Week 10 - 4th June -> 10th June

All is not lost yet - beach weather is making a comeback!

Hooray for that, because this week was spent mostly entertaining my visitors from Finland and I needed the weather to be on my side! I insisted that come rain or shine, we would be heading to the beach no matter what.

Matti in Palanga.

But before that, I had other important things to show them. When Matti arrived late Wednesday afternoon, I ended up taking him to the last place on my agenda: Akropolis. But he had somehow discovered that the daughter company of the cinema company he works for in Turku operate in Lithuania, and he wanted to find out if it's possible to get free movie tickets with his work card. So the evening panned out like a typical evening in Turku: I'm ashamed to admit that Matti's first experience of Klaipeda was Forum cinemas and Hesburger. I was rather appalled by the standard of our Hesburger experience though - the drink that came with my meal was kiddie's size and the ketchup cost an extra 50 cents. Such a travesty would not occur in the hometown of Hesburger. (We did manage to get 2 free movie tickets to see Men in Black 3 in 3D - worth a watch - but tried our luck again a couple of nights later only to be refused with their insistence that they don't recall ever having that situation in the first place!)

The four of us at the end of the Klaipeda tour.

Later in the evening we met Jacky & Mihir at the bus station, following their time spent in Vilnius. Warm greetings were exchanged and a small late-night feast was had before we retired for the night. We met again early the next morning - I had conveniently been informed by one of my "students" (a programme co-ordinator in the university) that a guided tour of Klaipeda old town had been arranged for a group of teaching professionals coming from all over Europe (including Omagh, NI - a bit of homeland accent for me!) on a Comenius project. All four of us were permitted to join the tour for free - and later found out why. Although it was an opportunity for me to mingle with professionals from my field, I feel I could have given a better tour myself. Some interesting things were mentioned, but it was not a trained tour guide, rather it was led by a teacher from the university, so she didn't quite speak loud enough or keep the group together. Nevertheless, some of Klaipeda was explored, some even new for me, before we ventured further afield to Neringa.

I knew this would be the highlight of Klaipeda - getting the ferry out of Klaipeda to the beach on the Curonian Spit - and I think my friends would agree! After seeing the beach for themselves, they appreciated this gem of Lithuania. Mihir, who has visited beaches in the likes of India and Australia, even said this beach would rank in his Top 3. It was a relief for me that they liked it, as I found it surprisingly challenging to keep them entertained. In the evening we enjoyed great food in the Amberton, before meeting with the rest of the Erasmus group for the beginning of the end. The time has come for most of the Erasmus students here to say their goodbyes or "see ya laters" and head home.

Palanga Pier.

But before that, we managed to squeeze in a couple of extra excursions to Palanga and Nida. Though many of them had been to Palanga before, it was a first for me (besides the airport, which doesn't count). Contrastingly, while I had been to Nida twice already, the others hadn't been at all. 

The view from the amber museum.

We got a great day to go to Palanga, and I enjoyed the company, the food, the views, and the weather. The beach and pier in Palanga was even more impressive than I had imagined after having seen only pictures. It's a rather touristy place, especially in comparison to Klaipeda, but nice to walk through and enjoy a summer's day. It's convenient too, as it is only a cheap, 30 minute bus ride away. I had heard many times before that I should visit the amber museum in Palanga, so since we were there Matti and I took the opportunity to see it. The building (which is a palace) and surroundings of the museum are rather impressive, but the museum itself was a little disappointing for me. I have come to the conclusion that I much prefer museums with a guide to explain and tell stories, rather than being left to explore alone and just read the text. Although at least this time there was some information in English! 

The Parnidis Dune.

The weather remained kind for our trip to Nida, despite the growing infestation of mosquitoes. We went as a group of five, with Nida being new for Matti, the two Spanish girls and the Latvian girl. I think we all agreed that it was worth it, because Nida offers something different than the other coastal cities of Lithuania: that comes in the form of sand dunes. It is home to some of the highest dunes in Europe, including the 52m high Parnidis dune (Parndzio kopa). We braved the many, many wooden steps to reach the top of this sand dune, where we could admire the view of the Baltic Sea, the Curonian Lagoon and Kaliningrad. I was actually amazed by this view; last time I climbed to the top of that dune it was impossible to see the sea or the lagoon because of the large amount of dark, grey clouds and rain. So this time I really appreciated it!

