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. :)