Hisako Lavertu: Story 1: the Amber Fragment

The Baltic Sea in October is a moody beast. The wind whips my hair into a frenzy, and the grey waves crash onto the shore with a sound like a sigh. I pull my woolen scarf tighter, the one my grandmother knitted for me, and shove my freezing hands into the pockets of my coat. Everyone else in Jurmala has retreated to the warmth of their homes, leaving the vast, empty beach to me and the screeching gulls.I come here when the city of Riga feels too loud, when the pressure of choosing a university, a career, a life, becomes too much. Here, the only decision is which path to walk along the water’s edge.My boot kicks at a piece of seaweed, and something glints beneath it–a small, honey-coloured piece of amber, worn smooth by the sea. It’s no bigger than my thumbnail, but it’s warm to the touch, a tiny sun in stone. I hold it in my palm, wondering about its story. A thousand years ago, this was sap, clinging to a pine tree in a forest that no longer exists. It witnessed Vikings, Teutonic knights, empires rising and falling, all while it tumbled in the dark, cold deep, waiting for this exact moment to wash up at my feet.It’s silly, but it makes me feel better. My worries about exams and the future seem so small against its timeline. I am just a moment, a girl on a beach, with a piece of ancient weather in her hand. Maybe I don’t need to have everything figured out by next spring. Maybe it’s enough to just be here, now, feeling the cold wind on my cheeks and the weight of history in my pocket. I put the amber fragment away and turn back towards the lights of the town, feeling strangely, quietly, brave.

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Hisako Lavertu: Story 2: the Bilingual Heart

My thoughts have an accent. No, really. When I count my change at the veikals (the shop), it’s in Latvian–viens, divi, tris. The numbers feel solid, grounded, like the cobblestones in Old Riga. But when I’m daydreaming about leaving this all behind, maybe for university in London or just travelling somewhere far, my inner monologue switches to English. It flows differently; it’s lighter, full of possibilities and words that don’t have direct translations.Sometimes it causes a civil war in my head. My Latvian side is pragmatic, a little melancholic, shaped by long winters and a history that runs deep like a river. It tells me to be sensible, to study something useful at the University of Latvia, to stay close to my family. It’s the voice that finds comfort in the smell of rye bread and the sound of our folk songs.Then my English side pipes up. It’s the voice of movies, of internet friends, of a world that feels vast and hungry for experience. It’s ambitious and reckless. It whispers about art degrees, hostels in foreign cities, and a life written in a language that doesn’t automatically tie me to this specific patch of earth by the Baltic Sea.I’m not two people. I’m just Lesya, one girl standing in her kitchen in Riga, making a cup of tea. But I stir that tea with a spoon that feels both familiar and foreign. I love my home with a fierce, Latvian pride, but my dreams are spelled out in English letters. Maybe that’s okay. Maybe having a bilingual heart doesn’t mean you’re torn. Maybe it just means you have more ways to understand the world, and more words to describe your place in it.

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Kammi Smith: Between Laces: the Art of Feeling Powerful

My story with lingerie began a few years ago, when I decided to discover a more intimate and authentic way to express myself. What at first was simple curiosity became a true passion. I learned that each garment tells a story: the textures that caress the skin, the colors that awaken emotions, the details that enhance confidence. Lingerie, more than a fashion, is a silent language that allows me to celebrate my body, my femininity and the power that lives within me.

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