The last time I wrote, I had only been here a week…now I have been here for over a month! I have just started my 5th week of classes. The time has flown by, although some days it feels like I have been here for years. My experience here in Lithuania so far has been exciting, challenging, and at sometimes scary (about as scary as crossing the street here!). Lithuania is a place where we walk everywhere instead of ride, and where we are cultured by interacting and conversing with international students, instead of being cultured from television (they don’t have a television here in the dorm). It is a place where we sit in a coffee shop for hours, instead of getting a large to-go from Starbucks…where we take time to process experiences, instead of rushing through life, on to the next thing.
I’ve really had the chance to talk to the locals here, and it has been amazing. I feel thankful and so blessed for my upbringing. The Soviet times really hit hard on the families here. I spoke with a girl, and although her family lives about an hour away, she only sees them about once every year, or two years. She grew up hating Christmas time, because of the Soviet times. It tore up the family. I almost feel guilty telling of my wonderful family. Another thing that just breaks my heart is that there is no child protective system here. No social workers, or foster homes. It is also very difficult to adopt here.
I’ve been working with the YWAM site here, which has been an amazing experience by itself. I work with a Discipleship group on Tuesday nights. I really like the kids a lot, its cool to see how their generation is changing and growing after the soviet times. They are a lot of fun, want to know everything about America, and have a lot to teach me. I am also hopefully going to start working at an orphanage here.
A couple weekends ago, some girls and I went to the musical My Fair Lady. It was wonderful, and in Lithuanian. It was great that I know the story so well, so I could just guess what was happening. I am continually being reminded that culture is so big. There are so many aspects to adapting to life here. The language is really wearing on me…it is so difficult! Simple things that I took for granted are so difficult here…like grocery shopping and going out to eat (we just pick something and try it!). Another language barrier…getting my hair cut. It was very difficult communicating what I wanted done…and they just did what they wanted (and I actually like it!). Now many people thing I look Lithuanian…I have people on the street try to talk to me in Lithuanian, or professors thinking I am European, until I speak.
I officially survived my first Lithuanian holiday…Shrove Tuesday Pancake Day. It was quite eventful; it was the first time that I have seen so many people in Klaipeda! This is a pagan holiday which celebrates a feast on pancakes/alcohol before lent starts. It also includes a fight of the “slim” man and the “fat” man, in which the winner tells what kind of spring it will be, and the burning of witches to get rid of winter. Everyone dresses up like gypsies, wears masks, dances around, and eats a lot. It was a beautiful day, and people were actually SMILING! In my last e-mail I wrote that people never smile here…so it was refreshing to see even a little laughter from the crowd. Our group thinks its funny that we can always spot the American’s because of the noise that they (we) make…everyone is so quiet here.
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