Published on and written by Cyril Jarnias
Moving to Latvia, whether for a few months of study, a job, a couple’s life project, or a return to family roots, often brings a mix of excitement and dizziness. Between a difficult language, an endless winter, reserved locals, and sometimes baffling bureaucracy, homesickness quickly finds fertile ground. Yet the same Latvia that can seem cold at first glance is also a country of forests, songs, midsummer festivals, and small cafés where lasting friendships are woven.
This article offers practical tips for taming homesickness in Latvia, drawing on studies, expat testimonials, data on loneliness, and information about daily life and local support resources. The goal is to help overcome challenges so you can gradually feel at home.
Understanding What You’re Feeling: Homesickness, Loneliness, and Culture Shock
Homesickness is a normal emotional reaction to a sudden break with what’s familiar: family, friends, language, smells, rhythms, even daylight. Research shows that in the first year abroad, between 20% and 90% of expats experience some level of homesickness. It involves sadness, nostalgia, anxiety, irritability, as well as physical symptoms like sleep disturbances, fatigue, diffuse pains, or loss of appetite.
Psychologists sometimes compare this experience to grief: leaving your country means losing a known world. In Latvia, this process is often amplified by two major factors: the climate and the local culture.
Psychologists
Data collected by the Norstat research center shows that 24% of residents in Latvia feel lonelier in autumn and winter, when daylight fades and days shorten. Among 18–29 year-olds, the share of people feeling lonelier during the dark months rises to 32%. In other words, if you feel your mood drop when the mists of rudens (autumn) arrive and the long January nights set in, you’re far from alone.
Most newcomers go through a series of phases: an initial ‘honeymoon’ (everything is new and exciting), followed by a phase of disenchantment and frustration, then gradual adjustment, leading after months or years to peaceful acceptance. Knowing this curve is normal helps put hard times in perspective.
The Latvian Shock: Language, Reserve, and Silence
Homesickness isn’t just about what you miss from home; it’s also fueled by what you don’t understand in the host country. In Latvia, three elements often come up in foreigners’ accounts: the language, social reserve, and the handling of time and space.
Latvian, the official language with a demanding grammar, is essential for daily life and integration. Although English is common among young people in Riga and Russian is spoken by a significant part of the population, treating the latter as interchangeable with Latvian can be poorly perceived for sensitive historical reasons. The language barrier, often underestimated, complicates many procedures (medical appointments, administrative documents) and social interactions. Learning Latvian is described as the most important, though difficult, tool for feeling grounded in the country.
Add to that the Latvian reserve. In public transport, silence is the norm; in a queue, no one makes small talk; at work, communication is often direct, without frills. Many newcomers interpret this calm as coldness, even rejection. But cultural studies and expat accounts converge: Latvians are indeed reserved, but once trust is established, they become warm, generous, and very loyal. Simply put, the word “friend” isn’t used lightly.
Learning a difficult language, combined with discreet social codes, can foster a sense of isolation. It’s important to understand these mechanisms so as not to interpret them as personal rejection.
The Weight of the Seasons: When Winter Fuels Homesickness
For many foreigners, the real emotional test begins with the arrival of autumn. From October onward, Latvia enters a period of transition: russet leaves, morning mist, the smell of damp earth, then gradually very short days, low skies, snow, black ice. In Riga, some residents say they’ve gone weeks without seeing the sun. Many adopt a quasi-hibernation lifestyle: limited outings, evenings at home, early closing of attractions.
The lack of light in winter can cause Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD or ‘winter blues’). This is due to a disruption of the internal clock, a drop in serotonin and vitamin D. Symptoms, similar to depression, include fatigue, loss of motivation, irritability, and withdrawal, which can be heightened by homesickness.
Yet in Latvian culture, autumn and winter aren’t just seasons to endure. Historically, the post-harvest period was devoted to preparing for winter, but also to vakarēšana evenings: cozy gatherings around handicrafts, stories, and songs by candlelight. Even today, many Latvians turn their homes into cozy havens: candles (sveces), hot tea (silta tēja), wool blankets, saunas (pirts), reading, and music.
Rather than suffering through ‘three months of tunnel,’ adopting a local view of the cold season turns this period into a beneficial slowdown. It allows you to learn the language, explore local culture, or simply rest, offering a new narrative that, without erasing homesickness, changes how you perceive it.
