Childhood - the happiest days of our lives or
Childhood in Latvia
I was born on 22nd August, 1982. It was not an easy time for families
in Latvia. Latvia was in the Soviet Union, and it was a hard time to buy
something, because shops were empty and if you wanted something
new or special you had to stand in line from early morning and couldn’t
be sure you would get it. But people were more friendly and helpful
than they are now.
I remember my childhood as the brightest and happiest time of my life when I never thought about
the future, about what I would eat, what to wear, what to do tomorrow. It was a hard political and
economic time for all the country but for children it was the happiest time.
Most time of my childhood I spent outside instead of watching TV or playing on computers as now
our children are. I lived in a small village, where everyone knew each other, where we could go
without worrying that we could get lost. Our parents let us go outside alone from early childhood
because then there weren’t any kidnappings, and if there was a stranger everyone could see him.
Most games we played were in trees in a fruit garden near our house or in forest where we made
huts or sometimes played hide-and –seek or some other games. My childhood was a very active
time, all the time we played many games where we ran, jumped, climbed and did many things some
of which were really extreme, and I am happy that our parents didn’t know it.
The happiest time of my childhood was in summer when we went to the lake. In the sunshine we
played in the water, swam and dove, trying to catch each other. Most of the time we were in the
water and only for some minutes we got out to get warm in the sun and then again and again into
the water. It was impossible not to learn to swim. As I remember, I learned, because my friend
could and I thought that I should too. I tried to go as deep as I could and then do a little jump, then
some movements like swimming and I was near a column that was left of an old footbridge. But to
go back was a real challenge for me but I did it! I was never afraid to learn something new, to do
something risky, then –in my childhood I wasn’t afraid. But now I can’t do many of the things that I
did then, perhaps because I understand the value of my life.
But in winter - then we had really snowy winters -we sleighed down the nearest hill, made
snowmen, snow castles and many other things, and played with snow balls. When we had the
Christmas holiday we went out early in the morning but came back only when darkness fell. I felt
so happy; I had so much fun and happiness then. Oh, it was the happiest time of all my life! I would
do anything for children to have as happy a childhood as I had.
By Inga Grasmane