A life less ordinary

He embraced these new cultures and made good friends with whom he still keeps in touch to this day.

Matuzevich traveled to many places across the country during his study in China, including Shanghai, Tianjin and Shanxi province.

"In the beginning, I was drawn to the metropolitan vibe of Shanghai, but I've grown more fond of Beijing for its traditional and cultural elements, such as the hutong and the Great Wall," he says.

After 18 months of studying, Matuzevich had grasped a working knowledge of Mandarin.

"I could understand people and hold basic conversations," he says.

With the support of his language skills, he chose to further his studies at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, where he received a bachelor's degree in economics. During his senior year, he started an internship at the WTCF, where he continued to meet different people, experience different cultures, travel and see new places.

"My colleagues were very nice and ready to help," he says.

"I gained a new perspective from my Chinese co-workers and developed problem-solving skills."

His language skills improved, and he found he could understand more complicated documents at work.

The internship experience led to a full-time position at the organization after Matuzevich's graduation.

"I was the first foreign employee there and in the first year or two I would say that the workplace seemed just like an another 'university'. Most of the meetings were in Chinese, and I'm grateful that I learned so much more," he says.

His engagement also brought changes to the Chinese staff.

"Many of my colleagues are now more willing to speak their mind, while before they were quite reserved and a little wary of sharing their opinions," he says.

Matuzevich has also helped diversify the office environment, says Cai Hua, a senior official with the WTCF.

"We enjoyed the Latvian culture he has brought from his home," Cai adds.

His Latvian, English, Russian and Chinese language skills have also been a great help to the tourism organization, according to Cai.

Matuzevich believes that the job has made him a better person.

"Working in tourism has given me the opportunity to travel around the world, get to understand more cultures and be more open-minded," he says.

"I see the world is both big and small, and there are so many opportunities to be grasped."

He has taken great satisfaction from helping build bridges to enable people of different countries to trade and share solutions from one place to another.

Matuzevich will celebrate his 12th year in February.

"It might sound cheesy, but I love China and China has become my second home－let's see what happens next," he says.