1925: Back in Riga

I was now familiar with Riga and went back to the kind, old landlady for accommodation. She was very pleased to see me and my friend from Aizpute was still there.

The curriculum was two months theory of milk products: bacteriology, bookkeeping, machinery, etc. After the theory there was still one month of practical at a factory. Milda Bushmanis and I were sent to a small factory at Birze, past Jekobpils, near the Lithuanian border. When we got there it consisted of a small factory downstairs and upstairs in the attic there was the manager’s room and at the other end a room for the employee. The manager was going to a course as he had no qualifications.

My partner was 25 and I was 18. The room only had one bed and it was December – a lot of snow and very cold. We did not know what to do and the co-operative committee took no notice of us. We did not care much as it was a short-term position so we worked only every second day and then stayed around keeping warm. We were very short of money, our main food was rye bread, butter, sour cream and milk soup with dumplings – most of this was free. For sleeping, the first night we took the mattress of the bed; I slept on the floor and Milda put a blanket on the bed and slept on it. This way we froze as we each only had one blanket. Then we tried sleeping in one bed, each in a separate blanket for one night. Then we just slept together, which was much better. Milda was experienced and was a good sex teacher. We lived like this until the managed returned after 1 ½ months. He did not want to know how we had managed and just gave us our pay. I had some money and for the first time I went to Digaini for a visit home. My brothers and sisters were impressed by my adventures. Even Adam was kinder as I had showed that I could be independent and that I had a good future as a milk factory manager. The certificate for this was in my pocket and jobs were waiting as there were still shortages.