Week 3 - 16th April -> 22nd April

Lots of breakthroughs and new experiences this week...

The Amberton Klaipeda Hotel

After attempting to get used to the housing rules here, and having moments of feeling like either a child or a prisoner, I made two significant breakthroughs this week. The first was breaking the curfew by arriving home on a Saturday night at 3am - shocker! Turns out, this is a perfectly acceptable violation, if already previously negotiated with the dorm staff. The reason for my terribly late return, that ended up in awakening the sleeping receptionist from her slumber, was an ESN gathering. It came to light that 50 Erasmus students from an ESN section in Vilnius had come to Klaipeda for one night only, so we decided to join them and hang out in their hotel room. I felt like such a rebel, roaming free in the city after midnight! And how I enjoyed every moment of it :)

Getting to know Klaipeda...

The second major breakthrough this week was the washing of my clothes. I have been rationing my garments since I arrived, with the fear of having an insurmountable pile to cope with. But, a lovely Lithuanian couple came to my rescue! They so kindly took my clothes from me and returned them the following day, washed, clean and dry. Oh, what a luxury it was to put on freshly washed clothes with a flowery scent of spring! I think it's fair to say that I'm appreciating the small things in life.

Continuing with my cultural observations, I am pleasantly surprised by the kind consideration of the bus drivers here. From what I've seen, they will wait for you if they see you running to catch the bus. Even if you rush after they have left the bus stop and are stopped at a red traffic light, they tend to open the door and make your day. I was so grateful for this when I was picking up an Easter package from the post office, and rushed to catch the bus in the lashing rain - to my relief, the driver let me in at the traffic lights.

To continue the theme of transportation, I had my first experience of the "control", who check to make sure you're not trying to ride the bus for free. They burst suddenly into the bus, swarming in like it was some kind of army raid, equipped with handheld devices to determine your guilt or innocence. If guilty, you risk a penalty of 60-100Lt (approx. 20-30 euro). Despite my innocence, I still had racing heart of a free-rider and held my breath as they checked my cards. After the safe gesture of returning my cards to me with an utterance, "ačiū" (thank you), I sighed with relief, and next time will feel prepared for the control raid.

Old Town Klaipeda with no traffic :)

In other traffic-related trivia, I was interested to discover that the old town in Klaipeda is closed to traffic and becomes a pedestrian presinct every weekend. The first time I saw this happen I thought it was simply because of Easter weekend, but now I've seen it happen each week, I have established and confirmed it as a regular occurance. I think it's a rather good idea, to preserve the old town and release it from the stress and noise of traffic, allowing it to wind down and have a peaceful weekend.

Traditionally locks are put on the bridge when you get married.

Tree-cutting.

This is not the only thing that has impressed me about Klaipeda, or Lithuania in general. I have been majorly impressed by how CLEAN the city is - glutter and litter free. Even still, this week has been a national clean-up week, saying goodbye to winter and welcoming the spring. The university students & staff came together to clean up the university grounds. At the weekend, the old town was the target, with locals teaming up to remove the remains of winter. The excitement for spring and summer is evident - workmen are on the streets, trees are being trimmed, outside terraces are being laid for restaurants, and the season for planting flowers is here. Even the ants are out in full force making the most of nature. Now I too am feeling the spring spirit!

Kulturos Peda Event

Finally, it seems I am becoming more integrated into the Lithuanian way of life, thanks to local Lithuanians adopting me. My neighbours have recently had the courage to invade my room, and now I have been appreciating their company around the dorm. I was also invited to an event organised in the university called Kulturos Peda. I only managed to pop in for a short while before my teaching in the afternoon, but I'm glad I caught a glimpse of some culture on display. It was all in Lithuanian but I gathered that some cultural awards were being presented, with fantastic performances in between.

In a final note this week, I have been reflecting in general on the use of English here. Surprisingly, a lot of people seem to know and understand English, but are too shy or lack the confidence to use it to speak. This is really a pity, because they are much better than they think they are.

Spring has arrived! :)

I'm happy that so many people who are non-native English speakers are reading my blog, and some have been telling me what they think about it. This is a welcome act from anyone - don't be afraid to let me know what you think of the blog or ask me any questions - I'm always grateful for some feedback :)

Until next week, enjoy the arrival of spring!