Unexpected Surprises
Latvian filmmaker Igors Linga recently celebrated his 60th birthday with a trip to Dubai, a gesture he made to cheer himself up after grappling with the milestone. “When I think about the round number 60, I feel terrible. It’s not a small number, and I can’t accept it yet. I still feel like someone in their twenties. Those sixty came so quickly and unexpectedly…,” Linga said, adding that he managed to travel before escalating tensions in the Middle East. He and his wife, Liena, spent ten days in the United Arab Emirates.
“In Dubai, we visited a Hard Rock Cafe where I received a special birthday greeting – a band performed Happy Birthday to You on stage and even presented me with a cake with a candle. I was shocked! I suspect my admirer whispered about my birthday to them,” Linga recounted, also noting that the hotel where they stayed also gifted them a cake.
However, it was Abu Dhabi, located 87 miles away, that truly captivated them. “That city is crazy. It’s unbelievable how Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (the founder of the United Arab Emirates, who died in 2004) transformed this desert place in such a short time. No one else has managed anything like it! Abu Dhabi is incredibly elegant, a huge amount of money has been invested there. It’s art, what those guys have created there,” Linga marveled, expressing his hope that architectural projects in Latvia would progress as smoothly as they do in the Emirates. “When something is being built with us, someone is always trying to pocket the money. But there, the guys invest money and build grandiose cities in a few decades. Those structures are so beautiful that you wonder how a person could create something like that.”
Now a Grandfather of Three
The spring of Linga’s 60th year also brought another joyful event – he became a grandfather for the third time. “My grandson, David, was born on March 2nd,” he revealed.
The jubilarian said he’s thoroughly enjoying his role as a grandfather. “With grandchildren, you have to be their best friend. When my oldest grandson, who is now sixteen, was still in kindergarten, I went to pick him up on a ‘ričuku’ – something like a Harley Davidson. My grandson was so happy! I told him, ‘Acquire on the frame and let’s attempt to ride!’ After a second, we almost fell over, and the little one seriously said, ‘Maybe we shouldn’t try,’” Linga recalled with a smile.
“This is My Year”
Linga has come to realize how quickly time flies. “I really looked forward to my 16th birthday because I imagined it would be a special year. But nothing special happened. I felt disappointed,” the director said. Later, while in a Parisian café, Linga noticed a couple in their forties engaged in an intense conversation. “They already had gray hair. At that moment, I thought that when I understand what these grown-up people are talking about so passionately, I will have understood life as a director. Now I know they weren’t talking about anything special, but simply enjoying each other’s company and life. As you get older, your thinking is the same as when you were twenty, only the conversations become deeper,” Linga said, adding that he now feels he has found himself – he’s doing what he wants and doesn’t worry about other people’s opinions. “Now I earn not condemnation, but respect and admiration. Every age has its advantages, you have to use them,” he believes.
Linga feels his life is more influenced by his zodiac sign than the number on his passport. “This is my year. I was born in the Year of the Fiery Horse as an Aquarius, and I feel it strongly. Aquarians are deep, serious, and not crazy. But, since I was born in the Year of the Fiery Horse, my energy is different: the main thing is to move forward and not care about the rest,” the jubilarian said.