The five of us at the top of the 52m sand dune.

As the time drew to an end for my visitors, and for many of the other Erasmus students, they prepared for their onward journeys. Unfortunately, there seems to be a curse of the Riga bus. Every single visitor to come to Klaipeda to see me has had a problem with getting the bus to Riga at the end of their stay. First, there was Thomas back in April, who had to catch a flight from Riga, but ended up running for it because his bus from Klaipeda was one hour late. 
Then, Jacky & Mihir attempted to buy a bus ticket to leave Klaipeda on Friday, but there were no seats left on the 14:30 bus, and it turned out that that was the last bus of the day. They searched for any other means of transport from any place in Lithuania to reach Riga that same day, but found nothing. So they were forced to book the next bus, leaving at 3:40am, without anywhere to sleep before then. Eventually, they made it to Riga on Saturday morning, probably exhausted. 
Finally, Matti discovered his problem on the bus to Nida - he had asked for a ticket for the 11:30 bus to Riga, but they had given him one for 14:30, which would be too late for him to catch his flight back to Turku. But we were spending the day in Nida, so no solution could be sought for until the next day. However, it's lucky we discovered this the day before his departure, so it wasn't too late. In the end, he went to the bus station at 6:30am the next morning to try to make sure he could get an earlier bus. It turned out easier than expected to exchange his ticket for an earlier time, and he indeed managed to get the 11:30 bus. We met for coffee before he left, and I now hope he returns to Turku safely and on time. 

I try not to become overwelmed by goodbyes, or even partake in them at all, but now I can't help but think that without my lovely friends from Finland, and the fun Erasmus folk in Klaipeda, my social life will come to an abrupt halt here in Lithuania. But I do have plans to go to Sweden for midsummer, and I have a lot of work to do, so the time will no doubt be filled and continue to fly by. 

Week 9 - 28th May -> 3rd June

This week marks the beginning of a new month and the end of summer in Lithuania. At least now the joke is that summer has been cancelled this year! I hope this is just a joke and we will see beach weather once again!

Pažaislis monastery, near Kaunas.

The bad weather began earlier this week as we embarked upon an epic journey through the undiscovered sights of Lithuania. It took the form of an exam, in fact, for tourism students. We went by bus, for 2 days, 13 hours on the road each day, as the tourism students acted as tour guides for the many churches, castles, museums and other places of interest along the Nemunas river to Kaunas. On the first day, we had 17 places to be guided through, stopping at several for a closer look. The second day consisted of 9 places to see, one of which was a working monastery close to Kaunas, where we managed to catch some sunshine. 
Our journey took us through places like Šilutė, Jurbarkas, Kaunas, and Kedainiai (which sounds like something Irish ;))

Our lovely translator :)

Not to mention the fact that this was the longest exam anybody must experience, it would have been much more engaging for me and Ivan (the only other Erasmus student left from our College) if it wasn't all in Lithuanian. We were grateful for the times that our international co-ordinator translated some interesting points for us. Despite not understanding a word that was said throughout the whole tour, we still experienced a journey off the motorways and into the depths of Lithuania, its nature and countryside. I even saw some cows in the fields - there is life here after all! 

A memorial for the Holocaust victims.

It came as a surprise that there were no scheduled stops for bathroom breaks or eating. One simply had to cope. At any available opportunity to find a toilet, I tried. However, in the depths of Lithuanian countryside, your only real option is a dark hut in the midst of nature, containing only a hole in the ground. At one point I even paid one lita for the privilege. Where was my hand sanitizer when I needed it..! Now I have a better appreciation of what the older generations had to deal with. But at least we spent one night in an amazing student dorm in Kaunas, so we weren't required to survive that standard for the whole journey!

What I noticed during the trip, and in several moments during my time here, is the surprising chivalry of young men towards women. They would stand in the rain and wait for the girls to board the bus first, and on local buses I've seen them give up their seat for elderly women. This is a rather refreshing sight to see, especially since women have to try much harder to be recognised here. Not to offend any feminists out there, but I think that such small acts of chivalry are a welcome change in today's society. 

The view from one of my classrooms.

