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!