New Zealand students bake Latvian pies and greet in Latvian: Teacher Līva Ozola carries Latvia's name worldwide
Latvian teacher Līva Ozola at Ohakune Primary School in New Zealand teaches students to bake traditional Latvian piragi and learn Latvian phrases, adapting her grandmother's recipe for a single lesson.
Līva Ozola, a Latvian teacher working at Ohakune Primary School in the central North Island of New Zealand, has found a unique way to introduce local students to Latvian culture. During cooking classes, she teaches children to bake traditional Latvian pies, which they call "bacon buns." To ensure that students can both prepare and taste the pastries within one lesson, she had to slightly adapt her grandmother's recipe.
The students enthusiastically learn not only the skills of shaping the pies but also practice pronouncing Latvian words. Through this hands-on experience, they get to know their teacher's homeland and gain insight into the Latvian language and traditions. This activity is a wonderful example of how members of the diaspora can carry Latvia's name around the world while enriching the local community.
