#4

July 1, 2013
Voluntary work at the Parade of Latvian Folk Costumes

July 1 was the first official day of XXV Nationwide Latvian Song and XV Dance Celebration. The first big event - Parade of Latvian Folk Costumes - took place in the Ķīpsala Event Centre at 4 p.m., which was actually before the big Opening Ceremony. For volunteer's, however, the day started even earlier - at 7 a.m.

There are two great halls in Ķīpsala Event Centre and Parade of Latvian Folk Costumes was going to take place in the first hall, called the wooden hall among workers. That was where I spent most of my time. In the other hall there were some folk dance groups, trying out the stage for the Dance Ensemble Competition Final (July 2) and I met my former dance teacher as well as a Math teacher from my previous school. Meeting them was a pleasant surprise, though neither of us had much time to talk - they had to go repeat their dance moves and I had to return to work.

In the morning I had to adorn the hall and the lobby with plants and flowers. There were also heavy branches that had to be carried to different places - quite a wearisome work to do. In fact, not all of these branches were thin enough to be put in the right holes, so I had to tear off parts of bark and wood with a pocket knife. I had never done anything like that before and did not know that it is not easy at all. After that I had to tie some new branches to the existing ones so that the branches made a thick, green wall. This was a great opportunity to put my knowledge of force and impulse to practical use in order to keep the set from falling.

Meanwhile participants were already arriving for their rehearsal, and I felt glad to help whenever someone asked me directions to the dressing rooms or facilities. After lunch the organizers showed us the spectator seating plan. Around 3 p.m. I was by the spectator stands, showing people to their seats. Helping, finding joy and smiling until my jaw was aching. The chance to see the concert was a nice bonus and I would be lying if I said that seeing all those people in our national costumes did not make me indescribably proud to be a Latvian.

As always, I took some pictures. 

I did not have much time for that though, and due to darkness in the hall - the quality is not the best:

mannequins, before they were put in their places by the colourful boards

walls of bushes - the ones we were making

rehearsal from afar

my ID card, the one that grants me free admission to almost every event 

the back of my volunteer's T-shirt

the sertificate I got for helping at XXV Nationwide Latvian Song and XV Dance Celebration

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My reflections

Being a part of this wonderful event was all that I had hoped for and more. To be honest, I expected the work to be easier physically and I did not think I would get to try out something I had never done before. Flaying branches and tying them to one another in order to form a tight line - all that was new to me. Also I had hoped to interact with people and help them, and I am glad I had the chance to do so. I put my best effort in to making their day brighter and was delighted to see smiles appearing on their faces after they had successfully found their dressing rooms or seats. I would have rather worked in an information centre though - that way I could have talked to spectators and participants even more. This activity helped me understand that I feel more useful and comfortable actively interacting with others and maybe even organizing something.
Working collaboratively with others was another goal I accomplished. There were six other volunteers and a few organizers, who gave us orders, but respected our opinions as well. Our work organization was not perfect and, as I observed, the organizers did not have a clear plan in their minds. We had to carry branches back and forth until the organizers decided what to do with them exactly. I am fond of schedules and plans, so I did not appreciate such an attitude.
Since I do not live in Riga and do not know the city very well, through this activity I explored districts I had not been in before. The activity itself - being a part of this nationwide event - looking from an overall perspective - strenghtened my Latvian identity and cultural self-awareness. And even if this cannot be considered a learning outcome, I find it very important.