This week I have been preparing my students (who are mostly teachers themselves!) for their final presentations that will take place in 2-3 weeks time. Many of them have been interested in my lessons on presentational skills, and how to present in English. This is a challenge for some and I am delighted to see their confidence grow, as I have scaffolded and guided their practice. It has been such an experience so far to challenge my students more and more each week, and encourage them to be creative in what & how they present. I'm very much looking forward to each unique presentation to come in my final weeks teaching here.

Cheese fingers (sūrio piršteliai)

Before kick-starting the weekend, a group of us headed to a cosy, hidden pub in the old town to enjoy their special cheese fingers (sūrio piršteliai). Trying to describe what these are (and where the pub they can be eaten in is) can prove difficult even for Lithuanians! So the best way is to take you there and try them for yourself! They taste much better than they look. They are kind of like ultimate mozzarella sticks except with better cheese and more filling. And they are super cheap!

Enjoying Akaga perform amazing live jazz!

The highlight of this week, however, has been the Klaipeda Jazz Festival! I believe this is the 18th year this festival has been held in Klaipeda and the best part is that all the concerts are for free! Always have been and always will be. The mayor of Klaipeda is an avid jazz musician himself and treated us to a performance of his own. He is passionate about music and invests a lot into the musical life of Klaipeda. His performances and the festival itself were impressive to say the least, and we enjoyed the music in good company. The act who stole the show for me was Akaga jazz band from Bulgaria. They were the ones to get the crowd going and got our group up amongst the crowd dancing! The festival spanned over the weekend, with live acts playing every evening of Friday, Saturday & Sunday.

Regardless of the downturn in weather, it is evident that a good time can still be had in Klaipeda - you just have to get out there and enjoy it! That's what I hope to prove next week, as I will humbly welcome my gorgeous visitors coming from Finland. So stay tuned. :)

Week 8 - 21st May -> 27th May

In all my mad rush to complete my blog last week (conscious of posting it late for those that now have a Sunday routine ;) ), I forgot to mention the Erasmus 25th birthday party! The Erasmus folk and ESNers of Klaipeda gathered in a new, local club called Sputnik to enjoy an evening together, with people sharing laughs and Erasmus stories. It was a great, well-organised evening and even involved the cutting, and more importantly, EATING, of the huge Erasmus birthday cake! As I almost feel like something of an Erasmus veteran myself, I helped myself to a huge chunk of cake that I could barely finish, but it was just delightful.

A more impromptu, small-scale event was organised this week by our lovely co-ordinators in the international office. We took advantage of the beaming, warm sunshine and gathered together for a picnic. I really love the sense of community that the whole Erasmus programme brings with it - it makes it possible to meet new people and instantly have a connection, and have stories to share about our Erasmus experiences.

The only down-side to Erasmus is when you have to leave, or saying goodbye to others when they are leaving. This week some of the girls organised a beach party for Luisiana, who will return to Italy soon. I had such a wonderful time feeling like a kid again on the beach, playing volleyball, duck duck goose, and crocodile! They are really a lot of fun to be around, and Klaipeda just won't be the same without them. I have been in this situation far too many times, but still have the same approach: to never say goodbye, only 'see ya!' Because, you never know, you may meet again.

I'm living proof of this notion this week, as I took a trip to Kaunas to meet with Marius, a Lithuanian guy I met on my first Erasmus in Finland. We joked that if someone had've told us 2 years ago that we would be sitting over drinks in sunny Kaunas reminiscing about old times, we would have laughed in their face saying, 'no way!'. But there we were. In fact, I even found myself in an Irish pub in the old town of Kaunas watching the Eurovision. So many shameful things about that sentence, I will not even begin to explain..!

View over Kaunas.

Anyway, Marius kindly showed me around some of the city, explaining why buildings in the old section are no higher than 3 storeys, because the surrounding ten fortresses of the city needed to be able to see each other. Beyond this old part of the city, you can see how time has changed with what he called a 'concrete jungle'. Kaunas has so much history to it, but Marius believed that the best way for me to see this and enjoy the place was to take me on a pub crawl, and that's exactly what we did! We even managed to catch some unexpected street performances, such as a marching orchestra and a flash mob!

The most curious things about Kaunas, for me, were Synthesizer, the minibus, and storks. Allow me to explain. 