The link between dark season and loneliness also shows up in the numbers. The Norstat survey shows that in autumn-winter, 24% of residents feel lonelier. Among 18–29 year-olds, only a minority (48%) say they don’t feel significant loneliness. Young adults, often mobile, are thus particularly vulnerable, whether locals or expats.
Taming Latvian Culture to Feel Less Like a Stranger
Homesickness usually eases as you stop feeling like a “long-term tourist” and become an active participant in local life. In Latvia, this means adopting a few essential cultural codes.
Latvians place great importance on punctuality, discretion, and respect for privacy. Arriving on time, or even early, for an appointment; greeting with “Labdien” or “Sveiki”; taking off your shoes when entering someone’s home; bringing small gifts (odd-numbered flowers, chocolates, wine) when invited: these seemingly simple gestures reassure your hosts of your willingness to adapt.
In professional settings, communication is often direct, while in informal contexts it can be more subtle and include unfilled silences. It’s important not to overinterpret these silences as hostility, but rather as a form of respect. Adopting this perspective helps reduce the feeling of cultural or situational disconnect.
The relationship with nature is another pillar of identity. Forests, lakes, the Baltic Sea, marshes: more than half of the territory is covered by forests. Berry picking (ogu lasīšana), fishing, hiking in national parks like Gauja, and countryside weekends shape many families’ lives. Allowing yourself to enter this rhythm—a hike in Sigulda, a walk along the sea in Jūrmala, a day at the Open-Air Ethnographic Museum on Lake Jugla—helps you inhabit the country beyond your office or campus.
The *Jāņi* (Midsummer) festival illustrates the deep link between music, nature, and Latvian identity through its flower crowns, bonfires, songs, and typical dishes like caraway cheese. Furthermore, the National Song and Dance Festival, inscribed by UNESCO, demonstrates the central importance of singing (*dziedāšana*) and dancing (*dejošana*) in the national sentiment, gathering thousands of participants.
The more familiar you become with these reference points, the less you feel like you’re living in a foreign setting. Homesickness doesn’t disappear, but it coexists with new curiosity and attachment.
Learning Latvian: A Powerful Lever Against Feeling Excluded
Many expat accounts from Latvia converge: learning the language is both the hardest obstacle and the most effective tool against always feeling “on the sidelines”. The official language is central to daily life, from TV to administration to jokes among colleagues.
Speaking Latvian is essential for successful integration. It gives you access to social circles closed to English or Russian speakers, offers the autonomy needed to handle administrative procedures, and is perceived as a strong mark of respect. Every effort to express yourself in Latvian is generally met with goodwill and encouragement.
At first, you don’t need to reach a complex conversational level. A few basics already change the game significantly: greetings (“Sveiki”), thanks (“Paldies”), polite phrases, numbers, ordering at restaurants, simple explanations. During the long winter evenings, many Latvians themselves consider it “the right time” to learn a language; taking up Latvian during this period gives constructive meaning to the dark months.
Different methods and resources available for studying the Latvian language, from formal learning to informal practice.
Courses funded by the city of Riga or organized by the Latvian Language Agency for structured learning.
Apps like Ling App using chatbots and interactive tools to learn at your own pace.
One-on-one lessons with teachers, often found through social networks for personalized follow-up.
Meetups like BlaBla Riga to practice with locals, expats, and travelers in a friendly setting.
Programs often offered to international students at higher education institutions.
Investing this time and energy isn’t just a practical “plus”; psychologically, it transforms your stance toward the country: from passive spectator to active participant.
Creating a “Home” in Latvia to Soften the Longing
Homesickness is often more intense when you feel like you’re “living in an extended hotel room”. One of the most effective ways to reduce it is to turn your Latvian home into a true personal refuge, also drawing on local habits.
Latvian interiors place great importance on mājīgums, that feeling of cozy comfort achieved through soft candlelight, natural textiles (wool, linen), plants, bookshelves, jars of homemade jam or pickled vegetables. Many households keep family items: woven blankets, enameled dishes, amber jewelry, inherited tea sets, family photos.
To soothe anxiety and stabilize mood, personalize your space with personal items (photos, books, spices, favorite mug) and recreate familiar rituals (morning coffee, comfort series). These transitional objects help with adjustment.
