I choose the harshest winter in 100 years to relocate to Riga in Latvia – great timing! I have certainly experienced some ‘Dr Zhivago’ moments, with deep, crisp snow on the ground for the past three months, daytime temperatures plummeting to -25, ice-fishermen on the Daugava River and Latvian ladies strolling along the frozen shore at Jurmala, dressed in full-length fur coats.

 

When the opportunity presented itself to join my husband in Riga (where he has been working for airBaltic for the last 18 months) I was lucky enough to remain part of the KBC PR & Marketing team, representing clients such as Mesmear (www.Mesmear.co.uk) and Select Apartments.

 

Since we now truly live in a Global World, this often means frequent business trips or even relocation (visit www.SelectApartments.co.uk for a wide choice of serviced accommodation, worldwide).  However, by the wonders of the world of high-techn gadgetry and communication – the web, remote online access, emails, mobile phones and Skype – you can simply ‘be’ anywhere, work anywhere and maintain a thoroughly professional service.

 

Now known as KBC’s ‘Woman in the Baltics’ (not to be confused with the KGB’s Man in the Baltics), I have fully embraced the world of ‘remote access’ and even watch UK TV and satisfy my daily news-fix online!  Naturally I use facebook to keep in touch with friends, family and industry colleagues and have even been known to ‘Tweet’ from time to time.

 

I have just found a really useful and cost-effective way to offer contacts a ‘local’ telephone number call you on. You can rent a Skypeln for just £11.50 for three months’ rental.  You can choose from a wide variety of UK STD codes and numbers, such as London, Brighton or Manchester and then callers simply connect to you (via Skype) anywhere in the world, using the same method (and cost) as a UK telephone call.  No special gadgets required!

 

And if, like me, you can’t successfully live the ‘Expat’ lifestyle without watching the latest episodes of Corrie, Eastenders or Strictly, then FilmOn.com is a digital online TV company which means you can watch all your favourite programmes for just £9.95 per month.

 

Living and working abroad does not mean you have to be out of touch, The Daily/Sunday Telegraph, for example, produces a special 48-page weekly digital edition for just £50 a year.  You even get the Telegraph Crossword! http://www.exacteditions.com/exact/browse/518/695

 

But, when I am not linked to the Information Super Highway like an umbilical cord, I aim to fully take advantage of Latvia’s close proximity to The Baltic and Nordic countries, Russia, Germany and Poland.  With spring just around the corner, I shall soon be jumping on airBaltic planes every weekend to discover this fascinating new Eastern European world of travel experiences.

 

Next blog….The Latvian capital has a new brand image – ‘Live Riga’.

 

Eugéne Roberts

KBC’s Woman in the Baltics