Synthesizer is the name of the dog that came as part of the package deal when Marius moved in with his girlfriend. In Lithuania, it seems very popular to have a tiny breed of a dog (it is arguable for some, whether it is a dog or a rat), but it was unknown to me that I would be staying with one until I came face-to-face with Synthesizer. Turns out, he is a rather cute kind of the tiny dog species, and incredibly energetic, though he did eventually settle down and cuddle up to sleep beside me. I was grateful that Marius & his girlfriend kindly offered me a place to stay in their lovely, humble apartment, and only for them, I would never have been brave enough to try a Lithuanian minibus.

These minibuses also exist in Klaipeda, but I haven't quite plucked up the courage to use one, mainly because I thought they looked like deathtraps, and rightly so. They are basically yellow minibuses (like Ford Transit vans) that act as an alternative form of public transport, a little bit more expensive than regular buses (2,60Lt, approx. 0,75€ per ride) but it is much faster and they run later in the evening. When I say faster, I really mean super-speed. Marius took me on one through Kaunas, as the quickest way to get from his apartment to the old town, and I literally clung on for dear life. 

These buses can be flagged down anywhere, and they will come to an abrupt stop for just enough time for you to jump in and them to speed off before another vehicle rams into the back of them. The drivers somehow multi-task between stopping, speeding off, accepting your money, giving change and possibly eating a snack. Our minibus driver took his task seriously, weaving through the traffic like he (and the rest of us on board) were invincible, while serenading us by consistently, and seemingly unnecessarily, beeping the horn. When Marius signalled for him to stop to let us out, I felt rather relieved to be alive after frantically jumping from the vehicle before it sped off into the distance.

I survived the minibus experience (though am in no rush to try it again!), and was lucky enough to meet some of Marius's friends later in the evening. We ventured to a bar/club on the 5th floor of a glass-front building in the city centre, only to find what they named the native 'storks'. These can be defined as intriguing creatures consumed with probably a decent amount of alcohol, exploring the dancefloor with bizarre movements that some may consider 'dancing'. A running joke followed through the evening, as we observed the storks through the glass, sitting on the terrace to what may be called the inter-city zoo. The refreshing thing wasn't the drink I nursed (which was a variation of a mojito), but the humble, self-irony that these Lithuanians displayed. Like us from Northern Ireland, they could make fun of each other all in jest, and everybody would come away laughing and smiling.

Curonian Spit - this is the life in Klaipeda :)

This was a great way to end this beautiful week of summer (I hope that's not the end of the summer in Lithuania, but only the beginning!). I'm looking forward to more good times, laughs and days on the beach, before all this madness comes to an end. 

P.S. I can safely say that I have a new appreciation for hot water. After one week without it, I savour the opportunity to have a hot shower, even in this summer weather!

Week 7 - 14th May -> 20th May

After a long winter in Finland, and months of wearing layers and my winter coat, it‘s safe to say that I have a revived appreciation for the all-blooming spring. Only after such harsh winters do I really notice when nature comes back to life, with leaves and blossoms on the trees, and flowers sprouting from the grass. I say flowers, but what I really mean is dandelions. At home we consider this to be a pest of a weed, but as some Lithuanians seem to consider it a lovely, yellow, radiant flower, I will humour them. The argument of the dandelion continues – weed or flower?

Lithuanian Flag

Now I can finally see the reasoning behind the colours of the flag of Lithuania. I have learned before that the colours represent the sun (yellow), the land (green) and the blood of the people (red). For weeks, I have heard people refer to Lithuania as a green country, and until now, I had seen no evidence of this. Maybe I was more sceptical than the average person, since I am from the emerald isle of Ireland; my homeland is known as green, not Lithuania. But now, I have to say, I am beginning to see the similarities. Except that the green fields are missing animals; I’m used to seeing fields full of sheep, cows, or even horses, but in Lithuania there are empty. Strange, it seemed to me, but not the strangest thing I’ve come across here.

