55 years in America, a month a year in Latvia: the Neihausens return to Jurmala every summer
Former Riga residents Aelita and Jack Neihausen have lived in North America for almost 55 years, but every summer they return to Jurmala, where they hold 1960s-style parties with their childhood friends.
Aelita and Jack Neihausen are former Riga residents who have lived on the North American continent for almost 55 years. They spent part of that time in Canada, but most of it in the United States.
Despite the decades spent far from their homeland, the couple returns to Latvia every summer. This usually happens in July, when the Neihausens arrive in Jurmala.
Reunions with friends from youth
In Jurmala, Aelita and Jack meet up with their friends from youth — fellow former Riga residents who travel to these summer gatherings from various countries around the world. Together with them, the couple hosts parties styled after the 1960s.
These annual meetings in Jurmala have become a tradition that connects the Neihausens with their friends from their days in Riga. Although they spend most of the year thousands of kilometers from Latvia, the month spent in their home city and its surroundings allows them to maintain friendships formed long ago and to recall their shared past.
The story of Aelita and Jack Neihausen is one of many examples of how Latvians living abroad preserve their connection to their homeland — even after decades spent on another continent, returning to Latvia and meeting old friends remains a meaningful yearly tradition.
