And don't dismiss the US altogether.. Yes, there is paperwork and hassle involved (but don't you think the Latvian way would also involve some hassle, particularly because it's a less "proven" path?). There's tons of resources especially here in PPRune (look at the top linked threads in this forum) on how to go about the US way. If you follow those guidelines, you won't experience any major problems. Just give yourself some time for the paperwork and while you do that, you can start studying for ground school already.