It’s also helpful to work with the climate. Good indoor lighting (warm light lamp, possibly a light therapy lamp), curtains that let in daylight, a cozy reading nook, slippers, and thick throws change the perception of long dark evenings. Some foreigners discover the very local pleasure of the sauna (pirts) as a physical and mental antidote to cold and fatigue.
Breaking Out of Isolation: Leaning on Local and Expat Communities
Homesickness is closely linked to perceived loneliness, that is, the gap between the social life you’d like to have and the one you actually have. In Latvia, not everyone feels lonely—Norstat data shows 63% of respondents say they don’t feel significant loneliness—but young adults and people of nationalities other than Latvian or Russian are more exposed.
The good news: there is a fairly dense ecosystem of communities and groups for meeting people, especially in Riga.
InterNations brings together expats in over 400 cities worldwide.
Social networks play a major role: the Facebook group “Expats in Latvia” is a genuine platform for exchanging advice, tips, and classifieds. Other more targeted groups exist, such as “Riga International Book Club” for English-language reading enthusiasts, running clubs like “Riga Runners”, sports communities (beach volleyball with O-Sands, for example), or circles for sci-fi, role-playing games (D&D Riga), or board games (Meet&Play Community).
On the professional and tech integration side, organizations like TechHub Riga or Riga TechGirls offer meetups, hackathons, introductory workshops, or programs to launch a career or startup. For students, university associations and networks like ESN Riga (Erasmus Student Network) are an excellent way to avoid isolation, even if you’re not officially Erasmus.
Volunteering, through organizations like Volunteer Rīga or projects of the Society Integration Foundation, is a great way to meet people around social, cultural, or environmental initiatives. It allows you to build lasting friendships while improving your practice of the local language.
Even if initial meetings feel intimidating, especially in a reserved culture, persisting in these social spaces is one of the best antidotes to homesickness.
Some Numerical Benchmarks on Loneliness in Latvia
To place your experience in a broader context, here is a table of data from the Norstat survey on loneliness in autumn-winter:
| Category | Feel lonelier in autumn/winter | Feel lonely all year | Do not feel significant loneliness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 24% | 13% | 63% |
| Men | 22% | 12% | 67% |
| Women | 26% | 13% | 61% |
| 18–29 years old | 32% | ~20% | 48% |
| 60–74 years old | — | 7% | 70% |
These figures show that loneliness isn’t just an “expat problem”: many Latvians feel it too, especially the younger ones. You’re not a “special case”; you share a vulnerability that is quite widespread.
Managing Bureaucracy and Practical Constraints to Reduce Mental Load
A silent source of homesickness comes from accumulated frustrations with bureaucracy: forms in Latvian, registration at the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP), address registration, the healthcare system (NVD), taxes, rental contracts, opening a bank account. When every step seems complicated, the desire to “go back where everything is simpler” grows.
The Integration and Inclusion Agency, via the Society Integration Foundation and European funding, offers free individual consultations in Latvian, Russian, and English. They are available in person in Riga, Liepāja, and Daugavpils, as well as remotely by phone, WhatsApp, or email. These consultations cover a wide range of topics, including legal, administrative, and psychological issues.
In employment, the State Employment Agency offers personalized advice, including for people with international protection. Informal integration programs funded by the EU include language courses, orientation sessions, and mentoring.
Relying on these resources, rather than facing everything alone, reduces mental load, frees up time for more nourishing activities, and eases the feeling of constant struggle.
Taking Care of Your Mental Health: When and How to Ask for Help
Homesickness is a normal reaction, but for some people it can slip into marked depression or anxiety. Studies in Europe show that expats heavily affected by nostalgia may see their professional performance decline and accumulate errors or delays at work.
In Latvia, the winter context, the relative recentness of some mental health services, and the language barrier can make seeking care intimidating. Yet the offering has strengthened in recent years.
First, there are several helplines:
| Service | Number | Main languages | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| General emergency number | 112 | Latvian, English | Police/fire/medical emergencies |
| 24/7 Crisis line (Skalbes) | 116 123 | Latvian, Russian, English | Free calls, anonymous |
| Psychiatric medical information line | 6601 6001 | Latvian, Russian | Referral to psychiatric services |
| Crime victim line | 116 006 | — | 12pm–10pm |
| Children and youth line | 116 111 | Latvian | 24/7, online chat on weekdays |
By calling the 116 123 line, you can be referred to a program of free consultations (up to 10 sessions) with a certified psychologist, accessible to any adult resident regardless of nationality. After the Covid-19 pandemic, the state expanded psychological and psychotherapeutic care provisions for several diagnoses (stress-related disorders, anxiety disorders, depression, eating disorders), on referral from a general practitioner or psychiatrist.
