Who always introduced himself as «I am a wanderer»?
World traveller James Krogzemis used to introduce himself simply as «I am a wanderer» — his paternal family roots trace to Rozēni in Northern Vidzeme, and he is related to the family of Latvian poet Auseklis.
There is a story about a man who, when meeting new people, used to sum himself up in four words: «I am a wanderer». That man is world traveller James Krogzemis.
Roots in Northern Vidzeme
On his father's side, Krogzemis's family roots trace back to the Rozēni area in Northern Vidzeme. This is the region his ancestors came from, and it carries a family history that reaches well beyond a single person.
A link to poet Auseklis
James Krogzemis is a descendant of the family of Juris Korgzemis. Juris Korgzemis was the paternal uncle of the celebrated Latvian poet Auseklis — his father's brother. That makes Krogzemis and Auseklis distant, but traceable, relatives.
The detail illustrates how a single family line, rooted for generations in Northern Vidzeme soil, produced both a name significant to Latvian literature and a man who chose the opposite path — a life of continuous travel, happily calling himself a wanderer rather than tying himself to one place. The contrast between deep-rooted ancestry and a life spent moving through the world sits at the heart of the story, a reminder that belonging to a place and the urge to leave it can coexist within the very same family — even within the very same person.
