In order to better connect with the viewers from Latvia who are undoubtedly watching this video, I have decided to do some research on the vital facts of the country which so kindly gave us Davis Bertans. Before this research, my knowledge of Latvia was limited to the following points:
-It’s in northern Europe
-It used to belong to Russia just like the rest of the countries that were adjacent to Russia
-Davis Bertans is from there
-Kristaps Porzingis is also from there
-People from Latvia are called “Latvians” and they love basketball
Thanks to the magnificent, yet also terrifying, power of the internet, I can add the following bits of knowledge to my perception of the country. Fellow Americans who are reading this description will also find themselves edified by my in-depth scholarly research.
-Latvian cuisine consists mostly of rye bread, meat, fish and potatoes. The typical ex-USSR diet.
-The capital of Latvia is Riga, a cosmopolitan city rich in culture and history (but maybe not so rich in money).
-If there are ethnic clashes between Latvians, Lithuanians, and Estonians, I am not aware of them.
-Not a lot of tourists go to Latvia, which is great if you’re like me and don’t want to be surrounded by crowds of people. I’ve already booked my flight.
-Most people in Latvia live in real buildings and not huts made out of peat
-Despite Bertans’ nickname, “The Latvian Laser”, there does not seem to be a particularly large or thriving laser industry in Latvia.
-The economy of Latvia is stable enough that people still live there. The same cannot be said of, for example, Cleveland, Ohio.