So many foreigners gather at RTU Liepāja Academy that even Liepāja Theatre starts speaking English

Sensation in Liepāja! For three days, RTU Academy transformed our peaceful city into a true international hub, bringing together nearly 1,000 participants from 19 countries. Even local taxi drivers started learning English because passengers were asking to go to 'RTU' instead of 'that big building by the sea'.

The congress theme was 'Transforming Education for a Shared Future,' but practically it meant that for three days, more foreign languages were spoken in Liepāja than Latvian. 'For the first time I heard our city mentioned in the same sentence as Granada, Barcelona, and Monterrey,' admits local café owner Valdis. 'I thought those were some new Riga neighborhoods.'

It was particularly fascinating to watch a professor from Mexico talk about 'shared learning ecosystems' while our traditional 15-meter-per-second wind was blowing outside the windows. Maybe that's the shared future — when everyone understands that real education happens where there's wind, sea, and people who can survive both.

After the congress, Liepāja Theatre reports an unusual demand — foreign guests are asking if they can attend performances to understand 'the depth of Latvian culture.' Even Rigans are starting to come to our theatre because they heard something internationally significant is happening here. 'Now we'll have to think about translations,' the theatre staff say with a smile.

At the congress conclusion, all participants agreed that Liepāja is a place where future education is already happening today. And that's not just because we have RTU Academy, but also because here people learn to survive in any conditions — which is the most important skill for any future.