Riga: Imagine if you grew up in an impoverished city and overnight, everything changed. What was once a city of say, 600,000 with an historical center where "everyone knew each other" - is soon inundated with development; everything from fast food to expensive designer shops. New bars and clubs are opening every other week and those ugly bald guys you never noticed before are now the most popular men in the country with new black BMW's, designer clothes and cash to burn.
Your father was an engineer and your mother a doctor under the Soviet system - and they are now dumbfounded as to how to make enough money to keep up with new concepts - inflation and free market prices. They (and you) still live in the dismal Stalinist apartment block and worry about how they will survive on their meager pensions. You (insert hot girl's name here) have seen the whole thing transpire over the past 10-15 years and know one thing; I want/expect the good life and all it can buy.
First, there was a small tickle of foreign men passing through town, but then the discount airlines opened up and soon the place was flooded - everything from drunken British slobs, to poor American backpackers to old Italian guys - all looking for the same thing; ME and my cute friends. Life is good. We go out every night and there is an endless supply of chumps waiting to buy us drinks and even a few who will take us shopping and fly us to (insert European destination) for more shopping and champagne. I still like my old boyfriend (insert typical EE name here), but he has no money and no prospects. He tells me he wants to be an "internet businessman" or something, but I don't think he will ever make any money.
The tourist guys were fun for a while, but most don't have much money and besides, they don't plan on staying and they don't speak the language, so they aren't much fun and my friends don't like them. A better choice is to keep exploiting the older tourists - even though they are not cute, they have more money than the other young guys. The best thing is get Igor (insert typical EE thug/gangster name here) to make me his girlfriend. He's so much fun and always has the best party and the coolest friends to hang out with. He's rich and just bought another M5 - it cost 95,000 Euro's! He's taking me to Ibiza next month. I just hope he doesn't beat me up like he did his last girlfriend --((
Your father was an engineer and your mother a doctor under the Soviet system - and they are now dumbfounded as to how to make enough money to keep up with new concepts - inflation and free market prices. They (and you) still live in the dismal Stalinist apartment block and worry about how they will survive on their meager pensions. You (insert hot girl's name here) have seen the whole thing transpire over the past 10-15 years and know one thing; I want/expect the good life and all it can buy.
First, there was a small tickle of foreign men passing through town, but then the discount airlines opened up and soon the place was flooded - everything from drunken British slobs, to poor American backpackers to old Italian guys - all looking for the same thing; ME and my cute friends. Life is good. We go out every night and there is an endless supply of chumps waiting to buy us drinks and even a few who will take us shopping and fly us to (insert European destination) for more shopping and champagne. I still like my old boyfriend (insert typical EE name here), but he has no money and no prospects. He tells me he wants to be an "internet businessman" or something, but I don't think he will ever make any money.
The tourist guys were fun for a while, but most don't have much money and besides, they don't plan on staying and they don't speak the language, so they aren't much fun and my friends don't like them. A better choice is to keep exploiting the older tourists - even though they are not cute, they have more money than the other young guys. The best thing is get Igor (insert typical EE thug/gangster name here) to make me his girlfriend. He's so much fun and always has the best party and the coolest friends to hang out with. He's rich and just bought another M5 - it cost 95,000 Euro's! He's taking me to Ibiza next month. I just hope he doesn't beat me up like he did his last girlfriend --((