the tallest people.. but yeah hahah
Trudeau would def disapprove of your first statement
Jeez, there are tons of them on Tinder and other comparable sites :). They are not always upfront with it, but once they admit being either American or Canadian and "living" in Ādaži, it is a no-brainer :). But yeah, easy to scare, if you show them your deduction skills :D. Once, I just joked that I am tasked by the NATO to find out NATO soldiers on Tinder and evaluate if they are behaving nicely and are nto telling military secrets, and the bugger instantly unmatched me.
Oo im also from Ādaži! :D
Extremely grateful. And feeling lucky that we got the Canadian contingent as I view Canada as the most honorable and trustworthy in these matters (probably because of your track record of participating in UN peace missions)
We're cool with any Western ally here. Wish You guys a good time here.
Good. Thanks for keeping russian military presence out of Latvia
I've met one two days ago in rimi (grocery stores chain). He spoke Latvian with a very strong French Canadian accent. Right after him, there was a woman who probably lived her whole life in Latvia and she spoke russian. Different worlds, different attitudes. He respects the country where he is located more than local vatniks. It feels good to know that people like him will help us defend Latvia against ruzzians when they attack.
You guys rock! Met some in couple of trainings, awesome people, extremely great professionals 🫡
i like them.feel not so alone
Somehow maple leaf syrup instantly disappeared from shops, which was a tiny bit annoying, but otherwise you are all welcome :)
I have seen them. I know they're doing their thing. As silently as possible. It's better to rely on our friends, mate. USA is too unpredictable. But Canada knows what's up and where things could go further. To me personally yes seeing a military guy is a reminder that things are serious. Hope for the best and be prepared for the worst.
youre bright green
It's basically the same camo as Estonians and tbh man your guys camo isn't the best thing I've ever seen.
That's our "hi-viz" camo, you clearly haven't seen our *good* camo (due to it being good)
You are referring to the old desert shit or the new green stuff? At least it gets better... :D
Cool and funny guys, played some airsoft and threw some some grenades with some of them in the summer.
Super happy you guys are here. Haven't had or heard any issues with the personell. AND you guys came up with hockey as we know it. Canada FTW
Good Always nice and say hello when pulling guard on checkpoint
Happy and grateful. For helping our troops integrate with NATO for being here as deterrent and for making here a bit better place, as the famous Canadian politeness really does exist. Can we have more?
Sounds awesome judging from my friend who’s in the service! He mentioned you guys are so freaking nice you offer to pay the drinks in the bar!
English guy here. Spent alot of time in latvia (been 40+ times) it's great that the Canadian military have a presence there, makes me feel better that the envelope of nato is there. Canada is a wonderful country to visit the wilderness of latvia gives of many similar vibes. With that tyrant on the doorstep we hope and prey latvia will be fine
More interested in what your girlfriends and wives think of you being on the dating apps here : )
Just some dudes sent here by someone who pushed pencils their way to the top. Be cool, you get a beer on me, be a dick, I’ll rant on twitter.
Yeah that is more in line with what I meant- have the Canadians been assholes around Riga or have we been more or less respectful. I've done two tours the EFP and I've seen both -Canadians learning Latvian to converse with the locals better(even though you all seem to speak perfect English) and other Canadians getting too drunk and starting rights and being nuisances, so I'm curious what the over all vibe is.
The second ones are mostly the Italians, Spanish and others. I haven't heard of any Canadians misbehaving badly. And I know a few of them myself, kinda dated one back in 2020. Latvians like Canada because you took in a lot of Latvian refugees during the war, like our former president.
In my experience so far the Canadians are just fighting other Canadians in the bars
I like it a lot, but we need to significantly increase the amount of NATO military troop presence here to be safe. The biggest problem is that if russia will attack NATO it won't be by conventional means but rather nuclear and most likely that will not be done to bordering countries.
To be fair noone gives shit or thinks about it, our guys served Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia. Maybe some vatniks care, but noone cares about them.
You may be right but the way you put this sounds so fucking arrogant I just had to downvote
Canadians are overpopulating my gym
Why, they have their own free gym on base.
Also overcrowded at times
No love for your current government. But military folks are welcomed.
I prefer the mongolians but you guys are ok.
Better question is how do you feel about getting to be in the 1st line to get killed if russia invades?
Fucking great, what an excellent thing to die for. Protecting a country from suffering the same fate that millions of Ukrainians have faced.
Based?
Don't understand the downvotes. It's a reasonable question how a soldier feels potentially risking his life for another country.
I think it is a reasonable question, but it is worded in a way that makes it appear loaded.
Canadian here. Ready to die for this wonderful country.
Feels alright, would feel nicer if the Canadian government starting taking their own military more seriously though as they are not getting the necessary minimum share they should.
I love working together with Canadians the most back in Adazi. As with other efp countries personnel there is a certain degree of language barrier.
Canadians are cool, we should have more interaction as nations, on a military level also I think we have a lot in common – we love nature, ice hockey, and beer )) Also I never heard that Canadians are misbehaving, which I can’t say about some other countries troops stationed here
Yes. A Canadian private rammed my work car in a parking lot. I most definitely felt it.