Last week, when I was in Siauliai, I noticed a sign that was put up in the student dorm, informing residents that there would be no hot water for one week (giving the specific dates this would happen). Little did I know, the same shock would come to Klaipeda, but with no warning, and no informative sign. Only the freezing cold water pumping through the taps, not turning any warmer, made me realise something wasn‘t quite right. It turns out half the city is without hot water, and apparently this is an annual occurrence (strange). It seems that they feel the need to carry out post-winter maintenance and cleaning every year, but I had hoped that Klaipeda would be spared, at least until I leave. No such luck. Instead, I have been developing innovative ways to motivate myself to have a cold shower, with exercise being the most prominent one. 

Sometimes they can be loud in a good way...

One has to get used to change when coming to a new country. However, I’m not sure if it’s because I have been spoilt by the quiet Finnish people, or if I am just getting old, but Lithuanian people (in general) are LOUD. Usually I can drown out background noise, especially if it involves people speaking in a language I don’t understand, but it sometimes proves difficult here in Lithuania. Maybe they don’t know it, but at least to me, they are noticeably louder than what I have been used to. Between answering a mobile phone on a bus, chatting in the street, or banging doors, I am still sensitive to the sounds, despite thinking that I would have adapted somewhat by now. However, it turns out I’m not the only one who thinks so. In Vilnius, we met an interesting man from the US, who was commenting on the guy working in McDonald’s banging and smashing as he worked, disturbing those who were eating. Perhaps it is just another part of Lithuanian culture to get used to.

The culture continued in an amazing weekend in Vilnius. There were five of us girls going together, one Northern Irish (me :) ), two Spanish, one Italian and one Turkish. We travelled by bus from Klaipeda for four hours before arriving in Vilnius on Friday afternoon. While on the bus, we were sitting opposite a rather elderly lady, but it was obvious that she was curious about us, and after making some remarks in English, it seemed she was searching for a moment to interact with us. After three hours of the bus journey, she finally plucked up the courage to ask where we were from and from there sparked a great conversation that lasted the remaining hour. Turned out she is from Hamburg, Germany, but she has travelled all over the world and lived in Africa, Romania, and is now living her 8^th year in Lithuania. After discovering that she doesn’t know the Lithuanian language despite living here for quite some time, I don’t feel so guilty not knowing that much myself!

The modern view of Vilnius

I had pretty high expectations about Vilnius, after hearing so many good reports. But I have to say, the city lives up to expectations and beyond. I was really impressed with how clean and tidy it is, and loved the style and architecture of the buildings, as well as the cosmopolitan atmosphere. It’s so different from Klaipeda. From the top of the tower of the old castle in the centre of Vilnius, you can see a panoramic view of the city, but it’s like looking at 3 different cities – the old, the new and the different! Each part of the city has its own unique style, and the contrast between the old and new is so intriguing. We enjoyed the atmosphere of the old town, dining in Vapiano in the modern side of the city, and the character of the Uzupis district.

Classical music next to a wall of graffiti = Vilnius :)

I chose this weekend in particular to go to Vilnius because there was a huge music day event happening on Saturday 19^th May, when all kinds of musicians play in the street for all to enjoy. This made the old town especially have an amazing feel to it, and I really enjoyed walking through the cobbled streets, enjoying all kinds of music and performances. It ended up the perfect timing for experiencing Vilnius, with all the exciting events, and even Sarah (my US friend studying in Siauliai) happened to be there at the same time, so we met up with her and our group expanded even more, to two Americans, a Slovakian, a Hungarian and a Lithuanian. They joined our tour of the city and we explored Uzupio together.

The Uzupis Constitution

The Uzupis district is probably one of the most interesting things to see in Vilnius. It’s a small section of the city that has its own constitution created after the fall of the Soviet regime, on display on the walls there (a good read!), its own anthem and flag. Here you can see the past Soviet times, with artistic flair and character engraved along the narrow, winding streets. It also offers beautiful views over the rest of Vilnius, and if you have time you can stop and enjoy the view on a bar terrace (although, I really mean if you have time, because we waited more than 40 minutes just for drinks, so don’t order while you’re thirsty, otherwise you will be dehydrated!) 

Happy faces after finally receiving our drinks!

On Sunday morning, we took a trip to a fascinating place located just outside of Vilnius, called Trakai. It sports wonderful scenery, with the main attraction being a restored castle situated in the middle of a tranquil lake. I’m so glad we took the time to go there on our final day – the surroundings were just stunning and you could easily spend hours there just walking and soaking up the nature. We were also lucky because the weather could not have been any better – all weekend we enjoyed warm, sunny days (although this proved difficult to handle on the return journey to Klaipeda in a sweltering hot bus with minimal ventilation and no working air conditioning, so in the end I was ready for a cold shower, for once!)

