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! :)