Expatriates and third-country nationals can benefit from free psychological services, offered by the Integration and Inclusion Agency. These services are often accompanied by interpretation.
For more specific needs, some universities like Riga Stradiņš University offer consultations to their students, and private organizations have specialized in support for expats, with therapists speaking Latvian, Russian, and English.
Persistent sadness over several weeks, loss of interest in activities, major sleep disturbances, self-destructive thoughts, or increased use of alcohol and substances should prompt you to seek professional support. Asking for help is not an admission that your Latvia project has failed, but a way to protect it.
Inhabiting Latvia Through Your Leisure: Activities That Ease Homesickness
Another powerful lever against homesickness is structuring your free time around activities that are both good for you and bring you closer to the local way of life. In Latvia, several pastimes are deeply rooted in culture and accessible to newcomers.
Reading (lasīšana) is a very common hobby, especially among women. Popular genres range from romance novels to academic works, horror, and comics. In Riga, bookstores like Globuss or Valters un Rapa offer a selection of translated books and works on the country’s history and culture. Joining an English-language book club like the Riga International Book Club combines cultural discovery with meeting people.
Board games (galda spēles) are popular across all ages and make an ideal activity for spending time with family or making friends. Communities like Meet&Play regularly organize game nights in town. For people struggling with homesickness, these events offer a gentle social setting, centered on a shared activity rather than forced conversation.
Music and dance hold a unique place. The tradition of dainas, these short folk songs, is omnipresent; singing in chorus is a highly valued activity, and summer music festivals draw crowds. Joining a local choir, even a modest one, or a folk dance group opens doors to circles that are often very closed to mere acquaintances.
For people struggling with nostalgia, Latvia offers many resources through contact with nature. Walks in Gauja National Park, bike rides along the Daugava River, weekends at the sea in Jūrmala in summer, or berry and mushroom picking in late summer allow you to anchor your body in the territory and calm an overloaded mind.
In the city, culture abounds: museums (navigation, cinema, foreign art, automobiles, aviation), well-attended theater, Riga’s Art Nouveau architecture, cozy cafés like Rocket Bean or MiiT, Old Town bars (many close early, encouraging calmer evenings). Spending time on these, especially at first, helps you build a positive mental map of your surroundings, rather than associating them only with work or studies.
Today, technology makes it very easy to maintain ties with your home country: video calls, instant messaging, social media, media streaming, podcasts. Used in moderation, these tools are valuable for softening the longing and for sharing your Latvian discoveries with loved ones.
Homesickness specialists recommend avoiding two extremes: near-total disconnection, which fuels feelings of abandonment, and constant connection, which sustains nostalgia and prevents local engagement. In practice, this might involve regular but time-limited check-ins, family groups for important news, and exchanging packages or small surprises.
For expat families in Latvia with children, it’s crucial not to make the country the scapegoat for all parental frustrations. Avoid phrases like “everything here is terrible; back home it was better,” which can heighten children’s anxiety and harm their school and social integration. Instead, openly acknowledge, as a family, what you might miss, while together identifying and valuing the positive aspects of life in Latvia, such as proximity to nature, a sense of safety, available space, or offered activities.
It’s also useful, alone or as a couple, to consider your time horizons: how long do you plan to stay? A realistic deadline (e.g., 12 or 18 months) to “give the country a chance” before reconsidering can reduce pressure and guilt about wanting to leave, while encouraging sincere investment in the present.
Fighting Seasonal Depression: Strategies Adapted to Latvia
Given the relative harshness of the Latvian winter, it’s wise to adopt strategies specific to the dark months to prevent or limit the worsening of homesickness.
First, light. Maximize exposure to natural light: go outside during the day even when it’s gray, open curtains, schedule walks at noon rather than late evening—this helps regulate your internal clock. Many health professionals also recommend light therapy lamps to compensate for the lack of sun, along with a vitamin D supplement, in consultation with a doctor.