The beautiful Trakai

But as the hot water returns to my dorm in Klaipeda, and the sunny days shine even more, I will keep my lovely stories and memories of Vilnius, and catch up with my work. I fully intend to return there again, especially considering that it’s definitely the cheapest capital city I’ve ever been to! Let’s see how the rest of Lithuania shapes up…

Week 6 - 7th May -> 13th May

I forgot to mention something spectacular last week: the supermoon! Yes, it could be seen in Klaipeda too! Actually, I had no clue that such a thing existed, nevermind happening right then. But I just happened to look out my window at the right time, and the moon almost smacked me in the face with its magnitude! I thought, 'wow, the moon looks amazing tonight, so big and bright!' Of course, I tried to take a picture but it didn't turn out well so I abandoned that plan and simply admired it for a while. Little did I know, this crazy phenomenon was happening all over the world, as I saw the next day from the news and (where else?) Facebook. 

Connecting via Skype.

I also had a futuramic experience, being present at a party at home in Northern Ireland, but via Skype. It was great to see so many familiar faces again, especially at their bemused expressions at me on a laptop screen, with the laptop secured to a moveable chair, complete with make-shift arms and legs! Just goes to show, you don't have to be together to be together...(my motto these days).

The end of this week marks the half-way point of my internship here in Klaipeda State College. As a result, I have been reflecting on my teaching, and language teaching in general. It's a surreal experience to hear so many different people speak with the same language as my mother tongue. Sometimes, I have the feeling that as I teach English to others, my own English worsens. Maybe it's because I find myself picking up non-native habits, especially as I rarely speak with other native speakers anymore. However, I'm at least conscious of this and trying to prevent passing on bad habits. Rather, I will try to remain as something of a role model for those who wish to learn. Though, I have a slight struggle still with finding the balance between allowing people to freely practise speaking fluently, and when, or if, they should be corrected. I find that I tend to overlook minor mistakes, and correct those that reoccur. Or, I repeat what was said, but in the correct form.

Me, Carolin (from Germany) and Sarah (from USA) in Nida.

Moreover, when I meet someone from an anglophone country, I often forget that I'm speaking with a fellow native speaker, and it takes a while before I realise that I can talk faster and in my more natural state and they will still understand me. This occurred as I met again with a lovely friend from the US, whom I initially met on the study weekend a few weeks ago. She had planned a little birthday surprise for her close friend and roommate from Germany. The birthday girl had no idea it was happening, nor that I would join them. The surprise took place in Nida, where they were enjoying a day trip, so I ventured there from Klaipeda, and then hitched a ride back with them to their study city of Šiauliai.

I had been to both Nida and Šiauliai before, but this time was as if it was the first time. Nida looked like a completely different place, based totally on the change in weather. As opposed to the wet, windy and rough weather experienced on the previous trip there, this week it was beautifully calm, sunny and warm! I was enchanted by the stillness and tranquility of the water. It was the first time here in Lithuania (and in many, many months) that I have been outside with only a summer top on, without even a coat or anything! I couldn't believe how warm and humid it was. At this rate, I will have turned into one giant freckle by the time I'm leaving Lithuania! (My skin is sensitive to sunlight and when exposed, it seems millions of freckles appear from nowhere!)

The storytellers reunited in Siauliai.

As for Šiauliai, I have only ever passed through it to reach Riga or the Hill of Crosses. So this time, I stopped to appreciate it in itself, and enjoyed a lovely tour from my Šiauliai friends. They did a fantastic job hosting me, making me feel spoiled! We explored some of the surroundings and sights of Šiauliai, and I finally saw the famous fox! I had to see it at some point, following the story we successfully told at the study weekend, involving the mouse in Klaipeda and the fox in Šiauliai. It was nothing like what I expected - much bigger, and with a strange stance - to match the fox, a thousand mice would be required! 

