Happily Ever After

I went to a play at the National Theatre last night. It was a Latvian comedy which normally implies that someone will die or be committing suicide.....but it was a nice surprise to find that it was actually funny. Of course in true Latvian fashion the ending was unclear and so the audience in kept wondering if they eventually get together. There is no "happily ever after" in Latvian drama but the song "Mama Mia" by ABBA was playing in the background so all seemed right with the world. The weird thing for me was that at the end of the play everyone was clapping in unison. I don't know if this is a result of communist times where even clapping was not an individual activity but it was very weird.

Then, on our way home my friend and I were standing at a street corner waiting to cross when this ambulance (without its lights on) came barreling down the street. Let me sidetrack here to say that the streets and sidewalks here are riddled with pot holes and after it rains (which it did yesterday) walking around the city is like trying to navigate a mine field.

Okay, back to the story so we were standing there and this ambulance was probably going about 50 mph down the street and I pulled my friend back a little in an attempt to try and stay away from the splash. Then the ambulance hit a huge pot hole and sprayed both of us...we're talking full on movie splash drenching us both from head to toe. Except in the movies its not nasty, grey, exhaust smelling water and the people are so in love they don't even notice it. Let me tell you we noticed it all right. I can still smell the putrid water on my jacket. I guess real life isn't really like the movies, instead its more like a Latvian drama with no happily ever after!