Week 4 - 23rd April -> 29th April

This week's blog post is earlier than usual, because I will be back in Finland over the weekend and therefore, won't be reporting on Lithuania ;)

Needless-to-say, I have almost spent a month here in Lithuania already, and have forgotten how true the phrase, 'time flies' really is! Especially while on Erasmus. I have forgotten how much of a whirlwind experience Erasmus is - moving to a new place; being baffled by a crazy, foreign language; meeting a countless number of people and having that same polite, introductory conversation about who you are, where you're from, what you study, etc. etc., so many times that you're considering just writing it on a Post-it note and sticking it to your head. While this is a necessary and interesting process, the fun really begins when you've made it through this initial settling in stage. 


Anyway, I have been enjoying the healthy mix of meeting new people and catching up with others. While I met some great folks on a couple of trips to the Dutchman's Hat and Nida, I also encountered those I've met before when losing my Kiwi virginity. 

Kiwi club can be seen on the bottom-left.

Perhaps this needs explained... One of the very first sights to be pointed out to me, before I was even shown my accommodation on my first day, was the club situated right next to my dorm. 'Do you like clubs?' my new tutor asked. I said, 'Sometimes, yeah.' In truth, now that I'm on my way to turning 24, I'm being drawn away from the club scene. More often, I prefer to settle in a pub with friends where I can hear what they're saying to me, or chill out on a friend's sofa with a nice, wee cup of tea. Having said that, I am partial to a good (maybe girly) night out, dancing the night away to decent music. To continue, the club that my tutor was refering to was 'Kiwi' and I can see it from my bedroom window, it's literally right next to where I live. So, it was inevitable that I would lose my Kiwi virginity at some point, and I did. My lovely neighbours invited me out with them, and while there, I spotted some other internationals whom I'd met on the study weekend a couple of weeks ago. It was great to see them again, and enjoy a wee boogie together.

Our lovely group at the Dutchman's Hat.

The trips mentioned, to the Dutchman's Hat and Nida, were organised by those kind Lithuanians who don't mind leading the eager and curious foreigners around their beautiful country. The Dutchman's Hat isn't far from Klaipeda and can be reached by simply using a local city bus. It is a beautiful, sandy beach (yes, another one! :)) set beneath a cliff of sand and soil, topped with a forest. It's said to be called so because of a ship that sink not far from there called, 'The Dutchman', and one day a hat of one of the sailors was found ashore, hence the name the Dutchman's Hat. This is one of several possible stories that may explain the name of this wonderful, scenic place. We had a fantastic day there, enjoying the sunshine with a stroll along the beach, a picnic, and casual games of frisbee and Uno. An afternoon well spent.
 
As for Nida, we were not so lucky with the weather, but it was enjoyable all the same. Nida is a popular holiday resort about 50km from Klaipeda, on the Curonian Spit. It is home to some of the highest sand dunes in Europe, which was a welcome pleasure for us, as it was the only thing able to protect us from the wind! From the top, we could see across to Russia (Kaliningrad) but didn't venture that far without the necessary visa requirements. Luckily, our Lithuanian friends had a back-up plan if the weather turned bad, and led us to an cosy Amber Museum. It cost us 2Lt (~60cents) and with it we received a free postcard, access to a fabulous exhibition and gallery, and a great explanation of how amber is formed. Prior to my time in Lithuania, I wasn't such a big fan of amber, particular amber jewellery, but they seem to be convincing me otherwise. Perhaps now I would happily accept a nice pair of amber ear-rings. 

My favourite set of sculptures from the Hill of Witches.

On the way back to catch the ferry to Klaipeda, we stopped at the so-called 'Hill of Witches'. This is a magical, fairytale place, steeped with folklore and legends in the form of wooden sculptures scattered over a rounded hill cursed by witches. After touring the hill, it's advised to rid yourself of the witches' curse by jumping on one foot and making the sound of a rooster (yes, we did this and yes, it was caught on video and could well appear on YouTube...). 


As mentioned before, despite the thrill of meeting new people, there is the warm sentiment of catching up with those you've met before. For me, this was back in Klaipeda, with two sweet Lithuanian girls, whom I met in Turku after moving to Finland in August 2011. I'm glad they took the time to meet with me, and ask me why on earth I am in Lithuania! As I answered with pleasure, they showed me around some local hide-outs that I would never have noticed had they not have shown me. Moreover, I finally tried the famous cheese fingers that many people have told me to try here! They are deep fried cheese fingers served with a tasty dip - so bad but soo good!

To review, I began this post bewildered with the realisation that one month of my time in Lithuania has already passed, and I have two months left. But it's true, those two months will probably fly by as well, and before I know it I'll be battling with the weight allowance of my luggage again, and boarding another plane. This got me thinking of all the things I would like to do here, and the places I would like to see, so I made a list and consulted my calendar. As a result, I have almost filled up every weekend of the next two months with plans to explore Lithuania more - including places like Kaunas, Vilnius and Palanga, and enjoying the annual jazz festival right here in Klaipeda. I'm looking forward to whatever the next two months will bring :)

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!