Cat Museum

The strange setting of Šiauliai continued as we wandered across the city into what appeared to be the garden of someone's home. It was, in fact, the entry to the most unusual 'museum' I've ever visited - a cat museum! It had a wide selection of all kinds of cat-related items, as well as two live cats (who seemed to be the complete opposite of each other - one at something like 14 years old, who clearly spent its days curled up in a ball, sleeping; and the other, young, sneaky, 2 year old, who disappeared and reappeared all of a sudden, often, seemingly, to scare you!) Can you tell that I'm more of a dog person than a cat person?

But the most bizarre thing about this cat museum, was that it also contained a mini zoo! We were guided by two kids, who were maybe around 12 or 13 years old, around numourous cages and enclosures containing many different creatures from snakes, to owls, to rabbits, to lizards! They even had a cute monkey and a skunk! The kids did an amazing job explaining about the creatures, their eating habits and lifestyles, and all in English. I was mega impressed. But I wasn't brave enough to cuddle a snake or cockroach. Maybe next time.

The 3D movie experience.

It was first-time experience galore in Šiauliai, as we also went to the cinema, something I had not yet done in Lithuania. We went to see The Avengers, which also happened to be in 3D, though I don't know why; in my opinion, it didn't make much difference. But anyway, the movie was in English with Lithuanian subtitles, but of course a language problem emerged when some of the movie contained dialogue in another language, e.g. Russian. The first time this happened to me was while watching Rise of the Planet of the Apes in Finland, and the apes were speaking in some ape language and the subtitles were in Finnish, neither of which I understood. As the rest of the audience laughed, I wondered, should I join them with a fake, awkward laugh, or simply remain baffled until the scene finished... I went with a bit of both. As for the Avengers, we could only guess what was happening in these parts, but they were few and it didn't effect the overall sense of the movie. I enjoyed it, despite not having seen anything with Captain America, Iron Man, or the Hulk before (I'm uneducated in this respect). The Iron Man was my favourite in the end.

Overall, I had a great time catching up in Šiauliai, but my favourite sight had to be an abandoned, ancient, Soviet amusement park, that you would only discover by accident if you didn't know it was there. It is secluded in the middle of some old woods, next to a kind of stadium where history seems to come alive. It was like being inside of a history book, and seeing it for real. I love working and exciting amusement parks anyway, so to see such an old one, now out-of-use, was really interesting and I was so glad to be taken to this secret of Šiauliai.

Our lovely Ladies' Night in Viva la Vita.

The week ended with a gorgeous girly night to celebrate another birthday, this time of a fellow Erasmus student in Klaipeda; a Latvian girl. She reminded me of the bus journey we took from Nida, for the hour until the ferry there was an amazing sing-off between Turkish guys and Latvian girls! It was so spontaneous and such a joy to listen to, the singing was so impressively good! I can't say there was a sure winner; it's impossible to compare such different styles and languages they were singing in, but I thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment anyway! In the end, we celebrated the Latvian girl's birthday with a delicious meal in Viva la Vita, and some drinks and dancing in Memelis (a multi-storey, brewery pub/club/karaoke bar). 

In the realisation that I have spent almost half of my time here in Lithuania already, I felt the need to plan some of the rest of my time here, to ensure that I actually experience more of this beautiful country! So, in the coming weeks, I hope to bring some more tales of the lovely Lithuania from other places such as Vilnius and Kaunas; so stay tuned! :)  

Week 5 - 30th April -> 6th May

It feels like it's been a while since the last blog update, just because the previous one was that little bit earlier to allow for my time back in Finland. I had just the best time spending four days back "home" in Turku. I left my laptop in Lithuania, and enjoyed cutting myself off from the internet and instead purely appreciating the time I had there with my amazing friends. 

Having said that, now that I'm back in Lithuania, I am so grateful for Facebook and Skype to keep me connected to the people I love and care about. Although, there has been rather a lot of recent discussion surrounding the negative aspects of Facebook in particular. This mainly came from the few that don't have a profile on FB, but I decided to broach the topic with my student discussion group this week too. They made some very good points, supporting both sides of the argument, but the conclusion emerged that it's not FB that's the problem, it's how we use it that makes a difference. Personally, I think there is worse in the world to worry about.

Meridianas resting on the river.