Practicing physical activity—such as brisk walking, running, cross-country skiing, yoga, gym workouts, or even home exercise videos—stimulates endorphin production and helps reduce anxiety. To maintain a routine, it can be helpful to rely on regular anchors like groups (e.g., Riga Runners) or local gyms.
Diet also plays a role. Traditional Latvian cuisine is hearty and centered on local products: gray peas with bacon (pelēkie zirņi ar speķi), dense rye bread, smoked fish, fermented cabbage, root vegetables, herbs like dill. Without giving up your habits, incorporating these foods into your diet can strengthen the feeling of continuity with your environment. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and omega‑3 fatty acids is also recommended for general mental health.
To fight the feeling that days blur together, especially in winter or when working remotely, it’s advisable to establish a clear schedule. This includes regular wake-up and bedtime hours, as well as dedicated slots for work, learning Latvian, leisure, physical activity, and social outings. This routine provides reference points for the brain and helps reduce rumination.
Anchoring Yourself in a Larger Story: Understanding Latvian Identity
For some expats, part of the homesickness comes from a deep misunderstanding: why are these people so attached to their language? Why is the relationship to the Soviet past so sensitive? Why do nature, songs, and certain symbols (Lielvārde belts, kokle, traditional costumes) come up so often?
To better understand Latvia, it helps to explore its history, including the formation of the state, periods of occupation, and the role of singing revolutions in independence. Accessible resources like the cultural heritage portal of the National Library, online films, and English-language podcasts offer practical entry points.
This effort isn’t academic; it meets a very concrete psychological need to make sense of your environment, to understand the unspoken, the pains, the pride. Many people report that once they have these keys in hand, they perceive the apparent reserve, the importance given to commemorations, or the quiet pride in cultural festivals differently.
The more you know this history, the more you can invest emotionally in the country without feeling obligated to abandon your own heritage. It’s not a fusion, but an inner cohabitation between two identities.
Giving Yourself Time: The Slow Building of a Sense of Belonging
Studies on return migrants to Latvia show that even for ethnic Latvians, coming back after many years abroad can be a source of stress, fragmented identity, and a desire to “leave again.” In a sample of 21 people, a strong finding was that the stress of “pre-return” (the decision to return, preparation, expectations) sometimes exceeded that of resettlement itself. About one quarter of returnees later go abroad again.
Number of years needed, according to some accounts, to truly feel at home in Riga, after back-and-forths, language learning, and engagement in local life.
Rather than aiming for perfect integration in six months, it may be more realistic to set yourself goals like attending a major national festival this year, completing a cycle of Latvian lessons, joining a club or association, exploring one national park and a stretch of coastline, and then reevaluating how you feel. Homesickness then becomes a travel companion you listen to without letting it dictate every decision.
Conclusion: Turning Homesickness into a Bridge Between Two Worlds
Managing homesickness in Latvia isn’t about choosing between two loyalties—one to your home country, one to your host country—but about learning to live with that tension. Latvia, with its silent forests, powerful songs, demanding winters, and cozy cafés, may never become a “second home” in the fullest sense. But it can stop being merely the backdrop of a nostalgic exile.
To ease your integration and better manage difficult periods, it is recommended to learn a few Latvian phrases, adopt local rituals of coziness (mājīgums), and take part in activities like berry picking or game nights. Relying on expat networks and local integration structures, while paying serious attention to your mental health, allows you to gradually build a support environment.
Homesickness speaks of what you have lost; life in Latvia can, little by little, show you what you are gaining: a new language, different friendships, another way of getting through winter, a more nuanced view of the world. Nostalgia doesn’t always disappear; however, it can become less painful, softer, almost like a song—and in Latvia, people have long known that songs help build a country as much as heal hearts.
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Cyril Jarnias is an independent expert in international wealth management with over 20 years of experience. As an expatriate himself, he is dedicated to helping individuals and business leaders build, protect, and pass on their wealth with complete peace of mind.
On his website, cyriljarnias.com, he shares his expertise on international real estate, offshore company formation, and expatriation.
Thanks to his expertise, he offers sound advice to optimize his clients' wealth management. Cyril Jarnias is also recognized for his appearances in many prestigious media outlets such as BFM Business, les Français de l’étranger, Le Figaro, Les Echos, and Mieux vivre votre argent, where he shares his knowledge and know-how in wealth management.