Anyway, after returning from Finland, I've noticed more than before how much influence from Turku there is here in Klaipeda. For example, the infamous Hesburger can be easily located here and seems quite popular, and there are many ships currently on display in Klaipeda that were built in Turku. One particular ship, the Meridianas, serves as something of a tourist attraction here, despite being originally built by Finns. Recently, I have seen several tourist groups huddling around a guide next to this ship and I'm thinking that next time I will try to tag along and find out more of what the story is behind it. Nowadays, it is said to be an international restaurant, but I have never seen it functioning (as of yet). 

What the Meridianas must look like open.

Another somewhat of a reminder of the Finnish culture, is the strong influence of alcohol in Lithuania. Dare I say it, but it may even be more so than in Finland (this may come as a shock to those who reside in the land of the Finns - they like a drink - or many). But in Lithuania it is immediately more noticeable. In fact, it was one of the first things I noticed when I arrived here. My local supermarket is rather small and contains just the essential items, but half of it, I mean literally half of the whole store, consists of shelves upon shelves stocked with alcohol. In Finland, the supermarkets just stock "soft" alcohol, like beer or cider, and for the "hard" stuff you have to go to a proper alcohol store (Alko). However, this is not the case in Lithuania. This local supermarket of mine has everything you could want in alocoholic form - beer, cider, vodka, gin, rum, whiskey...and the list goes on. Nevertheless, the Lithuanians seem rather proud of their national beers. For me, this isn't very impressive coming from the island of Ireland, where beer was practically born (even though I'm not much of a fan - a disgrace, I know). But it seems to be a must-try in Lithuania. 


On the subject of intoxication, I have to share my perspective on smoking as well. Before coming to Lithuania, I actually feared that the smoking ban may not have come into effect here, based on my experience a couple of years ago in Latvia. To my pleasant surprise, the smoking ban does exist here, and as a non-smoker, I really do appreciate this. However, a conflicting surprise arose as almost every Lithuanian I have met so far, mostly around my age, smoke. In a way, Lithuania is kind of like a smoker's paradise because the cigarettes are still pretty cheap if you compare with other European countries (and even cheaper if they are coming from neighbouring Russian territory). Needless-to-say, I won't be converted.

Lithuania does seem to be converting me on other strange things though - like amber and sculptures. These are two culturally significant roots in Lithuania that I am being more and more exposed to. Since becoming more confident with my sense of direction in Klaipeda, I changed my usual walking route and explored some of the tiny, unknown streets, and discovered something that caught my attention. You should know that sculptures exist everywhere in this city, and they even have a sculpture park that is dotted with random and varying sculptures that don't seem to follow any one particular theme. But, this one, planted on the corner of street I had never ventured down before, was the most interesting one I've seen so far (see picture). My next task is to find out the story behind it. 

Moving on, even as the freckle and sunburn season makes a slow return, the empty streets of Klaipeda can be explained by one phenomenon: Akropolis. 
Akropolis is an entertainment/shopping centre - it is full of shops, and even has a cinema, ice rink and, wait for it, a Hesburger! (Though this is rivalled by a 24hr McDonald's drive-thru.) For me, Akropolis is where the city ends; I have not yet ventured any further, and have no clue what lies beyond it apart from the other exchange students of Klaipeda, where their dorm is situated. 
Anyway, as my most local, decent-sized supermarket rejected me all of sudden with workmen instead of customers, I realised it is under construction (everything is under construction here - university buildings, roads, the dolphinarium...! A sign of a booming economy..?). So, yesterday I ventured to Akropolis to stock up in Maxima (equivalent to Tesco Extra & Prisma), and there I saw half the city, as well as an interesting happening. There were dressed-up girls on stage singing, while on the ground there seemed to be some kind of fire brigade demonstration day. It was worth stopping for a moment.

But the real highlight of the day occurred on the way back to my dorm. I just happened to step off the bus and be standing in the right place at the right time, when a fantastic array of motorbikes of all kinds came streaming down the road, topped and tailed by two police cars. The stream of bikes seemed never-ending and I couldn't help but stand and watch with a beaming smile on my face - this was a reminder of home, and also of times ahead. I'm just gutted that I didn't have my camera with me to take a video - it was really something to see! Instead, I just captured a couple of photos on my phone, but they don't do it justice. 


That's the shame when you know you are watching something amazing and can't capture it for others to see, but I think it was better to be there anyway, and it's saved in my memory - that's enough for me.